The Di Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?
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Definitely fiction. Sorry for the lengthy explanation. It's cut and pasted from a ChristianityToday article. See link below.\n1. Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene?\nNo. Mary Magdalene was certainly close to Jesus. She wept at Jesus' tomb (John 20). Jesus even entrusted her to return and tell the disciples about his resurrection. But we have no reason to believe they were married. Brown says that Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper reveals the secret. He writes that the figure to Jesus' right, traditionally known as the apostle John, is actually Mary. Not true. Artists often gave characters feminine features to portray youth. John was the youngest of the disciples.\n\nBrown correctly observes that few Jewish men of Jesus' day did not marry. But why, then, did the apostle Paul, himself celibate, not mention Jesus and Mary when he argued that apostles could marry (1 Cor. 9:5)?\n\n2. What about these alternative gospels that aren't in the New Testament?\nIt's true that the Bible did not arrive as a "fax from heaven," as Brown writes. The New Testament canon in its current form was first formally attested in 367. Nevertheless, church leaders applied important standards when compiling the Bible. Authors of accepted writings needed to have walked and talked with Jesus, or at least with his leading disciples. Their teaching could not contradict what other apostles had written, and their documents must have been accepted by the entire church, from Jerusalem to Rome. Church leaders considered earlier letters and reports more credible than later documents. Finally, they prayed and trusted the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions. \n\nThe so-called Gnostic gospels, many discovered just last century, did not meet these criteria. Many appeared much later than the Bible and were dubiously attributed to major Christian leaders. Their teachings contrasted with what apostles like Paul had written. For example, many Gnostic writings argued that Jesus did not appear in the flesh, because flesh is evil, or they rejected the Old Testament. \n\n3. Were there really competing Christianities during the early church?\nYes—in the sense there were many disputes about the nature of Jesus. And the church has done its best to vanquish challengers to orthodoxy. Once the church decided against the Gnostic writings, they gathered and burned all the Gnostic manuscripts they could find. \n\nLater church councils convened to discuss other threats to Christian orthodoxy. Constantine, the first Roman emperor to make Christianity legal, called the most important of these meetings in 325. Leaders from around the Christian world gathered in Nicea, where they debated Arianism, which taught that God created Jesus. Brown writes that Constantine called this council so he could introduce a new divine Jesus on par with the Father. On the contrary, documents from before Nicea show that most followers of Jesus already called him LORD, the Yahweh of the Old Testament. The church leaders at Nicea rejected Arianism and affirmed that God and Jesus existed together from the beginning in the Trinity. This council produced the first drafts of what became the Nicene Creed, a landmark explanation of Christian belief. \n\n4. What is Opus Dei?\nA conservative religious group within the Roman Catholic Church. Opus Dei urges priests and laypeople to strenuously pursue sanctification through everyday discipline. The group has taken criticism for its conservative views, zeal, and secretive practices. There is no evidence that Opus Dei has resorted to murder; nor has the Vatican entrusted Opus Dei to violently guard the church's deepest secrets, as Dan Brown claims in The Da Vinci Code. \n\n5. Does the Priory of Sion really exist?\nYes, but not as described by Brown. Researchers suspect that members of the real-life Priory of Sion, founded in 1956, forged documents that placed major historical figures—such as Isaac Newton and Leonard da Vinci—in
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No...and I believe the following will enlighten you to some of the falsities of The Da Vinci Code.  It was a very good book, and I enjoyed it, but remember, it's fiction.  It's not a historical account, a classroom text, or any other nonfiction work.  It does not have to be (and is not) true.\n\n\nThe Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei\nA response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States. \n\nApril 17, 2006 \nMany people are intrigued by the claims about Christian history and theology presented in The Da Vinci Code. We would like to remind them that The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, and it is not a reliable source of information on these matters. \n\nThe Da Vinci Code has raised public interest in the origins of the Bible and of central Christian doctrines such as the divinity of Jesus Christ. These topics are important and valuable to study, and we hope that interested readers will be motivated to study some of the abundant scholarship on them that is available in the non-fiction section of the library. \n\nThose who do further research and exercise critical judgment will discover that assertions made in The Da Vinci Code about Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Church history lack support among reputable scholars. By way of example, The Da Vinci Code popularizes the idea that the fourth century Roman emperor Constantine invented the doctrine of the divinity of Christ for political reasons. The historical evidence, however, clearly shows that the New Testament and the very earliest Christian writings manifest Christian belief in the divinity of Christ. Other examples of discredited claims presented in The Da Vinci Code can be found in this FAQ from Catholic Answers or at the US Bishops' website, www.jesusdecoded.com. For those who are willing to take the time to get to the bottom of the issues raised in The Da Vinci Code, we recommend reading The Da Vinci Deception, De-Coding Da Vinci, or The Da Vinci Hoax. \n\nWe also want to point out that The Da Vinci Code’s depiction of Opus Dei is inaccurate, both in the overall impression and in many details, and it would be irresponsible to form any opinion of Opus Dei based on The Da Vinci Code. Those interested in learning more about the real Opus Dei may wish to read What is Opus Dei?, by Dominique LeTourneau, or Uncommon Faith, by John Coverdale. For those interested in further information about the various false impressions The Da Vinci Code gives of Opus Dei, please continue reading. \n\nPlease let us know if you need someone to speak about Opus Dei for a panel or other event about The Da Vinci Code -- we may have a speaker available in your area.  Also, free resource downloads for study groups and parishes are available from the group, Da Vinci Outreach.\n\n\n1. Opus Dei and monks \n\n\nThroughout The Da Vinci Code, Opus Dei members are presented as monks (or, rather, caricatures of monks). Like all Catholics, Opus Dei members have great appreciation for monks, but in fact there are no monks in Opus Dei. Opus Dei is a Catholic institution for lay people and diocesan priests, not a monastic order. \n\nOpus Dei’s approach to living the faith does not involve withdrawing from the world like those called to the monastic life. Rather, Opus Dei helps people grow closer to God in and through their ordinary secular activities. \n\n“Numerary” members of Opus Dei – a minority – choose a vocation of celibacy in order to be available to organize the activities of Opus Dei. They do not, however, take vows, wear robes, sleep on straw mats, spend all their time in prayer and corporal mortification, or in any other way live like The Da Vinci Code’s depiction of its monk character. In contrast to those called to the monastic life, numeraries have regular secular professional work. \n\nIn fact, The Da Vinci Code gets Opus Dei’s nature 180 degrees backwards. Monastic orders are for people who have a vocation to seek holi
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Yes!Kinda...I think yes...\n\nWeird because Da vinci is written by one author..Dan Brown..Unlike the bible who's writers are many..\n\nNo..DVC doesn't have a physical evidence.. All are based on theories..
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All of the artwork and architecture is true and the Priory of Sion really was a secret society of which Leonardo da Vinci was a member, but the underlying story is fiction.  Read the fact page at the beginning of the book (it's right after the title page and before the prologue).
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The Da Vinci Code is a mystery/detective novel by American author Dan Brown, published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction. It is a worldwide bestseller with more than 60.5 million copies in print (as of May 2006) and has been translated into 44 languages. Combining the detective, thriller and conspiracy theory genres, the book is part two of a trilogy that started with Brown's 2000 novel Angels and Demons, which introduced the character Robert Langdon. In November 2004, Random House published a "Special Illustrated Edition", with 160 illustrations interspersed with the text.\n\nThe plot of the novel involves a conspiracy by the Catholic Church to cover up the "true" story of Jesus. The Vatican knows it is living a lie but does so to keep itself in power. The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. Fans have lauded the book as creative, action-packed and thought-provoking. Critics have attacked it as inaccurate, sacrilegious and decry the many negative implications about the Catholic Church and Opus Dei.\n\nDan Brown's novel was a smash hit in 2003, even rivaling the sales of the highly popular Harry Potter series. It spawned a number of offspring books and drew glowing reviews from the New York Times, the People Magazine and Washington Post . The novel has also inspired several tour groups like Da Vinci Code tours, and companies like Ravenchase Adventures to create Da Vinci code like races and adventures using codes, ciphers, actors and gadgets. It also re-ignited interest in the history of the Catholic Church. As well as re-invigorating interest in the church, The Da Vinci Code has also spawned numerous "knockoffs" (as they are referred to by Publishers Weekly) , or novels that have a striking resemblance to The Da Vinci Code, including Raymond Khoury's The Last Templar, and The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry.\n\nSony's Columbia Pictures has adapted the novel to film, with a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman, and Academy Award winner Ron Howard directing. The film is set for release on May 19, 2006, and will star Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, and Sir Ian McKellen as Leigh Teabing.\n\nPlot summary\nSpoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.\n\nThe book concerns the attempts of Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University, to solve the murder of renowned curator Jacques Saunière (see Bérenger Saunière) of the Louvre Museum in Paris. The title of the novel refers, among other things, to the fact that Saunière's body is found in the Denon Wing of the Louvre naked and posed like Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, with a cryptic message written beside his body and a Pentagram drawn on his stomach in his own blood. The interpretation of hidden messages inside Leonardo's famous works, including the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, figure prominently in the solution to the mystery.\n\nThe main conflict in the novel revolves around the solution to two mysteries:\n\n•What secret was Saunière protecting that led to his murder? \n\n•Who is the mastermind behind his murder? \n\nThe novel has several concurrent storylines that follow different characters. Eventually all the storylines are brought together and resolved with the denouement.\n\nThe unraveling of the mystery requires the solution to a series of brain-teasers, including anagrams and number puzzles. The solution itself is found to be intimately connected with the possible location of the Holy Grail and to a mysterious society called the Priory of Sion, as well as to the Knights Templar. The Catholic organization "Opus Dei" (a caricature of the real Opus Dei) also figures prominently in the plot.\n\nThe novel is the second book of a trilogy by Brown in which Robert Langdon is the main character. The previous book, A
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The problem with "The Da Vinci Code" is that is starts by claiming that the Catholic Church is portrayed accurately. The trouble is, no distinction is made between the factual elements, and the purely fictional. As a result, people might come away believing fictional elements to be totally non-fictional.\n\nSome of the bigger fallacies claimed are:\n\nJesus is not God; he was only a man. \n\nJesus was married to Mary Magdalene. \n\nShe is to be worshiped as a goddess. \n\nJesus got her pregnant, and the two had a daughter. \n\nThat daughter gave rise to a prominent family line that is still present in Europe today. \n\nThe Bible was put together by a pagan Roman emperor. \n\nJesus was viewed as a man and not as God until the fourth century, when he was deified by the emperor Constantine. \n\nThe Gospels have been edited to support the claims of later Christians. \n\nIn the original Gospels, Mary Magdalene rather than Peter was directed to establish the Church. \n\nThere is a secret society known as the Priory of Sion that still worships Mary Magdalene as a goddess and is trying to keep the truth alive. \n\nThe Catholic Church is aware of all this and has been fighting for centuries to keep it suppressed. It often has committed murder to do so. \n\nThe Catholic Church is willing to and often has assassinated the descendents of Christ to keep his bloodline from growing.\n\nAnyone with a solid understanding of Catholic Church Doctrine and history, can easily discern fact from fiction. However many cannot, and therein lies the real danger.
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First and foremost of all, the "DaVinci Code" is a work of fiction; however, within its pages it contains informations based on historical facts and/or theories.  Now, as to the question asked:\n\nThis is a very grave matter to be discussed because, the very core of this topic can very well destroy, not only the Roman Catholic Church but also, the whole Christianity.  Still, one cannot deny the fact that, the "what-if" can be very possible.\n\nThere are things which were not clear about Jesus as presented in the Christian Bible, and that part is what made people starting to ask these "what-if" questions.  The Bible did state that, Jesus "loved" Mary Magdalene more than his followers; thus, what is meant by this "love"?  Indeed, a very likely hint, isn't it?\n\nSo, what we are left are two choices:\n\n- Stand firm in the Christian Faith and, consider this "DaVinci Code" as just another nonsense.\n\n- Venture beyond the "point of no-return"...
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Before you believe on the claims of the Da Vinci Code, allow me to refer you to these references that will prove that all claims of the book are just rubbish.  \n\nhttp://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp\nwww.priory-of-sion.com\nwww.jesusdecoded.com
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I don't see why not. Surely Christians are capable of distinguishing between truth and fiction. Just because the DaVinci Code has a high degree of verisimilitude and is virtually impossible to prove untrue (not being composed of scientifically verifiable statements) doesn't mean it's the TRUTH.\n\nOr does it?
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I agree. The Da Vinci Code is a good source.
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Yes to both.\n\n1.  Da Vinci Code is fiction with SOME (not many) historical truths.  It is an irrelevant text to your second question.\n\n2.  There is a plan to dilute the foundation of Christian beliefs.  It's called reason.
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You raise a good point, about what standard we use to determine credibility.\n\nThe problem with the Da Vinci Code is that Dan Brown is basically saying, "Okay, here's a novel for you, but I'm basing it on facts." He begins his novel, with a page titled "Fact" in which he says: "The Priory of Sion--a European secret society founded in 1099--is a real organization. In 1975 Paris's[sic] Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo Da Vinci..." The problem with that statement of fact, is that it's absolutely not true.\n\nThe Priory of Sion was founded in 1956 and the list of members a complete fabrication. You can go and research the Priory of Sion online(and I think the wikpedia has a good starting point)and discover for yourself that the claims Dan Brown makes in his book are false.\n\nI don't think there is any solid extra-biblical information that Jesus had children with Mary Magdalene or anyone else. I have to admit that there is a personal bias here, because I think Jesus was fully God and fully man. I think he channelled his sexual desires into an immense love for everyone. We as mere humans are not capable of that kind of love. That's just my personal opinion there.\n\nAlso, if Jesus was fully God, how is it possible for God to love just one woman?\n\nNow, if he's just man then there are no theological problems with him getting married and having children and if he's just a man, then we'd be stupid to follow him too.\n\nI don't care if people want to see the movie or read the book. I read the book and didn't think it was well written. It contained laughable dialogue and situations. Especially the dialogue between Sophie and Langdon. But they need to realize it's fiction! Of course, if people want to read a novel and see a movie and believe that it's true, then that's their problem, I suppose.\n\nIn regards to the Bible, Christians who are inquisitive do wonder about bias, error and fiction. That's what Bible study is for. There are mountains of books on the Bible, with differing viewpoints. As the movie tagline says, "Seek The Truth".
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Christians are pissed off because although the Da Vinci Code is a complete piece of fiction (and marketed as such), the scenario is real and the things they say make a lot of sense and are very plausable.  They complain about it as though the author is telling a true story when in fact it is not.  \nThat being said, it is a very good read.  I recommend it.
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Da Vinci Code Broken?\n\nDa Vinci Code controversy - It is everywhere! Dan Brown's book claims Jesus in not divine or God, and the gospels as we know them, have been changed, and after Jesus stay here on earth, men raised his status to the level of God. Could any of this be true?\n\nAncient secrets of the Church, hidden for centuries have actually been revealed and published in books prior to the fictional writings of Brown in the Da Vinci Code. Baigent and Leigh have produced other books from researchers point of view over the last two decades, including "Dead Sea Scrolls Deception", "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", and "Messianic Legacy." These books were the talk of the religious communities when they came out in the early 90's and certianly they have fueled an ongoing interest into just exactly who was this man Jesus, what was his message and what happened to him?\n\nIslam claims to "break the code" so to speak, over 1,400 years ago. The answer, according to Muslm scholars has been in the Quran for over fourteen hundred years \n\nSome may be surprised to learn, Muslims believe in the miracle birth and other miracles associated with Jesus. They actually consider him as the "Messiah" and they even say, "peace be upon him" when mentioning his name. However, they are quick to negate any connection between God and Jesus as a partnership or God-head, and they rule out the notion of God having any son (or daughter for that matter).\n\nHere is how Muslim scholars present their understanding and "break the code": \n\nHow Muslim scholars "broke the code": \n\nCreation itself tells us there is a creator and from the beginning of time – Allah, (the One God in Arabic) alone is to be worshiped. This is clear teaching throughout the Old testament (Torah), the scriptures that Jesus himself read and taught from. God is one not one of three; for example: ‘He is God; there is no other besides Him’. (Deuteronomy 4:35). The same is mentioned in the book of Mark in the New Testament, chapter 12, verse 29, when Jesus, peace be upon him, had been asked about the Greatest Commandment he replied, "To know, O Israel, the Lord your God is One Lord; and you have to love Him with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength."\n\nAccording to the oldest and most authentic copies of manuscipts and scrolls available throughout the centuries, Jesus, peace be upon him, never claimed to be God, or the creator, or the One to pray to, nor did he tell his followers to revere him as God. These notions appear on the lips of others who came along decades and even centuries later. \n\nWhile Jesus was on earth he did not claim to be the creator or ask us to revere him as God. His miraculous birth is a sign of his prophethood: “Verily, the likeness of Jesus before Allah, is the likeness of Adam. He (Allah) created him from dust and said “Be!” and he was” (Quran 3:59). Like all the great and noble prophets of Allah such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, Isaac and David, Jesus came with one message: Worship, love, obey and submit to the one true God, Allah, the creator of everything and do not worship anything besides Allah.\n\nThroughout history, people have taken to worship things or people alongside Allah, or just worshiping something else like power, status or money. Even the names of religions seem have more to do with the creation and less or nothing to do with the Creator. For example: Buddhism – Buddha (the name of a man), Confucianism – Confucius (the name of a man), Hinduism – Hind (the name of an area), Judaism – Judah (the name of a tribe) and Christianity – Christ (the name of a great prophet).\n\nIslam is different. Islam is a word coming from the verb "aslama" and it carries the meaning of "surrender", "submission", "obedience", "sincerity" and "peace" between you and Almighty Alla
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I believe that both are fiction. However, The da Vinci Code is more believable in my mind, because I'd have an easier time believing that a professor searched for the Holy Grail and believed that he'd found that it was a person than believing in an invisible man in the sky that flooded the world.
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It is a book that was just made into a movie-it is fiction- but hidden in D'vinci's paintings is a code that when they de-sifer it claims to be proof that Christ was a mere mortal and the whole consept of him being the son was God was a haux.\nSome want to expose the Hoax to the world and others want to protect the secret so that religion stays in tact.\nI need to see the movie to get the whole story but that's the basics.
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The Da Vinci Code isn't completely true. What bothers me is that the Vatican is complaining. They thought Catholics would see right through a book based solely on speculation and stories that are probably false, oh wait.....