The Official Website of Dan Brown Dan Brown Launches Inferno Experience Robert Langdon needs your help. Are you up to the task? Sony Entertainment, Google, and Dan Brown have teamed up to create puzzles for a three-week online experience, The Inferno Journey Through Hell. In it, players assist Robert Langdon in solving three puzzles per week that relate to Dante's Inferno. Dan calls the game "a plunge into the depths of hell using the Seven Deadly Sins as the ladder." Visit Journey Through Hell to uncover the mystery...and enter for a chance to win a trip to Italy. To learn more about the film, check out this article from USA Today . To stay up-to-date on the latest Dan Brown News, stay tuned to Dan's Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter pages. Dan Brown Announces New Novel Available September 26, 2017, the new novel, Origin, thrusts Robert Langdon into the dangerous intersection of humankind’s two most enduring questions. Global publishing phenomenon Dan Brown, author of the #1 international blockbusters Inferno and The Da Vinci Code, has written his latest Robert Langdon thriller titled Origin. Doubleday will release the novel in the U.S.

and Canada on September 26, 2017 and it will also be available as an ebook and an audiobook from Penguin Random House Audio. Origin will be published simultaneously in the U.K. by Transworld Publishers, a division of Penguin Random House. Additionally, a U.S. Spanish language edition will be published by Vintage Español. The announcement was made today by Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Jason Kaufman, Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday, will edit the novel. In keeping with his trademark style, Brown interweaves codes, science, religion, history, art and architecture into this new novel. Origin thrusts Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon into the dangerous intersection of humankind’s two most enduring questions, and the earth-shaking discovery that will answer them. There are more than 200 million copies of Dan Brown’s books in print worldwide, and his novels have been translated into 56 languages. To learn more, stay tuned to Dan's Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter pages.

Inferno Vlog#4 - Locations Go on location with the cast and crew of Inferno as they give you a glimpse of the historic locations behind Langdon's latest adventure. Go on location with the cast and crew of Inferno as they give you a glimpse of the historic locations behind Langdon's latest adventure. The film hits theaters internationally starting October 12th, followed by the U.S. premiere on October 28th. To stay up to date on the latest Inferno movie news, visit Dan's Facebook Page or the Movie's Official Twitter Page . Inferno Vlog#3 - Langdon's Superpower Robert Langdon’s superpower? Eidetic memory. Ron Howard discusses Langdon’s memory loss in this Vlog for the Inferno movie. Tom Hanks takes you behind the scenes to talk about Robert Langdon's superpower, eidetic memory, in today's vlog for the Inferno movie. The film hits theaters in internationally starting October 12th and in the U.S. on October 28th. To stay up to date on the latest Inferno movie news, visit Dan's Facebook Page or the Movie's Official Twitter Page .

Dan discusses The Da Vinci Code - Young Adult Edition For more on what it is and why we believe in the importance of reaching young readers, watch this clip from an interview with Dan. The YA edition of The Da Vinci Code is available internationally. For more on what it is and why we believe in the importance of reaching young readers, watch this clip from an interview with Dan. Inferno Vlog#2 - Zobrist's Manifesto Dan and Ron take you behind the scenes to give you a glimpse of Zobrist's Manifesto. In the word's of Bertrand Zobrist, “It has always been this way. Death is followed by birth. To reach paradise, man must pass through inferno." Take a look behind the scenes, as Dan Brown and Ron Howard give you a glimpse of Zobrist's Manifesto. The film hits theaters internationally starting October 12th, followed by the U.S. premiere on October 28th. To stay up to date on the latest Inferno movie news, visit Dan's Facebook Page or the Movie's Official Twitter Page . Inferno Vlog#1 - Cerca Trova Discover the heartbeat behind the film in this behind the scenes video.

Go behind the scenes of the Inferno Movie and find out what the cast, crew, and creators of the film have to say about Cerca Trova. The film hits theaters internationally starting October 12th, followed by the U.S. premiere on October 28th. To stay up to date on the latest Inferno movie news, visit Dan's Facebook Page or the Movie's Official Twitter Page . The full trailer for Inferno is now available online! We are thrilled to share the full trailer for the Inferno Movie. The world’s greatest mind faces his greatest challenge. The film hits theaters in the U.S. on October 28th, with an international rollout starting October 12th. To stay up to date on the latest Inferno movie news, visit Dan's Facebook Page or the Movie's Official Twitter Page . Inferno When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks, a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a madman from unleashing a global virus that would wipe out half of the world’s population.

When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks, a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a madman from unleashing a global virus that would wipe out half of the world’s population. W0ITh17ClnM Uncovering evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati also uncovers a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. The team behind the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code returns for the highly successful Angels & Demons , based upon the bestselling novel by Dan Brown. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon, who once again finds that forces with ancient roots are willing to stop at nothing, even murder, to advance their goals. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by Akiva Goldsman and David Koepp.

Featuring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Armin Mueller-Stall. ArdNQUUcZOM It begins with a spectacular murder in the Louvre Museum. All clues point to a covert religious organization that will stop at nothing to protect a secret that threatens to overturn 2,000 years of accepted dogma. Dan Brown's international bestseller comes alive in the film The Da Vinci Code , directed by Ron Howard with a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Featuring Tom Hanks as symbologist Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou as cryptologist Sophie Neveu, this heart-racing quest to solve a bizarre murder mystery takes them from France to England and behind the veil of a mysterious ancient society, where they discover a secret protected since the time of Christ. With first-rate performances by Sir Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Jean Reno, critics are calling The Da Vinci Code "involving" and "intriguing," "a first rate thriller." Also featuring Jürgen Prochnow and Paul Bettany. Produced by John Calley and Brian Grazer.

pc5d24lom8I The Da Vinci Code (2006) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Da Vinci Code ( 2006 ) PG-13 | From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC A murder inside the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years -- which could shake the foundations of Christianity. Director: a list of 40 titles created 14 Mar 2011 a list of 28 titles created 23 Jun 2012 a list of 35 titles created 09 Jul 2012 a list of 33 titles created 10 Jan 2015 a list of 30 titles created 11 months ago Title: The Da Vinci Code (2006) 6.6/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site?

Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 21 nominations. See more awards » Videos Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican. Director: Ron Howard A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island. Director: Robert Zemeckis When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Dr. Sienna Brooks, and together they must race across Europe against the clock to foil a deadly global plot. Director: Ron Howard An eastern immigrant finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there. Director: Steven Spielberg NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy. Director: Ron Howard The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

Director: Paul Greengrass Daniel Ocean recruits one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists in this sequel to Ocean's 11. Director: Steven Soderbergh Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, find Jack Sparrow, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle. Director: Gore Verbinski Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England. Director: Guy Ritchie Danny Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. Director: Steven Soderbergh Jack Sparrow races to recover the heart of Davy Jones to avoid enslaving his soul to Jones' service, as other friends and foes seek the heart for their own agenda as well. Director: Gore Verbinski A police officer joins a secret organization that polices and monitors extraterrestrial interactions on Earth. Director: Barry Sonnenfeld Edit Storyline Professor Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he's summoned to The Louvre.

A dead body has been found, setting Langdon off on an adventure as he attempts to unravel an ancient code and uncover the greatest mystery of all time. Written by comicfan Break The Codes See more » Genres: Mystery | Thriller Motion Picture Rating ( MPAA ) Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, some nudity, thematic material, brief drug references and sexual content | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 19 May 2006 (USA) See more » Also Known As: El código Da Vinci See more » Filming Locations: £9,501,444 (UK) (19 May 2006) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia In the story, Robert Langdon's publisher is called Jonas Faukman. Jonas Faukman is an anagram of Dan Brown 's real life publisher, Jason Kaufman. See more » Goofs (at around 1h 3 mins) Teabing says that Jesus Christ was regarded as a human prophet until Constantine's party narrowly voted to deify Jesus in 323.

In fact, Jesus Christ had been regarded as God in human form in most Christian documents since AD 95 and possibly early as AD 40. Around 300 a "heresy" was proposed to downgrade Jesus to a mere human prophet, but this new idea was voted down in a landslide in 323 in favor of the original concept of Jesus as God. This council was simply telling everyone what most already believed. See more » Quotes Silas : Stop now. Tell me where it is. [removes hood] Silas : You and your brethren possess what is not rightfully yours. Jacques Saunière : I don't know what you are talking about. Silas : Is it a secret you will die for? Written and Performed by Dan Brown Courtesy of DGB Records (Singapore) – See all my reviews This movie is becoming as controversial as the book. Since the day it was announced that it's gonna be made, there were protests against it being done, and it has escalated to calls for boycotting, or banning the movie altogether. I'll not waste time and go into its controversies, nor discuss what's real and what's not.

Neither will I explain in detail the plot, as I believe most of you readers would already have some vague idea of what it's about, or have read the book, since it's on the bestsellers list for months. Rather, I'll evaluate the movie as it is, on how well it entertains. Those who wish to preach in my comment box, prepare to have those comments deleted, at my discretion. This is the stand I shall take, that this movie is entirely fictional, based on events which are used loosely, for the sole purpose of weaving a storyline that tries to be believable. I think some have already mentioned it's too successful in doing that, and may mislead people into thinking its theories presented, are real. However, don't take it too seriously, and if you wish to, use another proper platform to debunk the myths, not my movie review blog. The structure of the movie, is exactly the same as the book. There is no change to the ending, despite some rumours that it will be different.

Naturally, some of the detailed explanation that's given in the book, especially many three-way dialogue between Sophie- Robert-Leigh, have to be summarized in order to pace this movie into 2 1/2 hours. Herein lies the challenges. For those who've read the book, the movie offers nothing new, other than the gratification of watching events and characters play out on the big screen. For those who haven't read the book, the movie version should be decent enough to make you want to pick up the novel and read more into the controversial theories explained. However, having being familiar with the plot and how the story unfolds, red herrings, character motivations, twists and all, it may leave those who've read the novel, a page-turner in every sense of the word, a bit wanting, that the pace could've been improved. Undoubtedly the pacing sags when it's time for some dialogue heavy moments, but I suppose that is unavoidable when you're revisiting material. However, its presentation of these controversial dialogue moments coupled with special effects, that will make you go wow.

Truly, the technique is nothing original, and some of the visuals used looked like Return of the King and Kingdom of Heaven rejects, but as a whole, combined with the narrative, it helps to present the controversies in a more palatable manner. Casting, I felt, was spot on. Tom Hanks makes Robert Langdon pretty accessible, given Hanks' everyman demeanor, and Audrey Tautou makes a believable Sophie Neveu. Ian McKellen, probably THE actor with 2 summer blockbusters back to back (the other being X- Men 3), is convincing as the rich grail hunter Sir Leigh Teabing. Paul Bettany is chilling as the albino killer Silas, and Jean Reno and Alfred Molina round up the star studded cast as the detective Captain Fache and Bishop Aringarosa. Much is said about the haunting soundtrack, but as far as I'm aware, there's nothing scary about it. Silas, in his scene of self-cleansing, is horrid enough though, as are some scenes of unexpected on screen violence that hit like a sack of potatoes falling from the sky.

In the end, in spite of all the controversies, perhaps Robert Langdon's line is poignant - if given a chance, would you rather destroy faith, or renew it? The book and the movie have provided an opportunity for the faith to renew itself, to debunk the myths and theories (which were developed loosely to make the story flow of course), and to generally point the curious to the direction and light the faith wants to show. Otherwise, this Ron Howard movie makes a good summer popcorn flick, with the usual thrills and spills you'd come to expect with its superb production values. 498 of 866 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Dan Brown » The Da Vinci Code AUDIO EXCERPT Reviews WOW…Blockbuster perfection. An exhilaratingly brainy thriller. Not since the advent of Harry Potter has an author so flagrantly delighted in leading readers on a breathless chase and coaxing them through hoops. – Janet Maslin, The New York Times A new master of smart thrills. A pulse-quickening, brain-teasing adventure. – People Magazine This is pure genius. Dan Brown has to be one of the best, smartest, and most accomplished writers in the country.

– Nelson Demille Thriller writing doesn’t get any better than this. – The Denver Post This masterpiece should be mandatory reading. Brown solidifies his reputation as one of the most skilled thriller writers on the planet with his best book yet, a compelling blend of history and page-turning suspense. Highly recommended. – Library Journal A heart-racing thriller. This story has so many twists — all satisfying, most unexpected — that it would be a sin to reveal too much of the plot in advance. Let’s just say that if this novel doesn’t get your pulse racing, you need to check your meds. – The San Francisco Chronicle BIZARRE FACTS The Secret Life of Leonardo da Vinci A prankster and genius, Leonardo da Vinci is widely believed to have hidden secret messages within much of his artwork. Most scholars agree that even da Vinci’s most famous pieces – works like The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and Madonna of the Rocks – contain startling anomalies that all seem to be whispering the same cryptic message…a message that hints at a shocking historical secret that allegedly has been guarded since 1099 by a European secret society known as the Priory of Sion.

In 1975, Paris’s Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci. French president François Mitterrand, is rumored to have been a member, although there exists no proof of this. An Unbroken Code There exists a chapel in Great Britain that contains a ceiling from which hundreds of stone blocks protrude, jutting down to form a bizarre multi-faceted surface. Each block is carved with a symbol, seemingly at random, creating a cipher of unfathomable proportion. Modern cryptographers have never been able to break this code, and a generous reward is offered to anyone who can decipher the baffling message. In recent years, geological ultrasounds have revealed the startling presence of an enormous subterranean vault hidden beneath the chapel. To this day, the curators of the chapel have permitted no excavation.

243 Lexington Avenue, New York The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has become controversial recently due to allegations of brainwashing, coercion, and a dangerous practice knock as “corporal mortification.” Opus Dei has recently completed construction of a $47 million, 133,000-square-foot North American Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City. Someone is watching you… or are they? The Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the longest buildings on Earth. Walking around the entire perimeter of this horseshoe-shaped edifice is a three-mile journey. Even so, the Louvre’s collection of art is so vast that only a fraction of its works can be displayed on the walls. Inside the galleries, a multitude of security cameras watch over visitors. The number of cameras is so great that a staff of several hundred wardens would be required to monitor all of them. In fact, most of the cameras are fake.

Da Vinci’s slap on the wrist Da Vinci’s original commission for his famous Madonna of the Rocks came from an organization knock as the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception, which needed a painting for the centerpiece of an altar triptych in their church of San Francesco Grand in Milan. The nuns gave a Leonardo specific dimensions and a desired theme – the Virgin Mary, baby John the Baptist, Uriel, and Baby Jesus sheltering in a cave. Although da Vinci did as they requested, when he delivered the work, the group reacted with horror. The painting contained several disturbing “un-Christian” anomalies, that seemed to convey a hidden message and alternative meaning. Da Vinci eventually mollified the confraternity by painting a second version of Madonna of the Rocks, which now hangs in London’s National Gallery under the name Virgin of the Rocks. Da Vinci’s original hangs at the Louvre in Paris. Secrets behind 'The Da Vinci Code' - Dateline NBC | NBC News Secrets behind 'The Da Vinci Code' Dateline travels throughout Europe to investigate best-selling novel's controversial claims Below: - This report airs Dateline Friday, 8 p.m.

Inside the Louvre Museum, under the mysterious gaze of the Mona Lisa, a museum curator is gunned down. In his dying moments, he leaves behind a bizarre trail of clues, some written in his own blood. The gunman is a towering albino monk, but police suspect the murderer is a Harvard professor of religious symbols and art. As the professor races off into the Paris night to prove his innocence, he embarks on a journey through ancient history, art, and the Bible, and the discovery of dangerous truths hidden for 2,000 years -- secrets, that if revealed, could "devastate the very foundation of Christianity." That scene, from the opening pages of “The Da Vinci Code” is, of course, fiction. But readers are told right from the start that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." That provocative statement gives an air of credibility to the book's elaborate conspiracy theories and it's caused millions of readers to wonder how much they really know about Jesus and a woman named Mary Magdalene. "Fiction, as if it were fact, as if it were history, and say 'Well, this really rocks my world?

What I’ve always come to understand about Jesus and the Catholic church is suddenly everything’s up for grabs and that shakes a lot of people up,” says NBC News analyst Father Thomas Williams of Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University. In the book, the monk kills the curator in a quest for the legendary Holy Grail, a mythical vessel often thought of as the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. But in “The Da Vinci Code,” the grail takes on an entirely new meaning. It might not be a cup at al, but a secret, the author suggests, that would radically change our understanding of Jesus and the life he led. To understand that secret and to separate fact from fiction in “The Da Vinci Code,” we pieced together a portrait of the novel's key figure, a woman who lived 2,000 years ago: Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene was born, it is believed, in the town of Magdala, a fishing village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. She lives in our memory as the Biblical figure with the flowing red hair, a fallen woman until she is forgiven by Jesus.

Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King is an authority on women's roles in the early church and author of a recent book on Mary Magdalene. Stone Phillips, Dateline correspondent: How important do you think she was to Jesus? Karen King, Harvard Divinity School professor: Mary Magdalene had to be one of the most important people in Jesus' life. And she's said to be the first witness to the resurrection. That role in his story places her at the center of the Christian message, and, one has to assume, at the center of Jesus' life. Few scholars doubt that Mary was an important follower, but there is another label that has stubbornly shadowed her through the ages -- prostitute. Phillips: Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? Dr. Ben Witherington, III, Asbury Theological Seminary: No. No, she wasn't. In no text in the New Testament is Mary Magdalene ever said to be an adulterer or a sinful woman. Even so, in a 6th century Easter sermon, Pope Gregory the Great declared that Mary was a prostitute. Why would he do that?

Many believe he simply mixed her up with another Bible figure, an unnamed prostitute who appears just before Mary is introduced in the Book of Luke. Bart Ehrman, author of "Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code": They’re clearly different women. But Pope Gregory the Great identified the two and said they were the same. And from that point on, in the 6th century, it came to be thought that Mary Magdalene must have been a prostitute. But the novel's professor, who's trying to unravel the mystery of the grail, suggests something more sinister behind the slander: a conspiracy by the church to hide the true nature of Mary's relationship to Jesus. The fictional professor points to some tantalizing clues, buried in the sand for almost 1,600 years, that help explain Mary's secret connection to the grail. They're clues that are, in fact, based on something real. In December 1945 near the Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi, a peasant smashed open an earthenware jar and pulled out more than 50 ancient texts hidden since the 4th century.

“The Da Vinci Code” refers to them as scrolls, but they are, in fact, leather bound books, part of a collection known as the Gnostic Gospels. These texts have never been recognized by the church, but some scholars say they contain revealing new insights about Mary. King: We get these later Gospels that elaborate on these possibilities for what Jesus may have told Mary. And later tradition also sees her as someone who was a leader in the church. And that set of images, make for a strong figure. Phillips: Not the shy, retiring, passive type? King: Not the shy retiring, passive type. In these more recently discovered alternative Gospels, Mary emerges as a kind of original feminist, Jesus' most trusted disciple and advisor, and a rival to the apostle Peter, the fisherman thought to be the first head of the church. Phillips: I think most people will be surprised to hear that there is a gospel in which she is foremost among the Apostles. King: According to this Gospel, Mary was the disciple who understood. She was the one who was able to carry on Jesus' teachings. Phillips: She got it. King: And to preach the Gospel. She got it.

The novel says passages of the once secret books depict Mary as the true heir to Jesus' church and a threat to its male leaders. But many, like noted Evangelical scholar Darrell Bock, say that's misreading the text. Advertise Dr. Darrell Bock is research professor of New Testament Studies and professor of Spiritual Development and Culture at Dallas Theological Seminary. Darrell Bock: Now Mary Magdalene is a very important figure in the early church and in the Bible. But it is a misrepresentation to suggest that she held some kind of formal office or had some formal teaching role. We have no real evidence of that at all. As it is with most figures from the Bible, the portrait of Mary is incomplete. Her life is a puzzle with some intriguing pieces; a scrap of parchment, a few lines in an ancient manuscript. The novel says the truth about Mary and her link to the Holy Grail is "everywhere once you open your eyes..." including some of the world's greatest works of art. You just have to know how to read the clues. Phillips: According to this book, "The Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci, holds the key to the mystery of the Holy Grail.

David Nolta, art historian: It's the crucial image in ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ Are the clues in a crucial image, hiding in plain sight— revealing the dangerous secret behind “The Da Vinci Code”? The bond between Mary and Jesus may have run far deeper than anyone imaged. Buried deep in the pages of “The Da Vinci Code” is a secret about Mary Magdalene, one the book says the church has suppressed for centuries. If you look carefully, there are clues pointing to it everywhere: in the Bible, in historical documents, and in works of art by Leonardo Da Vinci— complex codes and mysterious messages that the novel claims were cleverly hidden by the artist. But are they really there? David Nolta, art historian: He was one of most mysterious people in the history of Western civilization. When people think of the renaissance man, they often think of Leonardo Da Vinci. Art historian David Nolta teaches a course on “The Da Vinci Code. He considers Leonardo a genius whose work still evokes a deep sense of awe and mystery. His paintings, abundant drawings, and notes, (many of which are written backwards), seem full of secrets and fantasies. Leonardo was an architect, musician, anatomist, and engineer.

Stone Phillips, Dateline anchor: And according to this book, the keeper of the Holy Grail. Nolta: Right. According to “The Da Vinci Code,” Leonardo offers the key to the secret of Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus in his masterpiece in Milan, the Last Supper. The novel turns conventional wisdom on its head with this declaration that "The Last Supper" doesn't depict 13 men, but 12 men and a woman. Could that be true? For answers, the novel instructs us to take a closer look at the figure to Jesus' right. We asked Nolta to help us demystify the meaning of the painting. Could it be that the beardless apostle, always believed to be St. John, is really a woman? And if so, who is she? Phillips: This figure does appear to be more feminine than any other figure in the painting. Nolta: I totally agree, most feminine. If that's true, what could the painting be telling us? The book points to another clue. The "M" evoked by the outline of the central figures could actually be a secret code that stands for Mary Magdalene.

Nolta: You can find an "M", certainly… which could stand for Mary Magdalene. Or the book says it could stand for something far more provocative, like matrimonio or marriage. Could Mary Magdalene and Jesus have been husband and wife? “The Da Vinci Code” claims the Last Supper practically shouts out that they were a pair. To find out if there's any truth to this radical claim, we must travel back 2,000 years. Mary and Jesus are thought to have come from Galilee. Mary, some believe, was from a prosperous fishing family and Jesus was a Jewish preacher with a reputation for performing miracles. The New Testament says they came together when Jesus cast out Mary's "seven demons," spirits once thought to represent her wayward past. But today, it is widely seen as a metaphor for illness, perhaps epilepsy. Soon, the Bible says that Mary was traveling the countryside with Jesus and even contributing money to his ministry. She was with him during his final days in Jerusalem, one of the few followers to remain by his side at his moment of death. Phillips: How significant a figure was Mary Magdalene in Jesus' life?

Karen King, Harvard divinity school professor: Mary Magdalene had to be the most important woman in Jesus' life, perhaps other than his mother. He surrounded himself by a group that followed him. Jesus loved her more than the others. The question is, why? Margaret Starbird, author: I think they were a couple. I think he found her irresistible. Author Margaret Starbird, whose controversial research on Mary Magdalene is cited in “The Da Vinci Code,” says there's no need to look to art for clues of an intimate relationship between Mary and Jesus. All you have to do, she says, is read the New Testament. It's right there in the Book of John. Starbird: When Mary Magdalene comes to the garden to mourn for Jesus and to anoint him for his final anointing and finds him resurrected in the garden, she is overjoyed. Before Jesus ascends to heaven, Mary reaches out to him and he tells her "do not touch me." Starbird: He's saying "I can't stay with you now" and she's trying to hold on. It's not just a touch. It's an embrace.

If she weren't married to him, she wouldn't have dreamed of touching him. Advertise Most scholars and of course the Catholic Church refute the notion that the scene in the garden suggests anything intimate between Jesus and Mary. But Starbird says that outside of the Bible, in those unrecognized gospels found in the Egyptian desert, there are more clues, like phrases from the Gospel of Phillip that say Mary Magdalene "always walked with the Lord" and is "the one who was called his companion." Phillips: Would the word "companion" translate to "spouse"? King: It can mean spouse as well as companion. Others say "companion" might simply mean a spiritual companion or fellow traveler. But “The Da Vinci Code” quotes another line in the same passage as proof that Jesus and marry shared a sexual relationship. It reads, "Christ loved her more than all the other disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth." But many scholars, like Bart Ehrman author of "Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code," say that's stretching the truth. Bart Ehrman, author of "Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code": The manuscript that has the Gospel of Philip has holes in it.

And so there are places where the words don't come through. And so what it says is that Jesus loved blank. And frequently blank kiss blank on the blank. So it looks like Jesus is kissing Mary Magdalene somewhere on her body but we don't know where. Phillips: That's all we've got. Ehrman: That's all we got. Phillips: Literally holes in the story. So the picture is incomplete. But wherever Jesus kissed Mary, other scholars add, it doesn't tell us anything more about their relationship. Phillips: Are there other instances of Jesus kissing other disciples? Dr. Ben Witherington, III, Asbury Theological Seminary: Oh sure. Absolutely. And of course, you have the famous one that's in the reverse where Judas kisses Jesus to identify him when he's betrayed. What we know about early Jewish culture is that this was the traditional greeting. And, as for the book's claim that a married Jesus makes infinitely more sense than our view of Jesus as a bachelor, scholarly opinion is mixed. Elaine Pagels: It's certainly true that most Jewish men got married. Rabbis in particular. And it could well be that Jesus was married.

Witherington: It was the norm and it was normal that Jews got married. Were there a lot of notable exceptions? Absolutely there were. And Jesus could be one. But one thing scholars agree on is this: nowhere in the New Testament or in any other Christian teachings does it spell out whether or not Jesus was married. That's because it never happened. But for others, that silence is rich with possibility. King: If there were any definitive piece of evidence that Jesus and Mary were married, it would have been told many times. Phillips: That's a secret that would not have kept. King: What we really have is silence, and silence is pregnant with many kinds of meaning. But what if there was a reason for that silence, a truth, says “The Da Vinci Code,” that if revealed, was far more threatening to the church than a marriage? Advertise At the heart of the mystery unraveled in “The Da Vinci Code” lies the enigmatic figure of Mary Magdalene. For centuries she was dismissed as a reformed prostitute, but Dan Rrown re-imagines her as a powerful figure who not only followed—but married—Jesus of Nazareth.

And the book also implies that there’s more to her story than that—a truth so startling that it could rock the very foundations of Christianity. Again, the novel says the answer is hidden all around us. One set of clues brings us to a sleepy village along the Mediterranean coast of France. There is a legend there that is said to reveal the truth about Jesus and Mary Magdalene. It is the place where an oarless boat full of refugees from the Holy Land washed ashore not long after Jesus was crucified. Margaret Starbird, author: They landed on the coast of France and brought with them the Holy Grail. Among those onboard was Mary Magdalene, who, the legend says, settled there and raised a daughter named Sarah. Starbird: She's pre-adolescent in 42 AD, which means she's between 9 and 12 years old in 42 AD. And so the timing is right in the legend. But in “The Da Vinci Code,” Sarah is no mere legend. She exists and her lineage is the most astonishing revelation of the story. Sarah, the novel proclaims, is the daughter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

This, the book says, is the true secret of the Holy Grail: That Jesus' marriage to Mary Magdalene produced a child, a little girl, who grew up in the South of France. According to the legend, Sarah bore children of her own, carrying on her father's bloodline. It flowed through generations, eventually reaching the French royal family, and from there, the rest of the world. There is, of course, no birth certificate, or entry in some ancient ledger telling of Sarah's arrival or who her parents might have been. For clues, the book once again leads us right back to Leonardo DaVinci and the Last Supper. It is one of many renaissance depictions of Jesus and his Apostles sharing Passover on the night before his crucifixion. But Leonardo's version leaves out an important icon. Jesus' chalice, the legendary Holy Grail, is missing. And according to “The Da Vinci Code,” its absence is no mistake. It's just another clue leading us to the truth about Mary Magdalene. The book says the painting literally spells it out.

First, there's that "M" which could stand for "Magdalene" or "marriage." Then, there's another clue found by tracing the line formed by the central figures -- a "V,” the shape of the missing chalice and the ancient symbol for female fertility, conjuring the image of a mother's womb. And so, the book concludes, Da Vinci is trying to tell us that Mary Magdalene was the "holy vessel" who carried "the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ" by bearing his child. Starbird: And probably a girl child since the vessel, the shape, the cup is actually a feminine symbol. But why would Leonardo bury these symbols in his masterpiece? Stone Phillips: The book depicts Leonardo Da Vinci as a subversive slipping hidden messages into his art. David Nolta, art historian: Uh-huh. Phillips: The artist's eccentricities projected an admittedly demonic aura. Nolta: He was a man of a considerable range of activities, certainly. Leonardo's activities, according to “The Da Vinci Code,” included leading a secret brotherhood, a group entrusted with protecting the truth about Jesus, Mary and their child -- The Priory of Sion.

Richard Leigh, co-author "Holy Blood, Holy Grail": The original Priory of Sion was established in 1099 by the Crusaders after Jerusalem fell. You won't find the Priory of Sion mentioned in any conventional biography of Leonardo DaVinci, but the book says that for proof of his membership, all you have to do is look in the French National Library at a collection of papers called the Secret Documents or Dossiers Secret. Leigh: Dossiers Secret are documents deposited anonymously in the Bibliotheque Nationale. Richard Leigh was among the first to evaluate the documents which were, in fact, discovered in the library in the 1970s. The documents include a directory of leaders, called grand masters, men whose mission, Leigh says, was to hide the secret of the bloodline, then pass it down through the ages. Leigh: Leonardo appears on the list of grand masters. There's no question that he was also connected with the figures who immediately proceed and immediately follow him on the list. The list opens with obscure French noblemen, but goes on to read like the contents table of an introductory course to Western civilization.

Leigh: Obviously when we first saw the names, names like Leonardo, Botticelli, Newton, we were skeptical. On the other hand if you wanted to concoct a list of illustrious figures, why include so many non-entities? And why not bring in more? Why not have Goethe on the list for example? Why not have Shakespeare? A generation ago, Leigh poured over these enigmatic papers, matching them point by point to documented French history and local legends -- including the story of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and a girl named Sarah. It all points, he says, towards a cataclysmic possibility. Advertise Leigh: That there were progeny or at least one child from this union and that a bloodline continued. Could these cryptic documents reveal some ancient knowledge and could they hold the key to finding the heirs of Jesus living among us today? In the book, they are startling truths that have been protected and passed down through the ages by the members of an elite secret society called the Priory of Sion.

And while “The Da Vinci Code” is, once again, fiction, page one opens with these words -- "fact: The Priory of Sion, a European secret society founded in 1099, is a real organization." And if that society is real, some readers reason, then the secret it holds about Jesus and Mary must be real, too. But does the Priory of Sion exist? Bill Putnam, archeologist: On page one or page two, it says, ‘fact.’ The large word, ‘fact.’ My reaction was screams. “The Da Vinci Code” isn't the first book to make a case that the Priory of Sion and its secrets about Mary and Jesus are real. A similar story was first told in 1982 in a non fiction book called "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." Co-authors Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln remember the controversy all too well. Henry Lincoln, co-author "Holy Blood, Holy Grail": What we have now with ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Is repeat of what happened about 20 years ago when ‘Holy Blood, Holy Grail’ was published.

Richard Leigh,co-author "Holy Blood, Holy Grail": The whole thing turned into a circus. To separate fact from fiction in both books, you have to understand the true story at the heart of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail," one that began more than a 100 years ago, in a tiny village in the south of France called Rennes le Chateau. It all centers around a man named Sauniere. the same name author Dan Brown gave the curator in “The Da Vinci Code.” The real-life Sauniere was a young, penniless priest. But soon after he began renovating a church, all of that changed. He became rich, which left many in town wondering how he came by his fortune and what secrets it might hold.... Local legend has it Sauniere found some mysterious documents hidden deep in the church's altar. Lincoln: The priest, in repairing his church, supposedly found some parchments. These parchments contained secret messages. Advertise Secret messages, it was said, that led the priest to a buried treasure.

But when the authors of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" analyzed the parchments, they came up with a different theory: Sauniere had stumbled onto not gold and jewels, but evidence of a secret society that had been guarding the descendents of Jesus and Mary Magdalene for centuries. The clues, they say, are there in the parchments. If you look closely enough you can find the letters, "Sion" and "PS," code for the Priory of Sion. Lincoln: Nobody knows anything about the Priory of Sion. To find out more about the Priory, the authors headed to the French National Library, and soon, made another discovery, a list of Priory leaders, or grand masters. The same list is featured in “The Da Vinci Code.” Leigh: We checked all of these, even those that seemed irrelevant to the main story, and they all checked out. But that wasn't all. The same files contained papers filled with elaborate family trees, genealogies and codes that seemed to directly tie a line of French kings and queens to the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Leigh: If we read the clues they provided correctly they claim, one, Jesus was married.

At some point subsequent to the crucifixion Jesus' wife or widow, as the case, might be escaped either pregnant or with child to the South of France. Around 496 AD this blood line supposedly intermarries with the royal line of the Francs. Could this radical -- even sacrilegious -- story be the real secret the priest stumbled onto all those years ago? And did he use that knowledge to extort money from someone, the Church perhaps, to keep silent? Leigh: Whom could he blackmail? Well, he could blackmail the Vatican. The authors followed the documents further and it wasn't long before those family trees led them to the doorstep of an eccentric Frenchman named Pierre Plantard. Lincoln: Pierre Plantard was a charming man. I liked him very much. Plantard was the soft-spoken son of a butler and a cook, who'd lived an unremarkable life as a low ranking government paper-pusher. But when the authors interviewed Plantard, a grander story emerged. Plantard said that the Priory of Sion was real and that he was a member. Leigh: When we first established contact with members of Priory, Plantard was their official spokesman.

But in this 1979 BBC documentary interview, Plantard went one step further. Lincoln:Can you tell us whether the Priory of Sion still exists today. Plantard: At this moment Priory of Sion still exists. Lincoln: Monsieur Plantard, you have supported the Priory of Sion. Plantard: We have supported Sion and Sion has supported us. Lincoln: We? Who are we? Plantard: We. I am speaking of the Merovingian line. The same royal line described on the family trees— which raised the possibility that Plantard wasn't just a member of the priory, but also perhaps, a descendant of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. And in 1982, they laid out the following theory in their non-fiction book: The Priory of Sion was a real organization that had been protecting the untold story of Jesus, Mary and their French descendants for centuries. A generation later, The Priory of Sion appeared in the “The Da Vinci Code,” on that page labeled "fact.” There was just one problem. Putnam: The whole thing is made up.

Archeologist Bill Putnam is one of several scholars, historians, and journalists who have called The Priory of Sion nothing more than a modern-day con. Putnam: It's the greatest hoax in my experience. By comparing the Priory documents to other paperwork, Putnam concluded that the grand master list, the family trees, the secret "Sion" and "PS" codes were all a hoax, fabricated by none other than Pierre Plantard. Putnam: He's a very strange man. He's a very strange man. One might call him a fantasy worker. Putnam says the deception began when Plantard heard legends about the French priest and his unexplained wealth and decided to fabricate coded parchments that would appear to explain the mystery of the priest's fortune. Advertise Putnam: He creates a body called the Priory of Sion and argues that this had been in existence for 1,000 years. Next, Putnam says, Plantard planted the list of priory grand masters and those family trees linking him to French royalty in the French National Library. So why would Plantard go to all this trouble? Putnam: He got the idea that he ought to be King of France, believe it or not.

Pierre Plantard died in 2000. But Priory of Sion lives on in the pages of “The Da Vinci Code.” And if you're wondering how that priest, Sauniere, amassed that mysterious fortune, it had nothing to do with unearthing secrets about the Holy Grail. It turns out he was accused of selling mail-order prayer services for the dead -- a scandal that got him suspended from the pulpit. It appears all other explanations for the mystery are simply fiction. Unless, of course, like some true believers, you think the fake documents, the Sauniere mystery, and Plantard's story are just another smokescreen. Perhaps the Priory of Sion has managed, once again, to avoid detection— still carefully guarding its holy secret about Mary Magdalene. Are they eluding -- as “The Da Vinci Code” suggests, the all powerful Roman Catholic Church? Lincoln: The simple facts are there are no facts. We just don't know. Fascination with “The Da Vinci Code” has become so intense that some at the Vatican fear believers may be treating Dan Brown's fiction as Gospel truth. Worshipers there for Good Friday services heard a sermon condemning the book.

It was an extraordinary reaction to a secular work of art and not the only response from church leaders. Last month in Genoa, an Italian Cardinal told Catholics not to buy the novel, calling it, "a sack full of lies against the Church." "I think there's a serious concern, says Father Thomas Williams, an NBC News consultant and dean of theology at a college affiliated with the Vatican. “It certainly has elements that are a little hostile to the Catholic Church, especially the organization Opus Dei." Opus Dei is a small, Catholic group that's featured prominently in “The Da Vinci Code.” The albino monk who kills the curator and four others is a member. Aspects of the organization are painted as secretive and ruthless, portrayals that Opus Dei members and many Catholics say is flat out wrong. Advertise Stone Phillips, Dateline correspondent: No Albino monk hit men? Father Williams: I haven't met one yet... I know members of Opus Dei who are wonderful very good normal people, believing Christians, wonderful members of society. And I think they have been hurt by this. Phillips: I guess if you're inclined to be suspicious of an institution like the church this is certainly going to feed that.

Father Williams: It is a mysterious institution. You can fit a lot in there. You can create conspiracies because of the richness of its history and this fascinates people. Dan Brown declined to comment on accusations that the book is anti-Catholic or anti-Christian. He does, however, address the issue on his Web site, which reads: This book is not anti-anything. It's a novel... The vast majority of devout Christians understand this fact. At a lecture in New Hampshire recently, the author spoke for the first time about the controversy his novel has created. "You don't have to believe a single word of this story to enjoy it, to engage in the debate, to remiain open-minded to perspectives that make us think, perspectives that challenge us to ponder why we believe what we believe," says Brown. And how does Brown feel about the avalance of books the "Da Vinci Code" has spawned? Brown: I think these books are absolutely wonderful. These authors and I obviously disagree but the dialogue that' sbeing created is powerful and positive. The more vigorously we all consider and debate thes topics, the better understanding of our own spirituality.

In February, two of the authors of Holy Bood, Holy Grail sued Dan Brown's publisher for copyright infringement and lost. Even the judge in that case seemed to embrace the fever: He embedded a code into his ruling, an obscure reference to a BRitish naval ship, a code that was ultimately cracked. Still, "The Da Vinci COde" phenomenon continues. In the U.S., the movie is number one at the box office, and around the world, the film was the second biggest opening ever. Outside of the theatre, there are tours— "Grail Trails" that draw fans from all over the world to the story's European locations. And in Milan, you'll find fans scouring that Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece for clues. Is there that "M" for marriage? That "V" symbolizing Mary’s womb or the chalice? Art historian David Nolta says he could have saved them the trip. David Nolta, art historian: As I tell my students, you can find almost every letter in the alphabet in this picture. You can make the V into a W, if you turn it upside down. Phillips: You don't think that's intentional on Leonardo's part. Nolta: Not at all.

Any more than it's intentional that you and I, sitting here like this right now, years from now, someone could see this tape and read into the form of our two bodies… And with the proof that one of us, or not both of us, were vegetarians and promulgating vegetarianism. And as for the novel's claim that St. John, the feminine-looking figure to the right of Jesus, is really Mary Madeline, Prof. Nolta told us that most painters of that era represented St. John that way. And finally, when it comes to the big question at the heart of “The Da Vinci Code,” nearly every scholar we spoke to had the same thing to say. Phillips: Is there any historical evidence that Jesus fathered any children? Bart Ehrman, author of "Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code": No. There's not one scrap of historical evidence. Dr. Ben Witherington, III, Asbury Theological Seminary: No evidence whatsoever. Karen King, Harvard Divinity School professor : There's no evidence at all. “The Da Vinci Code,” an amalgam of truth and fiction, fact and hoax, sacred and profane, has clearly enthralled millions.

But when last chapter is read, and readers pause to reflect, just what might they think? Ehrman: I'd say to readers that they should enjoy it as a work of fiction and not take it's fictional claims as factual claims. And as for the historical Mary Magdalene, that alluringly mysterious woman so critical to “The Da Vinci Code,” she remains forever shrouded in the mists of legend and faith, a saintly and human image, all in the eye of the beholder. © 2013 MSNBC Interactive. Reprints Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code Your selection (topic) has been submitted. We appreciate your help. Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code Genesis 3:5; Romans 1:21; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; Ephesians 2:1-3; 2 Timothy 2:24-26 A136 Email How Should Christians Respond? Dan Brown is an author with an agenda. He wants to revive ancient paganism and restore goddess worship to the world's patriarchal religions.

His bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code, is a blatant attempt to overturn the historic record of God's loving redemption with a tale of sex, intrigue, and conspiracy. To him, Christianity is nothing more than a patriarchal cover-up of the sacred feminine. Brown offers a feminine divinity reminiscent of the Garden of Eden—the same old temptation for a new age. Although Brown has attacked the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ, Christians should not view the revival of paganism as a threat, but rather as an opportunity for the gospel. Dan Brown's bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code, is hitting the big screen this summer in a flurry of fanfare and controversy. That spells major success, in the millions, for Sony Pictures, director Ron Howard, and actor Tom Hanks. Dan Brown has already cashed in on the book—putting over $75 million into his bank account. With a chart-busting novel and millions in the bank, Brown is already fighting off the plagiarism hunters, one price of riches and fame. Christians have a dog in this fight too. At stake is something more valuable than money—the truth about the Bible, the honor of Christ, and the eternal destiny of human souls are at stake.

Dan Brown has drawn a line in the sand with his ideas, in the pages of The Da Vinci Code. That's where Christians must show up in full armor, on the battleground of ideas. "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God" to take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Dan Brown Has a Pagan, Feminist Agenda Dan Brown wants the world's religions to return to the pre-Christian worship of gods and goddesses. This is a revival of paganism. In 2004, Dan Brown spoke before the New Hampshire Writer's Project about his quest to write The Da Vinci Code. That speech clarifies his purpose in writing—it's more than just a story to him. Brown wants the world and its religions to return to the pre-Christian tolerance of goddess worship. Here's what he said about the point of the entire novel, a point that he laments many people are missing: Prior to two thousand years ago, we lived in a world of gods and goddesses. Today we live in a world solely of gods.

Women in most cultures have been stripped of their spiritual power, and our male dominated philosophies of absolutism have a long history of violence and bloodshed which continues to this day. I simply wrote a story that explores how and why this shift might have occurred, what it says about our past; and more importantly, what it says about our future. As I said earlier, history is written by the winners. The details are long lost, and in many cases, impossible to know. We can challenge and debunk details forever, but the fact remains in the major religions of the world women remain second class citizens. Why can't there be women priests? Why is this even an issue? [1] Dan Brown is a self-proclaimed Christian, but not of the Bible-believing variety. He is a cultural Christian, a nominal Christian, who has rejected biblical absolutes and embraced the questioning skepticism of postmodernism. [I]f you ask three people what it means to be a Christian, you will get three different answers. Some feel it is sufficient simply to be baptized into a Christian church. Others feel you must accept the Bible as immutable, historical fact. Still others require a belief that all those who do not accept Christ as personal savior are doomed to hell.

Faith is a continuum. We all fall on that line wherever we may fall, and by attempting to classify, and rigidly classify, ethereal concepts like faith, we end up debating the semantics to the point where we entirely miss the obvious. That is, that we are all trying to decipher life's big mysteries—Where did we come from? What happens when we die, where are we going? What does all of this mean? And each of us must follow our own path to enlightenment. [2] Brown is quite willing to debate the issues, but don't expect him to accept absolutes. He said, The world is a big place, and now more than ever there is enormous danger in believing we are infallible, that our version of the truth is absolute, that everyone who does not think like we do is wrong, and therefore an enemy. [. . .] Everyone is entitled to believe what they believe. If you find someone's ideas absurd or offensive, just listen to somebody else. [3] Dan Brown doesn't want to get caught up in "debating the semantics," he prefers to talk in broad concepts. That's evident in his novel.

Though he purports to have based the book on extensive research, the most important part of the book—where he communicates his fundamental thesis—is filled with embarrassing factual errors. The Da Vinci Code Is Blatantly Anti-Christian Dan Brown wants to overturn the historic record of God's loving redemption with a tale of sex, intrigue, and conspiracy. He wants you to see Christianity as a patriarchal cover-up of the sacred feminine. For his "Christian" readers who have grown up hearing the Bible's truth claims, Brown knows he has his work cut out for him. He faces the rather large task of turning Christianity on its head and restoring the sacred feminine to the world. The crucial scene for his purpose has the protagonists, Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, learning secret "truths" from historian Sir Leigh Teabing. There in Teabing's library, Brown unfolds his central thesis through the character Teabing. Ready? Teabing tells the uninitiated Sophie that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers. At the crucifixion, Mary was pregnant with the child of their union. Aided by Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus' uncle, she fled to France to give birth to a daughter named Sarah.

That's important because Jesus and Mary Magdalene were both of royal lineage (he says Mary was of the tribe of Benjamin). The royal bloodline continued to advance quietly for a few hundred years until it intermarried with French royal blood, creating the Merovingian bloodline. According to Teabing, the emperor Constantine and the "founders" of Christianity knew about Jesus, Mary, and the royal offspring. To maintain the positions of power afforded by a patriarchal church and state, Constantine suppressed the "truth" about the royal couple, smeared Mary's reputation by calling her a whore, and foisted the myth of Jesus' divinity upon the world. The Brown/Teabing thesis asserts that Constantine canonized the myth of Jesus' divinity in the Bible. At the Council of Nicea, Constantine and a group of bishops voted on which books would be included in the canon. Afterward Constantine tried to suppress and destroy the rest, thereby safeguarding the precious patriarchy for the good of the Roman Empire. The wild tale continues with an indictment of organized Christianity. Church leaders, secret societies, and ignorant masses have allegedly continued through the centuries as co-conspirators in perpetuating the divine Jesus myth.

They thus uphold patriarchy and suppress the rightful role of the goddess and the veneration of the sacred feminine. The founders of Christianity and its leaders have always known the "truth" and have been relentless in silencing anyone who seeks to uncover the truth. Teabing praises enlightened souls like Leonardo Da Vinci who had the courage to question and challenge the system. Da Vinci and others encoded their works of art with clues to discovering the ancient secrets about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the royal bloodline. In the spirit of Da Vinci, enlightened and courageous souls of today can use his clues, supported by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Gnostic texts at Nag Hammadi, to uncover the insidious conspiracy, educate the ignorant masses, and restore the long-suppressed worship of the goddess. The Da Vinci Code Retells the Tale of an Ancient Liar Dan Brown offers a feminine divinity reminiscent of the Garden of Eden—the same old temptation for a new age. That's quite a tale, but it's not at all new. As Dan Brown says, "I am not the first person to tell the story of Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail. This idea is centuries old.

I am one in a long line of people who has offered up this alternative history." He's right. In fact, the line of people offering up "alternative history" began with Satan. In the Garden of Eden, Satan seduced Eve with an "alternative history" that cast doubt on God's character and Word. Into a perfect world of truth and absolutes, Satan asked the first question: "Indeed, has God said...?" He then told her a new tale; interestingly, it was also a story about the divine feminine. Satan told Eve, "God knows that in the day you eat from [the forbidden tree] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God" (Genesis 3:5). Eve ate that fruit, as did Adam, and every human being since has had their eyes opened to the guilt, shame, pain, and death that results from sin. The fundamental premise of Dan Brown's novel is rooted in sinful skepticism. He encourages the reader to question the truth, to question Christ's claims, to question the Bible. Brown tells a story in which Jesus is not who He said He is and God's Word is not to be trusted.

He then fills the authority vacuum with his ridiculous fable about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the Holy Grail, and the sacred feminine. Brown is not just writing a good piece of fiction—he's on a spiritual quest. He isn't an honest seeker either; he is committed to disbelieving the Bible and Jesus' claims of divinity. In the words of his fictional Teabing, "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book." [4] Dan Brown's disbelief about the Bible is a product of his commitment to historical skepticism. In his speech at the New Hampshire Writer's Project, he said, First, when we read and interpret history, we are not interpreting the historical events themselves. We are interpreting written accounts of those events. In essence, we are interpreting people's interpretations. And second, since the beginning of recorded time, history has always been written by the winners—those societies and belief systems that conquered and survived.

Despite the obvious bias in this accounting method, we still measure the historical accuracy of a given concept by examining how well it concurs with our existing historical record. I should add that many historians now believe that in engaging the historical accuracy of concepts we should first ask ourselves a far deeper question: How historically accurate is history itself? In most cases we'll never know the answer but that should not stop us from asking the questions. [5] But the Bible is not merely a product of man. "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20-21). Though written by men, the Bible is God's Word. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Dan Brown has moved beyond harmless fiction to challenge the Word of God and redefine Jesus according to his own idolatrous, blasphemous image. He has questioned God, cast doubt on His Word, and dismissed the sovereign claims of Christ.

Far-fetched tales with fanciful, conspiratorial claims have circulated for years. The general public dismissed them as such because they never gave much credence to something as unscientific as religion. Today, however, the climate is different. Cold, rational secularism has given birth to a nebulous, undefined spirituality. Dan Brown, a spokesman for that new spirituality, says, "What I have finally come to accept is that science and religion are partners. They are simply two different languages attempting to tell the same story. Both are manifestations of man's quest to understand the divine. While science dwells on the answers, religion savors the questions." [6] Christians Should Use The Da Vinci Code As an Opportunity for the Gospel Even though Dan Brown has attacked the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ, Christians should not view the revival of paganism as a threat, but rather as an opportunity for the gospel. The Da Vinci Code—novel, movie, media sensation—enters into a post-Christian climate. Whether it's Dan Brown, Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, proponents of the divine feminine, secularists, and neo-pagans, non-Christians are co-conspirators in a cosmic rebellion against God. Nevertheless, they are our mission field.

Were it not for the wondrous grace of God, you would be among them. As you encounter people influenced by The Da Vinci Code, remember what the Bible says about the unbelievers, and have compassion. "[T]he god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:4). They are "futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart [is] darkened" (Romans 1:21). They are "dead in [their] trespasses and sins"; they walk "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience"; and they are "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:1-3). How should you respond? With zeal for the truth of Christ and the authority of God's Word, you must defend the integrity, the veracity, and the authority of the Bible. Don't worry; it's not hard.

Brown's "extensive research" failed to produce accuracy on the simplest details of the Bible and church history. Take a little of your time to Read Albert Mohler's commentary and James White's analysis . Prepare yourself to give an answer to those exposed to the book, the movie, or the media coverage. Your commitment to see God honored in the culture should be manifest first of all in your testimony about Christ, "who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). In a spirit of gentleness, correct those who deny Jesus' claims on their life (2 Timothy 2:24-26) and call them to repentance and the obedience of faith. The current popularity of The Da Vinci Code is your opportunity to talk with friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, and even strangers about the topics Dan Brown has raised in his story. Embrace the challenge of The Da Vinci Code with compassion for hell-bound sinners, and seize this time as an evangelistic opportunity for the Kingdom of God.

[1] Dan Brown, New Hampshire Writer's Address, Concord, N.H., (2004). [2] Ibid.

Question: Who wrote "The Da Vinci Code"?
Answer: Dan Brown