Lecture explains ´Da Vinci Code´

A history-based discussion on the fact and fiction of Dan Brown´s novel, "The Da Vinci Code" drew more than 100 listeners on 8 Oct 2004 - Friday.  In conjunction with Homecoming week, the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences sponsored the discussion led by Norm Jones, head of the history department. The lecture was free to the public and many individuals who had read Brown´s book came to the lecture.

The book has gained popularity for several reasons, Jones said. "It has come to us in a point in time of interest in religion and spiritual issues, a certain amount of suspicion about organized religions - certainly the Catholic Church - has had its problems in the United States," Jones said.

Jones said the book incorporates flaws and historical inaccuracies, however, Brown presents the theories in a way where they could be perceived as believable. The book presents the quest for the Holy Grail and explains the grail is not an object, rather a descendent of Jesus Christ, Jones said. "Statistical odds, we all contain that genetic material," Jones said about the theory.

The lecture focused on the history of the Bible, the conservative religious group Opus Dei, the Templar Knights and the Priory of Sion. Jones said Brown incorporated specific biblical and non-biblical references to support his theory of the role of the sacred feminine and the conspiracy that the Catholic Church is hiding secrets. "Brown, of course, does not make any claim that he is telling the truth," Jones said.

One argument Brown makes in the book is the marriage of Mary Magdalene to Jesus Christ, Jones said, however, this is highly improbable. If Jesus were married to Mary Magdalene, "it would have been mentioned and would have been celebrated," Jones said.

The book incorporates symbols and cryptic messages in a fast-paced plot, Jones said, which allows Brown´s theories to appear plausible. The history of the Priory of Sion - the secret group that is charged to protect the Holy Grail - is presented as truth in the book, Jones said.

Other books that related to the book:

• Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code
• The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel
• The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code
• Breaking The Da Vinci Code : Answers to the Questions Everybody's Asking
• Da Vinci Code Decoded: The Truth Behind the New York Times #1 Bestseller
• Cracking Da Vinci's Code: You've Read the Fiction, Now Read the Facts
• The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction
• The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci
• Cracking the Da Vinci Code : The Unauthorized Guide to the Facts behind Dan Brown's Bestselling Novel
• Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code: A Historian Explores What We Really Know About Jesus, Mary Magdalene, And Constantine