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The Da Vinci Code is full of action, including murders, chases and escapes. And yet the most revelatory scene happens in the quiet of Sir Leigh Teabing's study, when he explains the book's central mystery to cryptologist Sophie Neveu: "Behold the greatest cover-up in human history. Not only was Jesus Christ married, but He was a father. My dear, Mary Magdalene was the Holy Vessel."
What's the truth behind The Da Vinci Code? Is it purely a fiction, full of conspiracies and claims which have no basis in the real world, or are the central claims of the novel, which portray Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church in a very poor light, intended to be taken seriously?
Dan Brown himself seems to see The Da Vinci Code as more than just a fiction. In July 2003, shortly after publication, he commented about the claim that Jesus was married: "I was sceptical, but after a year and a half of research, I became a believer."
What's the truth behind The Da Vinci Code? Is it purely a fiction, full of conspiracies and claims which have no basis in the real world, or are the central claims of the novel, which portray Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church in a very poor light, intended to be taken seriously?
Dan Brown himself seems to see The Da Vinci Code as more than just a fiction. In July 2003, shortly after publication, he commented about the claim that Jesus was married: "I was sceptical, but after a year and a half of research, I became a believer."
Christians, too, have taken The Da Vinci Code as a serious challenge to their faith. Books such as The Da Vinci Hoax, and innumerable websites, have risen to the challenge of refuting the claims in the book. Tony Campolo, a left-wing Christian commentator, recently said: "I'm not even Roman Catholic and I'm furious. To say that the church is one gigantic, lying conspirator doesn't help anybody."
Evidence... what evidence?
What is the evidence that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers? There is no evidence for this in the four gospels (the accounts of Jesus' life and death) in the Bible, but The Da Vinci Code is right in saying that there were other gospels which were never accepted by the church, but were outlawed and destroyed instead. Many of these forbidden gospels ended up on church bonfires over 1,500 years ago, but a very few copies have been rediscovered in recent times.
