The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Very interesting read. Couldn't put it down. Got hold of it on the Saturday before the CSC 364 exam. Bad idea. Had planned to study all of saturday. Needless to say, no studying was done. Was up until 4 a.m attempting to finish the book before it spills over to the next day....
As for the book, had heard a lot about it, and was eager to see what the fuss was about. The book is definitely well written. Not sure if the author wanted to portray fact with a fictional tale or whether this was meant to be all out fiction or all out fact. In any case, I myself came across some few very glaring errors. Such as when he claims the Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the New Testament has been altered, when in fact the Dead Sea Scrolls are not about the New Testament at all...(RLG 241 to the rescue!). Also, Jesus, he claims was a very influential figure during his time when in actuality, he was no such thing. He was so uninfluential that the major historians of His time did not even consider it worthwhile mentioning him in their books. Jesus became well known only later when Christianity grew and spread worldwide.
Apart from glaring errors such as these, the book has some very interesting ideas, which include discussions on famous "Christian" artwork such as "The Last Supper" which adorns most Christian homes, and of course the Mona Lisa. The Priory of Sion also seems to be a very interesting organization with some curious rituals. Wouldn't mind being a member myself ;-). In the end the author's ideas seemed more and more fantastical to me; more so than he claimed the origins of the three great Monotheistic religions are.
The controversy behind this book lies in the ideas that Jesus was married and has a "royal" bloodline that runs to this very day. Orthodox Christians would never accept it. Me, being no orthodox, really can't say what to make of it. However, considering the liberties the author has taken with the meaning of the word "fact", I wouldn't put any money on its truth.
Wonder how this book would stack up against Tom Harpur's, "The Pagan Christ". The premise of this book being, Jesus never existed and that he is only a mythical figure. Interesting.
Anyway, bottom line, great book and extremely well written. Pick it up if you get the chance.
Very interesting read. Couldn't put it down. Got hold of it on the Saturday before the CSC 364 exam. Bad idea. Had planned to study all of saturday. Needless to say, no studying was done. Was up until 4 a.m attempting to finish the book before it spills over to the next day....
As for the book, had heard a lot about it, and was eager to see what the fuss was about. The book is definitely well written. Not sure if the author wanted to portray fact with a fictional tale or whether this was meant to be all out fiction or all out fact. In any case, I myself came across some few very glaring errors. Such as when he claims the Dead Sea Scrolls prove that the New Testament has been altered, when in fact the Dead Sea Scrolls are not about the New Testament at all...(RLG 241 to the rescue!). Also, Jesus, he claims was a very influential figure during his time when in actuality, he was no such thing. He was so uninfluential that the major historians of His time did not even consider it worthwhile mentioning him in their books. Jesus became well known only later when Christianity grew and spread worldwide.
Apart from glaring errors such as these, the book has some very interesting ideas, which include discussions on famous "Christian" artwork such as "The Last Supper" which adorns most Christian homes, and of course the Mona Lisa. The Priory of Sion also seems to be a very interesting organization with some curious rituals. Wouldn't mind being a member myself ;-). In the end the author's ideas seemed more and more fantastical to me; more so than he claimed the origins of the three great Monotheistic religions are.
The controversy behind this book lies in the ideas that Jesus was married and has a "royal" bloodline that runs to this very day. Orthodox Christians would never accept it. Me, being no orthodox, really can't say what to make of it. However, considering the liberties the author has taken with the meaning of the word "fact", I wouldn't put any money on its truth.
Wonder how this book would stack up against Tom Harpur's, "The Pagan Christ". The premise of this book being, Jesus never existed and that he is only a mythical figure. Interesting.
Anyway, bottom line, great book and extremely well written. Pick it up if you get the chance.
