Book Review

The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown Corgi Books 2004

ISBN 0 552 14951 9  £6.99

This is the first time, and possibly the last, that Quiet Spirit has reviewed a thriller! Dan Brown's book is possibly unique in that it has attracted as much attention for its spiritual themes as for its exciting plot.

The first thing that must be said about The Da Vinci Code is that it is a novel. Like all good novels of its genre the plot has many surprising twists that keep the reader guessing until almost the last page. The fast pace of the action combined with the superb characterisation make this book compulsive reading. Dan Brown is a writer of the highest calibre.

In the light of the interest that this book has aroused it is important to stress that it is a work of fiction and the author does not claim that everything written in it is historically accurate. The plot is weaved around the medieval legend that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus and that their descendents were French royalty. Much of the interest in this book has sprung from its presentation of the origins of Christianity. It is posited that Gnosticism represents an authentic view of Jesus and the origins of the Christianity. Supposedly this authentic Christianity was crushed by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century AD and has only lived on through the efforts of a secret society that counted the artist Leonardo Da Vinci as one of its members. According to The Da Vinci Code the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci contain important clues about the origins of Christianity. This view is presented through the voices of his characters as historical fact.

The fact that this view is presented as fact without comment from the author has led some readers to imagine that it is accurate. It is therefore necessary to address the question of historical accuracy in The Da Vinci Code. In reality whilst references to works of art, buildings and the quotations from Gnostic texts may be accurate there is little that is accurate about the novel's presentation of the origins of Christianity or of the beliefs of Gnosticism. The Da Vinci Code's Gnosticism, in its affirmation of the sacred feminine and back to nature approach, sounds very much like contemporary paganism. Second century Gnosticism was not as world affirming as it is presented by the characters of Brown's novel. The Gnostic Jesus was a divine being without the human touches of the New Testament Gospels. 

It is also untrue to say, as do the characters in the novel, that the New Testament was formed at the behest of the Emperor Constantine. This was a lengthy process but by the time of Constantine the books of the New Testament as we know it today were largely recognised as authoritative whilst the Gnostic gospels quoted in The Da Vinci Code were seen as not presenting a reliable picture of Jesus. As to the role of Mary Magdalene in the life of Jesus and the history of early Christianity, the New Testament and the Church Fathers recognise her importance. Her influence has not been obliterated as suggested in the novel. It would not be a major embarrassment to the Church if Jesus had been married to Mary or anyone else. The New Testament does not deny that Jesus was married; it is just silent on the topic. It is also very clear that the writers of the New Testament see Jesus as divine as well as human. The divinity of Jesus was not an idea suddenly dreamt up by the Council of Nicea to please Constantine.

This lack of historical accuracy has worried some Christians who have seen the book as an attack on Christian belief. This is an overreaction. Dan Brown's book presents Christians with an opportunity. The Da Vinci Code highlights the interest in spirituality today and opens up the possibility of dialogue with people who have read the book but would not normally show interest in mainstream Christianity. It is to be hoped that many Christians are prepared to take up the challenge.

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