The Da Vinci Code

Sounds like a very thought provoking novel. I only read maybe 1 novel a year, at most, and this may be next years choice.

Though I try to steer clear of stories that are similar to the non fiction books I read, for fear I might mix them up and quote the novel, thinking it was a quote from a reference book on the same subject.

I have read Jesus and Mary had two sons, who went with her to Provence, where she died.
One was named Jesus Justus, and I forget the other one.
The story of Jesus going to Glastonbury with Joseph of Arimathea, might refer to Jesus Jr.
There is a thornbush in Glastonbury said to have been taken there by Joseph of Arimathea himself.

 

lolol - I missed this. Sorry.

HANKY HANEGRAAF - THE BIBLE ANSWER MAN! DUN DUN DUN!!!!

lolol - I'm sorry, I just had to laugh and post this. He's such a loser and never knows what he's talking about. He still gripes about proving negatives, for goodness sake.

Not to bash your recommendation, I just think there are better ones out there than whatever nonsense that he's produced. When I'm done researching this issue I'll provide an extensive post here for people to read through and check sources.

- Laz

 

Like some of you have said, yes The Da Vinci Code is indeed a piece of fiction. And yes, Brown did some credible research to support the theory proposed in the book of the "other Mary". If you wanna check out some more cool stuff related to this theory, check out Holy Blood Holy Grail. It's a credible collection of research related to this topic. I can't remember the authors off the top of my head, but this book is the controversial book of the 1980's mentioned in The Da Vinci Code. Check it out...it never hurt to research.

 

Baigent, Lincoln, and Lee. The Messianic Legacy is the second book on it. Also, books about the mystery of Rennes Le Chateau are informative. I have read books on the Knights Templar, Priory of Sion, Ancient Scottish Rite Freemasonary, Scotlands Rosslyn Chapel, Henry Sinclair, the Gothic Cathedrals, Oak Island, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon's Temple, and the shroud of Turin, that relate to the theory. One book, about Royal European Ancestry, which I've forgotten both the author and title of, proposes a line of succession dating back to ancient Babylon. The order of the dragon, or draco, or something similar is in the title, and it was written by a Scottish author, I think. Evans? For some really fantastical claims and theories, books by David Icke are full of good data, but also contain descriptions of interdimensional, shapeshifting Reptilians who have pursued and occupied the bodies of, the half Human half Martian people who he says carry the rh -ve bloodtype. If you can either look past the wild claims, or you accept their possibility, his books make for entertaining reading.

 

devles deeply? oh i'd strongly disagree with that statement! maybe if you knew absolutely nothing about the theory of mary mag being jesus' wife, but i mean that is not exactly a heavily guarded underground secret. brown did very little here except present the fact that that theory does exist, and tell a little about the groups that have believed in it. much of his "research" is highly fictionalized and it is an unfortunate book because it really just muddles the facts.

it does read well, very much like a nancy drew book, as i believe i've said around these forums before

this book expounds slightly on some theories which have a lot of roots in gnosticism and the gnostic gospels (such as, of course, the gospel of mary magdelan) - and, as you might guess, groups like the freemasons have long been associated with gnosticism and mysticism. and, if you didn't know, the christian form of gnosticism broke away from judaism with christianity, but then later broke with the orthodox view of christianity for various reasons.

my suggestion if you're intrigued by the idea of mary mag being jesus wife would be to get away from the oo-i-wrote-a-mystery-novel-about-jesus books, and the books that try to specifically refute/support that book, and read some background information so you know where this stuff is even coming from.

and by the way, for many christians, the belief that jesus had children in NO WAY mitigates the validity of christianity, and when i read this book, my reaction was ... "so?"

 

Fiction, merely a piece of fiction.

 

Yes indeed, no matter how full of actual historical events, places, and figures any novel may be, it is still a novel.
That is the major reason I read so few novels. James Michener is a master of the well-researched, virtual-reality epic novel. His 'The Source', is a good novel to read to see his skill. Another one, 'Hawaii' was made into an epic film.

The Blair Witch Project phenom reminded me how serious some people can get when caught up in the false belief of the reality of someone's fictional creation. 'The Celestine Prophecy', and 'War of the Worlds' are other obvious ones.

 

I'd like to ask though, was the Bible organised in the 4th century by Constantine?
Are there other gospels, in Dead Sea Scrolls?
And was Jesus considered mortal until the 4th century?

I don't consider the Da Vinci code fact, but I'm not that certain about the Bible to be honest either. Never mind that.

 

Yes
Yes
Yes, by some sects, but not by all.

 

No.

No, there are no gospels period, in the Dead Sea Scrolls

No, not by most.

 

Ah, thank you. See, four hundred years is a long time. No matter what the Da Vinci code said, editing can be subject to bias... So.. Who knows what the New Testament could've been?
Jesus was a great man/god offspring, and I think that's what I'd rather follow than the church itself... The thoughts rather than the order...

 

But it wasn't four hundred years. It was more like 70. And if Q exists, it would be even less (possibly much less). There is no evidence of editing. All the quotes and actual manuscripts we have from that time period (1st and 2nd century) match with what we have with roughly 99% accuracy. The idea that the Bible has been edited is pretty hard to support. There have been books that have been accepted and rejected, yes, but I am aware of no evidence that the books themselves have been altered.

The idea that no one knows what the actual original gospels said is conjecture and conspiracy theory in the finest, though it has little to no historical evidence.

 

Other than some writings by a dubious character named Josephus, there is little to no historical evidence to support the actual original gospels themselves. It is not so much a question of what they say, but of who wrote them, when did they, and are they the truth?
The idea that the bible was not altered in any way over 2000 years may be easy for you to accept, but it is not so for me.

 

i was just wondering that appart from aforementioned books...


does anyone have any links to sites regarding the history of the magdalene scrolls and so on.

i've been tryin for a few hours and all im getting are fan sites for the da vinci code and very little if any opposing material [as regards her marriage or partnership with jesus being nothing more then a platonic level]

it would be much appreciated.


and was there a gospel of philip or did i just imagine that?

 

I've not read the rest of the posts in this thread... I just wanted to say however than The Da Vinci Code is a fantastic book... I highly recomend it to everyone.

 

im almost finished the book and wont read this thread till im finished so am bookmarking it by writing in here...ignore me and continue!

 

My mother has the book. I would love to burn it.

 

why?

 

Because it is a worthless work of fiction that holds no biblical truth whatsoever.

 

And what's wrong with a bit of fiction? In my opinion, anything that challenges you to think about your life and the world around you, has got to be good. I don't think it's worthless at all, I think it's very good, both as a story, as as a way to introduce people to the fact that not everything is as it seems....

Read my post in the other thread about the bible, i bet you didn't know that before?