Book Review

Breaking the Da Vinci Code
by Darrell L Bock.
© 2004 Darrell L Bock, Nelson Books.
 

Review by Jo van Leerdam
 

‘The Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown (Corgi Books, 2003) is a fast paced novel which, while enjoying huge popularity world wide, has exerted a rather sinister influence. The major premise of the Dan Brown’s novel is that there is a big secret that the church has been keeping about who Jesus really was. As the plot unfolds, the Biblical truth of the Gospel is undermined and debased by the assertions that Jesus wasn’t really the Son of God, He was married to Mary Magdalene, and that the canon of Scripture was somehow altered by the Council of Nicea (325AD) so that any mention of these matters was suppressed.

The particular problem with Dan Brown’s book is that while it is fiction, it presents these heresies as historical fact. Throughout the novel, speculation is treated as history and combined with elements of supposition and straw-grasping to produce a page turner.

It would be easy enough to dismiss this and say “it’s just fiction” but that is exactly what a lot of readers are not doing. There is a clear response among the readership that says “the Bible is all lies. The church has been manipulating us for 2000 years!”

Therefore, it’s essential that Christians respond to this by affirming biblical truth; by exposing such lies and false teaching; and by having ready answers for those who ask hard questions about these matters.

‘Breaking the Da Vinci Code’ by Darrell Bock serves that purpose by seeking to “present the key evidence and witnesses in order to examine how much substance there is to the claims of facts within ‘The Da Vinci Code’. At stake is an adequate historical and cultural understanding of the Christian faith.” (p. 149)

Bock examines the claims presented as historically accurate by Dan Brown by investigating the ancient Gnostic texts on which Brown’s book purports to be based, examining the process by which the canon of Scripture was established, and by researching the history of the relevant time.

Bock gives a detailed analysis of the Gnostic texts, which date to the second and third centuries AD and were dismissed by the Church fathers at that time as heresy. Far from having been suppressed or removed from the Bible as the result of some conspiracy, these texts are not consistent with Scripture and were therefore never included. Furthermore, these texts do not substantiate the assertions made by Dan Brown’s novel.

Bock’s treatment of the major assertions of Dan Brown’s novel is thorough and well argued. These allegations are systematically broken down and proven to be invalid. The motive of those who promote these claims is exposed as “nothing less than a conscious effort to obscure the uniqueness and vitality of the Christian faith and message”. (p.95)

‘Breaking the Da Vinci Code’ is surprisingly easy to read. It has an extremely helpful glossary section which gives excellent explanations of relevant terms as well as historical groups, movements and events. This book is very worthwhile for personal reference and would be a valuable addition to any school or church library. It would also be a timely gift for someone you know who has read ‘The Da Vinci Code’.
 

Books
Music
Movies
Return to top of page

All material on this site © 2004 Trowel & Sword

Privacy