Da Vinci Codswallop


Think the Da Vinci Code reflects real historical research? Think again. My friend Todd Rider, one of the smartest people I know, has written a delightful yet thoroughly documented expose of the real facts behind the Da Vinci Code. [Read more] for a summary of the key points.

The most important point is that the various early sources which were supposedly "suppressed" to keep them from "disproving" Christianity are actually Gnostic. That is, rather than claiming Jesus was only a Man, they really claimed that Jesus was "only divine" -- gnostics refused to believe that a divine principle would really take on 'fallen' human flesh. The idea that Christ was just an ordinary human being is actually part of Arianism, which only goes back to the 4th century -- long after all the well-attested manuscripts that formed the New Testament.

Lest you think that Dan Brown is actually a super-scholar who uncovered genuine manuscripts nobody else had ever seen, Todd also demonstrates how major plot elements already existed in prior books, for which he has been facing plagiarism charges.

Posted: Mon - May 15, 2006 at 09:15 PM          

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