Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyones Asking

Bock has written a very fair and balanced treatment of Dan Browns The DaVinci Code. He does not exhibit any anger at all toward Browns book or Brown himself. Bock simply seeks to explain the questionable (at best) history behind The Da Vinci code and make readers of the book understand that it is wonderful fiction and should be appreciated as such (a direct quote from Bocks book), but thats all it is, FICTION. Bock quotes from several first and second century primary sources, most outside of the books that make up the current Bible, to support his contention that there is very little good history to support Browns claims in his book. In contrast to many reviewers who have dismissed this book as a hatchet job on Brown with a preconcieved idea to dismiss his claims, Bock has no problem with affirming in part a couple of Browns claims, such as the role of women in the early Church. This is the mark of a fair and balanced historical treatment. Bock fully explains that many of the facts presented as contained in actual historical documents in The DaVinci Code, including some of the gnostic gospels, simply do not support the ideas contained in Browns book. Basically, even his own sources dont even support his arguments. Therefore, many of those arguments, such as the contention that Mary Magdelines reputation was denegrated as prostitute in order to suppress her real importance to Jesus. The real historical fact is that the ONLY reference to Mary Magdeline as a prostitute was made by a Pope in the fourth century, and this is most likely due to a misreading of the first Bible passages where Mary appears. Bock explains that that passage actually speaks of another Mary as a possible prostitute but that passage introduces Mary Magdeline as a distinct seperate person from the Mary who annointed Jesus feet and was most likely a former prostitute. Mary Magdeline, most likely followed Jesus after he exercised demons from her in one of his many miracles. Mary was a disciple just as the other 12 were disciples. She also served as a disciple to the disciples in telling the story of the resurrected Jesus. No more, no less. Bock also puts the contention that Jesus as a holy Jew couldnt have been single in historical context. In fact, many strict holy Jews in the first century were single, based upon their reading of Gods instructions to them in the Bible. Bock wonderfully addresses the issue of Jesus divinity and conclusively proves, again using first century sources, some of them outside the Bible, that Jesus was definitely thought of as devine several hundred years before Nicia took place. There was no vote on Jesus divinity as Browns characters contend because that was already a well accepted fact among Christians from the first century forward. Bock does not specifically address DaVincis painting because there is no need to. Once Browns other codes are broken, which Bock does with historical precision and impeccable sources, there is no need to address DaVincis possible role in a secret society. Once the other more important codes are broken, its readily apparent that without the foundation of the book, the details of DaVincis alleged membership in a secret society (which was in fact founded in the 1960s by a French con-man, it is not an ancient society at all) simply arent worth addressing because its apparent by Bocks main argument against the other codes that these details on the face of them have no historical basis. After reading or listening to Bocks very wonderfully sourced treatment of Browns history no one can go away still convinced in The DaVinci Codes history only that it is a wonderfully written novel by a wonderfully creative author, unless they specifically choose to remain blind to well researched historical facts.

Bock certainly has written a lot about the period around the first century AD, and he draws on that experience to compose a lot of the text of this book. In that sense, Bock is doing a great service by providing a decent historical context to the assertions made in Dan Browns book. Unfortunately, Bock is not really able to address the whole set of contentions surrounding modern Wicca and goddess ritual, which is the whole point of Browns novel. Brown has already pretty much said he intended to promote goddess worship, and his claims in that area need to be addressed as well. This book doesnt do much of that. I dont know about you, but Im kind of busy, and I found it a lot easier to get through Fact and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code. It addresses most of the same issues Bock does, but it also goes on to address the problem of Wicca that Brown poses and Bock doesnt deal with. Kellmeyers argument from the Pauline epistles against the idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene is unique and powerful, and the information he provides about German influences on Wicca is also remarkable. If Dan Brown had known what Kellmeyer knew, he probably would have re-phrased a lot of his book. Whether or not you get Bocks book, you cant miss out on Kellmeyers. He wrote it in the same style Brown uses - short chapters, where each chapter addresses a single issue raised on a particular page of the novel. The issues are addressed in the same order they appear in the novel, so its easy to find the discussion you want, and a lot of the discussions are cross-linked to one another to show you how Brown wove things together. Besides, his writing is snappy and fun, so its easy to read. Bock and others could take lessons from that.

Ever order a book that you really had high expectations for, only to find out that it doesnt even talk about what you most wanted to read about??? Well, if thats the kind of book you want, then this one is for you. I am stunned by Bocks audacity to call his book Breaking The Da Vinci Code when his book CONTAINS NOTHING ABOUT LEONARDO DA VINCIS PAINTINGS!!!! Can someone explain this to me??? Some of THE most important questions everyone is asking about Dan Browns book relates to the many claims Brown makes about Da Vinci and his works of art. Bock answers none of these things. Hmmmmm. What does that say? Regarding The Last Supper and all the things Brown points out, Bock says zip, nada, nothing. He is equally silent about the Mona Lisa and the Virgin of the Rocks. What gives??? So what do you get for your hard earned money?-you get Bock beating you over the head saying, basically, Christianity is true, believe like I believe, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Dont get me wrong. being a Christian is fine. Super! But this book is called Breaking The Da Vinci Code NOT Why you should be a Christian in Spite of Dan Browns Bestseller. Bock should have used the second title. Try either the book by Lunn (Da Vinci Code Decoded) or the one by Abanes (The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code). The first is long (208 pp.), the second is short and sweet (96 pp.).

All one need do is read the blurbs at the beginning of the book to realize that this book isnt so much about refuting anything presented in The Da Vinci Code so much as is its about doing damage control for what they perceive to be an attack upon the validity of their faith. One cannot refute the accuracy, or lack thereof, of any historical reference by summing it all up with faith, as I feel this book does by way of the last chapter. The mere mentioning of the word faith in a book claiming to deal with historical accuracies, quite frankly, removes all threads of credibility.

Ive read some of the Amazon reviews of Bocks Breaking the Da Vinci Code and Im shocked. I think they all miss the point entirely. The main point that Darrel Bock makes, (and I happen to completely agree with), is that Dan Brown has a very clear political agenda behind his famous novel The Da Vinci Code. I have no doubt of that. The great irony is that Dan Brown attacks orthodox Christianity for having an agenda, when in reality, it is Dan Brown who is distorting historical fact for a political agenda. Dan Browns theory (if one can call it thus), is utterly meaningless and unprovable unless one thing should happen: and thats if someone discovered the Holy Grail (or Sangreal). There never has been any proof that a Holy Grail exists, or if it ever did, and there isnt even any agreement on what the Holy Grail would be if it did indeed exist. Until that day comes, Dan Browns book is pure speculation at best, or revisionist history at worst. Darrell Bock explains in simple language what happened in the 1st through early 4th centuries and clearly shows where Dan Brown has his facts wrong in several cases. The flimsiest case is made by Dan Brown that the historical Jesus must have been married because he was a Jew. Read Darrell Bocks insightful book and youll agree how weak Browns argument is, and how little biblical research actually went into such claims. I found Browns claim that Constantine the Great was a sun worshipper to be completely unfounded by any knowledge we have of the man. Typically, oponents of Christianity accuse St Paul of deifying the historical Jesus of Nazereth throughout history. Now, Dan Brown claims it happened in the early 4th Century by Constantine as a political ploy, when clearly the letters of St Paul speak of Jesus as a divinity of sorts. So when was Jesus of Nazereth diefied, with St Paul or centuries later with Constantine? Clearly Dan Browns case is weak at best. Maybe Darell Bocks criticism is non-conclusive, but at least he is a scholar who understands Gnosticism and has read and studied the ancient worlds works and its many diverse religious sects, whereas I am doubtful that Dan Brown has. If Darrell Bock makes assumptions then Dan Brown makes preposterous assumptions with no basis on historical or scientific research.

Exactly how in the world this book is sitting at 144th in sales when it is rated at 2 1/2 stars is beyond me. Wake up people. What is this book about??? Thats easy. This book is about the only thing Bock (who it must be admitted is a scholar) has ever written about-Jesus and the Bible Bocks other bookss include: - Jesus According to Scripture - Studying the Historical Jesus - Purpose Directed Theology - The Bible Knowledge Keuy Word - Three views of the Millenium and Beyond Get the picture?? Bock is an aging, biblical scholar, whos forte is Christian theology. It is not surprising then, that he doesnt even deal with issues Brown raises that would require him to look at things pre-325 a.d. (the era before Constantine). Bock handles The Da Vinci Code as if it were about nothing more that an attack on the historical Jesus, when in reality, Browns book pulls in far more subjects, THE LEAST of which are the paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci. Oh, did I mention that Bock ignores poor Leonardos work entirely and doesnt even touch the assertions Brown makes about the artists hidden codes and symbols. Silly me!!!! I thought Bocks book was about Breaking the Da Vinci Code! LOL. Ive already sold my copy-cheap-since I have more than enough books like this one on my shelves. And trust me, there are far better works on Christianity, church history, and the development of religions. There are most definitely better ways to spend your money. And allow me to say, I have nothing against the other books Bock has written. He knows those issues very well and is first-rate. But he should NOT have tried to just take that material and recover it with a title that is so deceptive.

Professor Bock has written a fascinating historical analysis of the early Christian era, focusing on the seven codes found in the best-selling thriller by Dan Brown, The DaVinci Codes. His explanation of the theological view of the Gnostics is perhaps the most enlightening. The Gnostics were a now-forgotten early Christian group, that postulated the road to Heaven was through intense study, knowledge, and enlightment, which were only achieved by a select group of intellectuals. They also generally viewed Jesus and Christ as two entities, seeing a separation between the Savior and the man. Clearly these Gnostic views are almost unrecognizable to orthodox Christians of our era, where salvation is based on belief and forgiveness of sin, and God had one Son who suffered on the cross. However, Browns characters lean heavily on them. Professor Bock also delves deeply into the code that says Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a blood line that extends to modern France. These are not new theories. The French descendants have been talking about this for centuries. Many other books in the last 20 years have expressed this. Even the 1970s musical Jesus Christ Superstar, now endorsed by the Vatican, hints at a relationship beyond that of teacher and apostle. However, Bock analyzes carefully all Biblical and non-Biblical sources and finds no evidence whatsoever that Jesus was married or had descendants. This seems to be the one fact that all Biblical scholars agree upon. The other DaVinci codes are similarly dissected in great historical perspective, involving every known source, and all are found to be lacking. Dan Brown has written an interesting thriller, but it has no basis in history, as the Vatican is now proclaiming as well. For example, Browns characters claim the church is anti-women, when in fact, Jesus included women in his ministry, delivered much revelation to them, and had them observe the crucifixion and the resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the other women were the apostles to the apostles with respect to the resurrection. The DaVinci codes also claim that the early church fathers rewrote history as late as 400 years after Christ, to suit their purposes. This area seems to be Bocks real specialty, as he quotes many sources to confirm that the four gospels were established and Jesus was the saviour long before any secretive 4th century gathering. He also gives a fascinating account of how the four gospels came to be written and the relationships between their writers and the early Christians and apostles. There seems to be zero historical basis for one of Browns characters claiming that the 4 known gospels were selected from 80 potential gospels. In sum, I recommend that all who want to understand how Christianity evolved, and also enjoy a good popular thriller, take the opportunity to pick up a lesson in history and theology from Professor Bock. I read many parts of this text several times, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The DaVinci Codes are like the Umberto Eco novels in that one needs some outside historical context to really enjoy the work. By the way, Eco has also studied the DaVinci codes and reached the same conclusions as Professor Bock.

First of all, Im not one of the people who asked the questions Dr. Bock answers in this book. I read The Da Vinci Code for what it was: an entertaining whodunnit with a religious conspiracy twist, one of my favorite subgenres of thriller. And I am utterly amazed that some certain segment of the population took seriously the outlandish conspiracy theory on which Dan Brown based his novel. Read that again. NOVEL. N-O-V-E-L. Meaning, its fiction. F-I-C-T-I-O-N. Meaning, its not true. *takes a deep breath* Relax, avanta. *chants a mantra* Okay. Better now. However (she resumed in a calmer fashion), not too long ago I overheard several of my colleagues, women who I otherwise thought had a grain of sense, discussing the NOVEL and its basis with all seriousness. I mean, they truly believed the story contained a thinly disguised version of the truth. This shocked me. Does it make a difference that these women are for the most part either unchurched or followers of a non-Christian religion? Possibly. I dont know any Christian serious about his faith who takes the theories presented in The Da Vinci Code as anything other than sheer entertainment. I wanted to jump in their conversation and point out the fallacies; unfortunately, I did not have adequate information. I knew they were wrong but didnt have data to make my points. This book provides the data. Dr. Bock sets up each code and knocks it down again with a satisfactory thunk. He quotes Scripture and scholarly research; he provides historical and sociological background; he explains the Gnostic heresy; he discusses the Council of Nicea and what led to its stamp of approval on the Biblical Canon; and generally applies logic, reason, and critical thinking to each aspect of the so-called conspiracy, thereby debunking it in total. A short fast read, overflowing with information, and worth every minute of the readers time. If The Da Vinci Code raised questions in your mind, or if you want to answer someone elses questions, this is the book you need.

Bock is an evangelical, and it shows, even through his scholarship. His discussion of women and Christianity omits, oh,..2000 years of Catholic and Eastern Christian tradition. Hardly a word about art, Priory of Sion, Grail, etc. NOT the questions everyone is asking. Only a couple of them. I want my money back!

Despite the overwhelmingly negative response to this book taking into consideration of the negative votes against positive reviews, I am obliged to recommend it to those serious christians who had read the Bible a number of times and understand the meaning of the death of Jesus and thus Christianity the religion well. In my opinion, the author had delivered multi-dimensional arguments (of time, culture, history, politics from many respected academics) against the suspicions raised by Dan Browns book, that Jesus had lived to marry Mary of Magdalene, Constantine had overhauled the Bible in A.D. 325 and so on. Of course, nobody can perfectly win the case unless we can travel in a time machine or Jesus suddenly shows up before us and tells it himself. However, I think this book can help christian readers to apply good probabilistic thinking to judge for themselves what truths we should really believe. I can understand that many readers dislike the book for the very strong or passionate poise the author took to defend his faith against the popularity of Dan Browns book as an authentic history and not a fiction. As a non christian colleague of mine who borrowed it from me said, The harder the author tries, the less trustworthy he seems. What a pity that my colleague knows very little and has no interest at all about the conflicts amongst the early christians for the orthodox beliefs (well documented before A.D. 325), the unsolvable discrepancies between the maintream gospels and those gnostic gospels (Its impossible to accept different personalities of the disciples amongst different gospels), the cultural background and the history of Jews (Jews, the Middle East people, and the Romans in those days never cared nor respected the role of women like the way we do in the 21st century as opposed to what Dan Brown wrote), and most importantly, what Jesus death and his subsequent rise to heaven means. Such knowledge will largely enhance his appreciation of the whole picture and that he may not judge the book primarily with the style of the author. (If his rise did not happen, hes not the one which the prophets in the Old Testaments told about the coming Messiah and Christianity is no more than a fiction). Perhaps if the author had not picked an over confident title, the receptance of the book could be much improved. Anyway, I do respect the authors effort and moral courage to take side instead of standing in the middle or being politically correct, a way which many christian academics prefer to live.