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

Bock does a very good job in both explanation and simplification of the arguments, so the lay reader could understand this historical revisionism for what it is. He did good research in a field he is accomplished in, the early church. He also exposes how terms such as secret and conspiracy are misapplied into known , rejected works of the early church and debunks the Nicea conspiracy. This is a subject that churches should cover prior to the release of the film, so less than biblically literate members will not be caught up in distortions and revisionism. I strongly recommend this readable book for churches to make available to their members.

I have read a couple of books on the Da Vinci code, as well as the novel (a definite page turner). While the facts are correct in this book, it seems a bit rushed to press and falls short on many issues. In trying to prove Dan Brown wrong, the author commits many of the same logical errors. The Da Vinci Code is held up by a couple of pillars: 1. The Priory of Sion: Bock completely ignores the Priory in his treatise. As this is a central thread throughout Dan Browns book, it is rather strange that a rebuttal author would ignore this material, especially when it can easily be shown that the Priory is the creation of one Pierre Plantard (1993 court testimony, 1956 incorporation documents). 2. The Nag Hammadi library: The Gnostic gospels, which have been elevated to a very high status by some theological scholars, like Crosson, Spong, Pagels and Funk. Bock does a better job here, but does not delve deep enough to present a full rebuttal argument. Although he declares a win over the code, he has really done very little to dispute the Gnostic gospels or their supporters. I agree with Bock that Dan Browns scholarship is lacking. I also agree with Bocks major points on the subject. But, Dan Brown is a novelist, while Bock is writing a critique or an apology (depending on how you view his work). While Bock presents some very good factual material, all of it seems to fall short on truly nailing the coffin shut on the subject and often raises more questions than it answers. Of course, this seems to be the rule with Da Vinci Code critiques. While not perfect itself, I prefer Cracking Da Vincis Code by Garlow and Jones over this work.

This book is really an essential. It covers everything from the theory of Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene, to the Canonization of the Bible, to the Secret Gnostic Gospels. A must read for those who have read the Da Vinci Code

This book is the third title I have read of Christian rebuttals to The DaVinci Code. While the first two books were good, this one is the best yet. Bocks points are clear, concise, and easy to follow. The author here doesnt simply advance his own agenda, but instead offers a defense to the various accusations leveled against Christianity in the best-selling fictional novel. Bock gives detailed attention to Mary Magdalene, a personality central to Browns hypothesis. Bock explains logically and historically why the idea of Jesus being unmarried as a Jewish rabbi is completely acceptable. Bock then addresses the lack of credibility of the secret, Gnostic gospels. He emphasizes that they were considered as non-authoritative long before the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. The author here also makes a few points of his own about the mindset present in The DaVinci Code and why it has such a powerful appeal to todays society. If you want to read just one book to provide a scholarly, Christian rebuttal, this title is it. The insight contained in these pages is well worth the price.

This book is a hoax, it has nothing to do with breaking the Da Vinci Code. The name was simply used to tie it to Dan Browns book so that this shallow attack on Dan Brown would sell more copies. The book dismisses everything contained in the Da Vinci Code - in most instances simply stating that the views contained therein cannot be proven and must therefore be wrong, even though there is no proof to the contrary. Bock is more concerned with protecting the status quo than he is with exploring the issues brought up by Dan Brown. Why doesnt he address why Da Vinci placed Mary Magdalene on the right hand of Jesus at the Last Supper? My guess is that he cant explain it - and thereby would be promoting the mystique he is trying to suppress. Dan Browns book is fiction and I never accepted it as fact, but Bock is about as convincing in defense of his views as the Inquisition was in condemning Galeleos view that the Earth revolves around the Sun. In the end, I was left wondering if there is more to the Da Vinci Code than I had previously believed. My advise is to skip this book and buy Holy Blood, Holy Grail.

Dr. Bocks book engages the early history of the church brought up in Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code in a clear and logical manner. It allows the reader to analyze the fundamental claims that Browns book makes about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and early Christianity from a scholarly and historical perspective. Dr. Bock lays the facts before the reader and guides them through the debates surrounding these subjects as the arly church was being formed. He has been able to break down the political and religious arguments in a way that the reader can easily follow. The facts contained in the pages of this criticism are not restricted to the The Bible and accepted Christian dogma, but also include a detailed investigation of the Secret Gospels and other extrabiblical material. This analysis is not the argument of only conservative biblical scholars, but also extends into the realm of liberal historical Jesus followers. It is an analysis that focuses on history and not interpretaton. The bottom line is after Dr. Bock is through with his investigation, the historical basis for The Da Vinci Code is debunked, and the rest of the story, including Da Vinci and his artwork, is a novel construct for an author to tell a good tale and nothing more.

I bought this book because I thought it was further research into the subjects covered by the original Da Vinci Code Book. The book is a rip-off on the name and contains some of the worst religious hypocrisy and dogma I have read. The Catholic Church demeans women by not allowing them any position of authority and relegates them to minor helper roles, i.e., the mother or helpmate of someone. This book attempts to refutes this accusation by claiming the church does look up to women and cites two examples: 1) Martin Luthers MOTHER who was a great influence on him. Martin Luther could not have started the religion he did without her influence. 2) The woman, who in CONJUNCTION with her husband started the Salvation Army. A mother and a help-mate. These look like helper roles to me. And yet according to these authors these examples absolve the church of their demeaning treatment of women. What about Joan of Arc, Saint Margaret of Scotland, or Eleanor of Acquitaine? Eleanor was one of the wealthiest women alive and barely 20 years old. She supported the Crusades financially and she and her other female friends marched onto the battlefield as nurses during the crusades. After that the Pope no longer allowed women to participate in the Crusades under any circumstances and in any role. If the authors have their way the status quo will continue. Women will be relegated to helper roles and allowed only minimal and non-authoritative participation. This is not what Jesus intended. According to the early Bible (the Bible we know was not formed until the third century A.D.) Christ allowed women to preach the gospel and to be fully involved in the church in any way they chose. It was not until 300 years after Christ died that women were relegated to mothers and help-mates. The authors of this book would like to continue this shameful policy. Truth means little to these authors. They are more concerned with maintaining the status quo of third century religious dogma.

Intended for our entertainment, and never intended to make a point. Everyone knows that entertainment media is devoid of any agenda. Novels, songs, movies, television shows and poems would never use the medium of entertainment to make a point or try and change, much less formulate, public opinion. Everyone knows that....... Hey does anyone know where I can get a copy of Catch 22, Apocalypse Now, The Grapes of Wrath, Bleak House or Bonfire of the Vanities? I want to be entertained.

Like several other authors eagerly attempting to debunk The Da Vinci Code, this one shows no evidence of having read two books by Margaret Starbird actually mentioned by Dan Brown in his work (on page 253). One might expect that intellectual curiosity might have persuaded Rev. Bock to read The Woman with the Alabaster Jar or The Goddess in the Gospels, since these books provided background research for assertions made in The Da Vinci Code relating to Mary Magdalene as well as some of the symbols, fairy tales, and medieval artifacts found in the book. Starbird rests her case squarely on canonical Scriptures and is worth reading on that grounds alone. When fiction is stripped away from The Da Vinci Code, what remains is powerful evidence of the Sacred Union at the very heart of the Christian story.

It is interesting to note the approaches to rebutting the historical claims of Dan Brown that he used as the basis for his popular novel The Da Vinci Code. While the initial challenges to Brown came from the Evangelical camp, too many of these efforts, perhaps following the proof text methodology common in much of their apologetical work, have concentrated on the minutiae of Browns asides into art and history while ignoring the more profound questions of the theological implications of his rewriting of the Christian story. While a laundry list of Browns many historical faux pas make for amusing reading, it leaves the syncretistic presuppositions prevalent in his thesis untouched. Daniel Bocks Breaking the Da Vinci Code is a marvelous exception to this pattern. By not being lured into secondary matters, he manages in a somewhat short treatment to get at the heart of Browns claims about the New Testament canon and the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Focusing on key themes within Browns presuppositions, Bock performs a thorough deconstruction of Browns ideas and shows the underlying premises to be completely without merit. Browns distorted view of Jewish ideas of marraige and celibacy, his use of later discredited Gnostic texts while discounting the canonical Gospels written centuries earlier, and his complete misreading even of his own evidence (e.g., the Gnostic texts give no evidence of Jesus ever being married) all are placed under scrutiny and Browns entire intellectual edifice crumbles into dust. Those looking for a point by point refutatation of Browns claims will have to look elsewhere. However, such efforts serve to attack the facade of Browns views while leaving the underlying structure intact. Bock has largely ignored the externals and went straight to the heart of the controversy. For this reason, Breaking the Da Vinci Code stands as the greatest response from the Protestant side and is an essential read on the topic.