Dihar wanted to know more about The Da Vinci Code, the mystery novel by Dan Brown (2003: published by Doubleday). I dont have much to say about this. But there are a lot of information that we can retrieve from books and the internet.
Basically the novel is based on the controversial premise that there is a conspiracy within the Roman Catolic Church to cover up the true story of Jesus (apostle).
The story (as the author summarises it) goes like this: A renowned Harvard symbologist is summoned to the Louvre Museum to examine a series of cryptic symbols relating to Da Vinci's artwork. In decrypting the code, he uncovers the key to one of the greatest mysteries of all time . . . and he becomes a hunted man.
The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. According to the premise of the novel, the Vatican knows it is living a lie, but continues to do so to keep itself in power.
It is a thriller story involving secret societies, conspiracies, the Catholic Church, and the fictional "truth" about Jesus Christ.
During the course of the novel it is alleged that the Catholic Church is perpetuating a major, centuries-long conspiracy to hide the "truth" about Jesus Christ from the public, and it or its agents are willing to stop at nothing, including murder, to do so. (http://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp)
The "fact" page of the book asserts factuality for certain claims regarding the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei (a major focus of the book), and the descriptions found in the book of art, architecture, and rituals.
The story (as the author summarises it) goes like this: A renowned Harvard symbologist is summoned to the Louvre Museum to examine a series of cryptic symbols relating to Da Vinci's artwork. In decrypting the code, he uncovers the key to one of the greatest mysteries of all time . . . and he becomes a hunted man.
The novel has helped generate popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity. According to the premise of the novel, the Vatican knows it is living a lie, but continues to do so to keep itself in power.
It is a thriller story involving secret societies, conspiracies, the Catholic Church, and the fictional "truth" about Jesus Christ.
During the course of the novel it is alleged that the Catholic Church is perpetuating a major, centuries-long conspiracy to hide the "truth" about Jesus Christ from the public, and it or its agents are willing to stop at nothing, including murder, to do so. (http://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp)
The "fact" page of the book asserts factuality for certain claims regarding the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei (a major focus of the book), and the descriptions found in the book of art, architecture, and rituals.
Although the "fact" page presents the book's most overt claims to accuracy, the novel itself implies that much more is factual than what is stated on this page. The book is written in a way that suggests that its claims regarding the Priory of Sion, the Catholic Church, and Christ are to be taken seriously. The author's own remarks outside of the book suggest the same. On his personal web page, he speaks of the historical "secret" he reveals in The Da Vinci Code and states: The secret I reveal is one that has been whispered for centuries. It is not my own. Admittedly, this may be the first time the secret has been unveiled within the format of a popular thriller, but the information is anything but new.
According to the "fact" page (of the Da Vinci book), the Priory of Sion-a European secret society founded in 1099-is a real organization. In 1975, Paris's Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secretes, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci.
The novel goes on to depict the Priory of Sion as a secret society defending the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Because it allegedly holds the secret of this bloodline, it is persecuted by the Catholic Church. The organization also is devoted to worshiping "the sacred feminine" and holds orgies as a form of ritual worship.
Note: Apostles?
Literally meaning "sent ones." In the Gospel of Luke, the inner circle of Jesus’ 12 helpers were called apostles before his crucifixion. After his resurrection, the criteria to be an apostle is that you had to have been following Jesus before his death, and be an eye-witness after he rose again. The claim to apostleship by Paul of Tarsus was in dispute because his first contact was a vision of Jesus long after his ascension into Heaven.
Literally meaning "sent ones." In the Gospel of Luke, the inner circle of Jesus’ 12 helpers were called apostles before his crucifixion. After his resurrection, the criteria to be an apostle is that you had to have been following Jesus before his death, and be an eye-witness after he rose again. The claim to apostleship by Paul of Tarsus was in dispute because his first contact was a vision of Jesus long after his ascension into Heaven.
