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The Da Vinci Code Rebuttals
Whenever religion comes into play, there is going to be debate. And there is definitely no lack of it when it comes to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The Da Vinci Code has gained many honors as well as criticisms. Some critics have gone as far as saying there are outright lies within the text and others have written books to “expose” the mistakes made by Brown. Some books that were written in response to The Da Vinci Code include The Da Vinci Hoax by Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel, Breaking the Da Vinci Code, Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind The Da Vinci Code. Brown’s book has also brought Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln’s book Holy Blood, Holy Grail back on the shelves.
Both
the Christian community and some historians have had negative responses
to The Da Vinci Code and are upset at the way Brown portrays some supposed
“facts”.
Here are a few criticisms regarding “facts” from the novel:
Claim: Prior to AD 325, Jesus was considered no more than a “mortal
prophet” and it was only because of a close vote at the First Council
of Nicaea with Emperor Constantine that Christianity came to view Jesus
as divine.
Rebuttal: Various authors have discredited this claim with
extensive reference to the Bible and Church Fathers.
Claim: 5 million women were burned by the Church as witches.
Rebuttal: The most reliable estimates range from 30 000 to 50 000.
Claim: The original Olympics were held in honor of Aphrodite
Rebuttal: They were celebrated for Zeus.
Claim: Gothic architecture was designed by the Knights Templars
to record the secret of the sacred feminine.
Rebuttal: Historians say the Templars were not involved with cathedrals
of the time which were commissioned by bishops.
Claim: Depicting the Templars as builders, guild-founders and
secret bearers.
Rebuttal: Templar historians point to abundant evidence that Templars
did not themselves engage in building projects or found guilds for masons.
Claim: Portrayal of Priory of Sion as an ancient organization.
Rebuttal: Iit is a real organization that most historians believe
originated after WWII based on the grounds that it registered with the
French government in 1956.
Claim: Suggestion that the churches used by the Templars were
built round and that roundness was considered an insult by the Church.
Rebuttal: Some churches used by the Templars were not round and
those that were, were a tribute to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Claim: The Mona Lisa was a self-portrait
Rebuttal: Art historians are practically unanimous in stating that
it is the protrait of a woman, Modonna Lisa, the wife of Francesco di
Bartolomeo del Giocondo.
Claim: The Olympic symbol of the 5 rings is a secret tribute to
the goddess
Rebuttal: Each Olympic Games event was supposed to add a ring to
the symbol but the organizers stopped at five.