"The DaVinci Code"

Saturday May 20, 2006

“A Good Read?”

This review of Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was first published in St. Joseph Parish bulletin on February 8, 2004. Though I have not yet seen the film, I stand by what I wrote about the book. In fact, I am pleased to see that many recent commentators and I are on the same page.

To the inquiry of the proprietor of the Mendham Book Store, “What did you think about ‘The Da Vinci Code”? I responded, “I got a few chuckles out of it.” To which he remarked, “That’s the first time I have heard that reaction to the book.” Not to worry, I also got a few chuckles out of “The Exorcist!”

Before I continue with my ‘take’ on the ‘Code,’ I need to make a few disclaimers. Although I try to keep both sides of my brain active at all times, I tend to favor the left side of my brain when I read and therefore am prone to analysis rather than synthesis. I do get into the story eventually but I frequently obsess on the details.

I also prefer to keep two books going at the same time. I have the feeling that were I tested by the local child study team, I might be classified as ADD—Attention Deficit Disorder! It takes me a while to get into a book and then of a sudden I get bored and have the need to switch to another venue.

That having been stated, it took me a few weeks to get into The Da Vinci Code, but I did persevere to the end and in record time.

Author Dan Brown has an interesting writing style, which lends itself to what I would call “addictive reading.” The chapters are short but kaleidoscopic as one spills into the next. He is able to keep the reader in a state of animated suspense. That’s not an easy task.

For most of the book, my left-brain action was often one step ahead of the game plan. For example, I knew that Langdon wasn’t gong to escape through the high window in the rest room and having been a fan of the TV series, “Mission Impossible,” it didn’t take two seconds to figure out that there was more than one way to get out of a sealed room in the basement of the Depository Bank of Zurich if for no other reason that the fact that we were only into the first quarter of the book.

The real story revolves around a preposterous assumption about Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene. The great secret protected by the forbidden secret society, “the Priory of Sion,” that needs to be recovered, decoded and destroyed with the assistance of “Opus Dei,” a privileged right wing society enjoying the special favor and protection of the Pope, is the fact that Jesus intended Mary Magdalene to head his church and that the Bible as we know it is a carefully woven farce authored by ‘men’ to cover up the secret, a veritable chauvinistic plot to suppress the feminist gene within the church.

Of course fiction is dominant and truth is exaggerated. The problem is that the unwary or unlearned reader may get them mixed up and therein lay the dilemma with this book. It is a known fact that Catholics, including priests and bishops, have not been doing their homework for years, preferring what I respectfully call ‘Santa Claus’ or ‘comic book theology.’

Yes, there are such things as ‘sacred biblical myths,’ but they are not fables. They are creative, poetic stories that uncover the mysterious presence of God in creation and which convey deep realities that can easily escape the rational scientific mind but are readily grasped by a person of faith seeking understanding. Jesus is truly the Son of God but a catechism definition can’t fully explain this reality. It must be explored through study and prayer.

If you want to explore the role of myth in religious tradition, then read the works of Joseph Campbell. If you want to understand the notion of myth in the biblical tradition, read the works of the ‘other Brown,’ the renowned biblical scholar, Raymond Brown.

Some priests and preachers have attacked “The Da Vinci Code” as another attempt at anti-Catholic bashing. I disagree. Any intelligent reader, Catholic or otherwise, will not lose faith in the Church as a result of reading this book unless, of course, they are looking for one more reason to discredit the Church. If someone is into Catholic bashing, greater justification may be found by simply reading recently published books on the cover-up of sexual abuse. They certainly do not need any help from Dan Brown who barely gives a not to the abuse issue in his book.

Over and above the fact that there are numerous historical, theological and biblical problems with “The Da Vinci Code,” which we might explore during one of our ‘fireside chats,’ it’s a good read for a mature adult as long as you keep your sense of humor. I think it would be safer to conclude with Andrew Greeley that “The Da Vinci Code” is more likely than the Bible to be proven a farce and a trite one at that.”

Some afterthoughts: Comments in the street, as it were, testify to the historical, theological and biblical illiteracy of many Christians—yes, even Catholics!

Americans love stories about real or imagined conspiracy theories that are even more attractive when they deal with religious figures and especially the Catholic Church.

_Of course, secrecy and the lack of transparency in the Church foster this kind of curiosity. As I mentioned in my original commentary, we do not need to construct fictional scandals. There’s enough truth to ‘live’ scandals to last a lifetime. The continuing cover-up of clergy sexual misconduct has not helped to dispel scandal or the suspicion thereof. _.

That having been acknowledged, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us find the film to be somewhat tiring if not down right boring.

It’s too bad that the Catholic bishops and other religious leaders have condemned the film and called for a boycott. This will guarantee a box office success!

Recent Articles

Seventh Sunday of Easter 'B'

Living the Mystery at the town square As I walked recently to the Green in the center of Morristown after my…continue reading...

Sixth Sunday of Easter 'C'

In all things, charity It continues to astound me how the Scriptures come to life over and over again under different…continue reading...

Sixth Sunday of Easter 'C'

In all things, charity It continues to astound me how the Scriptures come to life over and over again under different…continue reading...

Fifth Sunday of Easter 'B'

Let’s stay connected. It’s not unusual to hear family members or close friends at the departure gates of life say to…continue reading...

Fourth Sunday of Easter 'B'

Watch out for the leopards! When my sister and I were kids, my father would whistle for us when it was…continue reading...