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Home > Bestseller > Scholars' Response > Abanes
Abanes
The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code
Written by Richard Abanes
It is an understatement to say that many people have been outraged by the claims in The Da Vinci Code. Beyond being a page-turning thriller, Brown's novel seems to be little more than a well-crafted, cleverly written 454-page diatribe against Christianity, especially its Roman Catholic sector. The book launches repeated attacks against Christian beliefs, the Bible, and early church leaders. And when it comes to the most sacred of all Christian doctrines—those relating to Jesus—Brown writes that "almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false."18
Spreading one's views via fiction is certainly a freedom guaranteed to all Americans. Most critics would acknowledge that Brown has the right to say whatever he wants to say. What is problematic, however, is the way that he, his publisher, and the media have been presenting The Da Vinci Code: as a fact-based expose wherein the characters reveal truths long hidden from, or at the very least ignored by, the general public. To use the author's words, "When you finish the book—like it or not—you've learned a ton."19
Nearly every reviewer has parroted this line. USA Today, for instance, referred to the novel as "historic fact with a contemporary storyline."20 Popmatters.com said the work was a "fact-based thriller."21 Counterculture called the book "a good yarn within a richly factual context."22 And Charles Taylor of salon.com described the novel as "a fast-paced romp through 2000 years of Christianity's darker secrets." Taylor then added, "The most amazing thing about this novel is that it's based on fact."23
Only Dan Brown himself has made more explicit claims of factuality for his book. The novel's first page, for instance, reads, "FACT: . . . All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate."24 Consider, too, the following comment made by Brown during an interview, in which he paints his work as far more factual than fictional:
One of the many qualities that makes The Da Vinci Code unique is the factual nature of the story. All the history, artwork, ancient documents, and secret rituals in the novel are accurate—as are the hidden codes revealed in some of Da Vinci's most famous paintings.25
Too many readers of The Da Vinci Code have already responded to the novel by trustingly embracing it as historically accurate. One supporter, for example, posted his views on an Internet fan site, saying, "[T]his book is awesome and confirms many things for me."26 Another wrote that a "huge amount of information in it is accurate" and that "pretty much all of the historical facts are real."27
That Brown's novel would find so many admirers comes as no surprise given the horrific revelations in recent years about priestly misconduct within the Roman Catholic Church, specifically child molestation. University of Southern California historian Richard Fox has explained that Brown "is riding the wave of revulsion against corruption in the Catholic Church." Fox additionally observes, "Really the book is in many ways about how bad the church is."28
Source: The Truth Behind The Da Vinci Code by Richard Abanes, pp 9-10.
18. Brown, p. 235.
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19. Dan Brown. Quoted in "Explosive New Thriller Explores Secrets of the Church," no date, interview with Ed Morris, www.bookpage.com/0304bp/dan_brown.html.
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20. Bob Minzesheimer, " 'Code' Deciphers Interest In Religious History," USA Today, December 11, 2003.
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21. Valerie MacEwen, "Try Putting This Book Down," www.popmatters.com/books/reviews/d/da-vinci-code.shtml.
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22. "The Da Vinci Code: Book Review," Counterculture, counterculture.co.uk/book-review/the-da-vinci-code.html.
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23. Taylor (archive.salon.com/books/review/2003/03/27/davinci/).
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24. Brown, p. 1.
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25. Dan Brown, interview with Borders, no date, www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=browndan.
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26. MM NYC, January 25, 2004, Internet posting, www.cultofdanbrown.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/502/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1.
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27. FTLouie34, December 19, 2003, Internet posting, www.cultofdanbrown.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/502/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/l.
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28. Richard Fox. Quoted in Linda Kulman and Jay Tolson (with Katy Kelly), "Jesus in America," U.S. News and World Report, December 16, 2003 (www.usnews.com [archives]).
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Taken from: The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, Copyright © 2004 by Richard Abanes
Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR; Used by permission.
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