Overview of the book
The Da Vinci Code

For those of you who have not read the book, and those who want a brief overview, let’s have a look at the book. 

This following is not a critique.  It is simply an overview.  Let’s start with the bastion of book sellers.  Here’s what Jeremy Pugh from Amazon.com says:

A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's father's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought.

Going further into the book, Amy Wellborn talks about the secret in the book.  She summarizes:

The Big Secret involves Jesus, naturally. Sauniere was part of an ancient secret society called the Priory of Sion that had for centuries been charged with the protection of this Big Secret. The Big Secret threatens to disrupt Life As We Know It, so, of course, the Catholic Church has spent the last thousand years making sure that the Big Secret doesn’t get out.

And what’s the Big Secret? That Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, and she was pregnant when he was crucified. Their child’s descendents are still alive, via the Merovingian royal line, anonymous and protected by the Priory. Also protected by the Priory is the real True Faith that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were supposedly about: the celebration of the “sacred feminine – “ which, incidentally is what the “Holy Grail” really is, rather than the chalice of the Last Supper.

The Da Vinci Code, then, is the story of the big race to reach the Holy Grail – the remains of Mary Magdalene, mostly - , a race between Sophie and Langdon, on one hand and on the other, we are led to believe, the Church, primarily represented by an albino Opus Dei adherent taking directions from a bishop and mysterious “Teacher.”

The race is from clue to clue left by Sophie’s code-loving Grandfather, puzzles left everywhere from the Bank of Zurich to the Church of Saint-Sulpice to Westminster Abbey to, of course, the paintings of Leonardo DaVinci who supposedly worked his devotion to the Holy Grail of the sacred feminine into his work, including the Last Supper in which the figure at Jesus’ right is not a male, but Mary Magdalene, his partner in the gospel of the sacred feminine.

Let’s have Brown speak for himself on various subjects.

About the Bible

“Jesus Christ was a historical figure of staggering influence, perhaps the most enigmatic and inspirational leader the world has ever seen.  As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus toppled kings, inspired millions, and founded new philosophies.  As a descendant of the lines of King Solomon and King David, Jesus possessed a rightful claim to the throne of the King of the Jews.  Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land.”  Teabing paused to sip his tea and then placed the cup back on the mantel.  “More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John among them.

            “Who chose which gospels to include?”  Sophie asked

            “Aha!” Teabing burst in with enthusiasm.  “The fundamental irony of Christianity!  The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” (p. 231)

About the divinity of Jesus

“I don’t follow.  His divinity”

“Me dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet … a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless.  A mortal.”

“Not the Son of God?”

“Right,” Teabing said.  “Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea.”

“Hold on.  You’re saying Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote?” (p. 233)

 About the Goddess

“Exactly.”  Langdon smiled.  “The Grail is literally the ancient symbol for womanhood, and the Holy Grail represents the sacred feminine and the goddess, which of course has now been lost, virtually eliminated by the Church.  The power of the female and her ability to produce life was once very sacred, but it posed a threat to the rise of the predominately male Church, and so the sacred feminine was demonized and called unclean.  It was man, not God, who created the concept of ‘original sin,’ whereby Eve tasted the apple and caused the downfall of the human race.  Women, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy.”  (p. 238)

 About Mary Magdalene and Jesus

Sophie sensed he was at last coming to his point.

Teabing looked excited now.  “The legend of the Holy Grail is a legend about royal blood.  When Grail legend speaks of ‘the chalice that held the blood of Christ’ … it speaks, in fact, of Mary Magdalene—the female womb that carried Jesus’ royal bloodline.”

The words seemed to echo across the ballroom and back before they fully registered in Sophie’s mind.  Mary Magdalene carried the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ?  “But how could Christ have a bloodline unless … ?  She paused and looked at Langdon.

Langdon smiled softly.  “Unless they had a child.”  (p. 249)

“According to the Priory,” Teabing continued, “Mary Magdalene was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion.  For the safety of Christ’s unborn child, she had no choice but to flee the Holy Land.  With the help of Jesus’ trusted uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene secretly traveled to France, then known as Gaul.  There she found safe refuge in the Jewish community.  It was here in France that she gave birth to a daughter.  Her name was Sarah.”  (p. 255)