Code cracking

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

Related articles: from May 19, 2006 issue: • Catholic leaders urge 'Code' caution     Various resources available to answer     questions it may raise • Bridging the Gap by Bishop David Zubik --     Bridging the Gap: The Da Vinci Code     Book and movie are not history or theology from May 12, 2006 issue: • Three cardinals: 'Code' shows contempt     One official suggests taking legal action     against book and film • Foundations of Faith -- What the Church really says about Jesus, Magdalene     Was Jesus really celibate? Just how close     were Jesus and Mary Magdalene?

Friday, The Da Vinci Code movie, starring Tom Hanks and based on the book by Dan Brown, opens at theaters across the country. Brown's novel has been a runaway best-seller and the film promises to further fatten his wallet.

I have not read the book and have no plans to do so. Nor do I plan to see the movie. At one time I had planned to read the book, but my wife, Jackie, read it first. She found so many problems with it both stylistically and with its distortions of church history, that I decided to spend my limited time reading better books.

These distortions of church history are what have disturbed Catholic and Protestant leaders. The book's basic premise is that Jesus and Mary Magdalene married, had children and were the ancestors of the French Merovingian Dynasty. The church kept all this a secret, the book says, but Leonardo Da Vinci revealed all in a secret code in his painting, "The Last Supper."

What many found annoying and misleading is that Brown, while running the standard disclaimer on the copyright page that his book is a work of fiction, also included a "fact page." On the latter, he says "the documents, rituals, organizations, artwork and architecture in the novel all exist."

What Brown doesn't say is that his book is riddled with untruths, specifically concerning the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei and his "factual" documents. There would be less uproar - and probably far fewer book sales - if his basic position wasn't: It's a work of fiction (wink, wink) based entirely on facts that the Catholic Church doesn't want you to know.

If you decide to read the book and/or go to the movie, do yourself a favor and read through the materials on the website Jesus Decoded (www.jesusdecoded.com) sponsored by the U.S. bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign. There also is a TV show by the same name being shown this month on several NBC stations, though sadly not on WGBA in Green Bay (the station will, of course, be showing ads promoting the movie).

Finally, remember that the book and movie are fictionalized accounts based on Gnostic works and are not supported by Scripture. And be thankful that the Gnostics aren't in charge - they believed that salvation depended on a secret knowledge not available to most of us. Fortunately, God, through Jesus, was much broader minded.