Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyones Asking

I just saw Darrell Bock this week as he shared some of this information in a radio broadcast regarding The Da Vinci Code. A rare blend of grace and scholarly wit, Darrell precisely targets the key Christian information conflicting in the novel. This book will be especially useful for those seeking quotes from the ancient sources that prove the truthfulness behind church history and Christianity. The books only weakness is that its actual dialogue with the text of The Da Vinci Code is limited. Like some of the other Christian-related Da Vinci Code titles, he spends the vast majority of his time demonstrating the weaknesses of the controversial topics rather than picking the specific points of the novel that reveal the controversies. In the end, Ive found it one of the better reads in this area. Having researched this topic heavily (see my The Da Vinci Code Controversy book), I can definitely recommend this as an added tool in defending Christianity in response to Da Vinci Code issues.

This book was very informative. If you go to this book looking for an easy answer to all the questions rought up in the Da Vinci Code, you will be let down. The book is riddled with quotes from early church fathers and ancient Gnostic gospels. I really enjoyed this but it contains a lot of info and can be boring if you are not too interested in the topic. This is the best book that talks of the Davinci Code!

This book is the third title I have read of Christian rebuttals to The DaVinci Code. While the first two books were good, this one is the best yet. Bocks points are clear, concise, and easy to follow. The author here doesnt simply advance his own agenda, but instead offers a defense to the various accusations leveled against Christianity in the best-selling fictional novel. Bock gives detailed attention to Mary Magdalene, a personality central to Browns hypothesis. Bock explains logically and historically why the idea of Jesus being unmarried as a Jewish rabbi is completely acceptable. Bock then addresses the lack of credibility of the secret, Gnostic gospels. He emphasizes that they were considered as non-authoritative long before the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. The author here also makes a few points of his own about the mindset present in The DaVinci Code and why it has such a powerful appeal to todays society. If you want to read just one book to provide a scholarly, Christian rebuttal, this title is it. The insight contained in these pages is well worth the price.

Although this book is easy to read, I was unimpressed by the lack of REAL, factual evidence. The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, and this book tries to poke the many holes in THAT dreadful work of art. But how do you refute a work of fiction by using the same source? What I mean is, the Da Vinci code is basically saying the Bible does not tell the whole story. Ok, fine, but how is Bocks book going to refute Browns work by using the Bible and scriptures as its main source? The Bible is what they are arguing, so you cannot use the source of the problem as the answer. They are like two children saying Did not!, Did to!, and so on. Its just poor research. I want different proof.

Nothing in this book proves anything... If Da Vinci Code is wrong about Magdalene and the conspiracy, this book is not right either... faith is very hard to argue and everybody believes what they wanted to believe...

Professor Bock has written a fascinating historical analysis of the early Christian era, focusing on the seven codes found in the best-selling thriller by Dan Brown, The DaVinci Codes. His explanation of the theological view of the Gnostics is perhaps the most enlightening. The Gnostics were a now-forgotten early Christian group, that postulated the road to Heaven was through intense study, knowledge, and enlightment, which were only achieved by a select group of intellectuals. They also generally viewed Jesus and Christ as two entities, seeing a separation between the Savior and the man. Clearly these Gnostic views are almost unrecognizable to orthodox Christians of our era, where salvation is based on belief and forgiveness of sin, and God had one Son who suffered on the cross. However, Browns characters lean heavily on them. Professor Bock also delves deeply into the code that says Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a blood line that extends to modern France. These are not new theories. The French descendants have been talking about this for centuries. Many other books in the last 20 years have expressed this. Even the 1970s musical Jesus Christ Superstar, now endorsed by the Vatican, hints at a relationship beyond that of teacher and apostle. However, Bock analyzes carefully all Biblical and non-Biblical sources and finds no evidence whatsoever that Jesus was married or had descendants. This seems to be the one fact that all Biblical scholars agree upon. The other DaVinci codes are similarly dissected in great historical perspective, involving every known source, and all are found to be lacking. Dan Brown has written an interesting thriller, but it has no basis in history, as the Vatican is now proclaiming as well. For example, Browns characters claim the church is anti-women, when in fact, Jesus included women in his ministry, delivered much revelation to them, and had them observe the crucifixion and the resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the other women were the apostles to the apostles with respect to the resurrection. The DaVinci codes also claim that the early church fathers rewrote history as late as 400 years after Christ, to suit their purposes. This area seems to be Bocks real specialty, as he quotes many sources to confirm that the four gospels were established and Jesus was the saviour long before any secretive 4th century gathering. He also gives a fascinating account of how the four gospels came to be written and the relationships between their writers and the early Christians and apostles. There seems to be zero historical basis for one of Browns characters claiming that the 4 known gospels were selected from 80 potential gospels. In sum, I recommend that all who want to understand how Christianity evolved, and also enjoy a good popular thriller, take the opportunity to pick up a lesson in history and theology from Professor Bock. I read many parts of this text several times, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The DaVinci Codes are like the Umberto Eco novels in that one needs some outside historical context to really enjoy the work. By the way, Eco has also studied the DaVinci codes and reached the same conclusions as Professor Bock.

The people who wrote the last couple negative reviews seem more to be taken in by Dan Brown. Bock is indeed a scholar but yet his book is simple and understandable. It gives a clear look at Browns claims and why they are false. I recommend this book over the others out there. The Wall Street Journal called this the best of the bunch when it comes to books about The DaVinci Code.

This book thoroughly addresses the claims about Jesus made in The Da Vinci Code. The buzz on the street is that the Da Vinci Code is based on texts found in Egypt half a century ago. But thats not true. Thats not true at all. As Darrell Bock explains, these texts (the new gospels a.k.a. gnostic gospels) dont even hint that Jesus and Mary Magdalena had a romantic relationship. They dont even hint that Jesus escaped crucifixion. Thats all made up. The author also addresses the claims of a cover up at Nicea by exposing actual historical documents and records. Again, the Da Vinci Code is an interesting, exciting novel. Thats where it ends. The author also addresses the content of these new gospels or gnostic gospels. Some say that the discovery of these new texts call for a re-evaluation of the Christian religion itself and that these new texts can perhaps tell us more about Jesus. Darrell Bock looks at some of the doctrine found in these new texts, and he eloquently shows how these new texts are NOT compatible with the Christianity of the New Testament. These new texts describe a completely different Jesus and have a completely different description of creation, the fall of humankind and salvation. You either believe these new texts or you believe the New Testament. You cant believe both. Theyre not compatible. Finally, the book is easy to read. It is not saturated with technical terms and deep theology that can only be understood by seminary graduates. This book is written for the casual reader.

Is that the title is misleading. Several of the questions that everyone is asking are not even addressed in this book. The art issues are virtually ignored...Rosslyn Chapel... In addition, the perspective is distinctly evangelical, so, for example, in regard to issues of the spiritual feminine, Bock, presumably in order not to anger his evangelical audience (and CBA booksellers who are touchy about such things) misses the chance to drill Browns deliberate ignoring of the place of the Virgin Mary in Christian history, devotion and spirituality.

Dr. Bocks book engages the early history of the church brought up in Dan Browns The Da Vinci Code in a clear and logical manner. It allows the reader to analyze the fundamental claims that Browns book makes about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and early Christianity from a scholarly and historical perspective. Dr. Bock lays the facts before the reader and guides them through the debates surrounding these subjects as the arly church was being formed. He has been able to break down the political and religious arguments in a way that the reader can easily follow. The facts contained in the pages of this criticism are not restricted to the The Bible and accepted Christian dogma, but also include a detailed investigation of the Secret Gospels and other extrabiblical material. This analysis is not the argument of only conservative biblical scholars, but also extends into the realm of liberal historical Jesus followers. It is an analysis that focuses on history and not interpretaton. The bottom line is after Dr. Bock is through with his investigation, the historical basis for The Da Vinci Code is debunked, and the rest of the story, including Da Vinci and his artwork, is a novel construct for an author to tell a good tale and nothing more.