The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code [Paperback]

I just finished reading "The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code" by Abanes and LOVED it (for reasons I will explain).

But first, and this is hysterical-ABANES INSERTED A CODE INTO THE INTRODUCTION OF HIS BOOK. I couldn't believe it until I noticed certain letters that seemed to make words. And, as I continued to piece together the letters, sure enough, it all created a sentence with a message for readers. I won't spoil it for anyone, but it's there as plain as any code can be. You have GOT to try to figure it out. Way to go Abanes. This shows, at least to me, that Abanes has a sense of humor and is keeping all of this in perspective.

Now, on to the serious critique. Abanes shows in his very concise, fun-to-read, and highly informative book that Dan Brown, for all of the PR on his novel, is not only not a scholar, but actually seems to have deliberately misrepresented key historical documents and historical events. This is shown beyond debate.

One example, is how Abanes pulls two quotes from Brown's novel where a character quotes Leonardo Da Vinci's scathing words supposedly about the Bible (see Da Vinci Code, p. 231). Abanes, however, actually tracked down these citations and shows that in their context they have NOTHING to do with the Bible!!!! There is no way Brown could not have known that Leonardo was not talking about the Bible. It is very clear from the writings.

This is only one example of how the research in this book is phenomenal. I encourage everyone who wants to get into this type of fun stuff to get Abanes' book. I am very, very impressed.

As much as Brown's fans and critics of books like this one from Abanes are screaming about how ridiculous it is that anyone would be troubled about a work of fiction, Abanes smartly documents places where Dan Brown is saying that what he wrote is absolutely true (p. 9). I'd love to see Brown and Abanes in a debate. Now that would be fun.

Despite all the hype surrounding it, the DaVinci Code is really nothing new. For the longest time, enemies of the Christian faith have tried to falsely ascribe its teachings to pre-existing pagan beliefs. Abanes shows the essential differences between pagan and Christian teachings. Decades ago, the feminists had developed an elaborate mythology, not founded on facts, of onetime global goddess worship. This has been repeated by the DaVinci Code, and Abanes exposes the baselessness of this feminist pseudohistory. Likewise, Abanes exposes the long-rejected error of "older" gospels giving an authentic alternative view of early Christianity. Then, besides showing the fact that recognition of the Deity of Jesus Christ long predates Constantine, Abanes also debunks the alleged powers of the Emperor Constantine in enforcing Christian doctrine. Abanes also shows how the persecution of witches has been greatly exaggerated.

In a postmodern culture that often relativizes religious truth, it becomes harder to tell the different between fact and fiction. In the introduction to The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, Richard Abanes notes that, "too many readers of The Da Vinci Code have already responded to the novel by trustingly embracing it as historically accurate." (9) Abanes' response is to compare the historical inaccuracies of the novel with the facts.

Richard Abanes groups his analysis into five main categories, each comprising a chapter of his book. These are roughly historical revisionism, the canon of scripture, the Christian view of women, the history of the Priory of Sion, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Each chapter has a very structured order- an introduction, a series of claims by the novel countered with the facts, and a conclusion.

Some will note that the last two chapters aren't so much a defense of Christianity as they are correctives of general history. There's an explanation in Abanes' conclusion. "This is not even a `Christian' issue. The issue is fact versus fiction. Truth verses lies. Accuracy versus inaccuracy. In other words, The Da Vinci Code would still be just as offensive if its misrepresentation of historical facts were used to attack Buddhism, Islam, or any other world religion instead of Christianity." (77)

The great strength of this book, as with other books by Richard Abanes, is the depth of research. Historical research is a skill that Abanes has refined well, in this case to the point of providing facts that many critics haven't uncovered. He's also very straightforward with his arguments. For instance, in discussing Dan Brown's confusion of male and female symbols with Egyptian ones, Abanes asks, "But why would Magdalene be associated with an Egyptian cow?" (47)

Though the book covers many issues, it fails to offer a helpful response to Gnosticism or understanding of the "sacred feminine." It also does not provide any resources for further study of the issues.

The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Codeshows Richard Abanes' strength as a historical fact-checker. Some will find a few of his points irrelevant to defending the Christian faith, and others will find it lacking in some crucial areas, but on the whole he offers an effective response to Dan Brown's novel.