History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine

Average customer rating:

Affable, well-informed and devastating
Needs balance
Debunking Da Vinci
Expert demolition
After all, it is a novel!

Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine
Bart D. Ehrman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 0195181409

Book Description

A staggeringly popular work of fiction, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has stood atop The New York Times Bestseller List for well over a year, with millions of copies in print. But this fast-paced mystery is unusual in that the author states up front that the historical information in the book is all factually accurate. But is this claim true? As historian Bart D. Ehrman shows in this informative and witty book, The Da Vinci Code is filled with numerous historical mistakes. Did the ancient church engage in a cover-up to make the man Jesus into a divine figure? Did Emperor Constantine select for the New Testament--from some 80 contending Gospels--the only four Gospels that stressed that Jesus was divine? Was Jesus Christ married to Mary Magdalene? Did the Church suppress Gospels that told the secret of their marriage? Bart Ehrman thoroughly debunks all of these claims. But the book is not merely a laundry list of Brown's misreading of history. Throughout, Ehrman offers a wealth of fascinating background information--all historically accurate--on early Christianity. He describes, for instance, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (which are not Christian in content, contrary to The Da Vinci Code); outlines in simple terms how scholars of early Christianity determine which sources are most reliable; and explores the many other Gospels that have been found in the last half century. Ehrman separates fact from fiction, the historical realities from the flights of literary fancy. Readers of The Da Vinci Code who would like to know the truth about the beginnings of Christianity and the life of Jesus will find this book riveting.

Customer Reviews:

Affable, well-informed and devastating.......2007-09-10

Almost as amazing as the explosive phenomenon that was "The Da Vinci Code," is the explosion of books attacking its premises and conclusions. Bart Ehrman's book, "Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code" is an able addition to the list.

Ehrman is a historian, a Protestant, with a mainstream viewpoint. His book examines 6 "codes" that appear in TDVC. These touch on the persons of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, the process of defining the canon or list of accepted books, the role of women in the early church and other topics germane to the discussion. Ehrman's examination and conclusions are logical, based on the evidence and (I thought) quite convincing. For instance, he discusses the supposed "fact" that since all rabbis had to be married, then Jesus (often called "Rabbi" by his disciples) must have been married as well. Ehrman demolishes this notion with easily-accessible facts. The apostle Paul himself was unmarried, as evidenced by his own letters. And the 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus speaks glowingly of the Essenes, noting that they do not marry. The term "rabbi" means "teacher," and can be applied to those who have undergone and official process as well as those (like Jesus) for whom the term is used as an honorific. And, unconvincingly to skeptics, the Gospels do not mention a married Jesus. Having made the case, Ehrman states that he has broken the code (that a married Jesus was probable) and moves on.

By far, Ehrman spends the most time with the so-called gnostic gospels, upon which the hopes of so many who attack the Church are based. These works of the early centuries of the current era were known mostly through the attacks upon them made by early Church Fathers like Irenaeus. Since the 1940s, with the discover of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi library, historians have had a field day studying the primary texts of the first, second and third centuries. Ehrman examines the texts themselves as well as the cosmology and theology they espouse. This section is long, confusing and hard to follow, not least because the texts themselves are contradictory and plain weird. Ehrman pays special attention to details that moderns have given special importance. There is, for instance the section in the Gospel of Phillip in which Jesus is said to have kissed Mary Magdalene often on the mouth. Ehrman shows how this text is a reconstruction, with key words missing, and that it is embedded in sections that have purely spiritual and symbolic significance. Those who see it as an example of a flesh-and-blood relationship often neglect these key aspects of the work. Not to mention that the text post-dates the canonical gospels by many decades.

"Truth and Fiction" is a careful and dispassionate critique of the fuzzy thinking of TDVC partisans. It is also an good-natured attack on best-selling authors like Elaine Pagels ("The Gnostic Gospels") who have gained prominence by championing the vision of the gnostics. But the book's ultimate attack is on the "code behind the codes" -- the attempt to make the doctrine of the gnostics equivalent to the orthodox view taught in the gospels. Ehrman's great contribution is in making clear that two gospels -- one that preaches a suffering, crucified and risen Lord, and another that preaches a Lord who did not suffer and die -- can not merely be considered alternatives of one another. They preach different realities and have different consequences for believers. One is a gospel for all, the other a gospel for the elite. One opposes the world, the other revels in it. One was passed down by those close the Jesus, the other was invented decades or centuries after his life.

Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" was more than a work of fiction. It was an attack on the truth and on the hard-won and hard-kept beliefs of Christians over the last 2000 years. Ehrman's book is an educated, entertaining and accessible rebuttal that is well worth the read.

Needs balance.......2007-02-04

This is a good book with a lot of historical information and quotes, but it is the usual kind of scholarly approach that one finds to Christianity (like few other subjects): An investigation for which the author already knows the answer. I would rather see something a bit more open-minded than the sort of "writing the facts to fit the opinion" that usually comes to religion. For instance the entire concept of Jesus's "Kingdom of God" has only one possible meaning to the author; suffice it to say this is not so for a great many scholars, theologists and spiritualists. Rather disappointing for something that came through the Oxford University Press.

Debunking Da Vinci.......2007-01-08

It can't really be said that a scholar of Dr. Ehrman's magnitude was needed to demolish the historical claims of Dan Brown's piece-of-garbage novel. Any 12 year old Sunday school student could have blown down half the arguments of the Da Vinci Code while any intelligent person with a history book could have knocked over the other half. The value that Ehrman provides is that he delves deeper into Brown's claims and, rather than merely pointing out Brown's whoppers, gives us a very detailed education on Early Christianity, Biblical exegesis, the Gnostics, Mary Magdalene, Constantine, and all the other issues touching on the Da Vinci Code. It is a real pleasure for anyone interested in the Early Church and historical truth. However, Christians should be warned- although the vast majority of the book is unobjectionable, the born-again apostate Ehrman does indulge his agnosticism and judges the relative historical truth of the Gospels. If you can disregard that, the rest of the book contains some very valuable information.

Expert demolition.......2006-12-14

Bart Ehrman is a well-known historian of Christianity and chairman of the Religious Studies Department at UNC-Chapel Hill. This short book (it can be read in one long sitting) debunks Brown's plot and purported evidence from top to bottom. Better yet, it contains a lot of interesting material about early Christianity, the development of the NT scriptural canon, historical Jesus, what Constantine was and wasn't trying to do at Nicea, etc. I've read some of Ehrman's other books, which is why this one caught my eye. This one was clearly done in a hurry by pulling together parts of those other books, and a it's a bit padded with repetition. But Ehrman knows his stuff, and this is a nice, boiled down rapid-fire overview of that whole area of scholarship, how it proceeds (in a word, skeptically), and what kinds of conclusions it tends toward. Well worth the investment of time, even beyond the specifics about 'Da Vinci Code.'

The bottom line on Brown's book is that it's a page turner, but largely a mess in terms of historical accuracy, and a book that unfortunately promotes some really fundamental distortions and errors. Probably the two foundational inaccuracies are (1) Constantine did not decide the NT canon, and (2) the books that were left out of the NT were not books that over-emphasized Jesus' humanity, quite the contrary. There is much more wrong with 'Code,' (for example, it badly misrepresents both the Dead Sea Scrolls and the content of the books found at Nag Hammadi), but those two falsehoods pretty much destroy all its plot premises. 'Da Vinci Code' is an entertaining book that should not be taken seriously.

After all, it is a novel!.......2006-11-03

While I appreciate Bart's scholarship and have devoured other books he has written, I was disappointed in the tone of this book. As much as I champion feminine spirituality, the novel in question is, after all, a novel, for goodness sake! Enough already!

The Magdalene Legacy: The Jesus and Mary Bloodline Conspiracy : Revelations Beyond The Da Vince Code

Average customer rating:

Then - what - is the legacy of Jesus?...
The Magdalene Legacy
Good writing but too many errors
Deep Reasoning....
It's A Matter of Perspective

The Magdalene Legacy: The Jesus and Mary Bloodline Conspiracy : Revelations Beyond The Da Vince Code
Laurence Gardner
Manufacturer: Weiser Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578634032

Book Description

From the best-selling author of The Bloodline of the Holy Grail and Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark comes an explosive historical detective story presenting secret archives on the mysterious life of Mary Magdalene, the hidden lineage of Jesus and Mary, and the real two-thousand-year-old conspiracy involving the entire history of Christianity.

Mary Magdalene is described in the New Testament as Jesus' close companion--a woman he loved and his financial sponsor. And yet, in contrast, the Church teaches that she was a prostitute who became repentant. Why the discrepancy between scripture and dogma?

Why does Mary appeal so romantically to artists who have painted her throughout the centuries as something much more significant than the Church traditionally portrays?

What is the secret of Mary Magdalene and how much do we really know about her relationship with Jesus? Were they married? Did they have children, and if so, who makes up the messianic lineage?

Laurence Gardner takes us on a detective trail to piece together the true controversial significance of the Magdalene story and its astonishing implications. These include the real da Vinci connection--the true meaning behind Leonardo da Vinci's paintings and why the Renaissance Church censored portrayals of the Magdalene--and information on the sacred marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Plus the truth about the enigmatic Templar society called the Priory of Scion and the underground stream that protected the sacred heritage of the messianic descendents. And much more!

* From the best-selling author of Bloodline of the Holy Grail.

* Dan Brown's smash hit The DaVinci Code has sparked a huge interest in Mary Magdalene, and Lawrence Gardner reveals the truth behind the Mary Magdalene mystery.

* Includes 50 color illustrations

Customer Reviews:

Then - what - is the legacy of Jesus?..........2007-08-19

I found this a very eye-opening book, one that I had really waited all my life to read. Basically I agree with most of the other reviewers: Dr. Gardner is a shrewd detective but leaves a number of questions unresolved (which is understandable and - in my opinion - also the most honest thing to do...) however, the paramount question arising after reading The Magdalene Legacy is the very one I auspicate someone should soon bend upon and write an equally enthralling book about.

If Jesus was the heir in a lineage of orthodox priests, and far from being a mystic figure with supernatural powers he was instead a religious/monarchic heir, designated to unite Israel against the roman invader, if he was a prince of great riches* etc. etc.

then WHAT have we been believing in all our lives? What is the heritage of Christ?

Then give me Che Guevara, Gandhi, Garibaldi, even Napoleon: for the same money we know more about them and their teachings.

I urge anyone, but in particular catholics, to read this authoritative book. And to consider how Christianity is really not at all what we thought it was (but we had hints...)

*one of the aspects that I really miss in Gardner's analysis is the financial power of Jesus family. After all, according to Gardner's findings, they should have been surrounded by servants, maids and perhaps even slaves, as well as by accountants, superintendents and other administrators. In order to set up a reign in exile Maria Magdalena and her following should have brought along a conspicuous, stately fortune with which to thrive for years...
And the Templars?...
How many royals have rusted away unseen and forgotten for lack of money? This is obvious, if we consider that lineage, power and money are the elements not of any form of mysticism or spiritual research but of worldly power.

The Magdalene Legacy.......2007-07-03

A real eye opener. Its refreshing to read another point of view, which for all we know could be speculation, but it rings more factual than the other religious books available. I called refreshing because for centuries organized religion has been sowing the seed of deceit, and hiding the truth from people. Once again it proves that religion is no more than a private club thatgets away with all sorts of discrimination, sexual abuses, and murder.

Good writing but too many errors.......2007-04-12

Laurence Gardner is an excellent writer, and who doesn't like a good story, especially a conspiracy. The problem is that his latest book, The Magdalene Legacy isn't meant to be a novel, but an historical text. As such, it falls way short of even the most minimal standards. There are two main problems with Gardner's text: the plethora of errors and the theories that he presents as facts. Here's some examples:

* "In the NT Gospels, various female companions of Jesus are cited on seven occasions (p. 1)". Not true. The lists occur at Mark 15:40, 15:47, and 16:1, Matthew 27:55, 27:59, and 28:1, Luke 8:1 and 24:10, and John 19:25. That's 9 lists, not 7.

* "Magdala was a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee (p. 9)." By all accounts, there never was a city called Magdala. The city Gardner refers to had many names, including Magadan, Dalmanutha, Taricheae, and Migdal Nunaiya, but never Magdala.

* "She [Mary] anointed him with spikenard oil on two separate occasions (p. 16)." In fact there is only one anointing, described differently in all four gospels, but nonetheless only one.

* "They [the Hebrews] also objected strongly to the fact that Jesus wanted to share access to the Jewish God with Gentiles (p. 29)." Of course we can't be sure where Gardner gets this information, but his comment flies in the face of Matthew 10:5 ("Go not in the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not"), Galatians 4:4 ("God sent forth his son...to redeem those who were under the law"), Matthew 15:24 ("...I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel"), etc.

* Talking about the Talpoit ossuaries, Gardner claims that "the ossuaries were individually inscribed...Mary...Joseph...and Mary (p. 33)." In fact these ossuaries were inscribed Marya, Yose, and MariamnekaiMara, and there is considerable opinion that none of the females refer to family members of Jesus, since they are not written in Aramaic, but instead in Latin and Greek.

* "Herod was an Idumaean Arab (p. 56)." Herod was a Jew from Idumea, not an Arab.

* "...the Essenes evolved from their Hasidic base to become a monastic, Egyptian-style healing community known as the Therapeutate (p. 57)." The Therapeuts were a completely separate sect, as Philo and Josephus both indicate. It's true that they had many similarities with the Essenes, but they were different.

Beyond these obvious errors, Gardner seeks to rewrite history to his own curriculum. For example:

* "...Nero, who had executed Peter and Paul (p. 22)." Of course it's possible, but it surely isn't history. We have no idea how Peter and Paul died, and while it is commonly believed that Peter perished in Rome, Paul is said to have died in Spain. Apparently Gardner has access to facts no one else has.

* "...in Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus refers to Jesus again...(p. 31)." Virtually every Josephus scholar agrees this is a later addition by Christians and not original to Josephus.

* "The Nazarenes were a sub-sect of the Essenes (p. 53)." That's certainly possible, but many scholars consider these two groups are separate groups.

* "...when the priestly caste of Hasmonaean Maccabees (Mary Magdalene's ancestors)...(p. 56)." No one knows who Mary Magdalene's ancestors were. This is Gardner's theory, but he presents it as fact, with no documentation.

* "The Essene community was referred to as Nazrie ha Brit and it was from this name that the term Nazarene derived (p. 53)." That's also possible, but there are a half dozen other theories about the origins of the term.

You get the idea. All these errors and the re-writing of history should not suggest that Gardner's book is completely worthless. There's lots of interesting information about ancestral lineage and artwork, and occasionally he gets it right about Mary Magdalene.

The book has excellent illustrations, many of them in full color. It has a long list of footnotes and a good reference list. In addition there is an appendix with lots of good material, although mostly about Jesus. And, of course, there is a genealogical chart.

Beginning students should steer clear of this book. It's too difficult for them to distinguish between the errors and the facts. But anyone with a good knowledge of the life and times of Mary Magdalene will be able to sort through the nonsense to get to some of the useful contributions that Gardner offers.

Deep Reasoning...........2006-05-30

What makes this a top notch exploration of Mary Magdalene's role in the ministry of Jesus and her life and its impact is how well the author has researched the material.

The sheer linquistic analysis alone is worth the read, as well as the logic applied to discussing complex sequences of events involving cultures and traditions totally foreign to us who live today.

I have to admit, I was stunned in several places but totally convinced, and not because the book told me to believe something but because it laid out the facts and let me reason it out for myself.

The only thing which saddens me is the unwritten but probable end of the line of David when the Merovingians finally ceased to exist. Which is not to say a bloodline didn't go foward, but the line of King David can only go through the father to the son, and that failed at the end of the Merovingian dynasty.

This book is worth its weight in monatomic gold.

It's A Matter of Perspective .......2006-04-13

Having read all of Gardener's books, and having heard him speak a number of times, I admire him for his ability to put together a book such as this in such a short time. Gardener was originally hired by the Council (perhaps that is not quite the term) of Princes in Europe to trace their genealogy. Since he was paid to do this, I am suspect as to the validity of this research and especially since they opened their archives to him. However, Gardener writes well and presents a believable story. For those wanting to know more about Mary Magdalene, I suggest reading Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.

Average customer rating:

Writings from a Master
Review on the reviews
A Reader from Irvine
Approaching the Threshold of Credulity
Brilliant.

The Jesus Code
John Randolph Price
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 156170671X

Book Description

After awakening from a vivid dream, John Randolph Price, followed the specific instruction: See Jesus for the Code. From this mystical experience came specific steps to higher consciousness--a ladder to climb to a new dimension where the illusions of sickness, scarcity, and discord are shattered; and a world of wholeness, abundance, and right relations is revealed.

Customer Reviews:

Writings from a Master.......2007-05-13

So many great writers of metaphysical principles were around in the early part of the last century, and John Randolph Price is one of them. This is a book to read and re-read and is an excellent guide to higher awareness, no matter how new you are to the path, and no matter how old you are to the path. Wisdom is wisdom, and if you are like me and are a lover of Truth, you will find nothing but in this volume. Highly, highly recommended.

Review on the reviews.......2006-05-13

I have read all the comments here and the ones that strike me are the ones that are made by folks who are obviously tending toward a fundementalist Christian outlook. I do not begrudge anyone their belief system. However, I am of the belief that some of the way the 'Bible' is taken by current Christian belief is from a fearful point of view, a definite 'ego' based view. I think that if humanity as a whole were to adopt the belief system of this book we're all commenting on, modern religion as we know it would collapse. It would cause a world wide catastrophe of sorts. It would effect everything from economy and beyond. It's sad that for the most part, the world just isn't ready for this. But with books like this being written and read by more and more people, it's a definite start in the right direction. I applaude Mr. Price wholeheartedly.

A Reader from Irvine.......2005-06-07

I was looking for some christian books that will help me understand the bible better and found this one from the library. Just a glance of this book got me on the alert side. Although the title of the book bears the name of Jesus, it is largely based on the author's personal meditations than the bible. The author refers very little to the bible. And, the chapter "Rise Above Karma" annoys me as it relates "Karma" to the bible teachings. Is not "Karma" a term for Hinduism and Buddhism? What is dangerous about this book is that it mentions the names of God and Jesus so often that without discernment it is easy to mistake this book as one of the christian books. The bible tells us to beware of teachings like this.

Approaching the Threshold of Credulity.......2004-04-01

Is John Randolph Price serious? He awoke from a dream wherein he was commanded by a man dead for at least 2,000 years to seek the "Code"? In this short novel, Mr. Price seems to have himself confused with Indiana Jones, with the caveat that Indiana Jones is not a real person, whereas Mr. Price is.

I can see that for many people this book has served as a spiritual guide, an external treatise to validate the feelings of the devoutly Christian, however I failed to unearth any data of a credible nature. If you intend to pick this book up, please consider it fiction; read it like The Holy Bible.

Brilliant........2004-01-21

I read this book in 2001, and i must say of all the books i have read from various spirituality writers - this is the one that has had the most profound effect on my beliefs and feelings. Its 100% positive outlook on life, the world and the universe make it a treasure to own.
It definitely is one of those books where you find yourself highlighting various passages to come back to later in in life.
Brilliance.

Average customer rating:

wake me up when it's over
Not a bad read
cipher (0) is the operative word.
anyone for a conspiracy?
Potential not met.

The Magdalene Cipher
Jim Hougan
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0060846267
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

From the shadows of history -- out of the ancient prophecies and sacred texts -- comes a conspiracy so vast, so deep, so earth-shattering that the CIA itself is merely a cover for it.

The ritualistic slaughter of a college professor right under the nose of CIA agent Jack Dunphy has damned the disgraced operative to a living hell of paper-pushing obscurity. But Dunphy's not ready to surrender his career until he uncovers the truth behind his demotion -- embarking on a covert investigation that's leading him into a world he never dreamed existed. And following a twisted trail of lies, Jack's about to become ensnared in a monstrous international web spun by a secret society as old as civilization.

Escape is impossible -- because the players are too powerful, the consequences are too deadly . . . and what's at stake is no less than the destiny of the human race.

Customer Reviews:

wake me up when it's over.......2007-06-10

The best authors write about what they know - this gentleman wouldn't know the CIA from the ATF. Neither does he know the Washington Metropolitan Area very well. I thought Tom Clancy could be long-winded sometimes, but this guy takes forever to get to the point. Very disappointing book - slow, boring, not worth the time.

Not a bad read.......2007-05-12

Hougan changed his title to attract Dan Brown readers, but he probably should have changed his writing style. This book is a mildly interesting read, but not completely bad as I did purchase another of his books written under his pen name. This book has its place in theological fiction, just not at the top of the list.

cipher (0) is the operative word........2007-02-09

Tried to get into this 3 separate times, but it was just too painful. Sophomoric writing style, too cool protagonist. My patience gave out when I read the sentence "He was manly as hell." Perhaps Cipher would serve as a mindless beach read, but not for me. (Some readers think this is a DaVinci Code clone but it predates Dan Brown's best seller.)

anyone for a conspiracy?.......2007-01-04

If you like conspiracies, this is the book for you. The author has used almost all of the biggest conspiracies of the 20th century to write this book (UFO's and crop circles are only two of them). But, as always, the mystery of Maria Magdalene is the main theme here.

A lot of people might think that the author has tried to make easy money by writing another Mary Magdalene book, but 'The Magdalene cipher' was actually published before 'The Da Vinci code'.

But this book isn't 'The Da Vinci code'. Although it is a fast read and funny at times, I was disappointed. The cardbord characters didn't help, but the worst of all was the 'big finale'. One of the most bizarre endings ever.

A page turner with interesting ideas, but a horrible finale.

Potential not met........2006-12-17

Having read the Da Vinci Code, I was expecting something a little more original. However, so much was so similar to the whole Jesus and Mary + Catholic cover-up + Merovingian dynasty + last survivor conspiracy that I was very disappointed indeed.

Although several of his mates are killed or incapacitated, Jack Dunphy and his altogether too beautiful girlfriend Clementine - Veroushka waltz through a succession of beautiful places, stay in gorgeous hotels, employ a variety of unusual methods of transport (plane, truck, yacht * 2, car etc), drink nothing but the best alcohol (always named, as though to impress us with the author's knowledge) and avoid the baddies. Even after Dunphy has been nailed, stapled and kicked, had his nose and ribs broken and his kidneys seriously injured, and been teetering on unconsciousness, he somehow manages to extract himself from going into blood loss induced shock and then kills off all three baddies by himself. After he is conveniently rescued by the goodies, he requires nothing more than a week's rest, with good alcohol of course.

And what really bothered me was that Dunphy had all the tools necessary to solve the problem. As well as conveniently having access to all the money he would need for cars, guns, fake IDs, clothes (all Armani etc of course), hotels, good food and wine, he also has the incredible good fortune that whenever he starts asking Important People questions, they all tell him everything he needs to know. This happens not once (the retired 143rd Wing soldier was the first) but also with the dude who happily took them into his house and told them all about the Magdalene Society, the old museum keeper and then Gomelez himself. The whole Gomelez scene had me thinking 'What?' This dude is allowed to leave? Where are the guards? The 24 hour monitored cameras?

Although DVC's characters were cardboard, the plot was thoroughly engaging and the tension levels never let up. In Hougan's book, on the other hand, Hougan completely fails to keep the tension levels high. The CIA start out as a threat, then fades away, although the scene in the Swiss data registry was OK. Jock and the Alsatian merely follow Dunphy around for quite a while without any apparent threat. None of the Magdalene Society members seem to cause Dunphy any trouble. And Hougan tries ineffectually to raise the tension levels by having Dunphy and Clementine spend a fair bit of time reminding the readers that they (D and C) are under threat, although some of these discussions occur while Clementine is in a deep and (no doubt scented) bath, or enjoying fine dining somewhere in Switzerland. Threat? Ha!

It would be good to see some decent stakes in the story. So what if Dunphy and Clementine fail to uncover the secret of the Magdalene Society? Gomelez dies alone in his Swiss hideaway. That's it. Nothing else happens. The world goes on unawares. Nothing changes substantively. The Magdallene Society loses its reason for being.

And there is no deadline in the story. No danger to the world as we know it. No secret society is about to overthrow the EU and install a theocratic puppet. The whole idea of the Magdalene Society is of academic interest, nothing more. Hougan had a fair bit of potential to really amp up the tension levels here, but instead he spends a lot of time discussing Jungian theory and Roswell conspiracy. Some deadline, Mr Hougan please. Some real tangible threat.

Lastly, the ending seemed as though Hougan reached page 400, reminded himself that the story was meant to be about a secret society and cast about for an ending. So, on the last page, Dunphy conveniently decides to head out into a storm at sea, thus causing Clementine to fall overboard, thus causing a dying Gomelez to resuscitate her with his magical breath, thus imbuing Clementine (with mere air) with all the power, DNA and genetic memory of the entire Merovingian dynasty. At which point the story conveniently ends. Hmmmmms. I stared at the last page for a while in complete disbelief.

This book had a lot of interesting ideas with a huge amount of potential that went absolutely nowhere. It was a big shiny bubble that promised a lot but deflated very quickly. It threw up a whole lot of ideas, symbols, conspiracy ideas and hoped some of them would stick together. At times well written and well researched, but nothing more.

Very poor.

The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code

Average customer rating:

True research
The Final Word on the Da Vinci Code
Debunking or jumping on the bandwagon?
Superb!
Accurate but Dry... Very dry

The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code
Carl E. Olson , and Sandra Miesel
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 1586170341

Book Description

The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's best selling novel, purports to be more than fiction: it claims to be based on fact and scholarly research. Brown wants his readers to believe that he is revealing the long-concealed truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and early Christianity, a truth that he says has been suppressed by the malevolent and conspiratorial forces of the Catholic Church. The novel alleges that there has been throughout history a secret group of true followers of a Gnostic Jesus and his wife, Mary Magdalene, the true "Holy Grail". Almost everything most Christians and non-Christians think they know about Jesus, according to Dan Brown, is completely wrong, the result of Catholic propaganda designed to hide the truth from the world.

But are The Da Vinci Code's claims fact or just plain fiction? Is the novel well-researched as claimed? What is the truth about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the early Church? Has the Catholic Church distorted the real Jesus? Why is the novel so popular? What about the anti-Catholic, anti-Christian agenda behind the novel?

Best selling author Carl Olson and journalist Sandra Miesel answer these and other important questions. Their painstaking research into The Da Vinci Code and its sources reveals some surprising truths. No one who has read or heard about The Da Vinci Code should miss this provocative and illuminating new book.

Customer Reviews:

True research.......2007-04-23

This book is a prime example of properly done research. Every fact substantiated, every statement followed up by a reference, and every aspect of "DaVinci Code" examined in minute detail. This is what true research should look like. To all the conspiracy buffs out there this work should be a mandatory reading. Highly recommended even despite the fact that the chapters on Priory of Sion and the Templars are somewhat dragging.

The Final Word on the Da Vinci Code.......2006-07-17

The tremendous exposure given to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code (no doubt to reach a frenzied pitch with the soon release of the film based on Brown's novel), its claim to present a truer accout of Christian history than that given by the Church, and the confusion it has caused among many Christians has necessitated a Christian response. Indeed there has been many such responses but the sheer volume of falsehoods passed off as known facts in Brown's writing makes even the cataloguing of the mistakes a herculean task. Thus the books written in response tend either to be point-by-point lists of Brown's claims with refutations (these are useful as supplementary material but tend to be disjointed and as exciting to read as stereo instructions) or more methodical works that limit their scope and seek to cut off Brown at the foundational level.

A notable exception to this is The Da Vinci Hoax by Catholic authors Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel. In an exhaustive survey of Brown's "research", they do a masterful job of examining every facet of The Da Vinci Code's often self-contradictory claims and exposes each historical inaccuracy, unwarranted assumption, and logical fallacy to the light and leaves Brown's much discussed theories in tatters. It is quite clear that the errors in the book are so egregious and the evidence to the contrary so overwhelming that one strains to see how any reasonably intelligent person could come up with such nonsense. The clear implication is that the book is not so much the result of an honest historical investigation presented in novel form as a blatant attack upon the credibility of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. Indeed, the after effects of the controversy as measured in doubts engendered in many Christians may be with us long after Brown's work has been relegated to the trash heap occupied by other sensationalistic pop conspiracy theories.

Olson and Miesel leave virtually no stone unturned in their thorough exposure of Brown's thesis. After an initial introduction outlining the scope of the phenomnon and the importance of the Church to vigorously defend the faith against it, they, in successive chapters, investigate the facts concerning gnosticism, Mary Magdalene, early Christians beliefs concerning Jesus, and the facts concerning Constantine and the events surrounding the Council of Nicea. Once the facts on these matters is given, there is little room for belief in any of the crackpot conspiracy theories Brown tries to peddle off as representative of contemporary scholarly research.

Where does Dan Brown stand once it is known that the gnostic writings he cites were written centuries after the New Testament books? Where is the conspiracy against Mary Magdalene when she was held in high esteem by those whom Brown contends slandered her? What is the role of Constantine once it is established that all sides at Nicea believed Christ was somehow divine but the argument was over the nature of His divinity? How is it that the silencing of the "sacred feminine" took place during and after Nicea when the popularity of gnosticism had collapsed long before of its own inherent weaknesses? By the end of the fourth chapter the edifice which Brown constructed has been shown to have been built upon sand and the authors have unleashed a mammoth earthquake to leave it in ruins.

Just to leave no doubt in the matter, Olson and Meisel then turn to the whole medieval fantasy of the Knights Templar and the Priory of Sion. At this point, Brown's foundation has already have crumbled and now the authors begin to crush the debris. The coup de grace is when Brown's alleged evidence for the Priory of Sion contention is shown to be an admitted hoax concocted by a French con artist named Pierre Plantard. This is not controversial news - it was exposed in a BBC documentary years ago and was widely known among those who had investigated the matter. That Brown would not have come across this information if he had done any level of serious research is simply unthinkable and underscores the disingenious elements behind the entire project. The authors then close by examining the remaining claims that do not fit into any of the previously discussed categories.

The overall effect is a total destruction of any credibility in Dan Brown's work. Given the great amount of unjustified attention given to The Da Vinci Code and the importance of the matter for the Church, a comprehensive refutation was a necessity. Olsen and Miesel have done the entire Church a great service and may have written the final word on the matter. Certainly this is essential reading for all concerned with the frenzy surrounding this latest cultural phenomenon.

Debunking or jumping on the bandwagon?.......2006-07-10

One of the reviewers here asked the question whether Dan Brown actually believed all the nonsense he put into "The Da Vinci Code?" and concludes "If he did, he was a fool. If he didn't, he was a charlatan." I think the matter is more insidious than that. Mr. Brown did write his book - pretty slipshod, if you ask me - with a tram ticket to the bank in his pocket. His line of defence will always be: "It's fiction people, just fiction! Poetic license, so don't get yourself worked up!" Nothing wrong with the fiction part, of course, but getting worked up is what keeps the cash-register ringing.

This man didn't just tell a story, in which case it would be only a matter of telling whether it is a good or a bad story. (The story is lousy; some two hundred years ago a critic stated, that there is in all the gospels not even enough space to squeeze in a knife to find something in it that could yield a good visual for a story. Whatever is good in Mr. Brown's book, he had to make it up himself.) No, what we have here is a cold-blooded speculation on the wallets of a certain type of reader. The type of reader who discusses a piece of fiction as a statement of fact. I am not saying this is the reader's fault. What I am saying is, the reader who fits the profile is the credulous New Ager's type and the believer disappointed by his faith.

The operative word is "profile." Dan Brown, or his agent, or the publisher, had a clear understanding what kind of reader was about to lap up his book. And they obviously got it right.

Superb!.......2006-06-29

The authors have done a superb job of revealing the lies, fantasies, and willful misrepresentations contained in that awful piece of junk, "The Da Vinci Code."

The errors are not minor details. For example, the very idea that that Constantine convened the Council of Nicea to declare Jesus divine is just nonsense. In fact, one of the main reasons for convening the council was to settle a debate concerning the nature of Christ's divinity: was he the SAME AS God (homoousian) or SIMILAR TO God (homoiousian)? Christ's divinity was never in question.

By the way, I am not entering this discussion as a Catholic, or even a Christian. I do not think you need to be a Christian to abhor the lie. And "The Da Vinci Code" is just teeming with lies.

What else could be wrong here? Well, the whole idea that the "Catholic Christians" kidnapped Jesus from the "Gnostic Christians" is completely backwards!

Folks, it really seems that there was a man we know as Jesus. After his crucifixion and death, his disciples, family and other adherents formed the original Christian Church. They were all Jews, and eventually forced by circumstances to leave the Jewish faith. But this original church was formed CENTURIES before the Gnostic movements attempted to capitalize on the popularity of the new faith.

Mary Magdalene? A minor character in the Gospels. And, mark you well: despite all of their flaws, the Gospels are the only possible source for the life of Jesus, aside from a few scattered comments in Jewish and Roman sources. Why should Mary Magdalene be raised to the most important person in Christian history?

More to the point, who ever dreamed that Jesus MARRIED Mary Magdalene and fathered a child by her?

Most of the nonsense in "The Da Vinci Code" goes right back to that awful book, "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." The influence is so obvious that the authors of HBHG actually sued Dan Brown for plagiarism. They lost, on the rather odd grounds that "facts" could not be copyrighted -- as if their book contained any facts!

If you want the quick demolition, just read the chapter on the Priory of Sion and Pierre Plantard.

The question that arises, for me, is the following one: did Dan Brown actually believe all the nonsense he put into "The Da Vinci Code?" If he did, he was a fool. If he didn't, he was a charlatan.

Fool or charlatan, there is no "third option."

Believe it or not, one elderly women actually screamed that "The Da Vinci Code" could not have been printed if it was not true! She obviously didn't place a Bible on the table and scream the same thing, I wonder why.

Human stupidity and cupidity are endless.

This book gets my highest recommendation!

Accurate but Dry... Very dry.......2006-06-23

The Da Vinci Hoax is a good book but it is exceedingly DRY, as most scholarly works are. And therein is the rub. Books filled with truth, lots of good factual research, a lot of footnotes and references are normally dry and not easy reading. The beauty of the Da Vinci Code is the book is easy and fun to read. What better way to put forth a hoax?

So the hoaxer, Mr. Brown who wrote the Da Vinci Code, will win the war even though his tomb is filled with easily discredited "facts". So the Da Vinci Hoax proves that scholarly writing will lose out to mass market writing. The intellectuals will know that Mr. Olsen is correct and Mr. Brown is not, but the mass public will still think Mr. Brown's book is full of facts and the damage will be done. This is often the case in today's world. Fact is overcome by fiction because fiction just sells better. This leads to poor political decisions and even worse, but that is the world of today. Truth is turned upside down by the mass media and facts are no longer facts (or even important as facts).

I liked the Da Vinci Hoax. It thoroughly disassembled the Da Vinci Code and "proved", if that can be said of attacking a fiction work, that Mr. Brown's book is so full of errors it is laughable. As Mr. Olsen says, it fails the "desk encyclopedia test "meaning it makes claims that a decent desk encyclopedia will expose as erroneous.

The only problem is the Da Vinci Hoax reads like a textbook, and most people don't like reading textbooks. I like reading historical material, even in textbooks, but at times I found myself plowing through Mr. Olsen's writings and trying to fall asleep. It is tough going in spots, but dedicated historians or art critic types or intellectuals will make it through and read all the footnotes. But that isn't the normal person. The normal person will not read this book, or not read very far. This same person will read the Da Vinci Code and love every moment of it because it is a mystery story with a lot of intrigue and at least some action.

The authors of the Da Vinci Hoax are concerned about the damage the Da Vinci Code will do to Christianity in general and Catholic Christianity in particular; however, this kind of scholarly book will not reach the readers of the Da Vinci Code. What is needed is a book where the heroes are involved in some kind of action that tells the truth about history and the Catholic Church in an exciting way. Scholars already knew, or could easily find out, the truth behind the Da Vinci Code. Most scholars would have dismissed the book and movie as junk anyway. So a book needs to be written to attack the "facts" in the Da Vinci Code that is fun to read, filled with adventure etc. Otherwise the hoaxer will win and western societies lose.

The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel

Average customer rating:

Some good points, but some complaints too
A Quick Response to the Da Vinci Code
Essential Fallacies of the Da Vinci Code
Another good retort - but needed?
Scholarly comeback to the Da Vinci book

The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Challenging Response to the Bestselling Novel
Richard Abanes
Manufacturer: Harvest House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 0736914390

Book Description

Nationally recognized researcher Richard Abanes, author of Harry Potter and the Bible, looks at three of the most fascinating people in history: Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Based on his extensive research, Abanes explores the answers to many of the questions that Dan Brown’s fictional thriller, The Da Vinci Code, raises:

Are Da Vinci’s paintings really full of clues about an alternative religion?
Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene married?
Has the church suppressed the truth about the “Lost Gospels”?
What is the real nature of the Holy Grail?

Join Richard Abanes as he “de–codes” one of the most controversial novels of our time and goes behind the scenes to separate fact from fiction.

Customer Reviews:

Some good points, but some complaints too.......2006-07-27

This book is a bit of mixed bag. I have listed what I liked/disliked about this book below.

What I liked:
1. This book is concise and to the point
2. It offers a fairly thorough critique of the Da Vinci Code
3. The author's arguments are generally pretty sound. This book does a good job refuting the DVC's arguments.
4. In many ways, this is a good book to hand to a friend who asks "what's wrong with the Da Vinci Code?" It's also a good book to equip yourself to defend the Bible against the false claims in the DVC.

If you were confused by the Da Vinci Code this is worth reading.

What I didn't like:
1. It didn't seem to shed much new light on the issue; I had already heard most of the stuff I had read in it. In all fairness, it is hard to be TOO original on the subject (given how many critiques of the book there are out there), but it seems like if you're going to publish a book you should at least have something to say that hasn't already been said a million times.
2. The writing and format of the book could have used quite a bit of help at times. The format was unimaginative and never varied from the format of a quote/claim from the Da Vinci Code in a gray box followed by a refutation of the claim. The book often read like a "laundry-list" of problems with the Da Vinci Code, which gives the book a "cranked-out" feel, like the author and publisher put little thought into it. The writing isn't always that much better to be honest. It provides a lot of information, but it could have been delivered better. Quite frankly, this book sometimes looks and reads like the author Googled the Da Vinci Code and he and the publishers threw this together in a hurry using Word and a desktop printer.
3. The most serious problem I found with it, though, was that it spends nearly all the time refuting the Da Vinci Code's claims in the negative sense but doesn't always present the truth. Showing that your opponent is wrong is not the same as showing that your position is right. Even if someone is convinced to reject the Da Vinci Code's claims, so what? Unless they are also pointed towards the real Jesus and the real truth contained in the Bible, I don't see how they're much better off than they were before.

In summary, this book is OK at very best, an extremely generous 3 stars. I would recommend "The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction" by Hank Hanegraaff and Paul Meier instead of this book. It is really a much better book. Not only do they refute the main points of the Da Vinci Code, they use this as an opportunity to defend the reliability of the Bible and historic Christianity, all the while pointing people to the real Jesus and challenging people to accept Him. They both refute the DVC in a negative sense and provide the accompanying truth; for example, they refuted the DVC's claims about Jesus' divinity and also defended the fact that Jesus really was who He claimed to be, whereas Albanes' book stops at refuting the DVC. It is also much better written, and the authors put much more thought into their book. Their book has more imagination and creativity, doesn't look like it was slapped together in a week like Albanes' book does, and probably covers more information. Hanegraaff's book is a great evangelistic tool as well; you can give it to your unbelieving friends to help them see that the Bible can indeed be trusted. As I mentioned before, I really wish that Albanes' book had been more clear about presenting the positive truth of the Bible; this would have made it more useful as a witnessing tool I think.

This book is, however, a handy reference tool. The one nice thing about the organization is that, if you can't remember how to refute a specific DVC claim, it makes it easier to find.

A Quick Response to the Da Vinci Code.......2006-07-03

This book was very well written and clearly lays out some of the flaws in The Da Vinci Code from both a historic and Biblical perspective. I highly recommend it for someone who wants a quick but accurate response to the Da Vinci Code.

Essential Fallacies of the Da Vinci Code.......2006-06-24

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.

Another good retort - but needed?.......2006-06-02

You know, this book is actually quite well researched. It's put together very simply and is organized with point/counterpoint responses. It is also well written and mildly entertaining considering the fact that it is meant only as a response to someone else's work (poor as it may be).

My only real problem with this book (and others like it) is that the author seems so offended by Dan Browns secular take on the Christian Faith. To be honest I'm not really sure what all the fuss is about. To say that Jesus was a man in not offensive, to say that a man was married is not offensive, to say that a man had children is not offensive, to say that people have lied and covered up the past is not really all that offensive either. This is just a normal worldly response.

In reality it is we as Christians that believe the offense. We believe in the "offense of the cross". To say that Jesus was God, that blood someone atones for sin, that Christ came and fulfilled prophetic words, that the Bible is inherent, that Christ died on the cross but then rose from the dead - this is the true offense. What is offensive to the world is what we believe.

If you are seeking some good information that will help some poor soul who found him/herself dismayed by a self named "work of fiction" then by all means read this book and use its knowledge well, but do not forget that what we believe is far more offensive (and yet true) than anything man could ever come up with.

Scholarly comeback to the Da Vinci book.......2006-05-08

The Truth Behind the DaVinci Code by Richard Abanes dissects the pieces of Brown's novel that have been causing confusion in the church. The author quotes a passage from the book, then shows the flaws and presents the truth.

This scholarly comeback to the DaVinci book was written by a recognized authority on cults and religions. His responses to Brown's book are documented and recognized fact as opposed to Brown's "facts" which his touts as truth. Although Brown brags on the accuracy of his story, Abanes points out that the book, while cleverly written, is diminished in overall value by the unusually high number of inaccuracies. These Abanes pulls up from the text and refutes authoritatively.

It is a thorough examination of The DaVinci Code and should be read by anyone who finds himself confused by that novel. -- Elece Hollis, Christian Book Previews.com

The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci

Average customer rating:

It boils down to the history
dan brown debunked
Excellent Overview of the Issues
Maybe the best book on this subject I read
Thoughtful Response

The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci
Ben, III Witherington
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Moleskine Pocket Ruled Notebook

ASIN: 083083267X

Book Description

Dan Brown's international bestseller The Da Vinci Code has raised many questions in the minds of readers.

Was Jesus really married to Mary Magdalene?
Did he father a child with her?
Did Constantine suppress the earliest Gospels and invent the doctrine of Christ's divinity?
Do the Gnostic Gospels represent the true Christian faith which the early church sought to supplant?

The Da Vinci Code, in blurring the lines between fact and fiction, popularizes the speculations and contentions of numerous more serious books that are also attracting wide attention. How should we respond to claims that we now have documents that reveal secrets about Jesus, secrets long suppressed by the church and other religious institutions? Do these new documents successfully debunk traditional views about Jesus and early Christianity? Ben Witherington III confronts these claims with the sure-footedness of a New Testament scholar, yet in the plain language that any interested reader can follow. He takes us back to the early centuries after Jesus' death and tells us what we can really know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the canonical Gospels and their Gnostic rivals.

Customer Reviews:

It boils down to the history.......2007-03-16

I am not going to say a lot because in all honesty, I need to finish the book. But there is an important statement here I would like to make. So much boils down to what an individual believes is the history of the church. Ben Witherington the III seems to be of the opinion that the gnostic scriptures do not come until later. This is certainly not my understanding of history. And in order to take this view, this stance, of history one must be somewhat apologetic of the Roman Catholic Church, even if one is a protestant. It is stated in the book something to the effect that Constantine became a Christian and presided in a kindly manner over the council of Nicaea. It is certainly questionable whether Constantine ever was a convert in anything more than name. His only conversion was one of convenience to keep Rome from falling apart. It is my understanding of history, that in presiding over the council, Constantine consistently used the power of the sword whenever his view of what Christianity should be was challenged, and Bishops who opposed his point of view were removed from the council by force, and a revote was taken. Can I prove this? No. Not any more than I think anyone can prove otherwise, but the weight of the actions of the church over a 1000 year reign, I think, proves incontroversably, that the church was not interested in truth, but in control. It is without question, over the next 1000 years of the reign of Rome via the church, that multitudes of individuals who questioned the church in any way were tortured horribly and killed. They were furthermore, tortured and killed even if they recanted and admitted they were in error. I don't think anyone can deny this aspect of history. It is too well documented. So why would the church care about preserving the truth? It is also, without question, that the church over the next thousand years, sought out any documents they considered detrimental to the churches rule, and burned those documents. It has been well established that the church added and deleted text from the supposedly cannonical scriptures. Can anyone therefore, affirm incontrovertibly, that the scriptures that have come down to us are the inerrant words of God regardless? I think this is a very dangerous position to take.

It is also questionable whether the gnostic documents came earlier or later. Throughout history there have been God man saviors who were surrounded by a mythology, so to speak, almost identical to the story of Jesus. Is it still therefore reasonable to believe in a literal and only literal interpretation of the Bible? Why then did Jesus speak in parables? Why was it that even when he interpreted the parables, he claimed that the disciples still did not understand? Even without gnostic texts it becomes apparent that there was a secret doctrine. And when one delves into the secret doctrine, they find they can no longer go back to that literalness, it is no longer of import to them, not because they are ignorant or deceived, but because they now have the "inner light" of gnosis, something Ben Witherington apparently knows nothing about. When one attains a deeper understanding, one realizes unquestionably the futility in believing in a literal god man savior. It, folks, just aint so. But prove it? Each person will have to decide for themselves.

At any rate, if one is of a fundamentalist disposition, one will tend to believe the so called scholars who are also of that persuasion. If not, one is more inclined to believe those scholars that are more critical of the church. There is no proof one way or another that one set of doctrines came earlier than another. To many of us who study these things it appears very strongly that both sets of doctrines were preached at the same time. The more literal set was preached for those who were not ready for the higher mysteries. There is ample evidence in the cannonical gospels themselves that there was a set of doctrine for the masses and another for the elite.

So which version of history do you believe in? It is up to each individual to decide. But I am very unattracted, though I once found refuge in, a literalist church that in one way or another was created and/or strongly influenced by Roman Catholicism. I find it very, very hard to believe in a God whose attitude is that those that don't believe the way he prefers they do should be burned at the stake as heretics. Even as the book of Revelations says, "Mystery Bablyon,(Roman Catholicism) mother of harlots, (protestant churches) and abominations in the earth."

When you wear Rose colored glasses, you tend to see religion, as well as everything else, in a perverted way. Is there a savior outside of ourselves? A deeper understanding of the hidden meanings of the parables and sayings of Jesus, with the alternate and deeper meanings of the Greek and other language words, would indicate there is not. In fact, the gospels begin to sound a lot, and I mean a lot more like a Bhuddist or Taoist text than a god savior manuscript. I will even go further. A deeper understanding shows a text full of meanings that mirror and parallel quantum physics, and the way we can related to the "Divine Matrix," as some would call it.

Nothing more at this time, but I do feel that Ben Witherington, not to critisize, he has written and excellent book, needs to look deeper into the material that he himself presents, unprejudiced by a fundamentalist eye.

dan brown debunked.......2007-01-18

As I write, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code ranks number one on the New York Times best seller list. My wife read it to our kids, liked it, and passed it on to a friend. My pastor preached a sermon on it. My neighbor asked me what I thought about it. Now a cottage industry of books debunking it has emerged. That is what happens when your book is on the best seller list for 72 weeks and counting.

It is a little more than ironic that Brown's book is on the fiction list, because on his first page he gives the impression that much if not most of what he has written is based in fact. In reference to Darrell Bock's similar book (below), John Miller of the Wall Street Journal concluded that Brown's "central contentions are based on evidence so thin that calling them conjecture would be a compliment." As Witherington and others have shown, The Da Vinci Code is a mishmash of historical errors of fact, oddball interpretations of the sources, and philosophical or theological assumptions that are interesting but unorthodox to say the least. Toss in great writing, a conspiracy theory about church power brokers who did us dirt, and a biblically illiterate reading public that is nevertheless deeply attracted to Jesus, and you have a recipe for a blockbuster book.

Witherington focuses on seven "deadly historical errors of the book." (1) The supposedly suppressed Gnostic Gospels are earlier than the four canonical Gospels. (2) Jesus was a normal human being who was only much later made out to be divine. (3) The emperor Constantine suppressed the Gnostic gospels and imposed Christian orthodoxy on the masses. (4) Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. (5) As an early Jew Jesus must have been married. (6) The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi documents are our earliest Christian documents (Witherington: "so false it's what the British would call a howler."). (7) Various philosophical and theological presuppositions. For a shorter version of Witherington's material see his article in Christianity Today (June 2004), "Why the Lost Gospels Lost Out." Other book-length treatments include Darrell Bock, Breaking the Da Vinci Code, James Garlow and Peter Jones, Cracking Da Vinci's Code, and about a dozen similar titles.

Excellent Overview of the Issues.......2006-08-15

Very enjoyable and informative book, with a lot of personality and background. This is a great overview of the issues surrounding the authenticity of the Bible and the challenges leveled by Gnostic thought. My only desire was for more elaboration on the Gnostic writings, and a more complete examination of Cannonization. However, these issues are probably beyond the scope of a quick read.