Invasion of ‘Da Vinci’ book clones challenges church history, teaching

National Catholic Register ^ | January 13, 2006 | Annamarie Adkins

[NYer]

MALAGA, Spain (National Catholic Register) -- Some Catholics may be bracing for a new onslaught of confusion about Christ, his teachings and his church when "The Da Vinci Code" movie opens May 19. But few may be aware of a challenge on another front: a growing genre of books that takes church history and gives it a fictional twist under the auspices of entertainment and enlightenment.

The crop of books set to be released this year -- some reportedly researched and concocted even before Dan Brown’s bestseller hit bookstores -- are written by American, Spanish and British authors; all are being translated into dozens of languages and are set for large first runs with high profile publishers.

Most focus on the supposed deep, dark secrets of the church, such as crusades against rival sects, the lost treasure of the knights templar, and what really happened at the Last Supper. The National Catholic Register interviewed three authors of these religious thrillers to find out whether their books may further malign the church.

Javier Sierra, an author from Malaga, Spain, promises to “reveal the unknown secrets” behind Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” in his novel The Secret Supper.

“Of course, my book is a fictional work, but based upon real documents, bibliographical sources and characters of 15th-century Italy,” Sierra told the National Catholic Register. “My idea is to offer a possible explanation to the anomalies included by Leonardo in his painting. And if I use a novel, and not a historical essay, it is because Leonardo did not explain ‘The Last Supper’ in any of his notes.”

Those “anomalies,” according to Sierra, include the fact that neither Jesus nor his apostles have halos, that Jesus is not consecrating the Eucharist, that there is no meat on the table (there should be a Passover lamb), and that there is no chalice. They correspond with the beliefs of the Cathars, members of a heretical religious sect that lived in southern France and northern Italy in the Middle Ages and were dualists -- believing that a good god of spirit was continually at war with an evil god of matter.

Sierra surmises that Da Vinci incorporated Cathar elements into the painting because “it was a challenge to paint a Cathar scene in the very heart of a Dominican priory and the Milanese headquarters of the Inquisition,” he said.

But Bruce Boucher, the Art Institute of Chicago’s director of European Decorative Arts, Sculpture and Ancient Art, said that Sierra’s claims were highly unlikely.

“I don’t think that the Dominicans -- who were considered models of orthodoxy – would allow Leonardo to introduce schismatic beliefs into ‘The Last Supper,’ commissioned for their refectory. Patrons had their own ideas of what should be in a painting,” Boucher said.

“There was a Florentine tradition of painting scenes of the Last Supper for convents and priories that stressed the sharing of a meal between Christ and his disciples -- it was an imitation of Christ and his disciples when the Dominicans came together for meals.”

The Labyrinth

Author Kate Mosse splits her time between homes in West Sussex, England, and Carcassonne, France, and has set her novel Labyrinth in Languedoc in southwest France during two different time periods: the early 13th century and present day.

The plot revolves around three parchments bound into books, said to contain an ancient secret dating from 2,000 years before the Christian era in ancient Egypt; the books are lost during the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars and rediscovered some 800 years later.

“In Labyrinth, I was not writing about the church or deliberately seeking a religious theme, more that it was the place and the history of the region that inspired what is an adventure thriller,” Mosse said.

“The history of the Catholic crusade against the Cathars is well documented and not under dispute. At the heart of Labyrinth is a respect for faith and what it means, although there is certainly a criticism of intolerance and the inability of any organized religion to allow others to follow their own morality and faith.”

However, medieval historian Thomas Madden, chairman of the history department at St. Louis University, cautions against misconceptions about the history of the church and the Cathars.

“Catharism flourished because the secular lords either ignored the heresy or actively promoted it,” Madden said. “In the 13th century, Pope Innocent III called a crusade against those lords.

“It is simply untrue that this crusade was a ‘genocide’ or that it was even a way to destroy the cult. Instead, it was a means to replace those lords who refused to see to the spiritual health of their people,” he said.

Madden stressed that after the crusade there were still plenty of Cathars.

“The heresy vanished, though, under the subsequent efforts of the Inquisition. The vast majority of Cathars, instructed by the inquisitors, were restored to the Catholic faith.”

The Templar Legacy

The search for the lost templar treasure in a little town in southern France is the plot for Steve Berry’s The Templar Legacy. The author and lawyer from Camden County, Ga., was sure to include a writer’s note at the end of his book to help his readers distinguish between fact and fiction. He wrote that he created the gospel of Simon for his book and used an alternate concept of how Christ may have been resurrected that is found in Resurrection: Myth or Reality? A Bishop’s Search for the Origins of Christianity by John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopalian bishop of Newark, N.J.

Berry went on to say in the note: “The conflicts between the four books of the New Testament relative to the resurrection have challenged scholars for centuries. The fact that only one crucified skeleton has ever been found does raise questions, as do many comments and statements made throughout history.

“One in particular, attributed to Pope Leo X (1513-1521) caught my attention,” he said. “His statement is short, simple, and strange for the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed, it was the spark that generated this novel. ‘It has served us well, this myth of Christ.’”

Father John Paul Echert, scripture scholar and pastor of Holy Trinity and St. Augustine parishes in South St. Paul, Minn., clarified some of Berry’s contentions.

“The statement falsely attributed to Pope Leo X, ‘It has served us well, this myth of Christ,’ was alleged long ago by an apostate English Carmelite, John Bale, in his 16th-century satire, The Pageant of the Popes,” Father Echert said. “There is no basis for this attribution and rarely, if ever, is any context for the statement provided. Never has any legitimate papal text been cited to substantiate this allegation.”

Father Echert also addressed Berry’s comments about the resurrection in the gospels.

“With regards to seeming conflicts between details of the various gospels, including the resurrection accounts, the faithful Christian must affirm that the Bible is the word of God, and therefore free from all error, for God cannot deceive or be the author of error.”

The Jerusalem Bible, in a note to Matthew 28:10, says that “these very divergencies of tradition are far better witnesses than any artificial or contrived uniformity to the antiquity of the evidence and the historical quality of all these manifestations of the risen Christ.”

When asked about causing confusion for readers, Berry said, “I would certainly hope readers understand that The Templar Legacy is a work of fiction, concocted out of my imagination. A story. Meant to entertain you. Nothing more.

“But if at the same time the story stimulates the mind, causes the reader to question, then great,” Berry said. “That’s what Dan Brown did so well. He made people think – and is that so wrong?”

Christian Resources

Christians can do their own research about the groups or eras that novels and non-fiction books spotlight – and help to catechize others with their deeper knowledge of Church history.

“Rather than only worrying about The Da Vinci Code knock-offs, worry about non-fiction books, too – you’ll find many full of poor information,” said Sandra Miesel of Indianapolis, journalist and co-author with Carl Olson of The Da Vinci Hoax. Miesel suggests reading up on the Knights Templar in Peter Partner’s The Murdered Magicians: The Templars and Their Myth.

Madden recommends getting a dependable history of Catharism, The Cathars by Malcolm Barber.

When encountering a relative, friend or coworker who has been misled about the church by historico-religious thrillers, De-Coding Da Vinci author Amy Welborn, from Fort Wayne, Ind., encourages Christians to see it as an opportunity to share knowledge and faith.

“It is not a time to judge or be fearful,” she said. “If someone is really into this, don’t run away or avoid conversation; invite the person into discussion and suggest reading other books.” Olson, of Eugene, Ore., said he sees it as a spiritual battle over souls.

“Throwing out knowledge isn’t the only solution. We need factual responses but we also need true Christian responses to these souls who are troubled by the church and are struggling with questions.”

[NYer]

Leonardo's "Last Supper" hangs on the wall of the refectory in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Traditionally, the good brothers and sisters were supposed to talk as little as possible during their repasts, and so it was very common to give them inspirational art to contemplate as they chewed. What better subject for a refectory than the most famous meal in the Bible?

Leonardo painted this jewel between 1495 and 1497. But as great an artist as he was, Da Vinci (a nickname which means "from the town of Vinci") was not trained in the art of fresco, and so instead of putting the greatest emphasis on the correct techniques and materials, he concentrated on the artistic effect he wanted to achieve, relying on oil and egg tempera, a combination which never really melded with the dry gesso foundation. Over the years, the colors faded, spotted and even fell to the ground. It didn't help, either, that the good monks later decided to cut a doorway right into a corner of the scene! In the 20th century, Leonardo's Last Supper became as famous for its pitiful state of disrepair as for its exquisite artistic rendering.

[mtbopfuyn]

There's been millions of historical fiction books on the shelves for centuries, yet folks can't get past the fact that The Da Vinci Code is FICTION.

[Desdemona]

This all feeds into a lot of suspicion among the faithful.

A couple weeks ago, I was in conversation with some people who have been effected by the parish closings here and the suspicion was palpable. There were some strange goings on during the flood ('93) at a specific parish and it was closed in the last year. They were wondering what the archdiocese was hiding. It was ridiculous on its face, but there was no way to convince them.

Historical fiction has its uses. Propaganda is just one of them. If people were as intent on learning truth as much as being entertained, we might get somewhere.

[NYer]

If people were as intent on learning truth as much as being entertained, we might get somewhere.

From time to time I'll listen to CoastToCoast AM during the night. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people find it easer to believe in aliens than God.

[Nihil Obstat]

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (St Paul)

"How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking… The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves -- thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error." (then Cardinal Ratzinger)

[siunevada]

folks can't get past the fact that The Da Vinci Code is FICTION.

Build on rock? Build on sand? Golly, it's just so hard to choose.

And look at that sandy spot. It fits right in with the plans I made for myself. It's just so darned tempting.

[x5452]

My father asked me just the other day (he's a protestant sadly), about whether the Catholic church had supressed the bible (a dumb question considering the bible was finished long before 1054), because HE'D SEEN ABOUT THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDELEN ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL.

The church needs to come out strong on the fact that channel is ONLY HERESY.

[A.A. Cunningham]

yet folks can't get past the fact that The Da Vinci Code is FICTION.

Particularly the con artist who penned it.

[Ronaldus Magnus]

Dismantling the Da Vinci Code

[voiceinthewind]

"Particularly the con artist who penned it."

Yes, and people get might testy when you burst their bubble about the Da Vinci Code. It's frightening how fast a person can be brainwashed, all it takes is one fiction book and they start to belive all sorts of kookie things.

[Frank Sheed]

Please, please, please read H.W. Crocker's first book on the Church--"Triumph of..."! It will put into perspective all this trash and is an astounding feat considering that he covers all of Church history in 500 pages. I found it illuminating to say the least. Yes, the Orthodox will not be happy and the Protestants will also grouse. However, placed into context, it is a defense of Western Civilization that evolved from Christianity and Catholicism.

Check here for more information and a link:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/crocker/crocker-arch.html

Frank

[Tax-chick]

My favorite author of goofball religious plots is Arturo Perez-Reverte. All very European and skeptical and superior, but a terrific writer (especially in Spanish) with a great sense of plot and atmosphere.

[NYer]

Thank you for the recommendation. It has been added to my Amazon.com 'Wish List'.

Having cut back on tv and radio, it's a joy to sit down and read good books. They feed the mind.

[IronManBike]

bttt

[netmilsmom]

I just read the DiVinci Codes. OH my goodness, it reads like a bad Victoria Holt (that I read when I was a teenager).

At one point the main male charater is in danger with the main female charater. She says meet me at the American Embassy. He says I will but only if you do me a favor, call me Robert.

I kid you not!

This book is written for the lowest common denominator of us.
Or young lonely women, I'm not sure which. All I know is that I refused to do any research on it before I read it and still figured out all but one aspect of the mystery before the end of the book.

It just feeds into those libs that WANT things to be different.

[netmilsmom]

ACK!
I just spelled Da Vinci wrong! See what it does to you????

[NYer]

Hey ... I liked Victoria Holt ;-) But then I progressed on to Taylor Caldwell, and left Vicki in the dust. You make a good point, though, so thanks for the commentary. I just could not bring myself to read the Da Vinci Code.

[RightWhale]

Blake and Lloyd's 'The Keys to Avalon' is fascinating for those who wonder about the Arthurian legends. None of the old, tired Templars and Cathars.