David Nethery has prepared the following informational links. Since a major movie based on this book starring Tom Hanks was released, it is imperative that all Christians are ready for the questions our non-believing or nominally believing friends are sure to ask. While the movie was not very successful, the phenomenon the book/movie caused in pop culture is still very much with us. Since the book/movie has focused so many people's attention on the Early Church, it is a great opportunity to introduce the American public to the Church of the New Testatment, which is of course the Orthodox Church.

Critiques of The Da Vinci Code available for reading online ---


1.) Fr. Joseph Huneycutt , an Orthodox priest, has a multi-part article examining The Da Vinci Code on his 'blog. There are links to each part at this page.

2.) The Catholic magazine, ENVOY, has a two-part series on Cracking the Da Vinci Code by authors Carl Olson and Sandra Miesel who co-authored the book The Da Vinci Hoax  available in two parts. Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.

Also by Olson and Miesel see this article published by Ignatius Press.

3.) A very interesting critique of The Da Vinci Code was published on the secular webzine Salon, entitled "The Da Vinci Crock" , written by Laura Miller. The author is not particularly friendly to orthodox Christianity, but is concerned with truth and historical accuracy. This article is submitted as an example that it is not only Christians who are troubled by Dan Brown's playing fast and loose with historical facts in his book The Da Vinci Code .

(NOTE :registration is required to read the entire article online, but one of the options is for a Free "day pass" to the subscription based webzine Salon. You may read the article and print it out once you have registered for the site) .

4.) In addition there are a number of issues raised by the historical revisionism of The Da Vinci Code that would take us many months to cover in our discussion group . These include the formation of the New Testament canon , the so-called Gnostic Gospels, and the reaction of the early Church Fathers to the heresies which are now being re-popularized in our own day by authors such as Dan Brown . Following are some links to articles covering some of these issues. 

Gnosticism and the Gnostic Jesus by Douglas Groothuis

The Gnostic Gospels: Are the Authentic ? by Douglas Groothuis
 
The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? by Dr. F.F. Bruce

(this book by F.F. Bruce is still in print and worth picking up , but the internet "ebook" version is available for free at the link given) 
  
Seven Ecumenical Councils and Patristic writings

The Writings of the Church Fathers to A.D. 325

St. Pachomius Library: A Living Encyclopedia of Orthodox Christianity

St. Irenaeus "Against Heresies"

Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism (an excellent essay by C.S. Lewis) 

Come Receive the Light , National Orthodox Radio Program
Orthodox Bishop Bishop Savas talks about the errors in "The Da Vinci Code" 
(May require free registration to listen to the program using Real Player application) 

The following books are among many that have been written to address the historical and theological issues raised by The Da Vinci Code --- 

Decoding Da Vinci by Amy Welborn (published by Our Sunday Visitor ) 

Amy Welborn is a columnist and book reviewer for the Catholic publication Our Sunday Visitor. She is the author of many books, including the popular Prove It! series for teens, books on prayer, the saints, and guides for studying scripture. She has taught theology in Catholic high schools in Virginia and Florida, and was the Director of Religious Education in her parish for four years. She holds a BA in Honors History from the University of Tennessee and an MA in Church History from Vanderbilt University . 
Buy her book here.

The Da Vinci Hoax by Sandra Miesel and Carl E. Olson (published by Ignatius Press ) 

Sandra Miesel holds masters' degrees in biochemistry and medieval history from the University of Illinois. Since 1983, she has written hundreds of articles for the Catholic press, chiefly on history, art and hagiography. Her writing regularly appears in Crisis magazine and she is a columnist for the Catholic diocesan paper of Norwich, Connecticut. Outside the Catholic sphere, she has also written, analyzed and edited fiction. She is the co-author (with Carl Olson) of The Da Vinci Hoax 

Carl E. Olson is the editor of the online magazine, IgnatiusInsight.com , and the best-selling author of Will Catholics be "Left Behind" ? (a critique of the "rapture" doctrine and today's prophecy preachers) which was selected by the Associated Press as one of the best religious titles of 2003. Raised in a Fundamentalist home, he attended an Evangelical Bible college. Carl entered the Catholic Church in 1997 and holds a Masters of Theology from the Catholic University of Dallas. A well-respected author and the former editor of Envoy magazine, he has written for First Things, This Rock, Envoy, Crisis, National Review Online, Our Sunday Visitor, and National Catholic Register. Carl lives with his wife and daughter in Eugene, Oregon. You can read many of Carl's articles at his website, 

Buy this book here. 

Cracking the Da Vinci Code by Dr. James Garlow and Dr. Peter Jones (published by Victor Books) 

Dr. Peter Jones holds an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California, and is the author of numerous books, including The Gnostic Empire Strikes Back.

Dr. James L. Garlow is the pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church, in San Diego, California. Among his degrees are a M.Div. from Asbury Seminary, a Master's in Theology from Princeton Seminary and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Drew University. He is the author of How God Saved Civilization, A Christian's Response to Islam, and many other works.

Buy this book here.

Fact or Fiction in the Da Vinci Code by Steven Kellmeyer (published by Bridegroom Press ) 

Steve Kellmeyer holds an MA in Theology from Franciscan University, Steubenville, OH , MA in Post-Enlightenment European History from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. He also did doctoral course work in the history of science and technology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has written nearly two dozen articles for various Catholic publications on evangelization and catechesis . He is the author of Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, as well as two previous books , Bible Basics, a Scriptural defense of the Catholic faith, and Artfully Teaching the Faith , a book exploring Christian symbolism in classical art.

Buy this book here.