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The Da Vinci Codebreaker: An Easy-to-Use Fact Checker for Truth Seekers

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There have been roughly 14 books that spun off the writing of Dan Brown's novel, 'The Da Vinci Code.' Some are commentary, some are scathing commentary, and some discuss the facts and fictions of the book and movie. This book does the latter.

This is not a commentary on Gnostic or Christian thought, although the authors are a pastor, a doctor of theology and an art historian. The book serves as a reference discussing the proposed facts by Dan Brown, who has caused confusion in some when saying in his novel that the facts within his book, The Da Vinci Code, are accurate and well researched.

The book is laid out in an encyclopedic format, discussing topics alphabetically that may weigh or have been discussed in Brown's book and movie. The authors' theology is that of conservative evangelicals. For those who are not of this theological persuasion: this book shows little in the way of slant, so don't be turned off by this. The main area where non-evangelicals might disagree is in the discussion of the Canon, but otherwise, this book is neutral in its defining of terms and ideas from the movie.

Since Brown's work centers around art to a large extent, having an art historian as co-author lends credence to this work discussing Brown's proposed facts. Several glaring mistakes by Brown are described in detail in this book.

This book does a superb job as a research tool to discern fact from fiction in 'The Da Vinci Code,' which is the stated purpose of the writing. In fact, I gave this book 5 stars because it fulfills its stated task so well. So, if you are interested in finding out where Brown was right and where he was wrong, this would be one of the first and easiest places to go.

If you are like most people, Christians included, you have wondered about The Da Vinci Code and where Dan Brown gets his "facts." A lot of people have even bought into the story, believing the "facts" Dan Brown uses to spin his story of intrigue and ancient mystery. But, just how accurate are those "facts" Dan Brown speaks of? Well, look no more! James L. Garlow has written the book that will clear up all those pesky misconceptions.

The Da Vinci Codebreaker is an easy-to-use fact checker that covers all the terms, jargon, locations, and people used in The Da Vinci Code. If you want to know who Isis was and who was her lover, it's covered. If you want to know what the Dialogue of the Savior is, it's in there. From who Richard Abanes was to what is the zodiac ... James Garlow spells it out without fictional spin or mysterious code. All you get is the facts, pure and simple.

I found this book to be extremely valuable. While it started out as an intention to include a glossary in his previously published book, Cracking Da Vinci's Code, time constraints prevented that. I think that was a good thing. This book really should stand alone as the resource it is. Whatever book you read, whether it is The Da Vinci Code or any of the numerous books written as a result, keep this book handy. It will be the book you will come to again and again.

Before the movie version of the DaVinci Code comes out in May 2006, discerning people will want to read The DaVinci Codebreaker by James L. Garlow.

Dr. James L. Garlow is the Senior Pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, California. This book in a compact form becomes a combination dictionary/encyclopedia to help separate the fact from the fiction that most scholars find rampant in Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code.

Garlow stresses that his book is not intended to bash Brown. To the contrary, Garlow feels that Brown has done Orthodox Christianity a service by bringing forth issues that, when examined carefully and thoughtfully, make the Christian faith even more credible.

Garlow refers to Brown's style as "fact-tion" and points out that talk show audiences admitted that they could not tell if and when fiction left off and fact began. This is important because the DaVinci Code claims that Jesus married Mary Magdalene to join two royal bloodlines. It also states that the canon was not formalized until the fourth century when in fact most of the books in today's canon were widely accepted as scripture in the first century. And finally (only for space limitations) that Christianity is really a religion that is an illusion that helps millions of people to cope and be better people.

The DaVinci Codebreaker serves to help the reader understand the real historical facts that are so often misinterpreted or completely changed in Brown's book. This is important because Brown himself states in the opening pages of his book that everything in the book "related to artwork, documents, architecture, and secret rituals are fact."

I found the facts fascinating, the tables (especially on what really constitutes the canon of scripture-- and who says so) extremely clear and useful, and the specific page references to the DaVinci Code useful.

Armchair Interviews says: We think you'll find The DaVinci Codebreaker enthralling.

"The Da Vinci Codebreaker" by Dr. James L. Garlow is a welcome addition to the recent "Da Vinci Code" material. We've needed a handy reference guide to the people and places mentioned in the novel for three years, and now we have one.

The book is arranged in encyclopedic format, so all you have to do is look up the desired reference, be it for the Priory of Sion, the Louvre, Michael Baigeant, Caravaggio, etc. The reader can get quick, concise references setting forth the historical facts and the way Brown either ignores or distorts them in the novel.

A great response to the supruious claims of historical accuracy made in the novel. Any pastor or teacher doing a class on "The Da Vinci Code" should add this little reference book to their list of sources.

Although I knew that "The Da Vinci Code" was a work of fiction with some historical errors in it, I didn't realize how many errors it contained until I started reading through The Da Vinci Code Breaker.This is the Da Vinci Code dictionary. It contains over 500 facts and terms used in the Dan Brown book, with their correct meanings and interpretation. I found The Code Breaker very enlightening and easy to use since it is organized in alphabetical order.

This is a must read for Christians because if you are uninformed, you can be misled. Now when friends wonder if the assertions in the Dan Brown book may be true, I am armed with the truth.

Even though I am predisposed to dislike "The Da Vinci Code," reading James Garlow's book has given me many more reasons. It is an easy dictionary for names, places, and terms referenced in or related to Dan Brown's novel. Though it appears to be written for the reader who is already familiar with the novel, I haven't read it all yet and didn't find The Code Breaker less easy to understand.

Garlow says that hosts asked him during interviews for his preceding book, Cracking Da Vinci's Code co-authored with Peter Jones, why he was attacking a work of fiction. The reason is Brown claims that only the story is fiction. All the historic details, he says, are true. Garlow says the average reader can't tell the fiction from the fact, which I can understand completely because so many tiny details are untrue.

1. Do you know who founded Paris? A Gallic tribe called Parisi. Brown gets that wrong.
2. Do you know how many glass panes are in Le Louvre Pyramide? It isn't 666. The museum reports 673.
3. Brown describes La Pyramide Inversée as having a tip "suspended only six feet above the floor"; below it is "a miniature pyramid, only three feet tall." The tips of these two structures are "almost touching." Doesn't a yard's distance seems a little far for "almost touching"?
4. That miniature pyramid is described as coming "up through the floor," but a close observer can see that it actually sits on the floor and can be moved aside for sweepers.
5. Leonardo Da Vinci did not name his famous painting Mona Lisa, so he wasn't sending a message through the title. Brown says L'isa is an alternative name for Isis. The Code Breaker states that it isn't. The English name Mona Lisa was given to the painting by a Da Vinci biographer many years after the artist's death.
6. Leonardo made notes while painting The Last Supper in which he refers to the figure at Jesus' right hand as a man, clearly from the artist's context to be the Apostle John, not Mary Magdalene.

Details like these wouldn't make up the text of many books if Brown hadn't boasted his accuracy at the start of his novel and in interviews afterward. I don't doubt he believes the hoax and that he thought he got many minor details right; but The Da Vinci Code and his other novels suffer, at least a little bit, from careless research.

But The Code Breaker reveals more disturbing errors or hoaxes which many people will assume to be true. Why make up stuff like this?

1. The Vatican, which Brown says ruled Christianity and suppressed the true accounts of Jesus' life in the fourth century, existed only as a simple church at that time. It was not building its new power base, as Brown claims.
2. The books and letters which make up the New Testament were not declared God's Word by a council. Most of them had been accepted by disciples of Jesus since the time they were first circulated.
3. Brown says English is a pure language, free from the corruption of the Vatican. This is idiotic. The English language comes to us from the German language, so wouldn't German be far more pure than it? Also, many English words were imported from Norman French.
4. Finally, in a section which makes me laugh from a literary perspective, main character Robert Langdon states the church burned five million women as witches over several centuries. The Code Breaker points to sources which record only 55,000 witch trials which resulted in executions and over 20% of the convicts were men. Many of these trials were done by common people, not the Catholic Church.

The Da Vinci Code Breaker calls itself "an easy-to-use fact checker," and I agree. Not only does it include corrections to the novel, but it also describes why the Gnostic writings were rejected, how the Bible was assembled, and other writings or recordings on the issues distorted in The Da Vinci Code.

The Da Vinci Code Breaker is the first reference style response to The Da Vinci Code. Formatted much like a miniature encyclopedia, it claims to provide information on over five hundred facts and terms.

Entries in this book range from one sentence to several paragraphs. They cover historical persons, church councils, and even contemporary writers and their critics. It also covers early church, Gnostic, and other apocryphal writings and concepts. Charts are provided periodically for help in breaking down complex topics, such as the content of the Nag Hammadi Library. For a few select individuals, timelines are constructed highlighting important points in their lives. At the back of the book are a few maps and advertisements for additional resources.

Not only is The Da Vinci Code Breaker unique in its format, it's also unique in quality. It covers every issue, item, and person relevant to the subject in an accessible and informative manner. It helps delineate the facts from the fiction in an easy-to-use format, as it claims. Whether it's used on its own or in conjunction with other responses to Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code Breaker is a necessary resource for those who seek to be informed about the truth.

In The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown presents a mix of fact and fiction certain to lead many to question the Bible's integrity and Christianity's impact on history. Since fact checking does not seem to be a strong suit for Brown, this reference guide, The Da Vinci CodeBreaker, provides well-researched answers, both theologically and historically, to questions raised after reading Brown's book.

The topics are in alphabetical order. Maps, charts, photos, and symbols help discern fact from fiction in a clear, concise manner. Even if you've never read The Da Vinci Code or seen the movie adaptation, you'll still find great information in the book. The chart explaining when and why each book of the Bible was canonized is especially helpful.

The Da Vinci CodeBreaker by James L. Garlow (with Timothy Paul Jones and April Williams) is perfect for anyone who seeks to know the historical truth about Jesus and the Christian faith. This book will have you prepared to provide answers when someone asks you about the claims made in the novel and the film.

When the author of the wildly popular "The Da Vinci Code" insisted that his novel was factual, he lit a firestorm among academics and theologians. One response, "Cracking Da Vinci's Code," shot to the top of the bestseller lists. As the film soared to the top of the box office, pastor and theologian James Garlow returned with a dictionary style listing of information that readers and moviegoers will need, if they're interested in the facts, and just the facts. Thorough and credible.

The cover of the book states that it is "An Easy-To-Use Fact Checker" and it lives up to that end. Think of this book as a dictionary of apologetics for the book and movie. The authors research is thorough, and very comprehensive. He's thought of things and made connections that I believe few others would. As a Pastor, some of the book's entries are review of things I studied in Seminary classes like Church History, but there is quite a bit of information that I found new and interesting. An example of it's exhaustiveness would be that rather than just referencing the Gnostic gospels that are mentioned in the book/movie, Garlow goes far beyond that and defines many other Gnostic gospels that never come into play. There are more than 500 facts and terms in this book, all of which are well written and informative. This would be a book I highly recommend adding to your library as an apologetics tool. Unfortunately with the way Dan Brown falsifies truth, books of this nature are necessary.

The practical applications of this book are limitless. Even if you didn't see or watch the movie The Da Vinci Code you could learn a lot from just reading this book, as it is full of useful information separate from it's intended goal of being an apologetic on The Da Vinci Code. This is not a reader book, as it is written in a dictionary format, with alphabetical entries chosen by their relationship to the book/movie and the subjects in the book/movie. Go and get a copy, so when your friends, co-workers, and family start asking questions you can respond in an informed way. This book gives the facts that refute Dan Brown's fiction portrayed as fact.

I would pair this book with Lee Strobel's The Case for Faithas a good one-two punch for anyone who finds they want to know more about Christianity and how it is so poorly represented by the careless pen of Dan Brown.