Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone's Asking (Hardcover)

~ Darrell L. Bock Ph.D. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Many who have read the New York Times best-seller The Da Vinci Code have questions that arise from seven codes--expressed or implied--in Dan Brown's book. In Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone's Asking, Darrell Bock, Ph.D., responds to the novelist's claims using central ancient texts and answers the following questions:

• Who was Mary Magdalene?
• Was Jesus Married?
• Would Jesus Being Single be Un-Jewish?
• Do the So-Called Secret, Gnostic Gospels Help Us Understand Jesus?
• How Were the New Testament Gospels Assembled?
• Does Mary's Honored Role as Apostle Match the Claims of the New School?
• What Is the Remaining Relevance of The Da Vinci Code?

Darrell Bock's research uncovers the origins of these codes by focusing on the 325 years immediately following the birth of Christ, for the claims of The Da Vinci Code rise or fall on the basis of things emerging from this period. Breaking the Da Vinci Code distinguishes fictitious entertainment from historical elements of the Christian faith. For by seeing these differences, one can break the Da Vinci code. Ultimately, though, there is another code lurking behind the pages of this novel. Most readers of the novel have no idea that this other code is there. In fact, Bock didn't notice it at first himself. Breaking the Da Vinci code, though, will lead readers to discover why this novel has become something of a public phenomenon and why the issues it raises are worthy of careful study and reflection.

About the Author

Darrell L. Bock, research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, serves as professor for spiritual development and culture for the Seminary's Center for Christian Leadership. A corresponding editor for Christianity Today, Bock is also past president of the Evangelical Theological Society. He and his wife, Sally, have three children. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1ST edition (April 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785260463
• ISBN-13: 978-0785260462
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #721,191 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 132 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant stuff, December 7, 2004

By	Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Darrell Bock is that rarity--a conservative evangelical historian/New Testament scholar who is as irenic as he is thorough. Moreover, he's completely familiar with postmodern approaches to historiography and philosophy--something also rare among evangelical scholars (although, it must be noted, with writers like Kevin Vanhooser coming to the fore, that is increasingly becoming a thing of the past).

All in all, of the many books out there seeking to get at the real truth behind Dan Brown's international blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code, Bock's book is the second best, just edged out by Olson and Miesel's The Da Vinci Hoax. Bock's book is so good because he possesses an extensive knowledge of what is called the New School of New Testament studies, thus properly contextualizing and laying the groundwork for a thorough discussion of The Da Vinci Code. Plus, he seems to take the challenge Brown's book presents to both historical and modern-day Christian understanding very seriously. And because he's so careful in his analysis, his conclusions rest on firm footing.

Bottom line, both books come to basically the same conclusion: There is little or no evidence for the claims to historical accuracy that Dan Brown presents both in The Da Vinci Code and in his subsequent interviews. The plain fact of the matter is that on every front the evidence points in the direction of historic orthodox Christianity and away from Brown's revisionist history. All the sensational claims Brown makes--from the marriage of Mary Magdalene to Jesus, to the superiority of the so-called Gnostic Gospels to the Canonical Gospels, to the idea that the deity of Jesus was a fourth-century construct of the Council of Nicea--are masterfully exposed for the frauds and fabrications they are. When the supposed historical underpinnings of The Da Vinci Code are thus revealed as fanciful, the entire superstructure of the novel comes crashing down, leaving nothing except a diaphanous construct that is almost purely the figment of Dan Brown's fervid, luxuriant imagination.

If you are at all interested in the question of the validity of the historical background to The Da Vinci Code, you owe it to yourself to read this masterful book. After that, you'll probably want to get Olson and Miesel's definitive treatment.

80 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breaking codes and refuting common presuppostions, February 18, 2005

By	Volkert Volkersz (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In "Breaking the Da Vinci Code," New Testament scholar Darrell Bock describes and refutes the "codes" behind "The Da Vinci Code," which could better be understood to be the presuppositions of author Dan Brown, and those who subscribe to his Gnostic view of Christianity.

Sadly, in our day and age, very few Christians, much less the general population, have any knowledge of the literature of the Early Church, except perhaps for the New Testament itself. It is because of this general ignorance that so many seem to readily buy into Dan Brown's "code behind the code."

As I read "The Da Vinci Code" nearly a year ago, I was totally engrossed in the mystery, but as the story progressed, I was increasingly appalled at the "history." As an amateur student of Church history, I couldn't help but wish for a single volume I could recommend to help counteract the erroneous views of Christian development that Brown promotes. "Breaking the Da Vinci Code" is one such volume.

While each "code" could have a scholarly work written about it (and indeed many have been), Bock does a good job of addressing popular misconceptions about Mary Magdalene, whether or not Jesus was married, the Gnostic gospels, the development of the New Testament, and other related issues.

It is significant that this book is endorsed by well respected Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christian scholars. Personally, as an Orthodox Christian, I found Bock's statements to be, for the most part, thoroughly orthodox (small "o"), in the sense of C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" (another book I would also heartily recommend).

For further reading, I would strongly urge readers to take a look at "Ecclesiastical History" (also published as "Church History"), written by Eusebius in the 4th century. As I stated in my Amazon review of this work, it should be "required reading" for all thinking Christians.

Other Early Church writings should be considered, such as "The Apostolic Fathers," edited by Jack Sparks; or any of the volumes in "Ante-Nicene Fathers" and "Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers" set of 38 volumes, edited by Philip Schaff; or many of the volumes in the "Ancient Christian Writers" series from Paulist Press.

I listened to the audio recording of "Breaking the Da Vinci Code," read by Chris Fabry, as I followed along in the book. While Fabry has a clear, pleasant and convincing voice for this work, I noticed that his mispronunciation of the occasional word slightly shifted the meaning of the author's intent. Not a big deal, but worthy of note. An advantage of the book over the recording is the inclusion of a selected bibliography and a helpful, simple glossary.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decode This, DaVinci, March 27, 2005

By	john purcell "johneric99" (Purcellville, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Professor Bock has written a fascinating historical analysis of the early Christian era, focusing on the seven codes found in the best-selling thriller by Dan Brown, The DaVinci Codes.

His explanation of the theological view of the Gnostics is perhaps the most enlightening. The Gnostics were a now-forgotten early Christian group, that postulated the road to Heaven was through intense study, knowledge, and enlightment, which were only achieved by a select group of intellectuals. They also generally viewed Jesus and Christ as two entities, seeing a separation between the Savior and the man.

Clearly these Gnostic views are almost unrecognizable to "orthodox" Christians of our era, where salvation is based on belief and forgiveness of sin, and God had one Son who suffered on the cross. However, Brown's characters lean heavily on them.

Professor Bock also delves deeply into the code that says Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had a blood line that extends to modern France.

These are not new theories. The French descendants have been talking about this for centuries. Many other books in the last 20 years have expressed this. Even the 1970's musical Jesus Christ Superstar, now endorsed by the Vatican, hints at a relationship beyond that of teacher and apostle. However, Bock analyzes carefully all Biblical and non-Biblical sources and finds no evidence whatsoever that Jesus was married or had descendants. This seems to be the one fact that all Biblical scholars agree upon.

The other DaVinci codes are similarly dissected in great historical perspective, involving every known source, and all are found to be lacking. Dan Brown has written an interesting thriller, but it has no basis in history, as the Vatican is now proclaiming as well.

For example, Brown's characters claim the church is anti-women, when in fact, Jesus included women in his ministry, delivered much revelation to them, and had them observe the crucifixion and the resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the other women were the apostles to the apostles with respect to the resurrection.

The DaVinci codes also claim that the early church fathers rewrote history as late as 400 years after Christ, to suit their purposes. This area seems to be Bock's real specialty, as he quotes many sources to confirm that the four gospels were established and Jesus was the saviour long before any secretive 4th century gathering. He also gives a fascinating account of how the four gospels came to be written and the relationships between their writers and the early Christians and apostles.

There seems to be zero historical basis for one of Brown's characters claiming that the 4 known gospels were selected from 80 potential gospels.

In sum, I recommend that all who want to understand how Christianity evolved, and also enjoy a good popular thriller, take the opportunity to pick up a lesson in history and theology from Professor Bock. I read many parts of this text several times, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The DaVinci Codes are like the Umberto Eco novels in that one needs some outside historical context to really enjoy the work. By the way, Eco has also studied the DaVinci codes and reached the same conclusions as Professor Bock.