Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyones Asking

The people who wrote the last couple negative reviews seem more to be taken in by Dan Brown. Bock is indeed a scholar but yet his book is simple and understandable. It gives a clear look at Browns claims and why they are false. I recommend this book over the others out there. The Wall Street Journal called this the best of the bunch when it comes to books about The DaVinci Code.

Bock certainly has written a lot about the period around the first century AD, and he draws on that experience to compose a lot of the text of this book. In that sense, Bock is doing a great service by providing a decent historical context to the assertions made in Dan Browns book. Unfortunately, Bock is not really able to address the whole set of contentions surrounding modern Wicca and goddess ritual, which is the whole point of Browns novel. Brown has already pretty much said he intended to promote goddess worship, and his claims in that area need to be addressed as well. This book doesnt do much of that. I dont know about you, but Im kind of busy, and I found it a lot easier to get through Fact and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code. It addresses most of the same issues Bock does, but it also goes on to address the problem of Wicca that Brown poses and Bock doesnt deal with. Kellmeyers argument from the Pauline epistles against the idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene is unique and powerful, and the information he provides about German influences on Wicca is also remarkable. If Dan Brown had known what Kellmeyer knew, he probably would have re-phrased a lot of his book. Whether or not you get Bocks book, you cant miss out on Kellmeyers. He wrote it in the same style Brown uses - short chapters, where each chapter addresses a single issue raised on a particular page of the novel. The issues are addressed in the same order they appear in the novel, so its easy to find the discussion you want, and a lot of the discussions are cross-linked to one another to show you how Brown wove things together. Besides, his writing is snappy and fun, so its easy to read. Bock and others could take lessons from that.

Bock does a very good job in both explanation and simplification of the arguments, so the lay reader could understand this historical revisionism for what it is. He did good research in a field he is accomplished in, the early church. He also exposes how terms such as secret and conspiracy are misapplied into known , rejected works of the early church and debunks the Nicea conspiracy. This is a subject that churches should cover prior to the release of the film, so less than biblically literate members will not be caught up in distortions and revisionism. I strongly recommend this readable book for churches to make available to their members.

Mr. Bocks writing style is not the greatest but he does do a good job of explaining very clearly why Dan Browns book is a fictional novel based on a fictional theory. You can call me many things, Actively Religious is not one of them. I read Mr. Bocks book because Dan Browns book was simply too incredible to believe. If you would like a better understanding of what historians and biblical scholars understand about the beginnings of Christianity, I recommend you read it. If by the end of the book, you still believe the Da Vinci Code gives an accurate historical depiction then you probably also believe a vast right wing conspiracy forced Bill Clinton to have sex with Monica.

This is NOT a breaking of Da Vincis codes. This is NOT a book that answers the questions everybodys asking. Instead, Bock just presents a treatise that defends Christianity as a religion, beginning with Constantines era around 325 A.D. As other reviewers have commented, this is a most shocking display of false advertising in that Bock steers clear of making any attempt to address what Dan Brown has said about hidden codes in Leonardos Da Vincis works of art-terrible. Bock also ignores other important aspects of Browns book: for example, goddess worship, ancient religions, symbology. Bock seems completely out of touch with what people are really asking. Dont waste your money fellow readers.

Ok, maybe ths book isnt all THAT fatiguing to read, but it does drag and is dry. Bock is a scholar (good point) and he writes like one (bad point). Also, as the information about this book states in the PR material Darrell Bocks research uncovers the origins of these codes by focusing on the 325 years immediately following the birth of Christ. This is a problem becasue Browns book goes farther back in history than 325 a.d. Browns underlying material dates back to the ancient goddess worship of the Mesopotamian era. I am surprised Bock did not deal too much with things like truly ancient goddess worship, Venus-related issues, etc. Clearly, Bock wanted to clear the name of Christianity more than do a complete look at all the things Brown had to say. Also, precious little material deals with the actual Priory of Sion that Brown discusses in his bestseller. Again, Bock was too concerned with simply proving the Bible, Jesus divinity, and how Christianity is true. Other aspects of the Brown-Da Vinci tale were covered not nearly as nicely as they could have been covered. He missed the more edgy issues Brown raises regarding the Knights Templar, Witch Hunts, paganism, etc. I agree with other reviewers who say that Bocks book is better than most. But it does not beat out The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code by Abanes (a younger, more contemporary author, who I believe much closer to Dan Browns age). Bocks book is hardly different from any history book on Christianity you might pick up in a Christian bookstore.

I dont see why people didnt like this book. I thought it was well written and to the point. People seem to think that since it did not go into exhaustive detail, that the book is worthless. I think the book does exactly what it is supposed to do. It shows the fallacies of The Da Vinci Code. This is a gateway book. If you are really looking for more answers, you will have to do more research. But had this book been much longer, it would have lost its effectiveness.

Bock, a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society and a faculty member at Dallas Theological Seminary, can always be depended on as a world class theologian. In this book he does an accurate job of conveying what Scripture and non-canonical writings say about Jesus. He is also aware of modern anti-Christian movements and how the publishing of TheDaVinci Code fits into their schemes to put down Christianity. I cannot recommend The DaVinci Code, but for those who have read it, this book is an excellent source to help them separate fact from fiction.

Notice that those who have written critical reviews of the book either say dont waste your time or they attack Bock (the author). They call him a Texas fundamentalist or criticize him for criticizing the Da Vinci Code. What they dont do is give you any reasons why Bock is wrong. Maybe they cant come up with anything. This is too important a subject not to figure out who is right and who is wrong. Spend the $15 and make up your own mind.

The authors use dubious theology and selective history to refute a fiction novel. Why are some gospels better than the others? The canonized gospels were not contemporary and written while there are names attached, the authorship is in question. Blind devotion to religion does not make one a theologin or historian. And neither author seems to know much more than what they have heard in sunday school or read in a modernized badly translated bible. The DaVinci Code offers readers glimpses of well-known and well-documented stories of christinaity and its origins. The origin is far more complicated than the sunday school tripe the authors of this book push.