ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

During recent months, much controversy has surrounded “The DaVinci Code,” the 2003 fiction novel by Dan Brown. The newspapers carried stories about a lawsuit against Mr. Brown by two authors who claim that Mr. Brown heavily used their book, “Holy Blood, Holy Grail.” The anticipated release of the film-version of the novel, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, is fanning the controversy even more.

Given the publicity the novel has received, we are all aware of its plot and the manner in which it departs from the truth of the Gospel. Summaries of the novel indicate that the book paints the Catholic Church in a very negative way, and that Popes have suppressed an ancient secret: that Jesus was actually married to Mary Magdalene and that they had a child. After the Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene travels to Southern France, where her child is the founder of the line of Merovingian Kings. The story claims that there are contemporary descendants of the Jesus-Mary Magdalene bloodline. The novel also portrays Opus Dei, a Personal Prelature within the Roman Catholic Church, as a malicious organization.

It is pure fiction and the novel is identified as such. Unfortunately, too many people believe the story. One review, printed on the back cover of a paperback edition, states: “Read the book and be enlightened.” Nevertheless, while deeply troubling, the controversy caused by the novel and the release of the film furnishes a teaching moment for the Church. Instead of the falsifications from the novel and the film, would-be readers and movie viewers can take this opportunity to understand Catholic biblical scholarship and theology in a more fulfilling context.

Mary of Magdala

One of the central figures in “The DaVinci Code” is Mary of Magdala, known also as St. Mary Magdalene. The novel, as mentioned earlier, proposes that Mary of Magdala was the wife of Jesus and the mother of his child. Mary Magdalene. The novel, as mentioned earlier, proposes that Mary of Magdala was the wife of Jesus and the mother of his child.

St. Mary Magdalene is identified in the Gospels. She is a disciple who was transformed by her encounter with the mercy of God revealed in, and through, Jesus. St. Mark claims that Jesus drove out of Mary Magdalene seven devils (cf. Mk 16: 9). Some of the Fathers of the Church as well as early scholars have identified her as the sinful woman who washes the feet of Jesus with her tears and then anointed His feet (cf. Lk 7: 38). All of the Evangelists place her near the Cross of Jesus. Most importantly, the Gospels note that Mary Magdalene was the first witness of the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday morning. Because of her fidelity to Jesus and her privilege to be the one to announce to the Apostles that Jesus had risen, the Church holds Mary Magdalene in great esteem and celebrates her memorial on July 22.

Sadly, the heroic figure of St. Mary Magdalene has been distorted in recent years. She is seen as an icon by the radical feminist agenda. But also, in the past, certain heretical groups claimed that Mary Magdalene had a secret knowledge (Gnosis) of Jesus. This theme occurs in the Gnostic writings, which have been rejected by the Church as contrary to the teachings of Christ and the Apostles. Some of this Gnostic literature is cited by Dan Brown in his research for “The DaVinci Code.” Dan Brown apparently presents Mary Magdalene as a type of goddess whom Jesus wanted to be the “head” of his Church.

In the midst of these falsifications, it is necessary to state what the Church believes about Mary of Magdala. “Actually, the Church has presented St. Mary Magdalene as a repentant sinner who, treated by the Savior with great mercy, attained a high degree of sanctity by the intensity of her contrition, faith and love. For this reason, devotion to her was always extremely popular in the Church, especially in the age of faith, when people understood the beauty of repentance and penance” (“Rejecting The DaVinci Code,” p. 47).
The Mystery of Jesus.

There is a great desire within the human person to know Jesus Christ. St. Paul expressed this well: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor 2: 2). For 2,000 years, the human family has delighted to know the love of God revealed in the mysteries of Jesus Crucified and Risen. Perhaps this accounts for some of the popularity of the novel, as well as other novels, which have dealt with Jesus. It is astounding that many, unfortunately, seek understanding of Jesus in novels rather than in the inspired texts of Scripture. For it is there, in the Word of God, that we plunge into the depths of the mystery of Jesus. In the Gospels, we hear His voice, we see His face, we experience His love, we understand the power of the Paschal Mystery.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully explains: “Christ’s whole life is a mystery of redemption. Redemption comes to us above all through the blood of his cross, but this mystery is at work throughout Christ’s entire life: already in his Incarnation through which by becoming poor he enriches us with his poverty; in his hidden life which by his submission atones for our disobedience; in his word which purifies its hearers; in his healings and exorcisms by which ‘he took our infirmities and bore our diseases;’ and in his Resurrection by which he justifies us” (no. 517).

Significant as well is Christ’s celibate life, which stands in contrast to the premise of Mr. Brown’s novel. Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of the Catholic Church have always held, and consistently taught, that Jesus was celibate. His celibate witness points humanity to an understanding of the Kingdom of God, where “they neither marry nor are given in marriage” (cf. Mk 12: 25). Furthermore, Christ has espoused Himself not to one person, but to the entire Church, “the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (Rev 21: 9). Through His espousal to the Church, Christ continues to give life to all who are born of water and the Spirit (cf. Jn 3: 5).

New Age, Old Gnosticism

The Church finds nothing new in the controversy and confusion caused by “The DaVinci Code.” Throughout the centuries, the Church has met challenges to the faith that could mislead or harm present or future members of the Church. Among the earliest was Gnosticism, which claimed to have a secret knowledge of Jesus. Gnosticism also taught that the physical world is evil, the product of a fall, and is to be rejected or left behind (cf. Catechism, 285). There is much in “The DaVinci Code” which resurrects old Gnostic doctrines, which according to the author, are found in the paintings of Leonardo DaVinci. Among these are androgyny (a combination of male and female), a dualism (a good god and an evil god), as well as the deification of wisdom, a goddess “Sophia.”

The Church has been used to challenges and already addressed the divine and human natures of Jesus’ person in its first ecumenical (“worldwide”) council at Nicaea in 325. The Church solemnly proclaimed Jesus to be both fully human and fully divine, on the basis of the Scriptures and the consistent belief of Christians since the time of Christ. This truth has always been held faithfully by Christian believers, and we prayerfully express it during the profession of faith at every Mass.

Many of these themes have resurfaced in what is now referred to as “New Age.” The novel appeals to many who are attracted by New Age thinking or New Age religiosity. In a 2003 document entitled “Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian Reflection on the ‘New Age,’” the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue identified the challenge which the New Age offers. “People feel that the Christian religion no longer offers them — or perhaps never gave them — something they really need. The search which often leads people to the New Age is a genuine yearning: for a deeper spirituality, for something that will touch their hearts, and for a way of making sense of a confusing and often alienating world.” (no. 1). The document urges members of the Church to be more firmly rooted in the fundamentals of the faith, and to be responsive to the spiritual longings of others so that they will not be alienated from the Church. “There is also a call in all of this to come closer to Jesus Christ and to be ready to follow Him, since He is the real way to happiness, the truth about God and the fullness of life for every man and woman who is prepared to respond to His love” (no. 1).

I invite those who have read “The DaVinci Code” or find themselves in a discussion about the book or movie to learn about historical, artistic and biblical scholarship and theological perspectives at an excellent web site produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, at www.jesusdecoded.com. Confidence in the content of our Christian faith and the rigorous application of our human reason are sure guides to possessing the truth and remaining united with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
April 27, 2006