The Da Vinci Code 1

The Da Vinci Code
By Dan Brown

Has anyone read this book? I did, and enjoyed it.

A murder in the silent after-hours halls of the Louvre reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his daughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's father's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, Neveu and Langdon embark on a breathless flight through France, England and history itself.

Brown has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought.

To create the anagrams in this book, the author has used Anagram Genius (so they claim).

If you dare, you can try the WEB quest, but it is easier after you read the book.

 

[chessbot]

but a Logic, Reasoning and Philosophy forum would be kind of interesting...

--Chessbot

 

[entaroadun]

It's certainly an interesting book... My only complaint with the plot is that the main characters don't attempt to solve any of the anagrams with computers, especially the crytography expert.

Whether it is accurate or not doesn't matter. It's the first book to clearly articulate an alternate view of history and deliver it to the masses, in a form suitable for mass consumption. It has prompted many to consider the "other" Gospels and texts not endorsed by the Church. Hence, non-fiction books on alternate Gospels have proliferated.

The Church, especially the American dioceses, should be frightened. People who have a general sense of dissatisfaction with the Church over abortion, gay marriage, and the abuse scandal can now pin their dissatisfaction on theological doubts. Liberal Catholics can now offer an alternate view of history in feminist terms. It's one thing to simply stray from the flock. It's another entirely to have an alternate faith to go to. It accelerates the decline of the Church in America.

In the end, the survival of the Church is about money. I live in the Archdiocese of Boston (I'm not Catholic). The lack of vocations, lower attendance at Mass, and consequently, lower collections, has seriously compromised the mission of the Church.

 

[SkipVought]

Au contraire, chessbot!

I am NOT anti-Moore. I am FOR truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when something is represented as truth.

Michael Moore just happens to be a poster child for the antithesis. Hence, the comparison with The Da Vinci Code, as ESquared earlier stated,

x = Replace("The DaVinci code is full of unwarranted and spurious content. Of course, it's fiction, which is supposed to be full of that. But people are treating it like fact, which is sad, given there's no scholarly support for it", "The Da Vinci Code", "Michael Moore")

The result is the same.



Skip,
[sub]
[red]Be advised:[/red] When transmitting sheet music...
If it ain't baroque, don't fax it! [/sub]

 

[TheRambler]

ESquared, no, I didn't mean to hide it. That is the first anagram-puzzle of the book, can you solve it? I couldn't but it was so easy.

SkipVought, I'd rather skip political discussions. I don't mind other expressing their views, though. Being the book about secret societies, I would think that those who belong to them would deny what Brown unveils, in order to keep their secrets as such. Bush is not mentioned at all in Brown's book, despite of his relationship with Skull and Bones, another secret society.

Is that true? I don't know, but secret societies do exist. In my city we have scottish rite and york rite masons, they are rather discreet than secret though, but they do hold important positions in our society, beyond their political colors and they must help each other to keep their power.

 

[ESquared]

Whether it is accurate or not doesn't matter.

... pin their dissatisfaction on theological doubts. ... an alternate view of history in feminist terms. ... an alternate faith to go to.

And you see no contradiction in your words?

The Da Vinci code is fiction. If people think it has elements of truth and they go off to do study to find out, great!!! But the book itself can't be given an ounce of credence.

Instead, let's hear about one of these other books, and it had better be scholarly and responsible.

Having an alternate faith to go to is quite different from having an alternate fantasy to go to.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[TheRambler]

GwydionM mentioned the book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail where I found this anagram:

[center][b]ET IN ARCADIA EGO[/b][/center]

They say it is the inscription on a tomb depicted in a painting by Nicolas Poussin, "The Arcadian shepherds". This one is much harder to solve because it's latin, not even with Internet Anagram Server.

 

[ESquared]

Anagram of "et in arcadia ego"

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[TheRambler]

And the anagram of Dan Brown, writer of the Da Vinci Code?

 

[entaroadun]

I see this is a touchy issue...

The book doesn't have to be given credence. It leads people to question, which is good enough. I was simply saying that the book is a threat to the Church, even if it is fiction, because it paved the way for a revival of interest in the subject. The current wave of non-fiction surrounding the alternate Gospels wouldn't exist if it weren't for this book.

 

[ESquared]

Fair enough.

Now I am wondering what your definition of "the Church" is?

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[entaroadun]

When I use the term "Church", I am referring to the Roman Catholic Church, probably because of my preconceived notions of the Church as an impersonal, monolithic bureaucracy.

 

[SkipVought]

The lack of vocations, lower attendance at Mass, and consequently, lower collections, has seriously compromised the mission of the Church.

Sounds like the American Roman Catholic Church is being referred to.

However, there are other churches in the USA that are experiencing growth and vitality, a portion of which would give no credence to either The Da Vinci Code or other pretenders.


Skip,
[sub]
[red]Be advised:[/red] When transmitting sheet music...
If it ain't baroque, don't fax it! [/sub]

 

[craigsboyd]

A friend turned me on to

http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/davinci/index-ctc.html

It's pretty cool. You can go for awhile in it without the book, but eventually you'll need it if my memory serves me (smart marketing ploy by randomhouse?).

I noticed it was updated or something, haven't had a chance to go through this one yet:

http://www.randomhouse.com/doubleday/davinci/

http://www.sweetpotatosoftware.com

 

[ESquared]

craigsboyd, look at the links in the first post in this thread!

Hehe.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

 

[craigsboyd]

Esquared,

Sorry about that, I did a search for the links on this thread just to make sure I hadn't missed them somewhere...didn't realize TheRambler had posted the original quest under "WEB quest". I still can't see where anyone posted the updated version of the quest... so perhaps my post still has some "value added".

http://www.sweetpotatosoftware.com

 

[ESquared]

Sure it does!

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)