The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code (Paperback)

After having read and previewed many of the books and articles on the DaVinci Code, this is by far the best! Richard Abanes has assembled the answers and truths very concisely and accurately.

This book is the perfect blend between thorough and concise! He covers the topics well by clarifying facts and fiction without the wordiness of additional commentary or confusing opinions. It gives the facts in plain language and detail that anyone can easily understand and use.

The layout of the book makes it by far the easiest to use resource available.
- Craig E. Irwin, Executive Pastor

The popularity of The Da Vinci Code novel and the release of the movie has many people asking questions regarding the accuracy of Dan Brown's assertions regarding Christianity. The debunking of Christianity is as old as the Apostle Paul and his comments in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:8-9 regarding "another gospel." The unique issue with The Da Vinci Code is the way it weaves together some aspects of scholarly research with put fiction, so blurring the lines that it is difficult for the average reader to determine where one ends and the other begins.

Abanes book is a great quick reference guide to answering questions. After a brief introduction, the author deals with each of the key issues raised by quoting from Brown's book and then giving a concise response. If you want clear answers without much detail, this book will be your best choice. Having read five books on the subject of The Da Vinci Code, I found this the one most easy to pull out and find quick responses to questions. Even if you want to read more in depth on the subject, reading Abanes short book first will give you an overview that may prevent your getting bogged down later.

If you need help answering questions but are in a pinch for time, this book is for you. If generally you are not a reader, but you want to use good responses to answer the questions of your friends, I don't think you will find a better resource than Abanes' book.
- Pastor Tom Siefert

Last week I completed the reading of The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code by Richard Albanes. I found the reading to be both timely and beneficial.

Obviously, Dan Brown’s book, The Da Vinci Code has/is creating quite a stir. Coupled with the current showing of the motion picture entitled the same, public interest is quite high. I found Albane’s book to be precisely what it claimed to be: concise, straight-forward, and easy to read. The major and minor “facts” presented by Brown are clearly and simply addressed with true facts presented. In my recent sermon of 5/21/06 in which I addressed the book & movie, it was nice to be able to recommend Albane’s book to my congregation as a simple, inexpensive and reasonably comprehensive tool to acquire to better equip the saints in conversation with others as to the “truth” about The Da Vinci Code.
- Pastor Bill Fillmore

"The Truth Behind the Davinci Code" is my kind of book- concise and clear. It is a great quick reference book to quickly answer the many false and misleading statements from Brown's book. It will save you hundreds of hours of wading through other source material.
- Pastor Doyle Peyton

I found the book very helpful in understanding the premise of "The Da Vinci Code". This book would be very helpful in clearing up and answering the suppositions in the novel that is basically an attack against the church. Christians should read this book and others (I found also a book entitled "The Gospel according to the Da Vinci Code." very mind opening and informative.) We need to know what is being said so we can intelligently give an answer of faith and a solid reason of why we believe Jesus Christ is Lord.
- Pastor Jonathan Willey

There has been much fear and trembling in the Christian world because of the Da Vinci Code. The reaction of the community of faith has ranged from “let’s ignore it and it will go away” to “we must react in the strongest way possible to this attack upon the church and the faith.” My own reaction is somewhere in between because I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is built upon solid rock and that it will stand all the tests and challenges thrown its way. Jesus is who he says he is and no work of fiction will undermine the truth.

After having read the book and viewed the movie, there are concerns that need to be addressed and I appreciate efforts like that of Abanes to address specific questions and concerns raised in Dan Brown’s work of fiction. Abanes approaches in a very systematic way both the major contentions of the Da Vinci Code as well as addressing factual errors contained in Brown’s novel.

Even before reading the Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, I recognized a number of factual errors which encouraged me to research further. I think the primary purpose of Abanes book should serve the same purpose: to encourage us to do more research and to have more discussion about the major contentions of the book. We should first of all move back into the New Testament. That should be our starting place. What did the Bible say about Mary Magdalene and about any marriage between her and Jesus? Does the New Testament state conclusively that Jesus was never married?

I am thankful for Abanes effort and will use it as part of larger faith discussions in classes at our church. I think that this book or similar ones can help guide us into examining larger faith issues together and help us grow in our understanding of what it means to be Christian.
- Minister Stephen K. Fisher

The DaVinci Code is not the first, nor will it be the last novel to advertise itself as historical fiction. It will not be the last to include authorial claims regarding its factual accuracy.

The reason it has received so much attention from the Christian community is because of its attacks upon Christ and Scripture. Even these attacks, however, are not new. They have been there many times in the past; often with much greater intensity. What has made this so signficiant is media hype.

If one refuses to continue gossip, eventually that gossip dies. If one responds with kindness, anger soon dissipates. Part of the problem with the Davinci Code issue is the response of the evangelical community. If we drop the intense reaction to it, the novelness will fade and soon will be gone. We, in the church, may be "fueling the fire." Dan Brown was not searching for truth. He was writing a historical novel to sell books, which he has done. His method is no different than James Mitchener; just that his topic is more volatile.

Richad Abanes' book "The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code" is a good clear rebuttal of Brown's book, but I am not sure how much we need it. One would do much better to apply the principle of Philippians 4:8 in this matter.
- Rev. Richard Gilbert

It should not surprise the Church in America that a book such as the Da Vinci Code should gain a great following. It is hard to find truth any more. The definition of truth must be singular. That is to say there can only be one truth. It is beyond logic to say that it is possible to have multiple truths. Yet that is what sells in our society, attempts by people to pass off so called multiple truths.

The Behind the Da Vinci Code is a very helpful tool for pastors and congregational members to be reminded that there are indisputable truths that give foundation historical Christianity. Throughout the book, Richard Abanes has presented the logical facts of God’s word, coupled with history facts to debunk the lie and contradictions of the book Da Vinci Code. For anyone presenting a study on the fiction of the book the Da Vinci Code, this book is a must. Richard Abanes holds the author of the DaVinci Code, Dan Brown, to the accountability of the facts.

Publicity sells books. It seems that the controversy over the Da Vinci Code has resulted in a financial boom for the author. The tragedy is that he was never required by the publishers to declare that the Da Vinci Code was fiction. He passed it off as fact, and the modern reader, already uninformed of Biblical truth became entrapped. I recommend to pastors and church leaders the study of this book, and through that reading prepare themselves for an apologetic that discredits the attempt of Dan Brown to present his writing as true Christianity.
- Andy Kerr