The recent cultural phenomenon surrounding Dan Brown’s fictional novel The Da Vinci Code has much in common with the 90’s appeal of Chris Carter’s TV series, The X-Files. Both seem to be taking advantage of an attitude of suspicion that characterizes much of the postmodern generation. While Brown’s cast of Langdon and Sophia stealthily rush from one clue to another through Parisian back alleys, FBI Agents, Mulder and Scully, rummage through one X-File conspiracy theory after another in search of a truth that Carter insists is “out there.” Yet, while both Brown and Carter warn their viewers to “trust no one” they nonetheless enthrone themselves as the source of their respective truth. The real truth, however, is that the X-Files is science fiction, and The Da Vinci Code is ecclesiastical fiction!

Postmoderns are suspicious individuals. They quickly reject authority as powerful suppressors and manipulators of history while uncritically becoming disciples of any and all conspiracy theories. Ciphers and mythologies have replaced definitions and creeds . . . superstition and cultural paranoia conflict with logic and enduring faith.

The articles on this web page have been assembled to provide real seekers of “Truth” with an opportunity for honest dialogue. Since Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is based on so many inaccuracies - our goal is to help set an appropriate basis for a healthy discussion concerning the cultural merits of Christianity by first setting the historical, scriptural and theological record straight!

Father Frank Marangos
Executive Director of Communications
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese

Current Articles

The Da Vinci Code: The X-Files of Ancient Lies
Rev. Fr. Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D.
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9555.asp

The early Church spent much of its time debunking heresies. Wrestling with the chaos of contending beliefs the Church was compelled to differentiate itself between Marcionism, Arianism, Nestorianism and other ancient lies by legitimately formulating its theological views through the gathering of both clergy and laity in Ecumenical Councils...Read More »

The Da Vinci Code: Decoding the Agenda
Rev. Fr. Theodore Stylianopoulos, Th.D.
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9576.asp

Literature and film, as all art, do not merely entertain.  It is in their nature to convey the principles and values of their creators and so they instruct in subtle or not-so-subtle ways.   Much has been written and said about Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. Potential viewers, as they evaluate the film for themselves, ought to be mindful of the whopping historical falsehoods on which the book is based...Read More »

Embracing the Mystery Behind the Cross and Scrapping the Da Vinci Code
Rev. Fr. Charles Joanides, Ph.D., LMFT
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9550.asp

There is a book that has captured the world’s attention called The Da Vinci Code. This book is a work of fiction, but many are arguing that it is based on certain secrets that have been suppressed for centuries by the Catholic Church...Read More »

Debunking The Da Vinci Code
Rev. Fr. Steven Tsichlis
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9540.asp

The Da Vinci Code is a murder mystery shrouded in a conspiracy theory, a novelistic thriller, an airplane book, the kind of book you read when you want to waste time, an easy read that combines a fast narrative pace with short chapters...Read More »

The Christ Code: Sermon on the Myrrhbearing Women Sunday
Rev. Fr. Dumitru Macaila, Ph.D.
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9568.asp

It has been called a brainy thriller. Exceedingly clever! A gripping mix of murder and myth! A spellbinding re-examination of 2,000 years of Christian history! You’ve probably read it: The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown’s popular page-turner soared to the top of The New York Times best-seller list, and became the topic of heated conversations in book clubs and Bible studies across the country...Read More »

A Lexicographical Look at the Da Vinci Code
Rev. Fr. Mark Sietsema, Ph.D.
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9579.asp

The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction—this is a point that the author, Dan Brown, has repeatedly emphasized in the face of critical analysis of his novel. And yet no sophisticated reader can be quite satisfied with that response. ...Read More »

The Da Vinci Code Movie (Not Based on a True Story)
Rev. Fr. Angelo Artemas
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9539.asp

It has been three years since Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code first became a bestseller, and fascination with the novel has led to a movie produced by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks...Read More »

What are the Apocrypha and the Da Vinci Code Claims?
Presbytera Eugenia Constantinou
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9547.asp

In general, "apocrypha" refers to books that were rejected from the canon of Scripture. But the term has different meanings depending upon if it is applied to the Old or New Testaments and whether Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox Christians use it...Read More »

Who is Jesus?
Rev. Deacon Evangelos Evangelidis
http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article9567.asp

Many people are intrigued by the claims presented about Jesus Christ, Church history, and Christianity in Dan Brown’s best selling fictional thriller, the Da Vinci Code. It has been an extremely popular novel which has sold over 30 million copies world wide and has been translated into many languages. The Da Vinci Code has also been turned into a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks...

Malista!