Secrets of the Code

by Burstein, Daniel; De Keijzer, Arne; Bernstein, John (CON); Shugarts, David A. (CON)

• ISBN13: 9781593150228
• ISBN10: 1593150229
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-04-01
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

Secrets of the Code, a five-monthNew York Timesbestseller, is a sweeping tour, guided by renowned experts, through the many provocative ideas raised inThe Da Vinci Code. With excerpts from many original works, all-new material, and interviews with prominent scholars exploring the novel's underlying themes,Secrets of the Codewill satisfy your curiosity, engage your imagination, and provide you with insights to better understand the historical and religious issues of the novel.

Author Biography

Dan Burstein is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of six prior books on subjects ranging from China and Japan to the digital technology revolution. He is currently developing books on the future of the Internet, blogs and blogging, and nanotechnology. He is founder of Millennium Technology Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm that invests in innovative companies. Burstein has often written about the mysteries and complexities of the future. This is his first book that focuses on mysteries and complexities of the past. Visit www.secretsofthecode.com for the latest news and information.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note	xiii
Introduction: Searching for Sophia	xv
BOOK I The Drama of Herstory, History, and Heresy
Part I Mary Magdalene and the Sacred Feminine
1 Mary Magdalene How a Woman of Substance Was Harlotized by History	5	(56)
Mary Magdalene: Saint or Sinner? by David Van Biema	9	(4)
Sacred Sex and Divine Love: A Radical Reconceptualization of Mary Magdalene by Lynn Picknett	13	(7)
The Woman With the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail by Margaret Starbird	20	(3)
Mary Magdalene: The Model for Women in the Church An Interview with Susan Haskins	23	(4)
Mary Magdalene: Myth and Metaphor by Susan Haskins	27	(11)
Mary Magdalene: Beyond the Myth by Esther de Boer	38	(7)
"The Da Vinci Code uses fiction as a means to interpret historical obscurity ..." An Interview with Deirdre Good	45	(3)
Critiquing the Conspiracy Theory An Interview with Katherine Ludwig Jansen	48	(3)
The Beliefnet Debate	51	(1)
A Quite Contrary Mary by Kenneth Woodward	51	(4)
Letting Mary Magdalene Speak by Karen L. King	55	(4)
"Is It Sinful to Engage in Sex within Marriage?" An Interview with Rev. Richard P. McBrien	59	(2)
2 The Sacred Feminine	61	(26)
God Does Not Look Like a Man An Interview with Margaret L. Starbird	62	(4)
Mary and Jesus: Re-enacting Ancient Fertility Cults? by Margaret L. Starbird	66	(1)
Royal Blood and Mary's Vine by Margaret L. Starbird	67	(1)
The Gnostic Tradition and the Divine Mother by Elaine Pagels	68	(3)
The Godman and the Goddess An Interview with Timothy Freke	71	(1)
Sophia's Journey: The Pagan Goddess of the Centuries Lost in the Modern Christian World by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy	72	(10)
The Chalice and the Blade: Archaeology, Anthropology, and the Sacred Feminine by Riane Eisler	82	(5)
Part II Echoes of the Hidden Past
3 The Lost Gospels	87	(28)
An Astonishing Find: The Keys to the Alternate Tradition and Their Meaning for Today by Elaine Pagels	88	(9)
What the Nag Hammadi Texts Have to Tell Us About "Liberated" Christianity An Interview with James M. Robinson	97	(3)
What Was Lost Is Found: A Wider View of Christianity and Its Roots An Interview with Elaine Pagels	100	(5)
The Gospel of Thomas by Helmut Koester	105	(1)
The Gospel of Thomas Translated by Thomas O. Lambdin	106	(1)
The Gospel of Philip by Wesley W. Isenberg	107	(1)
The Gospel of Philip Translated by Wesley W. Isenberg	108	(1)
The Gospel of Mary by Karen King	109	(2)
The Gospel of Mary Translated by George W. MacRae and R. McL. Wilson	111	(1)
Introducing the Sophia of Christ by Douglas M. Parrott	112	(1)
The Sophia of Jesus Christ Translated by Douglas M. Parrott	113	(2)
4 The Early Days of Christianities	115	(16)
The Pagan Mysteries Behind Early Christianity by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy	120	(5)
Early Mainstream Christianity Did Not Mean Simply Following Jesus by Lance S. Owens	125	(1)
Diverging Views on Mythic Beginnings: Was Genesis History with a Moral, or a Myth with Meaning? by Stephan A. Hoeller	126	(4)
Errors of Religious Omission and Commission in The DaVinci Code by Bart D. Ehrman	130	(1)
5 Consolidation or Cover-up? The Establishment of the One True Faith	131	(31)
The Jesus Mysteries by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy	133	(3)
Was Jesus Real? An Interview with Timothy Freke	136	(1)
God's Word or Human Words? by Elaine Pagels	137	(8)
The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Didn't Get a Chance to Know Interview with Bart D. Ehrtnan	145	(3)
Heretics, Women, Magicians, and Mystics: The Fight to Become the One True Faith	148	(10)
Why Were the Gnostics Considered Such a Threat? by Lance S. Owens	158	(1)
Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Collin Hansen	159	(3)
6 Secret Societies	162	(39)
Recollections of a Gnostic Mass by John Castro	164	(4)
Templar Revelation by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince	168	(5)
Researching Western Civilization's Darkest Secrets An Interview with Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince	173	(4)
Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln	177	(12)
Opus Dei in the United States by James Martin, Si	189	(7)
Opus Dei Responds to The Da Vinci Code	196	(5)
Part III Keeping the Secrets Secret
7 The Mystery of Codes	201	(10)
Da Vinci: Father of Cryptography by Michelle Delio	203	(2)
The Human Mind Is Designed to Find Patterns An Interview with Simon Singh	205	(3)
Is God a Mathematician? An Interview with Brendan McKay	208	(2)
Anagram Fun	210	(1)
8 Leonardo and His Secrets: The Secret Language of Architectural Symbolism	211	(27)
The Secret Code of Leonardo da Vinci by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince	212	(10)
Thinking Far Outside the Frame by Lynn Picknett	222	(2)
Trying to Make Sense of Leonardo's "Faded Smudge" An Interview with Denise Budd	224	(5)
"No, I do not believe there is a woman in the Last Supper ... An Interview with Diane Apostolos-Cappadona	229	(3)
Musings on the Manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci by Sherwin B. Nuland	232	(6)
9 Temples of Symbols, Cathedrals of Codes	238
Paris: In the Footsteps of The Da Vinci Code by David Downie	239	(2)
The "Symbology" of The Da Vinci Code An Interview with Diane Apostolos-Cappadona	241	(7)
Rosslyn Chapel: The Cathedral of Codes and Symbols	248	(5)
BOOK II The Da Vinci Code Revealed
Part I 24 Hours, Two Cities, and the Future of Western Civilization
10 Apocrypha and Revelations	253	(36)
The Plot Holes and Intriguing Details of The Da Vinci Code by David Shugarts	254	(29)
Following the Rose Line From Rosslyn to ... Florence? Thoughts about the Last Act of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Burstein	283	(6)
Part II Reviews and Commentaries on The Da Vinci Code
11 Commentary, Criticism, and Observations	289	(34)
The Real da Vinci Code by Lynn Picknett	291	(4)
Religious Fiction by David Klinghffer	295	(2)
The Da Vinci Con by Laura Miller	297	(3)
French Confection by Amy Bernstein	300	(5)
What the French Are Saying About The Da Vinci Code by David Downie	305	(1)
A Philosopher Looks at The Da Vinci Code by Glenn W. Erickson	306	(4)
A Collision of Indiana Jones and Joseph Campbell The Web Interviewer Craig McDonald Interviews Dan Brown	310	(6)
The Latin Etymology of The Da Vinci Code by David Burstein	316	(7)
12 Sophie's Library	323	(6)
A Rose by Any Other Name: A Guide to Who's Who in The Da Vinci Code by David A. Shugarts	323	(6)
Glossary	329	(34)
Web Resources by Betsy Eble	363	(4)
Contributors	367	(6)
Acknowledgments	373