The
Real Da Vinci Code (Documentary)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: D Film: B
The success of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel The Da
Vinci Code has sparked controversy, conversation, and confusion. Many of his assertions, and much of what he
claims as historical fact is debatable.
A search for the truth has been launched as people once again become
interested in the mystery of the Holy Grail.
The Real Da Vinci Code, originally aired on the
Discovery Channel and released by Acorn Media, seems to be an attempt to debunk
most of the claims Brown makes. Host
Tony Robinson embarks on his own quest for the Holy Grail, following the clues
provided in the book (Robinson is probably best known as the lovably dimwitted
Baldric in the BBC comedy Blackadder, an apropos choice; Grail stories
traditionally feature a fool as the hero).
Written stories of the Grail began in the 12th century
with Chrétien de Troyes Percival; the Story of the Grail (though it is likely
that an oral tradition preceded this).
The Grail, supposedly the cup Christ drank from at The Last Supper,
possesses great powers as a holy relic.
Brown’s most audacious and controversial claim is that the Grail is not
an object, but a person, Mary Magdalene, and that Magdalene carried Jesus’ child.
Brown’s claims about Magdalene are not new; a book
entitled The Holy Blood, The Holy Grail came out in the early 80s. There is some historical evidence that
Magdalene played a larger role in Christ’s life than the traditional gospels
indicate. The Gnostic Gospels found
among the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to a close relationship with Jesus without
ever defining it. Based on these
documents it does seem likely that she was one of his disciples. There is no evidence for Brown’s claim of
marriage or pregnancy.
Brown cites many sources but offers little proof. Robinson’s quest uncovers blatant mistakes
in hiss research as well as outright fictions.
The Priory of Sion, one of the main organizations in the book of which
Da Vinci is said to have belonged, appears to be little more than a hoax
perpetrated by frauds in the mid-20th century.
The Grail is a traditional feminine symbol, the object of
a quest undertaken by knights with the very masculine symbol of the sword. It is a mystery, and the fact that we are
still searching for it says something about the human need for mystery. It has shaken the traditional Christian view
at a time when many are trying to find a new vision of Christianity. Neither the book nor the documentary
mentions the earlier pre-Christian Grail stories wherein the Grail is the
Cauldron of the Goddess with many of the same powers ascribed to it. There may never have been an actual Grail,
and if we were ever to find one it would simply be a cup, stripped of its
symbolic power. As an image which
represents the object of our personal quest, it maintains its power. The mystery remains.
- Wayne Wise
Wayne Wise has read way too much about the Holy Grail. You
can read more about him at www.wayne-wise.com.
