By Dominique Rose Dan Brown's The
Da Vinci Code postulates a theory that is not new, but certainly is more topical as the world changes, women's issues become less marginalized and our formerly
male dominated sphere becomes more balanced between the sexes. The story, built
on historical truths is largely fictional, and while the main theme is that
of finding the Holy Grail, it at the same time challenges the value system of
the thinking Christian and other religions by posing four main questions: biblical
validity, the divine feminine, the humanness versus the divinity of Jesus and
what exactly is the Holy Grail.
Biblical validity
is questioned in a way that looks at the truth and symbolism to suggest the
dogma of inspiration is contrived, in as much as the book as we know it, is
a result of the Council of Nicea. Past lessons of biblical facts, symbolism
and truths are replayed in the viewer's mind. It is easy to bypass the discussion
on the divine feminine, as the movie does not detail the concept as well as
the novel does. However, Christians are challenged as there seems to be an exclusion
(a deliberate manoeuvre of the Council of Nicea according The Da Vinci Code)
of an active holy feminine figure, much less a divine feminine as seen in other
ancient near east cults in the form of Aschar or Isis. Dan Brown in The Da Vinci
Code makes a case of conspiracy in that the essential divine feminine figure
is excluded by the domination of a macho-patriarchal church intent on subjugating
all femininity and replacing it with a male mystery in Christian worship of
the Trinity.
Further, it questions
the Christian fundamental belief that Jesus is divine and is the Son of God;
and in so doing it postulates the possibility of the humanness of Jesus - the
son of Mary versus a divine Messiah in Jesus - the Son of God. The divinity
or humanness of Jesus is also central to the plot of The Da Vinci Code. A human
Jesus dispels prior knowledge, comfort levels and status quo as we know it.
A human Jesus with a love interest is the carpenter, the son of Mary having
no bearing to a God-sent Messiah. Refer Mark 6:3 "is this not the carpenter,
the son of Mary". Even then, doubts existed that were proved to persons
before belief was concretised as in Mark 15:39 "truly this was the Son
of God".
Moreover, the human
Jesus is purported to have married Mary Magdalene, who was herself from the
same royal bloodline as Jesus. According to The Da Vinci Code, it is Mary Magdalene
who is the Holy Grail or the holy vessel bearing the bloodline of Jesus as the
mother of his child - Sarah, and not the chalice of the Last Supper.
The movie challenges
the strength of the individual's and community's faith convictions, but should
inspire a quest for learning to re-assure and strengthen both individual and
community in an age of increasing knowledge and openness.
Dominique
Rose is a student at St. Michael's Theological College who is pursuing the Certificate
in Biblical Studies.
