Okay, like it not here’s my take:
If you read eclectically about Christianity you know that especially since the 1950’s there has been, in the United States at least, a growing curiosity about Jesus as a historical figure. Scholarly research and writing have followed. We have all witnessed the scholarly duels between such men as Raymond Brown and John Dominic Crossan.
But, although these writers have penned books for popular consumption that avoid technical jargon and don’t require professional command of Hebrew, Greek and Latin, they still tend somewhat to prolixity and require some concentration from the non-professional reader, such as I am.
Dan Brown has found a niche in the popular culture that wants to be spoonfed facts about the historical Jesus and not be bothered with details or concentrated study.
There is nothing new in the Da Vinci Code. The myth of the Merovingians is just another attempt to justify the right to rule. (A more modern version is to consider how many German politicians “found” that they werre decended from Charlemagne.) The history of the Knights Templar and their extermination has been the stuff of scandal and mystery for decades. It is all old hat - to those who read a little deeper.
But, Brown has found a way to make these subjects interesting even fascinating to the general reader.
Sure, as one poster above noted, his writing is poor. But good writing doesn’t always mean everything. Bill Clinton’s biography sold millions of copies and will sell millions more. Remember how Truman Capote criticized Jack Kerouac’s On the Road as being typing not writing? Well, recently the manuscript of On the Road was on display at a major university and is garnering high praise.
The DaVinci Code is just a popular fictional novel that has captured public imagination.
