The Da Vinci Code as an industry
• Catholic , • Christian Pop Culture , • New Age (Old Silliness) , • The Da Vinci Code , • Wishful Thinking
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said "You can find that book everywhere and the risk is that many people who read it believe that those fairy tales are real". Could it be that the Cardinal and the Church are afraid that the people may actually get to see the truth about religion? Should the Cardinal need reminding that the Bible was written more than 2,000 years ago and that there is no proof that Jesus was never married.
Cardinal wants to gag "Da Vinci Code" and theories on "Holy Grail"
In his report James [Finn] looks at the Grail itself and believes that it is not a cup or plate, as others have suggested, but a symbol that offers a message concerning the end of times.
It is his belief that after the last Superwave event we were given the knowledge of the next one, and this information was passed on over the years. It was also known that before the arrival of the superwave the star people would arrive (mentioned as angels in the Bible). However, following a minor superwave event around 3400 BC something happened that caused this information to effectively become lost. Because this event was only a "minor" superwave, there was no need for the star people to come. Thinking that the star people had abandoned them, they believed that the information they were given was false and decided to worship "new" Gods in the hope of being "saved".
Does the Holy Grail refer to Galactic Superwave?
“It’s amazing how many Brits want to live in Cathar country,” says Judith Fear. She moved more than a year ago to Puilaurens, a small village at the foot of Puilaurens Castle. There are five so-called Cathar castles, also known as the “sons of Carcassonne”, which became heretic strongholds, and were later enlarged by the French crown as a defence against Spain. They are all remote and perched on vertigo-inducing mountain tops, with spectacular views across the countryside. The most stunning of these is Peyrepertuse.
Fear moved to the region because of an interest in the Holy Grail. So do her neighbours look like Christ? “More like the anti-Christ,” she says.
If the "Harry Potter" books stand as the essential popular read for young people, then "The Da Vinci Code" has captured the crown for grown-ups. A word-of-mouth sensation from the moment it came out, Brown's controversial mix of storytelling and speculation remains high on best-seller lists even as it begins its third year since publication.
Twenty-five million books, in 44 languages, are in print worldwide and no end is in sight. Booksellers expect The Da Vinci Code to remain a best-seller well into 2005. A planned film version by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind") should bring in even more readers. And at a time when consumers are supposedly minding their budgets, sales for the $24.95 hardcover have been so good that Doubleday still has set no date for a paperback.
"It's been our No. 1 fiction book for two years in a row, and I can't remember another time that happened," said Bob Wietrak, vice president of merchandising for Barnes & Noble Inc. "People come into our store all the time and ask for it or ask for books that are like it."
The Da Vinci Code's amazing success: Two years later, book still dominating charts
So successful is this novel that a whole industry has sprung up in the two years since its publication. On the Eurostar to Paris last month I spotted passengers deep into Decoding Da Vinci, The Da Vinci Hoax, and What Christians Believe (the book has shaken the faith of some and angered the Catholic church with its "revelation" that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child). Eurostar credits The Da Vinci Code for a 15 per cent rise in bookings in the past year. Paris, where most of the action is set, is also cashing in. Several tour operators, art historians and self-appointed experts are now offering insider views of the sites and symbols, legends and lore featured in the book.
I had reserved a place on The Da Vinci Code Walking Tour via the internet, and was instructed to meet at the Ritz at 2pm. It was from here that Robert Langdon was hauled to the Louvre at midnight by the French police; today there were only tourists drinking coffee in the Hemingway bar - and an international gaggle of Dan Brown disciples, one clutching The Da Vinci Code.
Comments
Posted by: Shinka | March 21, 2005 1:31 PM
Posted by: Richard Evans Lee | March 22, 2005 7:39 AM