Where Facts and Fiction Meet: The Biblical Christ in a Da Vinci Code Society

An addition to the burgeoning array of materials revolving around Dan Brown's bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code (now a major motion picture), this smartly-produced documentary is divided into six 15-minute segments: “The Historical and Biblical Jesus,” “Ancient and Modern Gnosticism,” “The Real Words of Christ,” “Jesus, Mary, and the Role of Women in the Early Church,” “The Messiah, Myths, and the Holy Grail,” and “Reaching the Da Vinci Code Society.” Appropriately illustrated with a beautiful array of artworks, the sections offer biblical and historical documentation to counter assertions from the book (with passages from the novel displayed onscreen with page citations), and the program concludes with a recap of the main issues raised by the novel: Did Jesus marry? Did He and Mary Magdalene have children? Did Leonardo encode messages in his paintings? DVD extras include discussion questions and a photo gallery. Intelligently conceived and produced, this is a superior tool for Christian study groups as well as individuals. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (J. Reed)