People are talking. The DaVinci Code has been on the New York Times best-seller list for almost a year and is raising a variety of responses from Christians and non-Christians alike. Some are outraged and upset by the claims of Dan Brown, while others are left utterly confused and don't know what to believe. The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction? explodes the myths of the book and shows the reliability of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, as well as the historical facts for the Priory of Zion and the Knights Templar. This is the only hands-on accessible reference guide. The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction? helps you turn debate about the book into an evangelistic opportunity.

There are two very impressive reasons to get this book. The first is that one of the authors is the renowned "Bible Answer Man" Hank Hanegraaff; the other is that the book is only 69 pages long! Paul Maier actually writes the first half of the book refuting actual portions of The Da Vinci Code with facts, historical evidence, and a critical analysis of the wild assumptions and conclusions that author Dan Brown expects the reader to swallow when reading his worldwide best-seller. Maier tells the truth about what is really known about the Priory of Sion, gives a more accurate historical perspective of Constantine, addresses the assertion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene wed, and discusses the Knights Templar and the sacred feminine angle twisted by Brown. Then Maier pulls out dozens of quotes from The Da Vinci Code and refutes them point by point.



The remaining half of the book is a presentation of the truth by the Bible Answer Man himself. Hanegraaff gives the reader evidence for the historical accuracy and authenticity of Scripture as well as for the claims of divinity of Jesus Christ himself centering it on the truth of the bodily resurrection of Christ.



This book is a very good read for any Christian wishing to prepare for conversations with individuals who have read The Da Vinci Code or in preparation for the release of the movie in May. It is well written and at a level that most people can comprehend, digest and restate when needed in conversation.

The claims of Dan Brown for the historical accuracy for his novel The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent fallout have produced an entire new genre in the Christian book publishing industry that promises to reach new heights as the date for the release of the film based on Brown's book looms. A number of these books are fairly comprehensive affairs seeking to completely vanquish every assertion counter to traditional Christian belief. In The Da Vinci Code - Fact or Fiction?, Hank Hanegraaff do not attempt to track down every single wrong claim - merely listing them could take more than the roughly eighty pages of this small book - but rather seek to buttress the faith of those confused by the wide media attention given to The Da Vinci Code phenomenon by demonstrating there is no factual basis for its claims and then asserting there is a factual basis for the Christian faith.

The first part of the book, dealing with Brown's claims, falls to Paul L. Maier. Maier, a professor of anicent history at Western Michigan Univerity, has a firm grasp of the issues involved and presents a brief survey that demonstrates the historical inaccuracies that plague The Da Vinci Code on almost every page. It is helpful that Dr. Maier also has a fine pedagogical style and a sense of humor - both of which serve him well in presenting the evidence to those who may not be familiar with historical research on the New Testament and patristic periods.

Hank Hanegraaff, host of the popular radio program The Bible Answer Man, takes on the second task and gives support for the veracity of the Christian faith. Making an argument from manuscript evidence, archeology, and fulfilled prophecy, Hanegraaff points out that Christians has no need to wince at unbiased crtical investigation since continued efforts have only added strength to their claims.

Overall, this is a very good effort and serves a niche in The Da Vinci Code criticism. There are more comprehensive works and those that have a more philosphical or academic purpose but few that would explain the errors in Brown's writing to an audience that might feel overwhelmed by such treatments. As a quick survey of the topic for Christians who might not be comfortable wading through all the fine points of the arguements, The Da Vinci Code - Fact or Fiction? will put their minds at rest and strengthen their confidence in the historical claims of Christianity. For its intended audience, it comes highly recommended.

When I first heard about the Da Vinci Code, I wondered how Christian apologists would respond. And I can honestly say that I was shocked. I was shocked at the fact that an absurd number of books have been written trying to debunk the sillyness that Dan Brown presents in his work.

But with all that aside, I found Hanegraaff's and Maier's book to serve its purpose. In fact, what I appreciated most about this short book (71 pages) was the fact that it is the only one of its kind. Nearly all the "debunking the Da Vinci Code" books are full length. And for most people reading the Da Vinci Code, who are usually layment, they aren't going to want to read a rebuttal that is longer than the book itself. Most people just want the answers, straight up: Was Jesus Married? Is the Bible reliable? What about the Gnostic Gospels? So, if you want basic answers to these basic questions, then I would highly recommend this book.

Paul Maier is a very accomplished historian. So if anyone has the credibility to write a rebuttal to Brown's fanatical ideas, it would be him. And I may be wrong about this, but I think the only reason that Hank Hanegraaff played a part in this book was so that it would sell. I think that Maier would have been well suited to take on the whole taks.

The book is divided into two parts: The Historical fabrications presented in the Da Vinci Code (by Maier), and The Reliability of the Bible (by Hanegraaff). The only complaint I would have against Maier was that he dealt with issues that didn't really matter to me, as a Christian. For me, it is irrelevant if Da Vinci did what Dan Brown claimed he did, or if the Priory of Sion was a real organization. What matters to me is whether or not the Bible is reliable. But it was rather interesting to read Maier's responses to Dan Brown's historical blunders.

Hank Hanegraaff's section was very surface level. I feel that he could have spent more time dealing with textual criticism than he did with the diety of Christ. I feel that textual criticism is becoming more and more relevant, especially considering the popularity of works such as Bart Ehrmans "Misquoting Jesus." At best, the only skeptics who are going to benefit from Hanegraaff's section are those who seek to use this as an opportunity to study the issues more in depth.

Overall, I was pleased with this book, although I didn't really learn a whole lot from it. If you are the kind that likes to pass out tracts to unbelievers, then this book would be excellent. It can be purchased in large packs for a very reasonable price, and provides short and concise answers to most of the ideas raised in the Da Vinci Code.

This book is NOT an attempt to dispassionately analyze the truth about the Da Vinci Code, but rather an attempt to debunk it. The only book I have seen which looks at the Da Vinci Code objectively is a book by the SCHOLAR Bart D. Ehrman, Fact and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code. THAT'S a book worth reading; not this pathetic attempt.

This book was very helpful I think. Dr. Paul Maier focused on refuting the fraudulent claims of the Da Vinci Code, and Hank Hanegraaff focuses on evidence for Christianity. As he said, and I agree with him, it isn't enough to simply show why the Da Vinci Code is wrong - we also have to prove that Christianity is true. I liked this approach because, not only is the Da Vinci Code refuted, it is actually used as a witnessing opportunity. This is a great tool for Christians to use to witness to non-Christian friends, not only to equip themselves to deal with the Da Vinci Code themselves, but to share with their non-Christian friends.

I was originally concerned that the shortness of this book would limit the usefulness of this resource, but I did not find this to be the case. This is still a very good resource and a devastating critique of "The Da Vinci Code." It's a bit short to cover everything in each topic of course, especially in apologetics, but I thought that the authors did a good job of getting a lot of information into a small space. They are very concise and provide you with the important details. Some other books I have read tend to waste time with trivial details and more minor claims of the Da Vinci Code, without providing an alternative. This book successfully avoids that, and shows that the main points of the Da Vinci Code are just plain wrong, and that the Bible IS a trustworthy book.

This is a great resource for people who were confused by the Da Vinci Code, in particular a Christian who the Da Vinci Code caused to question his/her faith or someone who you have been witnessing to.