Truth and Fiction in the Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine

Dan Brown?s popular work of fiction, The Da Vinci Code has been an enormous publishing success. But this fast-paced mystery is unusual in that the author states up front that the historical information in the book is all factually accurate. But is this claim true? In the new book The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code: A Historian Reveals What We Really Know About Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Constantine, noted historian Bart D. Ehrman asks if there is any truth to Brown?s "historical backdrop" and the claims made about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Constantine the Great, and the formation of the canon of scriptures.

Unlike many other critiques of Brown?s novel, Ehrman focuses on the historical foundations of the text and seeks to separate the fact from fiction about the historical beginnings of Christianity, especially in the life of Jesus and the writings that make up the New Testament:

• Did the ancient church engage in a cover-up to make the man Jesus into a divine figure?
• Did Emperor Constantine select for the New Testament-from some 80-contending Gospels?the only four Gospels that stressed that Jesus was divine?
• Was Jesus Christ married to Mary Magdalene?
• Did the Church suppress Gospels that revealed the secret to their marriage?

Ehrman examines all of these claims and also offers a wealth of background information about other aspects of early Christianity, such as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (which are not Christian in content, contrary to The Da Vinci Code). Ehrman also reveals how scholars of early Christianity establish "proof" from the myriad of conflicting sources surrounding the historical Jesus, Mary, the Christian church, the writings of the Gospel, and the role of Constantine, in order to debunk the allegations that The Da Vinci Code makes.

Curiosity about the origin of Christianity and religious iconography has been peaked by such sources as The Da Vinci Code and Mel Gibson?s The Passion of Christ. The insight that Ehrman brings to this subject far surpasses these blockbusters and sheds new light on the life of Jesus and the writings that make up the New Testament.

A staggeringly popular work of fiction, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has stood atop The New York Times Bestseller List for well over a year, with millions of copies in print. But this fast-paced mystery is unusual in that the author states up front that the historical information in the book is all factually accurate. But is this claim true?

As historian Bart D. Ehrman shows in this informative and witty book, The Da Vinci Code is filled with numerous historical mistakes. Did the ancient church engage in a cover-up to make the man Jesus into a divine figure? Did Emperor Constantine select for the New Testament--from some 80 contending Gospels--the only four Gospels that stressed that Jesus was divine? Was Jesus Christ married to Mary Magdalene? Did the Church suppress Gospels that told the secret of their marriage? Bart Ehrman thoroughly debunks all of these claims. But the book is not merely a laundry list of Brown's misreading of history. Throughout, Ehrman offers a wealth of fascinating background information--all historically accurate--on early Christianity. He describes, for instance, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (which are not Christian in content, contrary to The Da Vinci Code); outlines in simple terms how scholars of early Christianity determine which sources are most reliable; and explores the many other Gospels that have been found in the last half century.

Ehrman separates fact from fiction, the historical realities from the flights of literary fancy. Readers of The Da Vinci Code who would like to know the truth about the beginnings of Christianity and the life of Jesus will find this book riveting.

Bart D. Ehrman chairs the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. One of the major public experts on early Christianity, Jesus, and the New Testament, he is very well known in his field and to a general audience through his books Lost Christianities, Lost Scriptures, and the forthcoming Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. He has appeared on A&E, The History Channel, CNN, and other TV and radio shows, and has taped several highly popular lecture series for the "Teaching Company."