The Da Vinci code
Iain Pears is one of my favourite writers. (I like him even better now I see from his biography that he also did a PhD and went onto make a life outside the academy.) I first came across him in An Instance of the Fingerpost. It's a brilliant novel that should be dangled in front of anyone who thinks 17th-century England is dull. I first heard of the healer Valentine Greatrakes through it and I remember Pears everytime I come across his name.
It's rather a long time since I read the book so I'm a bit hazy on the plotline. I also don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. Let's just say that a theory about the Messiah comes into it that's quite unlike the conventional Jesus Christ story. The next time I see a copy I'll check the back to see where Pears got the idea from. I don't know if he invented it or whether it was an actual theory current at the time. I do remember the thrill I felt from reading a Messiah story that included a woman and wasn't the official church version. Alternative stories like this with strong female elements must be popular with a lot of people. I'm sure it explains why The Da Vinci Code has been so popular with its Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child plotline. I've been reading Elaine Pagels' book about the Gnostic Gospels and I felt a similar thrill at finding that some early Christians thought God was female and that there are stories very much outside modern Church teachings.
When I first heard people talking about The Da Vinci code I imagined that it would be like another Instance of the Fingerpost. I still haven't read it but I'm reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons at the moment. He's not a bad thriller writer but he's nothing compared to Pears. I saw Tony Robinson's two hour deconstruction of Brown's theories on Channel 4 the other night. Of course conspiracy theorists will still be able to say that the priory of sion exists etc. . and that confessions of fakery are just a cover. (One interesting point covered by the programme and this site is that the holy grail was a medieval invention.)
I'm leaving the comments open on this post so if anyone can enlighten me on the origins of the Messiah plotline in Pears' novel I'd love to hear from you.
It's rather a long time since I read the book so I'm a bit hazy on the plotline. I also don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. Let's just say that a theory about the Messiah comes into it that's quite unlike the conventional Jesus Christ story. The next time I see a copy I'll check the back to see where Pears got the idea from. I don't know if he invented it or whether it was an actual theory current at the time. I do remember the thrill I felt from reading a Messiah story that included a woman and wasn't the official church version. Alternative stories like this with strong female elements must be popular with a lot of people. I'm sure it explains why The Da Vinci Code has been so popular with its Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child plotline. I've been reading Elaine Pagels' book about the Gnostic Gospels and I felt a similar thrill at finding that some early Christians thought God was female and that there are stories very much outside modern Church teachings.
When I first heard people talking about The Da Vinci code I imagined that it would be like another Instance of the Fingerpost. I still haven't read it but I'm reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons at the moment. He's not a bad thriller writer but he's nothing compared to Pears. I saw Tony Robinson's two hour deconstruction of Brown's theories on Channel 4 the other night. Of course conspiracy theorists will still be able to say that the priory of sion exists etc. . and that confessions of fakery are just a cover. (One interesting point covered by the programme and this site is that the holy grail was a medieval invention.)
I'm leaving the comments open on this post so if anyone can enlighten me on the origins of the Messiah plotline in Pears' novel I'd love to hear from you.
posted by Ephelia at 5:12 오후
2 Comments:
First of all, nice to find you again - thanks for the email. But I have to ask, why is your blog, or at least the furniture, in Thai? I used to read Thai quite well, but am now pretty rusty, so I've been forced to spell it all out like a 3yo - although it is nice to know that I still can.
I like the squiggly writing :) I had it in Chinese this morning.
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