Introduction
I closed the book at p.138 and it was more than half a year before I opened it again. On the top of p.138, I wrote: Okay, since this book has been topping charts of bestsellers for such a long time, I¡¦m gonna finish it in order to learn more English words and to explain why this is not my type, if not for enjoyment.
The remarks were left there on the evening of 20-6-2005. At the F.7 Graduation Dinner the day before, Mr Li, our vice-principal, asked me if I had read the book. I said I am not very keen on detective stories or stories with little characterization or portrayal of human nature. But my initial impression was proved wrong and my interest grew with the unfolding of thought-provoking lines. I finished reading it on the morning of 23-6-05.
I think the depth of a piece of writing or a film or any form of art is judged by the number of levels. Level 1 is the story itself. Level 2 deals with a specific geographical area. Level 3 is the universal perspective. Mere description of a boy stealing food is Level 1. Discussion of poverty problems reflected by the theft in the country the story is set in brings the work to Level 2. Revelation of the relationship between poverty and civil wars in general puts the work at Level 3. I enjoy the kind of work that takes me to Level 3 the most.
Validity of history and the Bible
¡§The Bible is a product of man¡KMan created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.¡¨ (250-251)
¡§History is always a one-sided account.¡¨(276)
This is truly enlightening. History books are supposed to be objective accounts of past events, and yet every history book is the author's selection of facts based on his own definition of objectivity. A purely subjective opinion may be presented as an absolutely objective report. The best examples are history textbooks on Japanese invasion of China by the extreme right-wing in Japan. Now when I want to read books on terrorism, I really don't know which ones I can trust. What about Bible? Doubting its validity means doubting Jesus and the religion. I really want to know how Christians and Catholics respond to this view. When I went to church, I used to hear religious leaders dismiss the doubt as unnecessary worry. You don't need to see electricity to believe in it, they will say. True, not everything is tangible, but then you can't argue about anything. Faith is faith, perhaps.
Religion and power
¡§It was all about power¡KChrist as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state¡Kthe early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message¡Kusing it to expand their own power.¡¨(253)
¡§Constantine took advantage of Christ¡¦s substantial influence and importance. And in doing so, he shaped the face of Christianity as we know it today¡KConstantine upgraded Jesus¡¦ status almost four centuries after Jesus¡¦s death.¡¨(254)
Violence
¡§The Church has two thousand years of experience pressuring those who threaten to unveil its lies¡KThe Church has a precedent of murder when it comes to silencing the Sangreal.¡¨ (Sangreal means royal blood according to a character) (438)
I have no idea how true such accusation is. But I remember being shocked by descriptions of the relationship between expansion of religious turf, power and violence in a book about the rise of Islam. ¡§Muhammad eventually expelled them from Medina and ordered their property confiscated and distributed among the Muslim emigrants¡K Warfare against unbelievers was thus sanctified through divine revelation, and all Muslims who engaged in spreading Islam through force of arms were designated by God as deserving of special merit.¡¨(11, A History of the Modern Middle East, Westview Press) Religion and politics are conjoined twins in many countries such as Iran. How many people go to church and get baptized in order to secure a job or a school place in a religious body? How many people pretend to say ¡¥Amen¡¦ in order to secure their posts in the government and secure their power and influence on the people of the country? The supposedly holiest place may turn out to be the most hypocritical and the darkest.
The significance of Jesus¡¦s marital status
¡§The Last Supper practically shouts at the viewer that Jesus and Magdalene were a pair.¡¨(264)
¡§According to Jewish custom, celibacy was condemned, and the obligation for a Jewish father was to find a suitable wife for his son.¡¨(265)
¡§The greatest cover-up in human history¡KJesus Christ married¡KHe was a father¡K{Mary Magdalene} was the womb that bore the lineage.¡¨(270)
¡§The entire Holy Grail legend is all about royal blood.¡¨(271)
¡§If the 1ineage were permitted to grow, the secret of Jesus and Magdalene would eventually surface and challenge the fundamental Catholic doctrine.¡¨(278)
Patriarchy in Christianity and the feminine threat
¡§Almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false. As are the stories about the Holy Grail.¡¨(255)
¡§The Holy Grail is...a woman¡¨(257)
¡§The Holy Grail represents the sacred feminine¡KThe power of the female¡Kposed a threat to the rise of the predominantly male Church¡Kman created the concept of ¡¥original sin¡¦, whereby Eve tasted of the apple and caused the downfall of the human race. Woman, once the sacred giver of life, was now the enemy¡KA woman¡K threatened to devastate the very foundation of Christianity!¡¨ (258-259)
The view of Jesus having a wife and a child is utterly shocking. The Da Vinci code is to reveal the world-shattering secret. Q-documents are said to exist in the book. I asked Mr Li, a Catholic, how he would feel if the view was proved right. He said it would not bother him. I am not a follower of any religion. If Jesus was really a married man, I would be upset just because of the act of lying. It's okay to me even if Jesus married a prostitute. Why is there such a fuss about the book? It is fiction, not a history book. The Satanic Verses is also supposed to be fiction, but the author is driven to exile by a death threat/ penalty by the religious leaders. It is both interesting and horrifying that religious leaders take fiction so seriously. Probably that is because their status and power may be swept away if what they preach is questioned.
Why does Jesus's marital status matter? This book gives a convincing answer. A long-suppressed lie is bad. It is even worse if the lie involves the significance of women. I came to fully realize the impact of patriarchy on women and the human culture after reading books on this issue for my M.Phil thesis some years ago. In families, in religious and political bodies, men give orders and pass the family names and property. Imagine Jesus did have a daughter and her descendants were still alive, how would these holy children be treated by the Church? A share of the sphere of influence? Or the mother's extended family line doesn't count? Interesting to me, but probably a bomb to the Church.
spiritual guidance
¡§What kind of spiritual guidance is the Church offering?¡¨ (449)
A character puts forward this accusation. I have two things to respond to this. Firstly, I don't think the Church or any religion can transform a person. A person won't forgive easily just because he has heard enough about loving your enemies. If he does so, this is just because he is tolerant or more inclined to be touched by advice by nature. The fact that he needs spiritual guidance does not necessary mean the guidance can effectively take him to a higher moral ground. This is concluded from my observations.
Secondly, it is true that most people need emotional support and spiritual guidance. But why just turn to one and only one source? Pope Benedict, in the recent mass, sought to draw young people (a million according to a news report.)back to the conservative core of the religion. So there is no absolute truth. It depends on the attitude of the religious head. If he is open-minded and liberal, so will his followers be. If he is conservative, so will his followers be. Is this good or right for individual's intellectual development? Everyone should be allowed, and to be encouraged, I firmly believe, to see and think for himself. Only the one who thinks exists. (I think, so I exist, as the famous line of a philosopher)
Metaphor and reality
¡§The New Testament is based on fabrications¡Kevery faith in the world is based on fabrication. Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problems arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors.¡¨ (369)
This is well said. Obviously the Bible is taken literally, otherwise followers won't be asked to recite lines of the Gospels. Mr Li said he doesn¡¦t believe in miracles mentioned in the Bible either. What about most Christians and Catholics?
Reality, truthfulness and benefits
¡§With the arrival of a specific date in history, the brotherhood plans to break the silence and carry out its ultimate triumph by unveiling the Sangreal documents to the world.¡¨(289)
¡§Mankind deserves to know that truth.¡¨ (441)
¡§The Bible represents a fundamental guidepost for millions of people¡K(like) Koran¡KShould we wave a flag and tell the Buddhists that we have proof the Buddha did not come from a lotus blossom? Or that Jesus was not born of a literal virgin birth? Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical¡K Religious allegory has become a part of the fabric of reality. And living in that reality helps millions of people cope and be better people.¡¨ (370)
Yes, sometimes revelation of the truth does us no good at all. Moreover, in some cases, lies are fuels and engines that push you forward. These two pages are the most enlightening and thought-provoking.
Ridiculous belief
¡§Man could achieve a climactic instant when his mind went totally blank and he could see God¡KOrgasm as prayer¡¨(335)
¡§Men seeking spiritual wholeness came to the Temple to visit priestesses ¡V or hierodules ¡V with whom they make love and experienced the divine through physical union.¡¨
¡§Mankind¡¦s use of sex to commune directly with God posed a serious threat to the Catholic power base. It left the Church out of the loop, undermining their self-proclaimed status as the sole conduit to God¡Kthey worked hard to demonize sex.¡¨(336)
This belief, if proved to be a fact but not mere fiction, was nothing but an excuse for men's sexual pleasure / promiscuity. Moreover, did the practice apply to women? Were women also allowed to reach God in this way? Did the priestesses also want to get to God together with their sexual partners? Why were the priestesses not mentioned in such ¡§holy¡¨ practice? Were the priestesses only supposed to serve or help men with their sacred jobs? Did the men care about how the priestesses thought and felt? This belief was another example of patriarchal mentality. The Church's response is natural considering their concern about power.
Funny remarks
¡§Mary Magdalene was pregnant at the time of the crucifixion¡Ka daughter¡KSarah¡KMagdalene¡¦s and Sarah¡¦s lives were scrutinously chronicled by their Jewish protectors.¡¨(276)
I could not help laughing when I read these lines. Such details! Very imaginative indeed.
Minor things about the story itself
1.The twist that Teabing turns out to be the bad guy is too abrupt and illogical.
2. Who is the teacher? I asked several colleagues who have read this book and they could not give me a definite answer.
3.¡§When it came to containing gossip, no walls in the world were as porous as those surrounding Vatican City. (449) Good use of figure of speech
4. ¡§Forgiveness is God's greatest gift.¡¨(450) One of my favourite lines. It is so difficult to forgive those who have offended you.
This book is going to be adapted to a film. According to news reports, lots of people are trying to find out the truth of the issues brought forward by the book. I think our time will be better spent if we focus on the relationship between religion, patriarchy and human society and the related problems instead of asking whether or not Jesus was really married, the Last Supper really shows the sign of the female force and the like. Go to Level 3 instead of staying on Level 1.
