From: Robert Schneider (rjschn39@bellsouth.net)
Date: Sat Sep 20 2003 - 14:22:20 EDT
Ted,
Thanks for your note. I recently finished Brown's earlier novel,
"Angels and Demons," which also deals with the issues of science and
religion. The characters introduce the readers to lots of information about
early modern science as well as contemporary particle physics. I can tell
you that where I am knowledgeable about the topic Brown gets it about half
right and the things that aren't are often howlers. For someone who claims
to have researched these topics, he takes far more liberties with the facts
that any good fiction writer ought to. Read it as pulp fiction for evening
relaxation, if you can do so without groaning over his historical and other
factual errors.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ted Davis" <tdavis@messiah.edu>
To: <rjschn39@bellsouth.net>; <jaywillingham@cfl.rr.com>; <gmurphy@raex.com>
Cc: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 10:20 AM
Subject: Re: royalty
> Bob mentioned:
>
> "The DaVinci Code" by Dan
> Brown, which deals with Mary Magdalene and Jesus, the Holy Grail, and a
lot
> of other history.
>
> I read it. It's certainly original and clever, and as far as I can tell
> draws on a lot of genuine history. However, please be aware that the
> alleged involvement of Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton with the "Priory of
> Sion" is pure fiction.
>
> For Newton, I have grave doubts about it. My only hesitation about
entirely
> denying this is that I don't know the Newton manuscripts as well as I do
> those of Boyle. For Boyle, I can assure you that this is not only pure
> fiction, but ridiculous fiction. Boyle was a deeply pious Christian (no
> hypocrisy here or secret adherence to a heterodox theology) who regarded
> Jesus as the second person of the Trinity. And, although he granted that
> marriage was a divine institution, he saw so many rotten marriages all
> around him (esp involving his sisters Mary and Katherine, who were his
> closest friends), that he advised people to remain chaste (as he did).
It's
> simply incredible, that Boyle would believe that Jesus married Magdalene.
>
> If anyone knows the address of the author of this novel, incidentally,
I'll
> be happy to let him in on this. The author says that one of his main
> interests is religion and science; his treatment of it in this book will
not
> exactly advance public understanding.
>
> ted
>
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