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Da Vinci Code Shock

I just received an email from an ‘insider’ friend in London who says that the copyright court case concerning The Da Vinci Code (see a partial history here) has been thrown into confusion this morning, with the Catholic Church launching a cross-claim against both Dan Brown and the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Apparently lawyers for the Catholic Church are claiming that Dan Brown, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh have all breached the Catholic Church’s copyright on information held and owned by them. Citing never before seen documents in the Vatican Archives, they claim that ideas central to both books – that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had a child, and that this bloodline exists to this day – have been plagiarised from real historical documents which the Catholic Church has kept concealed for centuries.

As my insider friend wrote to me: “It’s a unique day, not only in court history, but also in religious history and in other ways too. Some might think the Catholic Church to be fools, coming out with this information, but then when you look at the profits to be had – and the control they will now have over the ending of the film version of Brown’s book – perhaps this is a mind-f**k which has been in the planning for some time.” Certainly seems to be a power-play, with the express intention of removing Dan Brown and Michael Baigent as threats to their authority.

Interestingly, the 1st of the 4 documents released to the press says that the Catholic Church’s agent is accepting bids on the film rights to the ‘real’ story of Jesus’ life – and, funnily enough, that Martin Scorcese would be the preferred choice as director due to his “previous experience”. I’ll update further on this tomorrow.

Update: Yes, in case you missed it, this was our usual April 1st prank. Besides the utter incomprehensibility of the Catholic Church owning up to documents proving that Jesus got married and had kids, the other in-jokes were “unique day…in other ways too”, “to be fools”, “perhaps this is a mind-f**k”, and “the 1st of the 4”. And the Scorcese bit was just some icing on top. Thanks for the good humour everyone took it with. Cya next year!

Editor
  1. This Isn’t Really A Suprise Considering The Church’s Finances!
    Greg

    As I have stated in atleast one comment on another blog, the information in these books has been around for a very long time. But, it has also been in libraries. Living in Japan, I don’t have the library resources that I once had on this subject available to me. Once I had personal resources also; but, for financial reasons, I could only bring about 20% percent of what I had to Japan. So, I’m doing a time available search and I will post bibliography references if I find anything. At the time that I came to Japan, this was low priority material. As to whether the Catholic Church has exclusive rights to this material, I don’t think so! Some of it actually comes from Non-Christian sources and both Christian and Non-Christian references to the material were around before the First Nicean Council, i.e. before there was a Catholic Church! Furthermore, it could be argued that the organize Roman Catholic Church did not exist before some of my ancestors, the Merovigian Franks during the reige of Childeric III, backed the Bishop of Rome with an army; because, it was only after that that the Bishop of Rome started to use the title of Pontiff or Pope and effectively assert his authority over the Church in order to organize and control it!

    I my opinion, this situation is esculating to the point that it could do serious damage to both Christianity and Judiasm! Furthermore, I don’t think that it will help Islam either! The founding prophet of Islam definitely had access to it and definitely edited it for inclusion in the Koran!

    What do you think?

    kennc

    [You got me, didn’t you? Power to the people!]

    1. New Lipstick on an old pig
      I smell a rat with all the Mary-Mag Jesus stuff. Even if new pseudo-churchs spring up with a revised cast of characters gleaned from the old playbook that the church put forth for millennia…all the ties still go back to the church. That’s what’s really ‘at stake’ here—continued control over the hearts, minds, and wallets of the people.

      The old stuff isn’t cutting it any more and they know it. So if they bring a pig out with new, brighter lipstick..well then, they can be content knowing they won’t go the way of the Ophites.

      “Sure we’ve buggered your kids and your minds for years! So what! Hey, look at this…Mary Mag and Judas weren’t so bad after all!”

      It’s deflection…nothing more. Just a different blue pill hidden in a bigger piece of cheese.

      Cat

      So long and thanks for all the fish!

    2. Welcome aboard…got me too
      Kennc,

      Happy April Fooles’ Day to everyone! May the coming year bring health, peace and prosperity to us all.

      Greg got me too. Perhaps it’s because we know just enough to give credence to nonsense such as this. Too much knowledge is a dangerous thing. Or, as Big Brother would say, “Ignorance is strength”.

      Michael Scott
      An Fhírinne in aghaidh an tSaoil

  2. You bugger, Greg Taylor
    I fell for it hook line and sinker and was on my way to ring a friend and scream the news.
    If only………
    I think you got me last year too.

    shadows

  3. “Some might think the
    “Some might think the Catholic Church to be fools”

    I think the FOOLS thing might have given it away… though you had my heart racing for a few minutes…

    Nice one.

  4. Re: Da Vinci Code Shock
    This isn’t fair. You Australians are a day ahead of those of us in America and you scared the hell out of me! Happy April Fools!

  5. In Italy
    BUONGIORNO!

    I will be short.
    Here in Italy lives the Pope, there is Vaticano, Dan Brown’s book have had big success (belive me without makes shock), but the approach to all the stories about Jesus, Magdalena, their possible life, their possible children is very light, disenchanted, and don’t give to all this debate so big importance.
    Many people smiles (in sarcastic way)for the collapse of many church lies, others thinks that all this is only a gossip to make money by books.
    It is true that around this topic there is too confusion, too words and too “skilled”,
    in this way is not possible to get something of concrete.

    HUGSHUGS
    Katya

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