Favorites Friday - Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code

*Friday Favorites is a weekly meme hosted by the beautiful Miss Natalie over at The Book Lover's Life.

This week for Friday Favorites, I would like to highlight Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. I had a difficult time picking a favorite Dan Brown novel, as I love them all equally. Since it is just about time for the Christmas holiday, I went with this one. Mr. Brown's work is so well researched, so historically accurate that I physically feel like I am a character in his elaborate plot lines. From the international best selling The Da Vinci Code, which is an entirely real conspiracy theory, to Angels & Demons and the very real concept of the Illuminati- the man is an incredible writer! I myself am a conspiracy theorist, and Mr. Brown has a natural talent of bringing them to life. The Da Vinci Code is based on a legend about the Holy Grail. Most of Christendom believes that the Holy Grail is the cup that Jesus drank from during the Last Supper, but this book proposes that it is so much more. Jesus was a man with a wife and ultimately, a child. The Holy Grail, Sangreal, translated literally to mean Royal Blood; the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Langdon and Sophie, the main characters in this delicious treasure hunt of a novel, are on a quest to find the secret society that keeps the Holy Grail safe. Sophie's grandfather is murdered in the opening scene, and he ends up being the Grand Master of this ultra secret brotherhood called The Priory of Sion. For centuries, they have been in possession of this ancient secret, so old that they were once led by Leonardo Da Vinci himself. A group that focuses on the goddess aspect of Christianity, an aspect that has been completely demonized by the church. The sacred feminine in our modern times is no longer sacred. Most people do not realize that all aspects of the Christian religion was VOTED on in 325AD by Constantine and his followers. The Council of Nicea set the dates for Christian holidays, chose which books from the Bible would be considered doctrine, as well as Christ's divinity. Was he a human prophet, or a divine being? Guess who won that vote folks? (:

After this council meeting, the Christian church began to erase all parts of Jesus's life that portrayed him as a human being. They were, for the most part, successful. Until the discovery of the Gnosis Gospels. In these documents, there is one that is aptly named, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, as well as the Gospel of Phillip. These long lost documents make reference that Jesus is married to Mary; one line states that Jesus loved Mary more than the other disciples and would often kiss her on the mouth. Regardless if Jesus was human or divine, the fact that the Christian church repeatedly tried to cover up these documents raises the ultimate question: Is there a truly royal bloodline of Christ, and to what lengths would the church go to cover it up if so...?!

If you are one of the few people on earth that have yet to read this book, I highly recommend it. The well-researched history alone was enough to snag me, but the treasure hunt is wonderful! Full of high paced drama and intrigue, I had a hard time putting this book down. I have read it numerous times and I know exactly what happens, but I still only set it aside for emergencies! And please, do not let the controversial concept of Christ scare you away. Even if Jesus was only a man, he was a true prophet that spoke of love. I don't feel that a person needs a physical place of stone and mortar to be able to communicate with God- one only needs their own heart and mind to find what they are looking for... (:

Happy holidays to all of my lovely readers. I hope this post finds everyone well and looking forward to the joys of family and friends, which is what this time of the year is really about. I am having a wonderful, fun filled Winter Break! I have been slacking on my blogger responsibilities, but I will get there soon everyone! Thank you so much for reading. Muah!