Rating: 
Summary: Find out what the secrets really are.
Review: I had to laugh at the few low ratings by raving zealots on 'The Da Vinci Code.'. If you are a person, that has always asked "too many questions," then 'Secrets of the Code' is for you! Whether you are a Philosopher, Theologian, or Agnostic, this book is a welcome addition to your reference collection. This book makes you think, so Fun-dam-entalists should probably skip this one. Right or Wrong, this book will get your wheels turning...which is all that really matters, right? As a voracious reader, I have read the best. Both 'The Da Vinci Code,' and 'Angels and Demons' which were both heart-stopping thrillers that keep you turning pages until you arrive exhausted at the end. You're truly "in on the chase." Improbable as it seems, Dan Brown has opened the doors of our curiousity which makes one almost compelled to examine the 'evidence' further. 'Secrets of the Code' is a book that teaches, makes you think, and entertains, all at the same time. Few authors can accomplish that. In this case many educated experts on the subject matter. For those who say this book and Brown's books go against their beliefs and their dogma, consider this: The tip of the iceberg: Numerous authorities who had noted the errors in the K.J.V. such as William Kilburne (1650's) 20,000 errors, John Wesley (in 1755) 12,000 changes in the New Testament alone, the Revised Version of 1881 consisted of 36,000 errors and on and on. The NIV, RSV and The Living Bible are also replete with thousands of errors. Do some research! If you are open minded and looking for those books begging for its pages to be turned...look no further. Read 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail,' and ANYTHING by Ken Follett! I just read a copy of Edgar Fouche's 'Alien Rapture,' which also blew me away. Fouche was a Top Secret Black Program 'insider', whose credibility has been verified over and over. Want to be shocked, check out Dr. Paul Hill's 'Unconventional Flying Objects' which NASA tried to ban. Buy this book, you will love it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Code decoded?????
Review: I suspect that it was inevitable that with the success of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code it was only a matter of time before the copy-cats began showing up. Secrets of the Code by Dan Burstein isn't exactly like a copy-cat, but it does bang on the points made by Brown. In fact, this is really the fourth book dealing with some aspect of Grail mythology..... Burstein has pulled together contributors from a wide range of disciplines....archaeology, art history, religion, philosopy among others. While I don't recognize the contibutors, we are led to believe that they represent of leaders in their respective fields. If you've been captivated by Browns book, then Secrets of the Code is a must read for you. A quick look around book stores or public libraries will reveal a wide range of other books on the general topics of Mary Magdalene, the Holy Grail, and Templar mythology....but honestly, Secrets of the Code is among the best. Dan Browns Da Vinci Code is probably one of the most controversial books to appear since I've been dealing with the reading public as a librarian. Secrets of the Code, if read and heeded, will give you the facts you need to debate Browns book intelligently. Get the book....read it.
Rating:
Summary: Better written than The Da Vinci Code
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed "The Da Vinci Code" primarily because of the historical/art/theological references and postulations. "Secrets of the Code" has all that I loved in DVC but in more fascinating detail, greater depth and authority and, for the most part, better writing. If you liked DVC, you'll love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: slow read
Review: It became very hard to read this book the further I got into it. Jumping from one argument to another; different writer to writer...Very disruptive to the flow of the book. It may be a good reference book but not a book to read cover to cover easily. I dont like not finishing books, so I kept reading anyway. The whole idea of nit-picking everything in the DaVinci code is dumb anyway. It is Fiction!! The end of the book was a discussion about every comment in the book where the character Sophie or Langdon couldnt have traveled the direction they did because the city isnt laid out in that way. Who cares???? I did give up at this point.
Rating:
Summary: Finally! A true "guide"
Review: Literary Armageddon
If you loved DaVinci Code or if you hated it, you must admit it did get a reaction from you....which in itself is one definition of a successful novel. Many readers have found themselves more interested in the information detailed in Dan Brown's books, and if so, this book is a good choice to begin to learn about the amazing history of the Christian Church.
Especially Gnosticism and the early Christian Church, and especially the creation of the New Testament Bible. For a different review....here is my review of books that build on these interests, especially the "lost" books of the New Testatment Bible and the concepts of Gnosticism.
Nearly all knowledgeable Biblical scholars realize there have been a wide range of writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles..... and that some of these were selected for compilation into the book that became known as the Bible.....and that some books have been removed from some versions of the Bible and others have been re-discovered in modern times.
The attention focused on Gnosticism by Dan Brown's DaVinci Code may be debatable, but the fact is that increased attention on academics tends to be predominately positive, so I welcome those with first-time or renewed interest. At least first-timers to Gnosticism are not pursuing the oh-so-popular legends of the Holy Grail, Bloodline of Christ, and Mary Magdalene.
This is great......I seldom quote other reviewers, but there is one reviewer of Pagels' books who confided that he had been a Jesuit candidate and had been required to study a wide range of texts but was never was told about the Nag Hamadi texts. He said:
"Now I know why. The Gospel of Thomas lays waste to the notion that Jesus was `the only begotten Son of God' and obviates the need for a formalized church when he says, `When your leaders tell you that God is in heaven, say rather, God is within you, and without you.' No wonder they suppressed this stuff! The Roman Catholic Church hasn't maintained itself as the oldest institution in the world by allowing individuals to have a clear channel to see the divinity within all of us: they need to put God in a bottle, label the bottle, put that bottle on an altar, build a church around that altar, put a sign over the door, and create rubricks and rituals to keep out the dis-believing riff-raff. Real `Us' versus `them' stuff, the polar opposite from `God is within You.' `My God is bigger than your God' the church(s)seem to say. And you can only get there through "my" door/denomination. But Jesus according to Thomas had it right: just keep it simple, and discover the indwelling Divinity `within you and without you.'"
Here are quickie reviews of what is being bought these days on the Gnostic Gospels and the lost books of the Bible in general:
The Lost Books of the Bible (0517277956) includes 26 apocryphal books from the first 400 years that were not included in the New Testament.
Marvin Meyers' The Secret Teachings of Jesus : Four Gnostic Gospels (0394744330 ) is a new translation without commentary of The Secret Book of James, The Gospel of Thomas, The Book of Thomas, and The Secret Book of John.
James M. Robinson's The Nag Hammadi Library in English : Revised Edition (0060669357) has been around 25 years now and is in 2nd edition. It has introductions to each of the 13 Nag Hammadi Codices and the Papyrus Berioinensis 8502.
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (0140278079) by Geza Vermes has selected works....a complete work is more difficult to achieve than the publisher's marketing concept indicates. His commentary generates strong reactions.
Elaine Pagels has 2 books (The Gnostic Gospels 0679724532 and Beyond Belief : The Secret Gospel of Thomas 0375501568) that have received considerable attention lately. For many, her work is controversial in that it is written for popular consumption and there is a strong modern interpretation. She does attempt to reinterpret ancient gender relationships in the light of modern feminist thinking. While this is a useful (and entertaining) aspect of college women's studies programs, it is not as unethical as some critics claim. As hard as they may try, all historians interpret the past in the context of the present. Obviously there is value in our attempts to re-interpret the past in the light of our own time.
If you want the full scholarly work it is W. Schneemelcher's 2 volume New Testament Apocrypha.
Also, to understand the Cathars......try Barbara Tuckman's Distant Mirror for an incredible historical commentary on how the Christian Church has handled other points of view
Rating:
Summary: best of all
Review: of all the books written around the novel this is the moist serious and better researched. it is not a matter of what your opinion is about. burnstein took the time to look into each of the issues and find the people that have written serious books about them. it is not about "debunking" it is about opening your mind to possibilities and questions. the da vinci code is a novel and people tend to forget that. but with all the contorversial ideas it brings about and all the debate it has rised; it is definitely great to summarize in one book the different theories about it. not everyone is up to read all the books, on all the themes. i've been reading about this theories for years and this is one of the greatest works, even for people new to the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent....substance and trivia...
Review: SECRETS OF THE CODE by Dan Burstein describes itself as the unauthorized guide to Dan Brown's THE DAVINCI CODE, apparently because Brown has a website that acts as the "official" guide for readers interested in the source material he used to construct his book. However, rather than point to a long list of books, many of which I have read, Burstein's book also focuses on passages of those books that are relevant to the script of Brown's book. Most amazingly Brown's book did not include as much as it could have. Although he may have relied on some sources more than others, it becomes apparent on reading Burstein's book that Brown (and Burstein) faced an almost overwhelming amount of material. Burstein has excerpted relevant passages from many works, interviewed a notable list of authors including Dan Brown, and included material from articles about Brown's book or some aspect of the book found in various respected publications. Probably one of the most interesting sections includes reflections, comments and articles by individuals who currently belong or have belonged to Opus Dei. Theologians, art historians, and at least one "symbologist" have been included in the list of folks to comment on varous topics in the book.
In one section, the journalist David Shugarts responds to questions he has previously researched concerning the technical aspects of the plot. He reports on "geographical positioning systems (GPS), maps, automobiles, logistics, aircraft, weapons and computer search engines, and other technological plot elements. According to Shugarts, Mr. Brown got many thing right and several things wrong.
I liked this book very much because I found it informative without being judgmental, and sections of it are as interesting as the original Brown book. Although the various contributors have their own often opposing points of view which they often express, Mr. Burstein, as nearly as I can tell, has no position one way or another, and thus acts as a reasonable mediator.
Rating:
Summary: MANY SOURCES AVAILABLE TO BACK UP THIS INF0
Review: The Bible Thumpers are really disappointed Burstein's book of research is out, as they were hoping the interest in the alternate theology of the DaVinci Code would just go away, but here it has been on the best seller list for over a year now!! Burstein has done an admirable job of presenting the scholars with the research backing up the DaVinci Code. Burstein is a must-read if you want to know what the ruckus is all about!! For older history, Kessinger Publishing has thousands of books available online backing up the subject and there are many large Masonic libraries around the world. Manley Hall has written a "bible" of these subjects, The Secret Teachings of All Ages. The new archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams,has written a book entitled Arius: Heresy and Tradition. Hooray that the Inquisitions are finally NOT prevailing in keeping people's minds in subservience to an old "cult" that prevailed thanks to Constantine's help and wiped out the others!! Do you know they drew and quartered Hypatia, a teacher at the library of Alexandria in Egypt?? Nice guys!!The destruction of the libraries like Alexandria was the reason scrolls like those found at Nag Hammadi and elsewhere were hidden, plunging our world into literal religious darkness. They shortly thereafter even started thinking the world was flat. Thank heavens for Our Constitution penned by men(mostly Masonic) who were very aware of these "saviors" who had caused so much religious persecution. These sources of info will help you move beyond the worldly polarity of all this ruckus and see the universal truths that Jesus was trying to teach.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it
Review: The code broken? Hardly. But a readable guide to what some might find troubling or intriguing in Brown's novel. It is especially suited to thiose who found the novel too short.
While this book is an interesting follow up to the Da Vinci Code, neither it nor Dan Brown's novel suggest Brown's fiction merits the title of an "alternative theology." THAT is wishful thinking, and nothing more.
Rating:
Summary: very acedemic...VERY diverse.
Review: This book is fun with a capitla F-U-N. It is, however, a very thick and acedemic book filled with excerpts and articles from published scholars. The DaVici COde is fiction. Yes. This book makes that very clear. But what the novel did to its audience is simple and healthy... it wet peoples appetite for reading, and made them curious about a slew of conspiracy theories as well as Christian history. This book has a smattering of every topic readers might be curious about. Interviews with ELain Pagels whose scholarship I don't hightly value is in the book. So are some things I find boring. But the editor has even included a lenghty excerpt from the notirously un-scholarly "Holy Blood, Holy Grail". Beacuse, well, because its printed, published and read by many people...including Dan Brown. So, buy this book and have fun reading it. Skip around or read bits in parts. Its incredibly fun for a scholarly smattering into real historical research.
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