Debunking 'The Da Vinci Code'

May 16, 2006 — -- Mystery, history and (some would say) heresy are the perfect potion for today's most successful thriller, "The Da Vinci Code."

The book has sold more than 46 million copies, been translated into 44 languages and is now a publishing phenomenon. And, in case you've been hibernating, the movie opens in American theaters on Friday, with Tom Hanks headlining a star-studded cast.

And a little controversy hasn't harmed the book's profile, either. "The Da Vinci Code" has rarely been out of the headlines since it was published a little more than three years ago.

Initially, there was an adverse response from certain sectors of the church. In 2005, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, then a senior figure within the Vatican's office of doctrinal orthodoxy, attacked Brown's novel for being rich in "anti-Catholic" prejudice. Many churches and denominations have urged Christians to boycott the book on the grounds that it is blasphemous and insulting toward the very foundations of the Christian faith.

The theological attacks were followed last month by a legal challenge from two authors in Britain who claim that Brown plagiarized his construction of the book's plot. The High Court in London rejected their claims, and Brown was exonerated, even though he did concede that he had drawn upon a wealth of written material in building his narrative.

Tonight, "Nightline" brings you neither a boycott nor an attack, but rather one academic's attempt to address key parts of Brown's book.

Until recently, Darrell Bock was an obscure evangelical scholar teaching the history of the New Testament at a seminary in Dallas. But not anymore. Having read the book, and seen the public's reaction, he felt compelled to leave his ivory tower in Texas.

"Between 20 [percent] and 33 percent of the population say they believe the book or feel they benefited from the book," Bock said. "That's the combined populations of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. Take everybody in those cities, they all believe it. Now what's the church's responsibility to that group ... of people who believe that? You can't say, 'Oh, sorry, you shouldn't believe it'. You better engage them."