It may seem as if a book such as the Magdalene Legacy is just an attempt to jump on the bandwagon of the success of Dan Browns work and the Da Vinci Code in particular. To a lesser degree and in terms of timing that may be true, but its author, Laurence Gardner, has been publishing books around such subjects for years. Its very probable that Brown is a fan of his work as he is an obvious source of information, along side the much more controversial and widely reported "Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" by Michael Baigent and co. So whilst the timing of the books release may seem to be a corporate strategy, it only seems that way because this book is the natural response to the hype of Browns work. Before the Da Vinci Code there was less of a need to set the record straight in the sensitive yet less than popular subject matter that is suddenly fashionable to the point of a Tom Hanks movie lead role. With so many people taking Dan Browns theories as read, this book is a natural next step for those who wish to untangle fact from plot device. Brown is after all a fiction writer, a fact that many people have lost sight of. Gardner is however a writer of academia, the popular end of the market maybe, but academia none the less.
With a training in Art restoration a career in ancient and medieval genealogy and a string of books dealing with subjects ranging from modern Freemasonry to biblical history, Gardner does seem well qualified to restore the balance in a subject area that seems to be in danger of being blown out of all proportion. For those not familiar with Browns Da Vinci Code a small overview of the nature of the work is needed. Ignoring the specific plot lines, the book deals with the idea that Jesus survived the crucifixion and lived to have a family by his wife, Mary Magdalene. This family endured and became an established part of European ruling houses, right up until the present day. Whilst this fact was kept secret from the vast majority of the population a select group of guardians kept the secret alive and many of those in the know where artist and intellectuals who included clues in their work. One of the most important of which was Leonardo Da Vinci and for those who know how to read his work there are many revealing answers to these difficult questions.
Its certainly not a new idea and for those who have an interest in the new Testament and the Dark Ages from a historical point of view, rather than a point of faith, there is little in Browns work that is revolutionary. The problem is, as a novelist that needs to make the plot lines exciting he has taken certain liberties with the facts. There is nothing unforgivable about that, but the popularity of the book has lead to an army of readers taking the words of his lead character, who is a Harvard professor at face value and this in turn has lead to a whole mythology and misunderstanding of the theories surrounding the book.
As Gardner makes very clear in The Magdalene Legacy is that all of the ideas that Brown uses to create his historical background are neither, new or particularly mysterious. All of it is checkable if you have access to the right libraries and archives. Whilst the vast majority of us have neither the time nor the access to such records, Gardner does and his book is therefore a summation of all those records. From his re-evaluation of Browns version of history we can uncover some home truths about his work. One of the over ridding factors that have helped create a sense of mystery regarding Jesus and a possible bloodline is a concerted suppression of information by the Vatican. Whilst this may seem to be odd, the church suppressing facts about its very corner stone, as the book explains it is not so odd when you have all of the facts. Early gospel writings that were never included in the New Testament, and there are many, quite clearly state that Jesus and Mary had a family and even a careful interpretation of the canonical works seem to hint as much. The problem is that the early Christian church was very much born out of the teachings of Peter and Paul and soon became at odds with the original ideas of the followers of Jesus. With the rise of the Popes as leaders of the church becoming more influential than the followers of Jesus as head of the faith, a battle for control took place. The church won and with the acceptance of Christianity as the official faith of the Roman Empire history could be re-written to make disappear any traces of any rival group, even if that rival group were the descendants of Jesus himself.
That is just the starting point of the book but it sets the pace for the revelations to come. Gardner's re-interpretation of the New Testament gospels and examination of the gospels that were deliberately lost, many written by women, sheds a lot of new light on the real power struggles, events and personalities of the times. His understanding of the laws and styles of renaissance art also allows us to see the more mundane truths behind some of Browns plot devices. When Brown has his lead character explain some of the mysteries and secret codes that are wrapped up in Da Vinci's work, Gardner allows us to see the less sensational reasons behind the paintings, normally conventions of the time and clever techniques rather that embedded religious secrets. Even the fundamentals are blown away. Brown makes a big show regarding the name of the Mona Lisa explaining that it is an anagram based on the ancient spellings of Amon and Isis, Egyptian Gods and powerful icons through the ages. What Brown forgets to inform us, but Gardner does, is that the painting in question wasn't called the Mona Lisa in Da Vinci's time, thus dispelling immediately the secretive implications of its name.
It is a fascinating book for devotees of early religious history and is a must for Da Vinci Code fans. It will remind you that Browns is a work of fiction and must be considered as such. It will at the same time tell you that the truth is often more controversial that even Brown suggests. It is a book that requires a bit of effort on the part of the reader, as there is a lot of information to be gleaned from it, but if you thought that the Da Vinci Code was fascinating, the truth will really give you something to think about.