Mona Lisa: Hiding a secret?

London, Dec. 24: A book which thousands all over the world will receive as a Christmas present ? The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ? was today dismissed by one of Britain?s most senior Anglican clergymen as a ?great thriller, lousy history?.

The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Tom Wright, said the historical basis for the book, which has sold seven million copies worldwide and been translated into 42 languages, was ?laughable?. The Da Vinci Code, the publishing phenomenon of the last two years, is due to be made into a film starring Tom Hanks.

The book has upset many orthodox Christians by claiming Jesus was not crucified but married Mary Magdalene and died a normal death. The novel claims this was then covered up by the Church.

Representing the view of the Church of England, the bishop said: ?Conspiracy theories are always fun. Fun to invent, fun to read, fun to fantasise about.? He acknowledged: ?Dan Brown is the best writer I?ve come across in the genre, but anyone who knows anything about 1st century history will see that this underlying material is laughable?.

The blurb for the book describes how ?a murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher.?

The plot goes on: ?While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci ? clues visible for all to see ? yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveau, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion ? an actual secret society whose members included Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.?

?In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory?s ancient secret ? and an explosive historical truth ? will be lost forever.?

The bishop argued that there was a great deal of credible evidence which proved the Biblical version of Jesus? life was true.