The major theme here is the ongoing conflict between religion and science with wizened scientists coming up against equally wizened cardinals, and Vatican City finding a new competitor in CERN (a giant physics lab in Switzerland which is well worth a google) in the fierce debate about creation. Brown does not paint a simple black and white scenario here, though, with many characters, such as the first victim, a priest who is also a physicist, pulling beliefs from both sides. Brown's novel caused me to conclude that no matter what we believe in, the point is: we need to believe in something. This is emphasised by the fact that even the cold blooded killer of Demons and Angels holds strong beliefs, certain that his killings are for a greater cause.

Robert Langdon, all tweed jacket and Harvard intelligence, finds himself pulled from his bachelor pad and lecture halls, to investigate a murder at CERN, which then leads him on a whirwind chase around Rome and the Vatican. Brown amazes us, as much as Robert(!) with the high tech gadgetry of CERN and even of the Vatican. Toss in some crazy villans, an attractive younger woman and a few near impossible escape stunts and you have James Bond...professor style. Langdon unravels the mystery using his deep knowledge of symbology and art history, but this by no means dampens the spirit of adventure. Langdon himself has to be the most sympathetic character and he rings true, perhaps, because he is somewhat modelled on Dan Brown himself. It's just a theory but Brown is a smart guy with an interest in art history and Langdon is a smart guy with an interest in art history....

Whether you read Dan Brown novels for excitement or education, however, you will find yourself picking up the most amazing facts, methodically researched by Brown, who is careful to state at the beginning of the novel that certain parts are, indeed, factual. The amazing setting of the Vatican is built up in our imaginations as Brown reels off one mind blowing fact after another. While the novel could simply be a vehicle which Brown uses to show off his insight into papal affairs, among other things, in this case, the facts and stats add to the story and move it along, allowing us to share Robert Langdon's wonder and awe.

So, I have to ask the question: How "true" should historical fiction be?

A lot of readers want to hold authors of historical fiction to a ridiculously high standard. Like they should have some moral duty to have all their facts straight and to teach us something en route.

I got news for you, people. It's Fiction. Made-up, spun-from-brain-goo, don't-quote-it-in-a-term-paper fiction. Funny. You wouldn't think it. It being called "historical fiction" and all.

Yeah, that's right. They don't call it a novel from nothin'. Now memoirs...that's a different donkey. But, I digress.

The goals of an author of historical fiction are much like the goals of any other old author. They want to create a convincing illusion, to help the reader to suspend disbelief. William Styron wrote a fake "historical document" at the beginning of Confessions of Nat Turner. Sort of a false author's note of sorts. Did I slam down my Diet Coke and shake my fist at the heavens praying that they'd take away Styron's Pulitzer? No. And believe me, I didn't realize it was fake--author's note, that is--right away. Once I did realize, I kind of laughed to myself and thought: Chandler 0-Willie 1. And then moved quickly on before I could add up how much Styron was really beating me by.

The point is that he suspended my disbelief. He made me believe that's how it happened.

Sure, writers of historical fiction do research. What writer doesn't. But are you going to unleash on an author who mixed up how many cylinders there are in a well known car?

The point of historical fiction is to convey the spirit of the times more than the facts.

Otherwise, why not go read a textbook? Because historical fiction adds the human dimension and that's what the author must strive for. It let's us look at the little decisions that led up to an event or how a larger decision affected the daily lives of individuals.

The point is not for the author to be a historian or a scholar.

Now, If I were an author of historical fiction I would certainly do my homework. Otherwise, as we've already seen, you're gonna get those front row dork types raising their hands in your face and telling you your story is all wrong.

So, here's the thing. All you front row handraisers, it's cool to know your stuff, to know you're right. But let yourself smile smugly and then continue reading because what's most important is to remember what's so wonderful about fiction: it's made up.

 Check out Jay's blog for a very different take on this!

Status: Not an incredibly productive day. But I am reading Breaking Dawn like my life depended on it! Working on some SCOUT stuff and waiting on the word from Scott. Again, keep your fingers crossed for me.

In addition to this tiny statute of limitations problem, the case would seem to present a host of other interesting issues, including the problem of how the association's members would prove that they descended from original members of the secretive Catholic order, whether there are any freedom or establishment of religion issues implicated under Spanish law by a civil claim against the Pope, and whether the Pope has any sovereign immunity protection as the elected monarch of the State of the Vatican City.

But the big question for ClassActionBlawg.com is whether this case is some sort of representative action.  Unfortunately, the news reports don't provide enough detail to answer definitively whether the case is being pursued in a representative capacity.  But this article on collective actions in Spain, available at the Stanford Global Class Actions Exchange, provides some insight on the possibilities   According to that article, Spanish procedural law does not permit "class actions" brought by individuals, but does allow certain associations to bring representative claims on behalf of their members, similar to the similar to the associational standing doctrine that was applied in a recent case in the US against the Veteran's Administration.  However, with at least one of the possible mechanisms for representative actions, there is a requirement that "most" of the members of a particular group of affected persons be part of the group bringing the action, a requirement that the authors point out necessitates a threshold proceeding in which the group must prove the number of persons affected.  This requirement would appear to be a bit of a hurdle for a group claiming to consist of the descendants of the Knights Templar.  Alternatively, the article notes, associations are independent legal entities with their own rights and may sue on their own behalf.  It is unclear whether limiting the case to claims brought exclusively based on the association's own rights would limit the potential recovery.

For a summary on the regulations affecting collective litigation in Spain, see this summary, also available at the Stanford Global Class Actions Exchange.

Anda pasti telah membaca buku “The Da Vinci Code” yang begitu menarik, atau telah menonton filmnya. kalau kita perhatikan ada obrolan sensitif tiga tokoh fiktif dalam fiksi sejarah The Da Vinci Code menjungkirbalikkan pemahaman mapan Gereja Katolik. Berikut beberapa diantaranya:

Konstantin mensponsori Alkitab

Raja Roma Konstantin menitahkan dan membiayai penyusunan sebuah alkitab baru, yang meniadakan semua ajaran yang berbicara tentang perilaku manusiawi Yesus, serta memasukkan ajaran yang membuatnya seakan Tuhan. Injil dan dokumen yang mencatat kehidupan Yesus sebagai manusia biasa dikumpulkan dan dibakar.

“Yesus Tuhan” adalah hasil voting

Penetapan Yesus sebagai putra Tuhan bukanlah bersumber dari ajaran Yesus, melainkan dari hasil voting yang terjadi pada Konsili Nicaea. Penetapan ini tidak lepas dari kepentingan politik Konstantin. Gereja masa awal telah mencuri Yesus dari pengikut aslinya, dengan membajak pesan-pesan manusiawinya, mengaburkannya dalam jubah ketuhanan.

Perempuan di Jamuan Terakhir

Tidak semua yang duduk di meja dalam Perjamuan Terakhir adalah laki-laki. Satu dari tiga belas orang dalam lukisan tersoho The Last Supper karya Leonardo Da Vinci adalah perempuan, yaitu Maria Magdalena. Maria duduk tepat di sisi kanan Yesus. Maria adalah sosok Yahudi ningrat dari klan Benjamin yang tidak lain adalah istri Yesus.

Maria Pewaris Gereja

Pada Perjamuan Terakhir, Yesus telah menduga akan ditangkap dan disalib. Maka ia memberi Maria instruksi bagaimana melanjutkan Gerejanya. Yang diberi petunjuk adalah Maria, bukan Peter. Peter tidak puas karena dinomorduakan di bawah perempuan. Dalam lukisan Da Vinci, Peter mencondongkan tubuh ke arah Maria seolah mengancam.

Cawan Suci adalah Maria

Cawan suci adalah kiasan untuk Maria Magdalena, perempuan yang mewadahi darah Yesus, mengandung keturunan Yesus Kristus. Dalam diri Maria mengalir tiga kekuatan luar biasa. Kekuatan sebagai pengemban titak Yesus untuk mengembangkan ajarannya, kekuatan sebagai istri yang mengandung anak Yesus, dan kekuatan sebagai keturunan raja Yahudi. Gereja, untuk membela diri dari kekuatan Magdalena, mengabadikan profil Magdalena sebagai pelacur dan menguburkan bukti-bukti pernikahan Kristus dengan perempuan ini. Gereja menghancurkan segala kemungkinan Yesus kimpoi dan mempunyai keturunan.

Anak cucu Yesus ada di Perancis

Maria Magdalena hamil saat penyaliban Yesus. Untuk keamanan Maria tidak punya pilihan lain kecuali melarikan diri dari Tanah Suci. Dengan bantuan paman Yesus yang bisa dipercaya, Josef dari Arimatea, ia diam-diam pergi ke Perancis. Disana ia melahirkan anak perempuan bernama Sarah. Pada abad ke-5, keturunan Yesus menikah dengan bangsawan Perancis, menciptakan garis keturunan Merovingian. Klan inilah yang mendirikan kota Paris.

Gereja menghabisi keturunan Yesus

Gereja terdahulu takut jika garis keturunan itu dibiarkan tumbuh, rahasia yang ditutup rapat akan terkuak, sehingga meruntuhkan doktrin fundamental Katolik. Di akhir abad ke-7 Vatikan bekerjasama dengan Pepin d’Heristal membunuh raja Perancis Dagobert. Pembunuhan Dagobert menyebabkan keturunan Merovingian hampir musnah. Namun putra Dagobert, Sigisbert, berhasil lolos dan melanjutkan garis keturunan Merovingian. Salah satu keturunannya adalah Godefroi de Bouillion.

Biarawan Sion dan Ksatria Templar

Biarawan Sion didirikan tahun 1099 di Yerusalem oleh Raja Perancis Godefroi de Boullion, dengan misi menyelamatkan dan melindungi Holy Grail: dokumen rahasia tentang Maria Magdalena, keturunannya, dan ajaran Kristen sejati. Untuk kepentingan itu, dibentuklah Ksatria Templar. Dalam perkembangannya pengaruh Templar meluas di Eropa. Paus Clement V yang tidak suka dengan perkembangan ini bersiasat dengan Raja Perancis Philippe IV, untuk membubarkan templar dan merampas harta mereka. Paus mengeluarkan perintah rahasia dalam kertas bersegel yang hanya boleh dibuka oleh prajuritnya di seluruh Eropa pada hari Jumat, 13 Oktober 1307. Maka pada hari itu, ksatria-ksatria yang tak terhitung jumlahnya ditangkap, disiksa secara kejam, dan akhirnya dibakar di tiang pembakaran sebagai pelaku bidah. Hingga kini Jumat 13 dianggap hari sial.

Holy Grail

Karena represi Gereja, Biarawan Sion bergerak sebagai kelompok persaudaraan rahasia. Mereka terus menjaga kerahasiaan Holy Grail, dan mewariskan rahasia itu turun temurun hingga era modern kini, melalui rangkaian pesan tersembunyi dalam anagram dan simbol. Termasuk dalam kelompok Persaudaraan Sion adalah Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, dan Leonardo Da Vinci.

Perlu diingat, semua data diatas adalah dari Buku terlaris itu.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="393" caption="Who is going to save those poor polar bears from Al Gore's nonsense?"][/caption]

Unbelievers should not be dismissive of the comfort that 'religion' can bring. If people feel better when they drive a hybrid car or ride a bicycle to work, and like to parade their virtue in this way, then so be it.

Nonetheless, the new and unattractively intolerant religion of eco-fundamentalism and global warming presents real dangers. The most obvious is that the governments of Europe may get so carried away by their own rhetoric as to impose measures that do serious harm to their economies. That is a particular danger at the present time in the UK.

Another danger is that even if the governments do not go too far and damage their own economies, they may still cause great damage to the developing world by engaging in what might be termed green protectionism. The movement to make us feel guilty about buying overseas produce because of the "food miles" involved is just one example of this.

And France's President Sarkozy is currently urging the European Union to impose trade barriers against those countries that are not prepared to limit their carbon dioxide emissions.

It should not need pointing out that a lurch into protectionism, and a rolling back of globalisation, would do far more damage to the world economy - and in particular to living standards in the developing countries - than could conceivably result from the projected continuation of global warming.

But even if this danger can be averted, it is clear that the would-be saviours of the planet are, in practice, the enemies of poverty reduction in the developing world.

So the new religion of global warming, however convenient it may be to the politicians, is not as harmless as it may appear. Indeed, the more one examines it, the more it resembles a Da Vinci Code of environmentalism. It is a great story, and a phenomenal bestseller. It contains a grain of truth - and a mountain of nonsense.

And that nonsense could be very damaging indeed.

We appear to have entered a new age of unreason, which threatens to be as economically harmful as it is profoundly disquieting. It is from this, above all, that we really do need to save the planet.

If the book makes the same argument I expect that there may just be a chance that some of those on the brink of taking the plunge into the baptismal pool of the new faith may reconsider taking up the profoundly unreasonable belief that we can change the climate, but sadly I think that many of the Zealots are actually beyond redemption and we may have to respond to their unreasoning belief with more than logic and empirical measurement.
Cheers Comrades
8)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="393" caption="Who is going to save those poor polar bears from Al Gore's nonsense?"][/caption]

Unbelievers should not be dismissive of the comfort that 'religion' can bring. If people feel better when they drive a hybrid car or ride a bicycle to work, and like to parade their virtue in this way, then so be it.

Nonetheless, the new and unattractively intolerant religion of eco-fundamentalism and global warming presents real dangers. The most obvious is that the governments of Europe may get so carried away by their own rhetoric as to impose measures that do serious harm to their economies. That is a particular danger at the present time in the UK.

Another danger is that even if the governments do not go too far and damage their own economies, they may still cause great damage to the developing world by engaging in what might be termed green protectionism. The movement to make us feel guilty about buying overseas produce because of the "food miles" involved is just one example of this.

And France's President Sarkozy is currently urging the European Union to impose trade barriers against those countries that are not prepared to limit their carbon dioxide emissions.

It should not need pointing out that a lurch into protectionism, and a rolling back of globalisation, would do far more damage to the world economy - and in particular to living standards in the developing countries - than could conceivably result from the projected continuation of global warming.

But even if this danger can be averted, it is clear that the would-be saviours of the planet are, in practice, the enemies of poverty reduction in the developing world.

So the new religion of global warming, however convenient it may be to the politicians, is not as harmless as it may appear. Indeed, the more one examines it, the more it resembles a Da Vinci Code of environmentalism. It is a great story, and a phenomenal bestseller. It contains a grain of truth - and a mountain of nonsense.

And that nonsense could be very damaging indeed.

We appear to have entered a new age of unreason, which threatens to be as economically harmful as it is profoundly disquieting. It is from this, above all, that we really do need to save the planet.

If the book makes the same argument I expect that there may just be a chance that some of those on the brink of taking the plunge into the baptismal pool of the new faith may reconsider taking up the profoundly unreasonable belief that we can change the climate, but sadly I think that many of the Zealots are actually beyond redemption and we may have to respond to their unreasoning belief with more than logic and empirical measurement.
Cheers Comrades
8)

Update

Craigy, in the comments, wants us to believe his link meet my challenge to prove a casual link between global warming and the level of CO2 in the air. I have a screen grab of the paragraph that et out the caveats that make a mockery of his claim that his citation proves that an increase in atmospheric CO2 CAUSES an increase in climatic temperatures.

Now apart from this paragraph showing good reasons for being sceptical about the outrageous claims of he waminists, the rest of the document is just a rehash of questionable computer modelling and AGW orthodoxy.

I think that he is going to have to try harder comrades

:)

• Poetry
• Mythology
• Legend
• Story-ing
• Art
• Drawings
• Pictures
• Paintings
• Sculptures

Not only Da vinci had a code!

• A good code gives information to the people of God.
• A bad code has to be broken to solve a problem.
• The old code we all understand.
• The "Honor Code" not all will understand.

Tres

You’ll have no doubt heard about this one. Punted as a cross between Time Team and The Da Vinci Code, it’s a newish BBC 1 drama series about a team of maverick archaeologists working at some dull university, who each week appear to uncover historical artefacts of such significance that in reality they’d have the scientific community reeling for months. Here, it’s just another day at the office.

In the past three weeks they’ve discovered The Holy Grail, the lost burial ground of Queen Boudica and this week, a sacred vessel from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Inevitably, some big bad men also want to get their hands on these and what is known in the biz as ‘drama’ ensues.

The team consists of Adrian Lester, hotfoot from the entertaining ‘Hustle’. Julie Graham, 40-something Scottish siren last seen engaged in lesbo MILF action in ‘At Home with the Braithwaites’ and still quite sexy, despite getting a bit jowly. And some fluffy eye-candy playing the young intern, who’s there purely for reasons of exposition and soft porn.

But the real highlight of the show is Hugh Bonneville as Professor Gregory Parton (they hilariously refer to him as ‘Dolly’ the wags) who appears to have watched ‘Force on the Case’ from the original (ie funny) ‘Armstrong & Miller Show’ and decided to channel Jack Force. If you haven’t seen ‘Force’ he’s sort of like Inspector Morse with Alzheimer’s and a violent drinking problem. To all of this, Bonneville has cleverly added an Indiana Jones costume and a big red face. Yes, that’s what I was thinking - genius.

They all do their best with a script, obviously sent in by an earnest child for a Blue Peter competition and mistakenly delivered to the head of drama. But they don’t stand a chance. Even the superb and, as always,under-used Michael Maloney snoozes his way through his role as the head of the faculty worrying about funding. I think the Blue Peter child must have been nearing his beddy-byes by the time he got to creating Maloney’s character as his part was even more thinly-drawn than the others. But the poor kid was probably putting away his toys at the same time, bless him, so cut him some slack.)

Anyway, this week there was a crap CGI snake, some occult nonsense and a bunch of shadowy CIA types. The plot was all over the place and, even if I’d been able to follow it, probably not worth repeating. The thing is - I quite like it.

Okay, it’s utter rubbish. But if you’ve had a long day, you don’t always want to sit down and watch Baltimore’s finest unravelling the complex heirarchies of the Barksdale gang. Sometimes you just want a big double whopper cheeseburger. And this certainly delivers extra cheese.

Utter bollocks, but if you fancy emptying your brains into the settee, give it a try.

So tune in. Don’t be ashamed. Stand proud. Attend the meetings. ‘Hello My name is Charlie and I like Bonekickers ...’

Postscript: Blue Peter Boy has now tidied his room and is script-editing the new series of Torchwood.

Rewind back a little to last night. My wife and I were watching "The Da Vinci Code". While it was entertaining, I would hesitate to call it thought provoking. Anyone with a knowledge of history would realise that its one of those "check your brain at the door" movies. It seemed that Mr Brown, who wrote the book the movie is based on, did not share my frustration with getting facts right. These two events gave me a good insight into our post-modern culture today. You see with the advent of post-modernism, facts are completely subjective. Too biased to be objectively true. Facts may mean one thing to you and another to me. But the problem originates much earlier in life. There are a distinct lack of "facts" in school curricula. Thirty percetn of Britains youth in school believe that the Holocaust never happened. They also believe that Conan the Barbarian is an actual figure from Nordic history. In our post modern culture we don't teach facts because they are "divisive" and "exclude" people. I define a fact as an objective truth that holds true for everyone, which is a direct afront to any post-modern thinker.

Martin Luther once said "Christianity stands or falls on the doctrine of justification" and he was quite correct. But an equally true statement broader in scope would be to say "Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead". This is exactly what the Da Vinci code lacked. It offered no substitute for the crucifixtion, death and resurrection of Jesus. While never explicitly attacking the fact, it implicitly offered something far more sinister.  Dan Brown is not the first to question the resurrection. Many have followed before him. The quest for the "Historical Jesus" goes back to first 50 years after Jesus' death. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, knew the implications of such thinking: "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; And if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is in vain and so is your faith" (1 Cor 15:13-14). Bultman appealed to reason; clearly science  has shown us that people do not rise from the dead. The Jesus seminar concluded that Jesus' body did not rise but rotted away. Browns rendition follows along the same vein, and again the circular arguments are clear "The resurrection cannot have happened because I do not believe in supernatural things". 

Too often we buy into the latest trends while ignoring what has stood the test of time. The Bible is still the worlds best choice and best seller, with an estimated 6 billion in print. It has stood and continues to stand up to critical and historical evaluations. It has never been found wanting. The resurrection has yet to be disproved by any decent scholarship. Piper writes, in his book What Jesus demands from the world, that "no reliable or lasting portrait of Jesus has ever been reconstructed from going behind what the four Gospels portray" (p 30). It saddens me to see intelligent scholars giving in to conspiracy theories when the facts are plain and simple. Perhaps sin has more of strangle-hold on the human heart than we realise?

The Church has always been a peculiar group of people and has often been divided over issues. As a Calvinist I get caught up in debates about free will and the sovereignity of God. Others want to challenge me on eternal security or the nature of divine election. But there is one thing that unites us. The belief that Triune God put on eye brows, knee caps, saliva glands and a spleen, became a man, lived, died and rose again on the 3rd day, paying the price for our sins. This story is the hinge on which the door turns. It is precisely because of this that Christianity spread so rapidly. Mr Brown appeals to 2nd century Gnostic texts like the "Gospel of Phillip" or the "Gospel of Mary" to support his claims. Remarkably these texts depict an un-Jewish Jesus, and have a lot more in common with Plato than anyone else. Sorry Mr Brown but those were being fed to the lions or burned alive were not reading these texts but the four gospels.

Today we are no less fooled by fantasy. Like the Gnostics of old we are consumed with discovering the secret knowledge behind the facts. Secrets that will give us power, happiness, respect, and love. The seemingly never ending array of self help books tell us that if we could get back to our inner child, or discover who you really are then we would be happy. Somehow we bought into the belief that our lives are dull and ordinary. There is a  secret and exciting truth that lies within us, and if we pay enough we can have someone coax it out. The Bible presents a radically counter-cultural idea. Although we bear the image of God, the truth we seek is not found by introspection. Its found in God who is all truth. Instead of self acutalisation, we are unconditionally elected. Instead of finding our inner child, we are given a new heart and made into a new creation. Instead of struggling with self esteem we find our hope, calling and identity in Jesus.

Iranaeus wrote that "The glory of God is man fully alive" and I think he was onto something there. It is only through the life giving power of Jesus through the Holy Spirit that we are made fully alive and are able to give Glory to God. Remebering this truth is a continual process for me, and I have to learn to rest in it.  May God grant you the same rest as you continue to seek Him.

That vagabond group of hooligans known for liberating the Holy Land and have since become BFFs with the Holy See and every Pontiff since the days of those hallowed Crusades.

No? How about the mystical monastic order rumored to be guardians of the Holy Grail? Oh, those Knights Templar! Yeah, amazing how Hollywood strikes mental bells like Quasimodo, eh?

Anywhoo, don't believe the press - namely not the one the Pope runs out of the Vatican. It's a sham. They just hold hands for the press junkets and new book signings by Dan Brown.

Evidently, things aren't coming up incense with this relationship, at least not according to this interesting story from the UK Register.

The Knights Templar are demanding that the Vatican give them back their good name and, possibly, billions in assets into the bargain, 700 years after the order was brutally suppressed by a joint venture between the Pope and the King of France.

Well, that's sweet. Just when you thought Indiana Jones found the pesky grail and the "Da Vinci Code" lied about it, reality sets in with this story. Speaking of the Grail, I wonder what 700 years of antiquity will do for its resale value. Anyone know any reputable pawn shops in the Vatican we can visit? Anyone?

But, I've been known to be disappointed by books. High hopes dashed and, when I cracked open The Map Thief, my heart sank. This was not what I expected. For some reason--I think because Tess Gerritsen provided a blurb for Terrell's first book--I'd decided the book would read like The Sinner or even The Bone Garden.

Not the case. Though the book is a thriller. 

After two pages, I overcame my preconceived notions and discovered something better than I'd anticipated. If you can wrap your head around this, The Map Thief is a thriller told in a fable-like manner comparable to the works of  Paulo Coelho, which in my opinion is a beautiful style and a ginormous compliment to Heather Terrell.

The narrative shifts between Beijing in 1421, Lisbon in 1496, and present day New York City. So, while the chapters set in the present day have more zing, Terrell writes the more historical sections in prose that marks the story as something of a hidden legend. 

Ok, so unique writing style? Check. But, the book has another component I love: a main character with a really cool job. 

I can't help it. I'm a sucker for that brand of MC and Mara Coyne is no exception. She's an attorney who starts her own firm to help restore stolen artwork to its rightful owner, often requiring her to work on the fringe of the law.

Mara's story is satisfying, but the real magic comes as Terrell details the career of Ma Zhi, the gifted cartographer. 

You'll love this book if you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, The Thomas Crown Affair, or just like learning cool things while reading and thinking about history in a new way. And, though Terrell openly admits to tampering with history, the question of whether the Chinese could have been the first to discover the New World remains intriguing.

Finally, we still have half the summer left and with easy-to-digest chapters and a pace that will speed your metabolism, The Map Thief will serve as a tasty treat for a day at the beach.  

For a description of The Map Thief visit Heather Terrell's website.

Or to Buy it click here:  The Map Thief: A Novel

Want to read another book review? Check out my thoughts on the House of Night series.

** Comments today count as double entries to win your copy of The Map Thief! Since Heather Terrell takes us globe-trotting across time and space, tell me about the coolest place you've been OR if you could go back to any time in history what would it be??

Status: Shipping boxes today. The Breaking Dawn party was really cute. I'll talk about it tomorrow. Have lots of work coming up this week.

“Paduka Resi Bhisma, berhakkah Yudhistira mempertaruhkan diri hamba, berhakkah dia merasa memiliki diri hamba, ketika ia tidak memiliki lagi diri dan kemerdekaannya?” tanya Drupadi.

Dan Resi Bhisma, yang termashyur arif dan bijaksana itu, menjawab “Aku tak tahu, anakku. Jalan darma sangat bias. Mana yang benar, mana yang tidak, bahkan orang yang paling bijaksana pun kadang-kadang hanya menduga”.

Dialog tersebut terjadi tatkala Drupadi dijadikan taruhan oleh Yudhistira, yang saat itu kemerdekaan Yudhistira sendiri telah tergadaikan pada Kurawa, sehingga dirinya diperlakukan secara tidak hormat di tengah ruang istana. Merupakan bagian dari cerita Mahabharata.

Kesimpulan mengambang yang dikatakan Bhisma tersebut terasa sesuai dengan kisah yang terjadi pada Saqifah.

Membaca Saqifah membuat seakan-akan dasar sejarah Islam yang telah diketahui secara umum bergoncang, mungkin ini mirip tatkala orang kristiani membaca buku “Da vinci Code” karya Dan Brown. Namun ada sedikit perbedaan, dan perbedaan adalah pada titik paling vital pada agama yaitu akidah. Meskipun Saqifah bisa memutarbalikkan anggapan kita akan sahabat-sahabat utama, namun akidah dari Islam sendiri tetap  tak tersentuh. Dan ini berbeda tatkala pada Da Vinci Code bercerita tentang sisi kemanusiaan Yesus.

Namun, apalagi jika kita termasuk penganut Ahlus Sunah wal Jamaah, kisah ini cukup untuk membuat seorang muslim kaget. Seperti tatkala bagaimana seorang besar seperti Abu bakar, Umar, Ustman, dan sebagaimana rela memperebutkan kekuasaan hingga sedemikian caranya. Apakah itu kekuasaan? Sebuah benda abstrak yang direbut dengan kasar dan licik. Apakah mereka yang hidup pada jaman Nabi akan lebih mementingkan benda abstrak tersebut daripada mengurus jenazah Nabi?

Kita tak mengalami saat itu, kita cuma mengetahui dari buku-buku dan salah satunya buku Saqifah ini. Aku membayangkan seandainya hidup pada jaman tersebut, akankah aku memilih Ali atau Abu Bakar, aku sendiri tak akan tahu. Namun seperti kata Bhisma, bahwa orang yang paling bijaksana pun kadang-kadang hanya bisa menduga. Dan Umar, sebagai seorang negarawan yang diakui pada buku 100 tokoh dunia, mungkin juga hanya menduga, bahwa pembaiatan Abu Bakar adalah satu-satunya cara, dengan mengesampingkan tujuan pribadi Umar, untuk mempertahankan keutuhan Islam.

Bagaimanapun kesalahan dan perselisihan yang terjadi pada saat itu, kurasa tetap bukanlah pikiran bijaksana jika saat ini kita menyalahkan para sahabat. Apalagi jika membanggakan diri sendiri bahwa generasi saat ini lebih baik pada saat itu. Itulah sisi kemanusiaan, tatkala seorang manusia berjuang melawan nafsu dan pikirannya sendiri, seperti nilai yang dapat diambil dari cerita Bagavad Gita, saat Arjuna ragu untuk perang, dan Khrisna sang sais mengajaknya berdialog.

Memang sejarah mempunyai citra negatif, merupakan sebuah cerita yang berjalan timpang, yang selalu berdiri pada sisi penguasa. Saqifah adalah sejarah, yang akan sangat mungkin untuk dipluntir, dibelokkan pada jalan yang salah. Dan hanya orang-orang yang diberi petunjuk yang akan mengerti kenapa semua itu terjadi, sebuah rahasia besar yang belum tuntas terungkap. Meskipun ditakdirkan sebagai orang bijaksana, tanpa adanya petunjuk tersebut, besar kemungkinan kita juga hanya bisa menduga.

Tidak semua sejarah Islam berisi jiwa rendah hati semacam kisah Gandhi dengan ahimsa-nya, walau tokh akhirnya dia juga harus mati dengan kekerasan. Tidak semua sejarah Islam berisikan perdamaian dan ketentraman. Tidak semuanya berisikan penegakan hak asazi dan demokrasi, sebuah hal yang dipuja-puja saat ini. Tidak semuanya berisikan kepahlawanan dan jiwa besar seorang Salahudin Al Ayubi. Namun, berdasarkan pemikiranku pribadi, ada saatnya kekerasan adalah satu-satunya alat untuk mencapai kebenaran, tetapi itu haruslah pilihan terakhir. Seperti halnya alasan saat terjadinya perang Bharatayuda dalam Mahabharata.

Upaya yang terakhir bagi generasi saat ini adalah mencari suatu kertas catatan sejarah tentang saqifah walau mungkin sudah lusuh, penuh noda, serta sobek disana-sini. Kita mesti merangkainya, hingga menjadi cerita musim panas yang berakhir bahagia, tanpa menghukum yang kalah, tanpa perayaan kemenangan. Sebab pada dasarnya pada tiap perayaan kemenangan tersembunyi kesedihan dan dendam bagi yang kalah. Demi persatuan Islam, kita tiadakan perayaan dan hukuman. Dan menyimpan kertas lusuh yang terangkai tersebut dalam hati yang lapang.

-,Respati,-

I had two intermediate classes every Tuesday and Thursday night, with the combined cultural nights on Saturdays. Most of my students have signed up again for the next class starting on the 19th August, so my pedagogical skills couldn't have been too bad.

I also had some great opportunities to built relationships with half a dozen of the male students. We're all going to have dinner together tomorrow night and hopefully when I get back from Burma they are going to take me camping.

Having got to meet a real Christian in the flesh was interesting for many of them, because there are so many rumours and half-truths floating around about Christianity and Jesus in this country. By the end the students all felt comfortable to ask questions about Christianity in our class discussion times. Some of them have taken the Thai language New Testaments we have available and others have signed up for the weekly Chronological Bible Story classes.

Some of my students had seen The Lost Gospel of Judas programme on National Geographic channel and wanted to know all about Judas. Carla said a similar spate of bizarre questions had come out after that Da Vinci Code fad.

These pop culture portrayals of Christ's life have the historical validity of an Asterix comic, but on the flip side it gets them thinking and asking questions about who Jesus is, which by the end of the course they were openly doing in class.

Each week we presented a different biblical theme: God created angels and the Fall of Satan, God created the world, God created humans, the Fall of humans, and through Jesus there is now a way back to God. Usually we started with a bit of a talk show concept (Thais love talk shows) followed by a skit. Except for the fact I'm in Thailand, to me it really had the feel of all those summers in caravan parks on the Sunshine Coast doing Beach Missions!

I've really enjoyed getting to know the students and have been so surprised about the good relationships I have built with them in my short time here. I will return from Burma in time to help teach from the next course starting on the 19th August.

The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs is one such book that we've had a hard time keeping on the shelves. It is a non-fiction book about a man who decides to follow The Bible "religiously" so to speak for one year. He documents his tale here. Many of our patrons have loved it, often coming in to tell us about something they learned, or something they decided that they would not have been able to do.

What about:

101 Things Everyone Should Know About the Bible by John Trigilio is a sort of trivia book for religion enthusiasts or just people who would like to know a little more about it. It covers such things as "When did certain Biblical events occur?" and "The Science of Biblical Interpretation".

It was just announced recently though that a new website will offer a really up close look at rare documents called the Codex Sinaiticus, which is the original handwritten Bible, written in ancient Greek and include the oldest copy of the New Testament. Up until now, the texts have been found in various libraries in Europe, but each have come together to allow the texts to be scanned so that history buffs, religious scholars or anyone else interested can now view the pages.

You can see the documents and read more about the project here:

http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/

Even if you aren't a religious person, it is fascinating to look at the pages which are yellowed and stained with age. They have been so well preserved though that it is easy to see the writings, even if you cannot understand the language they are written in. Just an interesting piece of history.

• Differenze tra Italia e Hollywood:

1. Quanto conta la Star in Italia e quanto ad Hollywood?
2. Come nasce una Star in Italia e come ad Hollywood?
3. Quando un attore può essere definito Star?
4. Qual'è la percentuale di investimenti per un'opera cinematografica in Italia e ad Hollywood?
5. Da cosa nasce la differenza evidenziata dalla domanda 4?

• Fenomeno Marvok:

1. Perchè Marvok fa parlare di se?
2. Cos'ha Marvok che ci piace?
3. Il fatto che sul sito l'enigma appaia su un criptex (chiaro riferimento al fenomeno Da Vinci code) è casuale o si sta sfruttando la popolarità del suddetto film?