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The Da Vinci Code - 7 corrections

Comments made in brackets are corrections from other visitors. As such, any aggressive/abusive corrections (and I get quite a few) written as if they're comments I've made myself will be ignored. To submit your own corrections for mistakes, just click "make changes" when viewing mistakes, and click "correct entry". Some entries have "duplicated entry" after them - these are entries which were already listed on the main page, but were submitted again. I occasionally leave these online for a while, just in case they were moved in error, so don't worry about pointing them out to me.

Entry The book claims that Jesus was named a deity rather than a prophet at a meeting in Nicaea in 325. Jesus is referred to as the Son of God and a divine person in the texts of the New Testament, texts which date much further back than 325. What was decided at the meeting in Nicaea was that Jesus was equal to God, and not a deity of "lesser rank". [This is just wrong. Only two books of the New Testament state that Jesus was divine. The other two do not. Part of the agenda at Nicaea was reconciling this discrepancy by officially deciding whether Jesus was divine or not (this was, as stated, settled by a vote).]
Entry In the Da VInci Code, Opus Dei is depicted as a clandestine society of sinister monks. In reality, Opus Dei is an organization made up of lay people who lead rather ordinary lives. It contains very few priests and no monks at all. [This is similar to the entries about the Priory of Sion, which have both been corrected. The book's interior logic is that these societies are in fact much older and secretive, and that the organizations you find today (and in real life) are just innocent-looking cover-ups for the real thing.] Corrected by Twotall
Entry Prieuré de Sion (Priory of Sion) was founded in 1956. A bit hard for Da Vinci to be part of the group then, wouldn't you say? [Much is made of the fact that the real Prieuré de Sion was indeed founded in 1956. However, the book posits that it is indeed an older secret society and the one founded in 1950s is just a decoy.]
Entry Walt Disney is pointed out as one of the members of the Priory of Sion, with references to the early Disney classics as proof that he knew the real truth of the grail and was a member of the group. Walt Disney died only a few years after the Priory was founded, and the early classics are older than the Priory. He could thus not have used his movies to spread the message of the group as the movies came first. [The book's interior logic claims that the Priory actually goes back thousands of years, rather than the 50 or so it actually does (and has been proved to be a hoax anyway). As such, considering it's a fictional society, you can't impose reality-based constraints on it.]
Entry When the guard at the Louvre is pointing the gun at Langdon, Sophie takes the 'canvas' painting of the "Madonna of the Rocks" off of the wall and uses it as a hostage - if the guard doesn't drop the gun she will supposedly tear the painting apart. However, the real painting has a solid wood back to it, making it too heavy to lift, let alone tear it apart. [While it's true that the painting was originally on wood, it was later transferred to canvas according to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_the_Rocks#History_of_the_paintings ) Quote: "The Louvre version was transferred to canvas from the original wooden panel but the London painting is still on panel."] Corrected by Myridon
Entry Langdon uses the name Amon L'isa to make an anagram that turns into Mona Lisa, a clue left behind by Da Vinci himself. The painting was never referred to as the Mona Lisa during Da Vinci's lifetime so it's impossible for the painter to use that name in any clue at all. [The clue was not left behind by Da Vinci, it was left behind by Sophie's Grandfather, who by being the curator of the Louvre, would know that the painting is now referred to as the Mona Lisa.]
Entry The cylinder contains vinegar which will destroy the parchment if the two come in contact. Disregarding the fact that Langdon can simply put the cylinder in the freezer and get the parchment out safely that way, even if he broke it open it wouldn't be damaged. Vinegar does not dissolve parchment. [The book states that the paper is papyrus. Assuming that the book is correct, then papyrus can be dissolved by vinegar. And Robert Langdon doesnt get enough time to freeze the cylinder.]

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