Very true, Clinton. There are indeed very few equal possibilities but that is a far cry from there's history and there's imagination/fiction.... They are not interchangeable....

The former does accept that there are alternative possibilities even if some are more possible than others. The latter seems to indicate that there is only one possibilty and all else is false. Sorry if I mis-interpreted that last statement, which of course you made, but it does seem to indicate that history is black or white. It is not. All events are based on someones interpretation, as you yourself have said in the past.

Coming back to the Da Vinci code, Dan Brown has made mega bucks out of his interpretation of certain 'facts'. This has happened all throughout history. I am sure it happened with the Bible, both the old and new bits. Equaly someone has interpreted the 'facts' as Jesus did not exist for their own agenda.

By steering a middle course we can keep our eyes on both banks. Maybe steering closer to one when we see too many perils on the other but only pulling into port when we are sure it is safe!

I will indeed choose what I will, as I am sure you will, but to say there is no such thing as alternative history is either a very poor choice of words or a very naive view of historians.

On a lighter note, Ted Edwards, singer, writer and explorer as well as a good friend of mine, made what I thought was a most asture comment about this whole subject. I said to him, with reference to the Da Vinci code, that I thought it was OK but found it ludicrous that some people believed it was the complete truth.

"Why not," said Ted, "People have beleived the Bible is the whole truth for a lot longer."

He is the same guy who started his first publicly performed poem after a serious stroke with "God. Yer a bastard!" :-)

Cheers

DtG