The plot of international bestseller "The Da Vinci Code," by Dan Brown, has been described by Britain's Bishop of Durham as "laughable," the BBC reported.

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The work of fiction's plot revolves around the idea that Jesus was not crucified, but married Mary Magdalene and died a normal death. In the book, this was covered up by the Church. The novel has sold more than seven million copies worldwide.

The Rt Rev Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, said the novel is a "great thriller" but "lousy history."

The Bishop said he enjoyed the book, but there was no evidence to back up its claims.

Writing his Christmas message in the Northern Echo, the Bishop said: "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 evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity is astonishingly good," he said.

"The Da Vinci Code" has spawned a movement of rebuttals and counter claims in its two years of publication.