Both books explore the controversial theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and produced a child whose bloodlines survive to this day. They claim Brown, an American, stole the central theme for his religious thriller from their 1982 book, THE HOLY BLOOD AND THE HOLY GRAIL. Two British authors, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, are suing THE DA VINCI CODE publisher, Random House, for copyright infringement. In London's high court today, Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown took the stand for the first time to defend his work and his reputation.
