What’s What’s All the All the Fuss Fuss

About?About?

What is the Da Vinci Code?

A handful of biblical scholars today are attempting to rewrite Christian history by suggesting that there were many forms of Christianity in its beginning. Each were fighting to become the accepted form. The group that won (Proto-Orthodox) had their books put in the NT, and the others were burned.

The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by Dan Brown that attempts to present the views of these radical scholars in an entertaining manner.

But the book goes beyond what these revisionist scholars are claiming and states as fact a number of positions that aren’t accepted by any major scholar.

Major Claims of The Da Vinci Code

The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine.

The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.”

Christianity borrowed its major doctrines from pagan religions (e.g., Son of God, Resurrection).

Jesus as the Son of God did not become a Christian doctrine until it was brought up and approved at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. A vote was taken and the position that Jesus is divine barely passed.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper and a number of ancient documents provide clues that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.

Is Christianity a Grand Conspiracy to Deceive Others?

Let’s examine these major accusations

one at a time.

“More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a

relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among

them….The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great [p. 231]….[who]

omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned [p.

234].”

Major Claim #1: The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the Roman emperor Constantine.

Fact Check

Are there “more than eighty gospels” as Brown claims?– There are less than 20 books that could be considered “gospels.”

Are these other gospels “earlier” than the 4 in the NT as Brown claims?– There is no evidence that any of these other gospels were written

in the first century AD. – The earliest of the others is the Gospel of Thomas. – Most scholars date Thomas to the beg-mid of the 2nd century.– Nearly all scholars date the 4 NT Gospels to the 1st century.

Fact Check (continued)

Is today’s Bible the result of the Roman emperor Constantine?

How did the books How did the books & letters of the & letters of the Bible become Bible become one volume?one volume?

Why were certain booksleft out?

First Recognition of NT WritingsFirst Recognition of NT Writings

Paul quotes the Gospel of Luke and refers to it as Scripture (1 Tim 5:18).

Peter refers to the writings of Paul as Scripture (2 Pet 3:16).

AD 70-150. Apostolic Fathers. Some knew the apostles (Peter and John). The AF’s specifically quote from at least 17 books and letters in the NT.

AD 125. Polycarp quotes Ephesians twice and refers to it as part of the “Sacred Scriptures.”

Lists of Authoritative WorksLists of Authoritative Works AD 140. Marcion compiled a canon that included one Gospel (a large portion

of Luke that had been heavily altered) and 10 of Paul’s letters. AD 180. Muratorian Canon Fragment consists of 23 books and letters. AD 185. Irenaeus recognized 22 books and letters AD 200. Tertullian recognized 22 books and letters AD 225. Hippolytus recognized 22 books and letters AD 230. Origen recognized 24 books and letters AD 325. Eusebius lists 22 books and letters accepted as canonical AD 367. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, lists the 27 books and letters of

the NT we now have today (1st list of the 27 we have today. Notice that it’s after the Counsel of Nicaea.)

AD 380. Amphilocius of Iconium lists 22 books and letters AD 382. Synod in Rome. Pope Damascus; same 27 AD 397. 3rd Council of Carthage recognized the 27 books and letters of the NT AD 1442. Council of Florence; same 27 AD 1546. Council of Trent reaffirms 27 books and letters.

What the lists had in common

All accepted the 4 NT Gospels as the true Gospels.

All accepted Paul’s letters as authoritative.

4 NT Gospels were considered authoritative by the early Church Justin (c. AD 150)

– 15 times referred to the Gospels as the “memoirs of the apostles.”

– In several of these references he cites stories or quotes found in the 4 Gospels.

– When referring to the “memoirs,” he never cites a story that occurs in another Gospel.

Irenaeus (c. AD 185)– Gospel is “quadriform”

Even the heretics accepted the 4 NT Gospels

Ebionites used Matthew (2nd cent) Marcion used Luke (AD 140) Certain Gnostics used Mark (2-3rd cent) Valentinus used John (AD 110) Tatian (Gnostic) combined Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

into the Diatessaron, the first attempt to combine the four into one continuous Gospel. None of the other Gospels were included. (AD 172)

All of these predated the Council of Nicaea by 153-215 yrs!

Certain Gospels were specifically rejected by the Church prior to Nicaea

Origen (AD 185-254): “I know a certain gospel which is called The Gospel according to Thomas and a Gospel according to Matthias, and many others have we read…. Nevertheless, among all these we have approved solely what the church has recognized, which is that only the four gospels should be accepted.”

What about the “lost books”What about the “lost books”of the Bible?of the Bible? Gospel of Thomas Gospel of Peter Apocalypse of Peter Gospel to the Hebrews Gospel of Barnabas Gospel of Phillip Gospel of Mary etc.

Not Considered AuthoritativeNot Considered Authoritative

The only book thought to exist prior to the middle of the 2nd century is the Gospel of Thomas. All the others were written more than 100 years after Jesus.

Teachings in these differ from what we know the apostles taught

Never quoted by any known author during first 300 years after Christ

Never read in Christian assemblies Not included in the lists of accepted books & letters Not the subject of commentaries Some were specifically rejected by the Church

Why does the Catholic Bible have more books? The difference is that the Catholic OT contains what is called

the Apocrypha (hidden) These Jewish documents were respected by Jews for

historical significance, but never considered by them to be inspired.

When the Hebrew OT was translated into Greek in Alexandria Egypt, the Apocrypha was also translated and included in the Greek OT (Septuagint).

When the Catholic Church translated the OT into Latin (Vulgate), they used the Greek Septuagint rather than the Hebrew OT. Thus, the Apocrypha was naturally included.

Protestants believe the Hebrew OT is more reliable than the Greek OT, since it was the original language. Thus, our English translation does not include the Apocrypha.

Fact Check

No evidence that other Gospels existed before mid-2nd century (lone exception of Thomas), whereas all 4 NT Gospels were written in 1st century.

4 Gospels & Paul’s letters were recognized as authoritative since the 2nd century: 100-150 yrs prior to Council of Nicaea

Debate over the other books & letters wasn’t solved with Constantine at Nicaea. Rather, it went on for several more centuries.

Major Claim #2: The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.”

Multiple checks & balances have ensured this did not occur.

Biblical Biblical ManuscriptsManuscripts

The Basis of our Biblical Text

New TestamentNew Testament

5,000+ Greek Manuscripts (some very early)

25,000+ manuscripts in other languages (e.g., Latin, Coptic, Syriac)

30,000+ quotations of New Testament within 300 years of Jesus from Church Fathers

In RomansIn RomansTotal Words: 7,125Words Certain: 6,912 (97%)Words in Question: 213 (3%)

Of Those in Question: [A] Certain: 66

[B] Almost Certain: 42

[C] Difficult to Determine: 104

[D] Great Difficulty in Determining: 1

Variant ReadingsVariant Readings

“Let us pursue (diw,kwmen) the things that make peace.”

“We pursue (diw,komen) the things that make peace.”

“Pursue (diw,kete) the things that make peace.”

Conclusions to New TestamentConclusions to New TestamentTextual CriticismTextual Criticism Text is 97% pure.

When guidelines of textual criticism are applied, scholars can reproduce a text that is roughly 98.5% pure to what the original said.

The remaining 1.5% is mostly matters of spelling and word order and impact no major doctrine or practice.

Old TestamentOld Testament

Masoretic Text Samaritan Pentateuch LXX Dead Sea Scrolls OT citations in the NT

Conclusions to Old Testament Conclusions to Old Testament Textual CriticismTextual Criticism Approximately 90% of OT is without

variation When textual criticism applied,

scholars can reproduce a text that is 95% pure to the originals.

The remaining 5% is mostly matters of spelling and word order and impact no major doctrine or practice.

What about all those translations?What about all those translations?

KJV NKJV NASB NIV TNIV NLT ESV Amplified Bible

The American Bible RSV NRSV The Living Bible NWT Phillips Translation The Jerusalem Bible New Century Version

Purpose of Translation

NASB ESV NIV NLT Living Bible Amplified Bible NWT

Very literal translation Literal but smoother 20th cen. US English Simpler than NIV Paraphrase Expands meaning Deceive the naïve

Fact Check (Major Claim #2: The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.”)

The Bible we have today is a near perfect representation of what was originally written. No part in question impacts any major doctrine or how we practice our faith.

For the most part, translations are fresh attempts at presenting the biblical text from different angles.

Major Claim #3: Christianity borrowed from other religions.

“Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian God Mithras—called the Son of God

and the Light of the World—was born on December 25, died, was buried in a rock tomb, and then

resurrected in three days” (232).

Fact Check:

It is true that accounts exist of pagan gods who rose from the dead.

None of these pre-date Jesus None of these are contemporary w/Jesus All post-date Jesus by at least 100+ years Who’s copying who?

Even Sunday for worship was borrowed from pagan religions

“Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was stolen from the pagans….Originally,” Langdon said, “Christianity honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.” He paused, grinning. “To this day, most churchgoers attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly tribute—Sunday” (232-33).

Fact Check:

First Christians were Jews. They already worshipped on Saturday.

If some Christians were so picky about shunning paganism that they wouldn’t eat meat sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 10), they wouldn’t change their day of worship in conformity w/pagan practice!

Nearly every scholar agrees that the change from Saturday to Sunday worship was to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.– By the mid 1st-century this change had occurred

(1 Cor 16:2; Acts 20:7).

Quick Review

The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine.

The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.”

Christianity borrowed its major doctrines from pagan religions (e.g., Son of God, Resurrection).

Major Claim #4: The doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God was invented and approved at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 (p. 233).

Speaking of the Council of Nicaea in AD 325…

“My dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet . . . A great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.”

“Not the Son of God?” [said Sophie]

“Right,” Teabing said. “Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.”

“Hold on. You’re saying Jesus’ divinity was the result of a vote?”

“A relatively close vote at that,” Teabing added.

Questions to Ask:

Did Christians view Jesus only as a great man and prophet until the Council of Nicaea in AD 325?

Was the vote a close one?

Fact Check: Nearly every scholar holds that the Gospels and Paul’s letters were

written in the 1st cent. If these Gospels and letters refer to Jesus as the divine Son of God, then we know Christians thought of him this way more than 225 years prior to Nicaea.

The earliest reference to Jesus as Son of God is by Paul in Romans 1:3-4:– “Was born from the seed of David according to the flesh, was declared the

Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord.”

– Paul wrote Romans in AD 60. So, we know that Jesus was being thought of as the Son of God by then. But, scholars recognize that these verses are an earlier oral tradition which Paul included in his letter, which means the belief that Jesus is the Son of God is even earlier than AD 60.

But we can go back even to Jesus!Mark 12:1-12 Then Jesus began telling them stories: "A man planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At grape-picking time he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. "The owner then sent another servant, but they beat him over the head and treated him shamefully. The next servant he sent was killed. Others who were sent were either beaten or killed, until there was only one left -- his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, 'Surely they will respect my son.' "But the farmers said to one another, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!' So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. "What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?" Jesus asked. "I'll tell you -- he will come and kill them all and lease the vineyard to others. Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures? 'The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see.'" The Jewish leaders wanted to arrest him for using this illustration because they realized he was pointing at them -- they were the wicked farmers in his story. But they were afraid to touch him because of the crowds. So they left him and went away.”

What did Jesus say in this parable?

Vineyard = Israel Owner = God Tenants = Jewish Leaders Servants = Prophets Son = Jesus is greater than the prophets. He

is the Son of God.

Did Jesus really say this parable? Yes.

If this parable was invented by the Church after the death of Jesus, we would expect the Jesus in the parable to say God would vindicate him by raising him from the dead.

The parable is consistent w/life in Palestine during the time of Jesus.

Even the Jesus Seminar believes Jesus uttered this parable. (Mikey & Life Cereal)

Fact Check:

Da Vinci Code: The doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God was invented and approved at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 (p. 233).

Facts:– Jesus himself claimed to be the Son of God.

– Within 30 years of Jesus’ crucifixion, Paul and even earlier tradition were presenting Jesus as the divine Son of God.

Was it a close vote at Nicaea?

In AD 318 in Alexandria Egypt, Arius argued that Jesus was created by God. (His teaching on Jesus was adopted 1,500 years later by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.)

There was a Christian bishop there named Alexander who later that year called a meeting of 100+ bishops to discuss the subject.

They all voted that Arius was a heretic and removed him from his position of leadership in the Church.

Arius wasn’t quiet over the matter and continued to spread his teaching that Jesus was created.

The main subject for discussion at Nicaea was Arius’ teachings about Jesus.

318 bishops were present; Only 28 sided with Arius.

Major Claim #5: Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene & it was covered up. The Bible does not say that marriage is sinful.

– Paul opposes those who forbid marriage then says everything created by God is good (1 Tim 4:3-4).

– Paul said it is not a sin to marry (1 Cor 7:36) & mentioned that the other apostles and Jesus’ brothers were married (1 Cor 9:5).

Being single has the advantage of allowing one to be completely focused on ministry – Paul (1 Cor 7:28-35).– Jesus said if one wants to remain single for the sake of the kingdom, he or

she should do so (Matt 19:12). The NT seems to imply that Jesus was single.

– His mother, father, brothers, and sisters were mentioned. Jesus being married or having a wife was never mentioned.

– Jesus was always portrayed as being single. Although it was typical for Jewish men to marry, some of those who didn’t

to better serve God were regarded highly (Josephus on the Essenes). In the absence of good evidence that Jesus was married, the most plausible

position is that he was single.

The Da Vinci Code, p. 245-46 “These are photocopies of the Nag Hammadi and Dead Sea scrolls, which I mentioned earlier,” Teabing said. “The earliest Christian records. Troublingly, they do not match up with the gospels in the Bible.” Flipping toward the middle of the book, Teabing pointed to a passage. “The Gospel of Philip is always a good place to start.”

Sophie read the passage:

And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene. Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her

mouth.”

The words surprised Sophie, and yet they hardly seemed conclusive. “It says nothing of marriage.”

“Au contraire.” Teabing smiled, pointing to the first line. “As any Aramaic scholar will tell you, the word companion, in those days, literally meant spouse.”

Langdon [a Harvard University professor] concurred with a nod.

Sophie read the first line again. And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene.

Fact Check: The actual text quoted has many gaps that Brown filled in with an

obvious agenda:– And the companion of the […] Mary Magdalene. […] her more than […]

the disciples [… ] kiss her […] on her […head? hand? cheek? mouth?]. (Gospel of Philip 63:32-36)

Brown refers to the Nag Hammadi mss & Dead Sea Scrolls as “The earliest Christian records.”– Dead Sea Scrolls are all Jewish documents; not one is Christian or even

mentions Jesus.– Nag Hammadi manuscripts were all written in 4th century AD. Many are

Gnostic. Gospel of Philip composed in latter half of 3rd century—200 yrs after four NT Gospels!

Although “companion” meant “spouse” in Aramaic, the Nag Hammadi mss were not in Aramaic. They were in Coptic. The word for “companion” was borrowed from Greek (koinonos). This word means a joint owner, partner, colleague, accomplice, companion (2 Cor 8:23; 1 Pet 5:1). The word for wife or spouse is gyne.

John Meier on Nag Hammadi MSSJohn Meier on Nag Hammadi MSS

“the material about Jesus is sometimes on the level of the fanciful apocryphal gospels…This is the stuff of The Last Temptation of Christ, not the historical Jesus.”

(A Marginal Jew, pp. 123-24)

Bart Ehrman on Bart Ehrman on The Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci Code

“[Brown’s] a novelist, not a scholar of history. . . . Even though he claims that his

‘descriptions of . . . documents . . . are accurate,’ in

fact they are not.” (Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, 189-

90)

What’s All the Fuss What’s All the Fuss About?About?

A book that contains a ton of untruths about

Jesus, is demonstrably

wrong, and promotes some

positions held by only a few scholars.

If you enjoy reading conspiracy theories,

you’ll like The Da Vinci Code. If you’re looking for anything

that serves as a criticism of Jesus

irrespective of truth, you’ll find The Da

Vinci Code fulfilling. But as a historical

account of Jesus and the early Church, it is unsalvagable.

What language did Jesus speak? 4 languages in 1st century Palestine:

– Latin: least used; almost exclusively by Roman officials– Greek: main language used in the Roman empire. Palestine in Jesus’ day

heavily influenced by Greek culture. Jesus probably could speak and read Greek but would not be prolific in it.

– Hebrew: used by educated Jews. Jesus probably familiar w/Hebrew.– Aramaic: Most common language of 1st century Palestine.

Jesus’ primary language was Aramaic. He was probably tri-lingual, being able to converse in Greek and Hebrew.

Bi-tri-lingual followers would have understood Jesus in Aramaic and been able to share his teachings w/others in Greek. NT written in Greek b/c it was the most common language of the world at that time.