The Bible vs. The Da Vinci Code Heresy or history? That's the question swirling around one of the hottest selling books in America, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Although a novel, the 450-page thriller claims to contain facts that demolish the foundation of Christianity. The book's allegations include such bombshells as these:
Too crazy to be believable? Guess again! The Da Vinci Code has been number one on Amazon.com, a New York Times bestseller for 32 weeks, the subject of positive media coverage such as an ABC News special, and has been purchased by Sony for a major motion picture to be directed by Ron Howard. And the unbelievable is being believed. Non-Christians have been drawn to the theory like a magnet, and even large numbers of Christians say their faith has been shaken or that they don't know how to respond. CRACKS IN THE CODE Because the mission of Living on the Edge includes transforming "how America thinks about God’ and "how individual believers live out their faith, we want to equip you with some facts about The Da Vinci Code. You need to have intellectual confidence in your faith to weather the trials and challenges of life. If the Bible is erroneous about Christ, then maybe it's wrong about sex, marriage, prayer, life after death, heaven, hell, and God's love, right? Frankly, The Da Vinci Code is too crowded with errors to begin to cover all of them. But here is some information to help you decode the deception and fortify your faith. Is The Da Vinci Code thesis supported, as it claims, by well-accepted historical and art authorities? Brown does cite in his favor a handful of conspiracy theorists as if they were reputable sources, yet none is regarded as an expert or scholar in history. One of them has even written a book claiming that Egyptian culture was shaped by space aliens! Further, The Da Vinci Code bungles elementary facts, raising serious doubts about its overall reliability:
Are the four Gospels in our New Testament reliable, or were they invented at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325?
Scholar Robert Grant sums up the consensus of historians when he states that the New Testament "was not the product of official assemblies or even of the studies of a few theologians. It reflects and expresses the ideal self-understanding of a whole religious movement . . . united in accepting these 27 diverse documents as expressing the meaning of God's revelation." Aren't there other gospels about Jesus that were suppressed for political reasons? In reality, there are about 50 other so-called gospels cited in ancient literature. None comes close to meeting the tests of authenticity previously mentioned. Most are filled with bizarre tales and wildly heretical theology such as Jesus claiming that women must "become male’ to go to heaven. Finally, there is no historical evidence of any widespread destruction of these false gospels. In fact, the emperor Constantine, who Brown alleges engineered the destruction, disagreed with the key affirmation of the Council of Nicea - the deity of Christ. It makes little sense that he would suppress a doctrine he believed in. Did the early church believe Jesus was God, or instead was His status "upgraded’ in A.D. 325, as The Da Vinci Code alleges? Are the virgin birth and resurrection borrowed from pagan myths such as that of Mithras, as asserted in The Da Vinci Code? Scholars who have read Mithras literature refute Brown's claims. They say Mithras was never called "the Son of God and Light of the World,’ as Brown claims. Mithras was also never said to be "buried in a rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days,’ as Brown claims. His comparison is simply false and easily discredited. Did Jesus marry Mary Magdalene and appoint her to lead the church? The earliest, most widespread, most historically credible documents - the four New Testament Gospels - mention Mary as a devoted disciple who received an exorcism from Jesus and witnessed His death and resurrection appearance. That is all we know. In summary, The Da Vinci Code is like a gleaming used car whose odometer has been altered and its documents falsifieda nice-looking lemon. Buyer beware. Sources for this article, or to do further research: Not InDavincible by James Patrick Holding, Tekton Apologetics, www.tektonics.org. Was Jesus Married to Mary Magdalene? by Dr. Darrell Bock, abcnews.com/sections/World/Primetime/da_vinci_code_031112.html Deciphering ‘The Da Vinci Code' by Dr. Albert Mohler, crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/mohler/1212006.html. The Da Vinci Code: Is Christianity a Big Lie? by Dr. Mike Ladra www.fpcsalinas.org General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F.F. Bruce New Testament Evidences by Wallace Warwick The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell Why I Believe (series and booklet) by Chip Ingram Excerpted from EdgeNotes, the bi-monthly newsletter of Living on the Edge. Used with permission. Copyright 2004 by Chip Ingram. All rights reserved. About the author: Chip Ingram is President of Walk Thru the Bible in Atlanta, GA, and Teaching Pastor of Living on the Edge, a national radio ministry. Living on the Edge (Thursday, March 25, 2004) |