A Christian Response to The Da Vinci Code

Nashotah House Theological Seminary, 2006

 

Lecture 1 (31 January 2006):    Dr. Timothy Johnson, Nashotah House

 

Course Introduction

 

1.   Introductions and review of syllabus and course plan.

 

2.   Purpose of the course:

  1. Critique the Biblical, historical and theological claims made in the novel.
  2. Clarify the traditional apostolic witness regarding those assertions.
  3. Educate and prepare members of the local Church to respond to claims and questions raised by the novel or in readers’ minds.

 

3.   As of the date of this lecture over 36 million copies of the book have been sold.

  1. The novel has been translated into over 40 languages.
  2. The paperback version is to be released in March or April 2006.
  3. The movie version of the novel will be released on 19 May 2006 (the Friday before the Sunday observed by the Church as a commemoration of Jesus’ ascent into heaven).

§         movie details and a trailer may be found at www.davincicode.com.

 

4.   Key elements of the novel:

  1. Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.
  2. Jesus fathered a child.
  3. The Bible was fabricated.
  4. Jesus’ divinity was based on a politically-motivated “vote”.
  5. Scores of “gospels” were destroyed by the Church.
  6. The Emperor Constantine (4th century) “created” Christianity.

 

5.   Is The Da Vinci Code a novel in the truest sense?

  1. Is it historical fiction?
  2. What is the genre of this book?

§         The novel contains a “fact page” which reads:

All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.  [emphasis supplied]

§         The next few lectures will focus on the “documents” portion of the claim.

 

  1. The author, Dan Brown, describes himself as a “believer” in the theories contained in his novel.  [ABC News 20/20 Interview]