A Christian Response to The Da Vinci Code
Nashotah House Theological Seminary, 2006
Lecture 5 (28 February 2006): Dr. Nicholas Perrin, Wheaton College
Gnosticism: Something Old, Something New?
1. The term “Gnosticism” derives from the Greek word gnosis, meaning “knowledge”.
... a coherent series of characteristics that can be summarized in the idea of a divine spark in man, deriving from the divine realm, fallen into this world of fate, birth and death, and needing to be awakened by the divine counterpart of the self in order to be finally reintegrated. Compared with other conceptions of a “devolution” of the divine, this idea is based ontologically on the conception of a downward movement of the divine whose periphery (often called Sophia or Ennoia) had to submit to the fate of entering into a crisis and producing–even if only indirectly–this world, upon which it cannot turn its back ... – The Messina Definition, 1967.
2. Traits of Gnosticism include:
3. The Da Vinci Code claims:
Fortunately for historians … some of the gospels that Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert. And, of course, the Coptic Scrolls in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. In addition to telling the true Grail story, these documents speak of Christ’s ministry in very human terms. The scrolls highlight glaring historical discrepancies and fabrications, clearly confirming that the modern Bible was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda–to promote the divinity of the man Jesus and use His influence to solidify their own power base. (p. 234)
… the early Church needed to convince the world that a mortal prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects of Jesus’ life had to be omitted from the Bible. (p. 244) [emphases supplied]
4. Early secular testimonies, including those hostile to Christian belief, confirm that Jesus was from the beginning of the Church considered divine.
Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of surprising works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named for him, are not extinct to this day.
—“Testimonium Flavium,” Antiquities, 18.63–64 (Flavius Josephus, A.D. 90).
[It]was [the Christians’] habit on a a fixed day to assemble before daylight and recite by turns a form of words to Christ as a god; and that they bound themselves with an oath, not for any crime, but not to commit theft or robbery or adultery, nor to break their word, and not to deny a deposit when demanded. After this, they went on, it was their custom to separate, and then meet again to partake of food, but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.
—Epistles, 10.96–97 (Pliny the Younger, A.D. 112).
5. Unlike the Gnostic “gospels,” in which Jesus is depicted as feeling no pain (Gosp. Peter 9, 10), and being able to change His size and appearance (Gosp. Philip 26), the Canonical Gospels describe Jesus in human terms:
6. The Da Vinci Code claims the earliest Christian records to have been the documents now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hamadi library (pp. 245–6). But:
§ The Canonical Gospels are dated from A.D. 62 (at the earliest) to A.D. 110 (at the latest).
7. The Da Vinci Code claims that Jesus and Mary Magdalen were married, citing the Gospel of Philip:
Unfortunately for the early editors, one particularly troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the gospels. Mary Magdalene … More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ. ...
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 rest of the disciple were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him, "Why do you love her more than all of us.?
The words surprised Sophie, and yet they hardly seemed conclusive. "It says nothing of marriage." "Au contraire." Teabing smiled, point to the first line. "As any Aramaic scholar will tell you, the word companion, in those days, literally meant spouse." Langdon concurred with a nod. Sophie read the first line again. And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdalene. (pp. 244–246)
a. The Gospel of Philip is written in Coptic, not Aramaic.
In Coptic, the term “companion” is, actually, koinônos (partner, in a business sense) or chôtre (co-religionist, associate, or one yoked together).
The Gospel of Philip also refers to Jesus’ sister
d. and mother as koinônos and chôtre (Gosp. Phil.32).
e. The Gospel of Philip was written, originally, in Syriac (not Aramaic).
§ The only Syriac term that supports chôtre is shawtopho (“co-religionist”)
8. The Gnostic gospels do portray Jesus and Mary Magdalen as “partners,” in the sense of representing a primeval androgyny.
Eve was still in Adam, death did not exist. When she was separated from him death came into being. If he enters again and attains his former self, death will be no more. (Gosp. Phil. 68)
Jesus said, “I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Gosp. Thom. 114)
9. Do the Nag Hammadi and/or other non-canonical accounts of Jesus really emphasize the humanity of Christ?
10. Is Jesus really married in the Gospel of Philip?
11. Is it true that the non-canonical gospels and similar records do not match up with the gospels in the Bible?