RSSMOST AMERICANS BELIEVE BIBLE OVER DA VINCI CODE
Grant Swank | March 9, 2008
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Most Americans accept Dan Brown’s novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” as a novel and not historically accurate, according to a poll commissioned by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, per Baptist Press’ Mickey Noah.
Brown presents Jesus married to Mary of Magdala with the couple having a son. None of that his biblically true.
The unfortunate bottom line of the book and movie is that there is ignorance concerning biblical detail worldwide; therefore, there are those who will perceive Brown’s book as historically factual and thereby conclude its premise to be true.
Of course, with Mel Gibson’s “The Passion,” Christians realize that Satan will attack that biblical truth with his own deceit, such being the case in Brown’s book. Christians however will recall the apostle Paul writing while in prison that Christ was spoken of by inmates — some for and some against — but in any case Christ was spoken about. For that purpose. Paul gave thanks. Perhaps that should be the stance of Christians today regarding Brown’s novel and movie as well as Gibson’s movie.
One could also add the Gospel of Judas craze that was touted during Lent. It is completely bogus but did not only convince some that it was historically reliable but also convinced some of the audacity of some early writers to give forth with untruths merely to gain then a reading audience. Consequently, thus goes the spiritual war of right versus wrong, truth versus the lie.
“While ‘The Da Vinci Code’ has sold more than 40 million books and hits movie theaters worldwide May 19, most Americans are not buying its key theological premises, according to a poll commissioned by the North American Mission Board.
“NAMB commissioned Zogby International, a well-known research firm, to conduct the poll, which involved a sample of 1,200 adults surveyed by telephone in March.
“Twenty-three percent of Americans have read it while 43 percent said they had not read the book but were familiar with the content.
“Among those who had read it, more than 60 percent believed that the Bible is closer to the truth, while 10 percent believed ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is more truthful. Thirty percent of those who had read the book believed neither was truthful or were not sure.
“Among the entire sample, 72 percent believed that the Bible was closer to the truth; six percent accepted the novel’s account as the truth; and 22 percent were not sure or believed neither.”
“’The most striking result from the survey is that after either reading or hearing about The Da Vinci Code, 44 percent of respondents were more likely to seek the truth by studying the Bible, while only 20 percent were less likely to study the Bible,’ said Ed Stetzer, missiologist and director of NAMB’s Center for Missional Research near Atlanta.”
Dan Brown’s DA VINCI CODE presents Jesus as merely human, not divine.
One of the chief characters in the novel states that third century Roman Emperor Constantine concocted the divinity of Jesus. This is not historically true. He also states there is nothing in the Bible supporting the divinity of Jesus. This is not historically true.
This article sets forth the biblical passages accenting the divinity of Jesus Christ. Realizing that Brown has written a novel and not an historical book nor a theological account, such authors can get by with just about anything.
However, there are some readers of that novel who think of it in terms of historical and biblical accuracy. It is not when it comes to the person of Jesus. It is not when it comes to the person of Mary Magdalene. There are other points on which the author is historically incorrect; however, I point out these two prime matters.
Now to the biblical passages underlining the fact that Jesus is God:
Jesus calls Himself God
Matthew 12:8
For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Mark 2:5-12
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?”
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, “Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, ‘Thy sins be forgiven thee’; or to say, ‘Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?’
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,” (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) “I say unto thee, ‘Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.’”
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw it on this fashion.’
John 5:17-18
But Jesus answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.” Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, ‘Before Abraham was, I am’.” [compare with Exodus 3:14 - And God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM," and he said, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 'I AM hath sent me unto you.'"]
John 10:30-33; 36-39
[Jesus said,] “I and my Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?”
The Jews answered him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” [Jesus said,] “Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, ‘Thou blasphemest’; because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’
If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.” Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand…
John 13:13-14
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Revelation 1:8
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,” saith the Lord, “which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
Jesus is called God by others or by the Bible
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
Matthew 1:23
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, “God with us.”
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 20:26-29
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be unto you.”
Then saith he to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”
And Thomas answered and said unto him, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus saith unto him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
John 21:17
[Peter said to Jesus], “Lord, thou knowest all things.”
Acts 20:28
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Romans 9:5
Of [the Israelites] as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.
Revelation 17:14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
All things created through Jesus (and thus He existed before everything).
John 1:1-5,9-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:12-20
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Hebrews 1:1-8
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, ‘Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?’ And again, ‘I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?’
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, ‘And let all the angels of God worship him.’ And of the angels he saith, ‘Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.’
But unto the Son he saith, ‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.’
Author Dan Brown offers Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ wife. The two have a child. And so it goes.
The Bible does not present Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus nor Jesus as mere mortal husband to her. The Bible has few references to Mary Magdalene. Of course, regarding Jesus, the Bible presents Him as divine as well as mortal.
The divinity of Jesus is quite another topic for another write-up, especially in light of Brown’s presenting through his characters that Jesus is other than deity. But that’s what novelists can do; they can write their own imaginative whatevers and get by with it. After all, Brown’s not penning as a theologian, even though there are too many liberal theologians who agree with his base, that is, that Jesus was mere mortal, not divine. But, as I state, that’s for another article.
This emphasis has to do with the woman — Mary Magdalene. She is offered by Brown, and of course other writers, as a prostitute. The Bible states nowhere that she was a prostitute.
She, as already offered, is pictured by Brown’s characters as the spouse to Jesus. Naturally, the Bible concludes no such fantasy. Brown insists that a Jew of Jesus’ age would never have entertained remaining a bachelor; therefore it is only logical to conclude that he married, hence Mary Magdalene being his wife.
So go the weavings of a novelist’s meandering through the netherlands of the brain. Again, a novelist can get by with anything, not being an historian nor theologian.
But what I want to underline is what the Bible says about Mary Magdalene. I do this because I know Christians themselves are confused as to what Scripture states in comparison to what they’ve seen in movies and read in novels and heard in discussions. The other day I was speaking with a fellow believer who was quite surprised to realize that there is scant material in the Bible concerning the woman.
That’s the nub of it. There is little detail. Therefore, down through centuries, persons have added to her character in order to come up with one legend after another.
The same has happened with other sections of the Bible, for instance, there being three wise men, one of them black. There is no detail in the Bible stating the number of wise men. They could have been two or two hundred. And there is nothing in Scripture concerning one of them being black. Yet the nativity scenes beneath our trees record for us more than what we have taken the time to research in the Bible.
Let me state for you the Bible references concerning Mary Magdalene so that perchance you will do your own study on the subject. I would strongly recommend that you don’t take any prime material but what you yourself read from the Book: Matthew 27:56; Mark 16:9; 15:40; Luke 8:2-3; 23:49, John 19:25. These are few references. It would be helpful to read them.
In the Bible, there’s nothing about Mary Magdalene being a prostitute nor marrying Jesus nor having a child to Jesus. There’s nothing even stating that it was she who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears! And that’s one shocker to many, even believers.
We have been told in film and book that it was this female who was so thankful for Jesus’ forgiveness of her prostituting ways that she washed His feet with her tears. Yes, there was a woman who did wash His feet with tears. In fact, there could have been two women who did that for such is mentioned in two separate passages. But Mary Magdalene is not mentioned by name in those sections.
(Traditionally, Roman Catholics have tended to identify Mary Magdalene as the woman washing Jesus’ feet. Protestants have tended to separate Mary Magdalene from the woman who washed Jesus’ feet.)
Therefore, back to the pure biblical detail residue: Mary Magdalene was one of the women who accompanied Jesus in His ministry. She was there at the base of the cross and witnessed Him laid in a borrowed tomb. She was honored to be the first seen by Jesus after His resurrection. And Jesus cast seven devils out of her. That’s it.
What was the nature of the seven devils? We don’t know. What was Mary Magdalene’s previous history? We don’t know. Where did she come from? Magdala. What did she do in years after the resurrection? We don’t know. Did she wash Jesus’ feet with her tears? We are not told in the Bible that she washed Jesus’ feet.
Who then washed Jesus’ feet with her tears?
Mary of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus, washed His feet on one occasion. Then an anonymous female, mentioned simply as “a sinner,” washed His feet.
Could the two references have been to the same woman? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Nevertheless, Mary Magdalene is not mentioned in either reference. Not at all. It’s been conjectured that she was in those scenes. However, the Bible does not locate her in those scenes.
I think, after hearing some people talk about reading Brown’s book, that these individuals know very little about the Bible detail regarding both Jesus and Mary Magdalene. I hear them give forth with their opinions of Brown’s novel as if he had penned an historical account — that is, historically accurate on all levels. I know that the author does state that references to “artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals” as well as certain organizations stated in his book actually exist; but as to Jesus and Mary Magdalene, for instance, Brown through his characters weaves his own notions.
Sometimes he is just plain incorrect. For instance, when he states through one of the characters that nowhere in the Bible does it confirm Jesus’ divinity, he (the novel’s character) is all wrong. A ream of passages — chapters and verses — could be provided pointing to Jesus’ divinity.
However, to further his plot, Brown goes on his way with warping through characters’ statements the biblical detail, negating it, suppressing it, or whatever he finds convenient to do with it in order to further his thesis that Jesus was mere mortal husband married to Mary Magdalene.
And so it goes when writing a novel, using characters to convey religious this and that.
In conclusion: read the novels about Jesus. But do so having researched the Bible to know truly the specifics set forth in that Book. One does not have to believe the Bible to be inspired truth. But at least an intelligent person reading books referencing the Bible should themselves know the Bible from cover to cover if concluding anything about it and its subjects.
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