HOW WE REALLY GOT OUR BIBLE
The Da Vinci Code Part II
July 2, 2006 p.m.
Hillcrest Baptist Church
Introduction: The book and the movie The Da Vinci Code contain several errors. Some of these errors deal with art, something of which I know little. I will try to deal only with a few of them that pertain to the Bible itself.
The Da Vinci Code makes some assertions that challenge the validity and authority of the Bible as we have it. Why do we as Christians accept the Bible as our authority? Why do we not accept other sources of authority?
The Survival Kit for New Christians explains the various sources of authority that people appeal to in various religious backgrounds.
Three Inadequate Sources of Authority:
1. Intellect, Reason Logic—“Knowledge” this is the same thing that Satan told Eve. He told her that God was withholding information from her. He told her that if she would only seek knowledge, she would learn the truth. The Da Vinci Code repeats the same lie. The Church is withholding information from you. If you would seek knowledge, you will know the truth about Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
The First century saw the beginning of a movement called “Gnosticism.” It said that Jesus came to bring us knowledge. Mankind did not need a Savior. We needed knowledge.
This idea also expresses the belief that the Bible has been corrupted. Every cult relies on this reasoning to justify its existence. The true Bible was corrupted at the end of the first century. Now their leader has come along to restore the truth. If they cannot discredit the Bible, they cannot state their reason for existence. If the Bible were true and accepted as such, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would not exist. The Religion of Islam would not exist. The Jehovah’s Witnesses would not exist. All three groups claim that Christianity either ceased at the end of the first century or that the Roman Catholic Church corrupted the Bible.
2. Experiences, Visions, Impressions, Feelings—Like Pentecostals and others who have modern day prophets. The Bible is no longer adequate for them. Visions supersede the word of God. This includes “extra-revelations” either spoken or written such as The Book of Mormon, The Koran, and Key to Scriptures.
3. Tradition—usurps the word of God. More authority is granted to tradition than the Bible. The Eucharist for example. The Roman Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox, and Russian Orthodox ascribe to is a status unwarranted in Scripture. They attribute magical powers to it claiming that the elements actually become the body, blood soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Even a casual unbiased view recognizes that is idolatry. Jesus said in Matthew 15:6, “Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.”
The True Source of Authority:
Scripture—the only reliable authority. Jesus said in Matthew 24: 35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” That reflected Isaiah’s view in Is. 40:8, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Islam makes the claim that the Bible became corrupted so Muhammad had new revelation from God. Amazingly, however, the god who could not protect the New Testament for 100 years has been able to keep the Koran pure for 1300 years.
Was Jesus wrong about the Scripture? If so then even the Moslems could not honor Him as a Prophet. If He was right, then the Koran is false.
Martin Luther did not change the wording of Scripture as some critics complain. He did not attack the Bible itself. He only attacked some of the traditions of the Catholic Church. He did not refute all of them, which is why Protestant churches today still retain such unbiblical practices as infant baptism and The Real Presence of Christ (Consubstantiation, Transubstantiation).
What’s Da Vinci Got to Do With The Da Vinci Code?
The main premise of the book is that Da Vinci (commonly known as Leonardo) secretly left symbols in is paintings that reflected his belief that the Catholic Church was hiding the “sacred feminine.” The Mona Lisa adorns the cover of the book, but the real focus of the story is on The Last Supper.
If you have had a chance to look at it recently, you will understand “the code.”
1. The painting supposedly shows Mary Magdalene instead of John. The “John” character looks feminine, and supposedly shows “a hint of bosom.”
2. The position of the character forms an M with the body of Christ.
3. Their clothes are a “mirror image.”
4. Supposedly this is a “clue” that Jesus was married.
Evidence that Jesus was not married:
1. The only texts they can point to are from the Gnostic gospels. They are dubious at best.
2. If Christ had been married, Paul would have referred to that when he was defending his right to have a wife (1 Cor. 9:5).
3. Jesus did not make special arrangements for her care as He did His mother at the cross.
Claims Made in the Movie:
1. Constantine was a pagan emperor who supposedly “collated” the Bible. He supposedly used it to unify his crumbling empire. He used texts that suppressed Jesus’ Humanity and selected those that emphasized His deity.
2. The New Testament is false testimony. Eighty gospels existed but the number was pared down to four.
3. That Jesus was considered merely a human prophet until the fourth century at the Council of Nicea in 325.
4. The Gnostic gospels are more favorable toward women than the biblical gospels.
5. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain messages about Jesus that the church tried to suppress.
How did we really get our Bible? Who decided what books to include and which books to leave out?
No council got together and decided which books were to be put into the canon. Canon means a standard by which something is measured. The “canon” was developed to recognize what was already true. David S. Dockery in The Doctrine of Biblical Authority (Nashville: Seminary Extension, 1997) writes: “The book was inspired, authoritative, and therefore genuine when it was written” (107)
Five Tests Applied To Scriptures:
1. Was the book authored or sanctioned by an apostle or prophet?
2. Was the book widely circulated?
3. Was the book Christologically centered?
4. Was the book orthodox, that is, faithful to the teaching of the apostles?
5. Did the book give internal evidence of its unique character as inspired and authoritative? (Ibid.).
Brown’s Claims in The Da Vinci Code are false. The canon of the New Testament was recognized a hundred years before the Council of Nicea. His claim that the Dead Sea Scrolls contained information about Jesus is historically wrong. The Dead Sea Scrolls were writings collected by a Jewish sect known as the Essenes in the Qumran Community. They had nothing to do with the New Testament at all. They actually helped confirm the authenticity of the Old Testament.
Persecution also helped solidify the choices. Believers had to decide which books should be protected during times of oppression.
Today we can be sure that the Bible we have is the Bible intended for us to have. God inspired the writers to put it down. It has been copied and transmitted down to us today. It is accurate and faithful. The best way we can show our appreciation for it is to read it and it into practice. If not, it may as well have been lost all these centuries.
