Seek the truth, the Da Vinci code is cracked!’
Since April 2003, the Da Vinci code has been on the New York best sellers list infact two years later it has become a best seller in over a 150 countries selling over 40 million copies and written in 42 different languages. It has made Dan Brown a very rich man. As we speak he writing a sequel and the book is already a film, which was released on the 19th May in the UK. The Davinci code is a book everybody is talking about causing a major stir amongst sceptics and Christians alike.
The trailer of the movie calls us to seek truth!
It was Winston Churchill who said, "people often stumble over truth but sadly pick themselves up and wipe themselves down as though nothing has happened." Hopeful people will do just that with this book because its difficult to decipher where the truth begins and the lies Kick in.
In fact it was Jesus who said "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free". Dan Browns book will certainly not set you free but will ultimatly fill you with unbelief if you are not grounded on your Church history.
At the heart of the Davinci code is the desire For the book’s main characters Thomas Langdon who is a Harvard symbologist. Have you ever heard of a Symbologist? (Its artistic licence) and Sophie Neveu a Cryptographer and a member of the French police and have the desire to Seek the truth. After the assassination of Jacques Sauniere who happens to be Sophie grandfather. It sends them on a journey to seek the truth about the Holy Grail. As the plot thickens we find out that the Church has surpressed the truth for centuries about Jesus Christ, the Bible and Mary Magdalene. It is one huge conspiracy theory if unearthed will shake the foundations of Christianity forever.
Why is there such an interest?
Why all the fuss Aubrey? Its just a fictional book. But it’s more than that, people are starting to call this sort of work factional The author claims to have given the world a fictional, fact based conspiracy theory. On the title pages of the book the author claims.
Under the heading Fact he writes All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.
If Dan Browns claims are true that the documents unearthed reveal a conspiracy, Christianity will crumble it’s the beginning of the end. Of course it won’t because what we do find within his book is misinformed history. And no credible historian would ever but his name to.
By claiming up front that ¨All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.¨ the reader is left with the impression that Dan Brown is a historian and his claims credible. But the truth is that Dan Brown is a schoolteacher and novelist who writes fiction. He cites no accepted historians or NT scholars to back up any of his claims. This is because his work is fiction and there is no need for foot notes to substantiate his historical framework.
Margaret M. Mitchell is Associate Professor of New Testament at the University of Chicago Divinity School and the Chair of the Department of New Testament and Early Christian Literature says about the Da Vinci Code. "It was a quick romp, largely fun to read, if rather predictable and preachy. This is a good airplane book, a novelistic thriller that presents a rummage sale of accurate historical nuggets alongside falsehoods and misleading statements."
Personal I think Margaret Mitchell is being a little bit to generous when she talks about accurate historical nuggets. I found it a complete fabrication of twisted historical truth a complete faulty history narrative.
The story that Dan Brown has given us is a fictional story but what brings the story alive is his account of the historical backdrop. Which is trying to rewrite history itself with a huge conspiracy theory. No fictional author would ever consider distorting history to the extent he has done, this is how bad it is imagine if Dan Brown was to write fictional book with a historical background from world war two:
Within those pages it’s suggesting that 6 million Jews were not killed, Hitler didn’t lose the war infact he won it, and went over to Britain and put Churchill on trial and hung him then flew over to Washington and put Roosevelt on trial. This is a complete alternate history which is a complete lie.
That is what Dan Brown has done with the Divinci code its as bad as that. His historical claims are misleading.
In fact Investigative Journalist David Shutgarts in his book Secrets of the code¨ Says that he has listed 69 factual errors, 8 of which are trivial but 61 are significant errors of fact or history. Its means that two out of three of his Dan Browns facts are actually false.
These errors matter because they concern God, Jesus the Bible and our faith. People are being duped and being filled with unbelief. Remeber the man who came to Jesus and said "I do believe but help my unbelief!"
Reading: 2Peter.1:16 -2:1
So lets start cracking the Da Vinci code because a good read combined with bad history is not something to stake your life upon.
Bible reading: 2peter 1:12- 2:2.
The apostle Peter is getting on in life, and he knows is end is very close, as Jesus foretold v13-14. Peter was martyred AD 68. This letter was probably written around AD67. He wants to remind them of what God has placed on his heart, certain facts, because he knows in the days ahead there will be people who will come to them who will introduce destructive heresies 2v1.
1) Seek the truth about Jesus
2Peter 2v1 even denying the Sovereign Lord
Da Vinci quote page 314. In the Davinci code it claims that at the council of Nicaea 325AD that there was a close vote on making Jesus God and that after that time they surpressed all gospel documents that refereed to Jesus as a man. And produced the orthodoxy that Jesus was DIVINE.
Well lets seek the truth, well there was a council of Nicaea in 325 AD, paid for by Constantine, and there was a vote at that council, but here the truth ends and lies begin.
Firstly it was’nt a close vote out of the 300 present it was 300 to 2 and secondly the vote was’nt about the Divinity of Jesus. That was already a commonly held position by the Church fathers well before Contstatine. Right back to the apostles.
The vote was actually on the nature of the trinity. Was Jesus Co eternal with the Father. Even Arius who was an heretic and one of the reasons they called the council, even he believed that Jesus was God. But that he was not CO eternal with the Father as man. The Council of Nicaea centred on finding a way to express this based on Biblical texts. And so formulated the Nicene Creed.. Orthodoxy was well in place in regard to the Divinity of Jesus right from the 1st century.
page 316 cloak of Divinity.
Here the book refers to the fact that Constantine manufactured the Divinity of Jesus in 325 AD to maintain a power base between state and Church and so called council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
They cloaked him in Divinity and surpressed all the gospels portraying the earthly life of Jesus , this seems Ironic to me because the gospels speak of his earthly life all the time.. he was born in a stable , he was hungry, he was tired, he slept, he had compassion he really did die, and real blood poured out of real skin when he died What suppression?
Lets take a look at the eye witness accounts remember what Peter said we did not follow cleverly invented stories
The Eyewitnesses
2Peter1: 16 we did not follow cleverly invented stories, but were eye witnesses.
The apostles (Confessions suppporting His divinity Matt:15:16. Peter who said "You are the Christ the Son of the Living God" , Thomas who said in John 20:28 "My Lord and My God!" Paul who wrote Col.1:15 He is the image of the invisile God.
Even Jesus himself who said to the teachers of the law (John 10:30.) ¨I and the father are one. and they replied v33 "You a mere man claim to be God!"
The Divinity of Jesus was well established long before Constatine, the Church fathers of the 1st Century who were martyred for the belief that Jesus was God also proclaiomed Jesus as God for instance.
Ignatius AD IOO Bishop of Antioch who wrote "For our God, Jesus Christ, was concieved of Mary according to Gods plan." martyred AD 110-115.
Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna who said "Eighty and six year have I served My king and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?" martyred 156 AD
To say that these people were willing to suffer and die for something they believed to be a lie takes the biggest leap of faith possible. Would you die for a lie?
You see all these people some of whom were eye witnesses all lived centuries before Constantine and the council of Nicaea and confirm and record the truth about his Divinity.
The Davinci code is just a story which secretly brings in heresy behind the clock of fiction for no credible historian could say such things. Friends always seek the truth because when you come to know the truth, Jesus says the truth shall set you free.
2)Seek the truth about the Bible 2 Peter 1 :20
Here we have two quotes out of the book in regard to the Bible.
The Bible as we know it today was collated by the pagan emperor Constantine the Great. P313.
The Bible is the product of man, not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translation additions and revisions. History as never had a definitive version p 312
Is this fact or fiction shall we seek the truth?
The Da Vinci code says there was never a definitive version of the Bible until Constantine collated it. In fact the council of Nicaea had 20 directives and not one had to do with the collating of the Bible it was’nt even on the menu. The truth is Constantine never collated the Bible.
In fact if he had done his history he would have known 30 - 40 years earlier a Roman Emperor by the name of Diocletian (284 - 305 AD ) who was evil towards Christians ordered four edicts the third one was the destruction of all Bibles (Christian writings) in the world 303 AD.
How could Constantine have collated something that was already in existence? Its nonsense
Further Facts
In 256 BC started translate the Hebrew OT into Greek called the Septuagint two hundred years before Christ. That became the definitive Bible of the OT of which we have today.
Two hundred years before Constantine, you will find there were definitive gospels and letters which were circulating the NT Churches which are the same ones we have in our Bibles today. Over 24,000 documents of the NT alone some dating back to the 1st century.
In fact it was’nt till 72 years after Constantine at another council of Cartharage 397 AD. Where the 27 books we have in our NT today were ratified, its called the cannon meaning "standard". And its been our standard for nearly 2000 years. These books we have today are the same books circulating the NT Church in an organic form well before Constantine.
Even Peter in this letter refers to Pauls writings as Scripture 2 Peter3:16 Paul’s letters refereed to as Scripture Apostolic authority characteristic
2 Peter 1 :20 Peter is telling us that the Bible is God breathed, God used men these men using their minds and personalities to write a book which has stood the test of human examination. God used over 40 different writers but with one main author spanning 1600 hundred years with one thing in common they were carried along by God to write Gods word and speak into our lives:
Which book would you put your trust in? A book of fiction with dubious facts or the Bible? The most accurate book of antiquity we have in our posession?
The contents of this book has the ability to change your life for ever. How do you explain the prophecy? About his Birth, his life, his death and resurrection and more? All predicted hundreds and even thousands of years before.
3)Seek the truth about the Gnostics and gospels:
2 peter 2:1-3
The Da Vinci code claims there were 80 original gospels So Constantine set about eradicating those that revealed his humanity but 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 in Quamran in the Judean desert. And of course the Coptic scrolls in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. P317 There are a number of faults with Dan Brown’s research firstly:
There was never 80 gospels considered at anytime only ever 5-6 writings considered and Matthew Mark Luke and John were very early on considered apostolic in nature. In fact by 150 AD Justin Martyr and Tertullian spoke of and refereed to the four gospels along with many others.
Secondly the Coptic scrolls At Nag Hammadi: Brown claims are the scrolls, which are the oldest, and disproves what the Church accepts today. Out of the 53 scrolls only 5 are referred to as Gnostic Gospels, these were very mystical and had little to do with Christianity.
He also claims they are the earliest written. Well they are dated between 150 - 300 AD. However most scholars even liberal scholars will concede that the four gospels we have in the NT today were probably written between 50 - 100 AD. So how can they possibly be older?
Not to mention the Dead Sea scrolls were not found in the 1950s it was 1947. But more importantly there were NO Gnostic gospels in that find. All the writings were from a group called the Essenes who were a Jewish sect who lived 200 yeas before Christ. All documents were of OT in nature or inter testament period but NO gospels.
2Peter2:1 Secretly introduce heresies
Gnostics secretly infiltrated Christianity they took basic Christian ideas and blended them with their own spirituality and twisted it with error:
Gnostics believed you could only be saved through a secret knowledge. They taught that all matter is evil hence the body was evil, only the spiritual is righteous. It was only when you received the secret knowledge to see the inner spirit, that you were truly initiated.
Gnostics believed Jesus could not of been man he could only have been God because his body would have been material and the material is evil.
Gnostics were always refuted by the early Church and the Apostles themselves Peter, Jude the brother of Jesus, Paul and John in Revelation all attack elements of Gnosticism.
4) Seek the truth about Mary Magdalene.1Peter2:3
This is the backbone of the book she is the Holy grail!
The Da Vinci code claims sher married Jesus and they had a child called Sarah and after he was crucified she fled to France and the line of Jesus contunues to this day.
Come on this is the biggest yarn I have ever heard....
Dan Brown is secretly twisting Christianity.
Do you remember what Peter says 1Peter2:3 In their greed they will exploit you with stories they have made up. Its a story Dan Brown has made up? Seek the truth!
Where is the evidence Mr Brown? The Last supper pictures, is that it? There is no, I repeat no historical documentation that they were ever married?
The book to refers to the Gnostic Gospel of Philip as evidence page 331 read : The Gospel of Philip extract.
And the companion of the Saviour is Mary Magdaline. Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her on the mouth. The rest of the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him," Why do you love her more than all of us?"
Three points for our interest...
1. Why such a ridiculous statement if they were married? Why should the disciples be upset? Would you kiss your wife?
2.The word mouth is not even found in the original text its been added by Brown in the original its blank the word cheek or hand could have quite easily haver been the word, kissing on the cheek was an eastern custom a form of greeting.
3. Finally the Aramaic for companion is not (spouse) but more fundamental the gospel of Philip was never written in Aramaic it was translated from Greek to Coptic. So why refer to Aramaic scholars I do not know!
5)Seek the truth about the cross of Christ
In fact one thing is sure the Cross of Christ was never kept secret for the initiated alone, but was carried out in front of the whole world, Jesus was lifted up upon a cross, made a placard on public display. His life,death and resurrection was documented before the whole world, this is fact not fiction. Jesus died for our sins and rose again, that we might know the truth and the truth might set us free! Check it out!
Which book would you stake your life upon? The Da Vinci code or the Bible? Friends seek the truth... you can know it... and it will set you free....
