Nathan E. Lewis

Dan Brown’s “DaVinci Code” has been a New York Times Bestseller for two years straight and the movie shows this May 19, 2006. Brown is a master at writing “cliff hangers,” and weaving a fast paced story. Amazingly he does so with one of the most tired, uninteresting stories in western literature. We are fascinated with Jesus - we either worship him or we hate him - but few people ignore him.
In a recent Newsweek article Dan Brown candidly revealed his intentions of putting an end, once for all, to the lie, known as Christianity. Regardless of his authorial intent, he has offered us the opportunity to discuss the nature and life of Jesus. This is the view of the editors of World Magazine who write in their May 6, 2006 issue, “It’s hard to imagine a time in at least the past 40 years when the big New York publishers were promoting so many books about Jesus. While these volumes are meant to undermine faith in the Jesus of the Bible, their popularity suggests an opportunity to talk about Jesus in the public square.” With this opportunity in mind, I encourage people I know to read the book and see the movie, reading as much apologetic literature possible, ready to give an answer for the hope within us.
If you go to avanim.org, Andrew vonderLuft’s site, you can link to George Grant’s audio presentation of the DaVinci Code - well worth listening to, even though it is 48 minutes long! He supplies the literary analysis quite helpful in educating all of us concerning the reading of fiction. (We all should read more fiction.) Grant tells us that Dan Brown’s novel is written in the genre of “alternative history,” popularized by Edgar Allen Poe in the 19th century. Of course, Dan Brown insists that all his facts are true.
According to Grant, the story of Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene, arises from one brief paragraph from the Gnostic “Gospel of Philip.” This document was written in the 3rd century, but did not appear until the 4th century (remember, a century is one hundred years long). In this document, the disciples of Jesus ask him if he loves Mary more than he loves them. Jesus denies that he loves Mary more than he loves them, and that’s the end of the discussion. From this one allusion, later Gnostic writers developed the ancient Lilith myth, adding to it the story of Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene, who gave birth to their daughter, Sarah.

(The Lilith myth is the story of Adam’s first wife, Lilith, who was too strong a character for Adam, and so she was cast aside while God created Eve, a submissive wife, for Adam. Apparently, Sarah, the supposed child of Jesus and Mary, is a reappearance of Lilith.)
Grant also informs us of the founding of the Priory of Sion in 1959. Pierre Plantar (sp) forged a series of documents titled, “DaVinci Code Reveals,” and discarded them in the French Royal Library. These documents report that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene, that they conceived Sarah, from whom all of the royal houses of Europe can trace their lineage. When the librarians discovered the documents, they perused them as did many experts, who found them to be forged. Pierre, in court, admitted to the hoax, confessing to forgery in a French court of law. Grant asks, “Why do people believe this stuff?” His answer = “the human heart hates the gospel….The human heart wants to be flattered and to believe that we don’t really need a Savior….We love dirty laundry…to find dirt on Jesus.” You should take the time to listen to his address.
You should also order “Answers to the DaVinci Code,” of Rose Publishing. Go to www.rose-publishing.com and get in the back order line for this beautifully written and printed pamphlet. One of the sections of the pamphlet, titled, “The Nature of Jesus Christ,” addresses Dan Brown’s faulty view of Constantine and the Council of Nicaea. If you don’t know much about Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, you should take the time to research this part of history. I recommend the standard text books, “Early Christian Doctrines,” by J.N.D. Kelly, published by Harper and Roe, and “The Text of the New Testament,” by Metzger, published by Oxford. If you read these books, you will be a bit better informed about how the canon of scripture was formed and how the Church as decided orthodox doctrine. Brown writes in his best-selling book that the Church decided by the vote at the Council of Nicaea that Jesus has a divine nature. Read the Rose Publishing’s pamphlet and then find a reputable history text and learn about the Council of Nicaea - in several months, you could read quite a bit about the first three centuries of Church history.
Rose Publishing has found more references than George Grant has found in the Gnostic gospels concerning Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The “Gospel of Philip,” also reports that Mary was Jesus’ “companion,” and that “he used to kiss her.” (While the whole world around us North Americans, kiss one another as a common greeting, we find it difficult to regard any kiss apart from romantic or sexual contexts.) Nevertheless, “The Gospel of Philip,” is regarded by all scholars to be a Gnostic text produced quite late in comparison to the New Testament Gospels. “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene,” another Gnostic document was written around AD 160-200, long after Mary’s death, though the document claims to have been written by her.
In his “Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion: Eastern and Western Thought,” W.L. Reese, of the Department of Philosophy at State University of New York at Albany, hardly a bastion of Christian dogma and propaganda, classifies Gnosticism as a mystery religion claiming to impart secret knowledge. It arose and stood as a competitor of Christianity reaching its highest point at the end of the 2nd century. “The variety of Gnostic sects, schools, and practices was very great.” Reese chooses six main points to present Gnosticism: 1) Dualistic system; 2) The world is essentially evil; 3) The seven evil powers that created the world were birthed by the Great Mother Goddess, Sophia; 4) Primal Man enters the world to war evil and he is victorious in partially destroying the darkness and freeing himself; 5) The Savior is Primal Man, who is some Gnostic presentations comes to free Sophia; 6) Some Gnostic sects strived to rise above the material world while other sects, who worshipped Sophia, reverted in worship to prostitution. Gnosticism is on the rise again. Dan Brown is writing his books with the intent of promoting Gnosticism.
Until recently, I have thought that Brown was simply a popular writer, taking advantage of conspiracy theories and myths, weaving a tall tale to make some money. But Brown disagrees with me publicly stating his agenda. Dr. Peter Jones caught on quicker than I have and you should visit his website, cwipp.org. Peter Jones has founded Christian Witness to a Pagan Planet, and his website is full of helpful, timely tools. Purchase a copy of his “Stolen Idendity: The Conspiracy to Reinvent Jesus.” This book will help you to understand what is going on in our world and to be ready to enter the discussion, applying the gospel.
Peter Jones writes in one of his recent newsletters (online at cwipp.org), “What can the Church do? How do we prepare the next generation? We cannot close our eyes and hang on, knuckles whitening, to some ideal past. Under threat in the past, the Church has responded not with ghettos and retreat, but with confessions, creeds and deep analysis of the nature of error in order to speak with clarity the antithetical nature of the Truth.”
For a fine critical/apologetic analysis of the actual book, read Matt Slick’s, “Da Vinci Code,” at his website, www.carm.org. Matt Slick, a seminary classmate of mine, has founded Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry. In his typical fashion, Matt quotes the book and offers a response.
The Church is fired up and poised for an apologetic, evangelistic thrust we have not seen since the 1970’s. Let’s join in the discussion with much grace and vast amounts of information. But don’t be surprised if people weary of all of your knowledge two minutes into a discussion/presentation. I have discovered over the years, that I know more about Islam than my Muslim friends. And I certainly am better informed than hundreds of Christians concerning the Bible and Church history. After all, it’s my job as a minister to know more. The Church has consistently maintained since the Reformation, that it is the job of every Christian to know! And so we must hit the books. As we do, we must remember that all of the truth amassed in the world will not change a heart cold toward God. Only the Holy Spirit can warm the human heart and incline it to embrace God. Let us pray that as we enter the dialogue concerning the nature and work of Jesus that the Holy Spirit will change the hearts of our friends just as he has changed our hearts, inclining us to confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.