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May 14, 2006
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Da Vinci Code (Supplement)
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Pastor Brian Shimer
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WEEK TWO: DECODING THE DA VINCI CODE
WAS JESUS MARRIED? WHAT IS GNOSTICISM?
Remember this fact:
The church of Jesus' day was hillsides and home-churches filled with those who had seen Jesus for three years, who had loved Him dearly, and knew him to be the Son of the Living God, the long awaited Messiah. The first Christian creed was the declaration that "Jesus is Lord" - which was a stand against all of Rome's rule. The canon of Jesus' day began with the incredibly accurate oral tradition, common to the general public. And then letters and memoirs were written (by 50 AD), used in the churches now found throughout the Roman Empire. Gnostic writings were also passed around. In essence, they were tried by these early believers but found wanting: no apostolic authorship, no faith "as had been handed down" was evident in them, and no acceptance by the worshiping community throughout all areas.
Dan Brown's book claims these Gnostic writings were the "unaltered Gospels" - dated earlier than anything we have in the New Testament, but such a claim is very incorrect. Even though this movement was around in the first century, it was soundly rejected even in New Testament documents such as the book of John, First Epistle of John and Paul's letter to Corinth, especially chapter 15.
- Historical Finds: Dead Sea Scrolls 1947 (confirmed OT documents, dated 200 BC)
Nag Hammadi, Egypt 1945-46 (52 Gnostic scrolls dated 2nd to 4th century AD)
- 2nd -4th Century Gnosticism-a belief system which borrowed from many other belief systems around it.
Believed:
- The Supreme God is pure Spirit and only Spirit is good. This God could never have created matter, for matter is evil.
- A much lesser god created all things including people is different from the true, Spirit God.
- Salvation is from matter not from sin, it is from these "evil bodies" - so salvation comes through secret knowledge (gnosis) of the divine life within.
Rejected:
- all of the Old Testament -- for that God was not the supreme God to them.
- a genuine incarnation, because Christ could not be a material being. His physical appearance was an optical illusion. They would say: "Christ cast no shadow."
- The crucifixion was also unreal and irrelevant, for redemption again was not from sin but from the body. To be ignorant of this is to not have the secret knowledge needed for salvation.
- "Gospel of Philip" 250-300 AD:
"the companion of the (_) Mary Magdalene. (___) her more than (_) the disciples and used to kiss her (__) on her (__)
- The rest of the (__) They said to him, "Why do you love her more than all of us?"
- Modern Gnosticism seen in Jesus Seminar where the quest for the historical Jesus has led to the rejection of 82% of what Jesus said and all prophecy of the Bible. Only one saying in Mark survived, none of John, and 2 words from the Lord's prayer, and those were: "Our Father". It is also seen in some modern theological movements which deny the person and ministry of Jesus, as predicted by Peter.
- Peter warns against false teachers who "deny the Sovereign Lord who bought them," who "encourage shameful ways," and who "exploit by telling stories they have made up".
"I'll read your book, if you read mine"
Resources:
Nicky Gumbel, "Pure Fiction?" article in GoodNews January/February 2006, p. 13.
Everett F. Harrison's Introduction to the New Testament, Wm. B Eerdmans, c. '71.
Henry Bettenson's Documents of the Christian Church, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, c'63.
Rev Neely P. Towe, "Christianity and the Da Vinci Code," lecture series found online,
http://www.tothesource.org/12_10_2003/12_10_button3_links.htm
Ben Witherington III, The Gospel Code, Intervarsity Press, c.'04.
http://challengingdavinci.com/ and
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/davincicode
http://www.radixmagazine.com/page1Davincicode.html
http://www.regentaudio.com/product_details.php?item_id=168
http://maclaurin.org/article_detail.php (written by J Richard Pearcey 4-22-04 a Review of the Da Vinci Code)
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