The Da Vinci Code and The Gnostic Gospels

Fact or Fiction? (Part 2)

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

(Galatians 1:8-9)

“In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always e prepared to give an account to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

1 Peter 3:15

"Jesus Christ was a historical figure of staggering influence… Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land." Teabing paused to sip his tea and then placed the cup back on the mantel. "More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.

"Who chose which gospels to include?" Sophie asked. "Aha!" Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. "The

fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great."

The Claims of TDVC

“Jesus said, “If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not have that within you, what you do not have within you [will] kill you.” (70)“Every woman who makes herself a male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” (114)

Examples from the “Gnostic Gospels”

The Gospel of Thomas:

• “The early Church needed to convince the world that the mortal prophet Jesus was a divine being. Therefore, any gospels that described earthly aspects of Jesus’ life had to be omitted from the Bible. Unfortunately for the early editors, one particularly troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the gospels. Mary Magdalene…More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ… It’s a matter of historical record.”

• “I shan’t bore you with the countless references to Jesus and Magdalene’s union.”

The Claims of TDVC

Fact

† The story of Mary as Mrs. Jesus didn’t surface until the ninth century AD.

† References to any possible fling between Jesus and Mary can indeed be counted: there are only two! One from the Gospel of Phillip and one from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, both late Gnostic writings rejected as spurious by the early church.

Fact

† The story of Mary as Mrs. Jesus didn’t surface until the ninth century AD.

† References to any possible fling between Jesus and Mary can indeed be counted: there are only two! One from the Gospel of Phillip and one from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, both late Gnostic writings rejected as spurious by the early church.

Examples from the “Gnostic Gospels”

The Gospel of Phillip:

“And the companion of the […] Mary Magdalene. […] her more than the disciples […] kiss her […] on her […] (63:33-36)

Example from the Gospel of Mary Magdalene

“Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.”

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” Galatians 5:7-8