DaVinci Code Part 8 - Mary Magdelene
I know, I know…nine days since my last post on DaVinci. What can I say – I got busy! As promised we’re going to begin to look at the Mary Magdalene issue in some detail. I’m going to upset some of you who like suspense…there is no evidence that Jesus was married. Even more depressing for those who love a good twist, ABC News did a special in 2003 called “Jesus, Mary, and DaVinci” and even the liberal media couldn’t find evidence of Mary being the wife of Jesus!
Strangely enough this is one of the “big claims” of the DaVinci Code and yet there are two important things that virtually negate this claim as a problem for Christianity:
1. Nothing in the Bible even hints to Jesus and Mary being married.
2. Jesus being married would not have lessened his divinity in any way.
So, we have a false claim in the novel that, even if it were found to be true in the future would not in any way alter our view of Jesus or of his divinity.
So, where did this tall tail come from? The first popularized version of this assertion came from a book written in the eighties called “Holy Blood, Holy Grail.” This book was a best-seller in the eighties and makes wild claims about Christianity, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and a child that was born from their union. The claims of course are based on no scholarly research and this is made painfully (for the authors of the book) evident in the ABC News Special. Brown used this book as the basis for his DaVinci Code. As many of you know Brown was sued by the authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail a few months ago. The case was thrown out of court.
Others who wish to wed Jesus and Mary look to two documents written a few centuries after Jesus was resurrected. One is called the Gospel of Philip. Before I go further to look at the passage in this document I’m going to explain where this and other documents like it came from. Many people who were trying to further their own perspectives on Christianity especially in the second and third century A.D. would often write their views in these types of documents and then pass it off as though it was written by one of the apostles (which it couldn’t have been because none of the apostles lived two hundred years) to give the writing credibility. This was common practice. So, these “gospels” have no merit as a reliable source for insight into Christianity.
But…just to satisfy anyone who might say that I am discrediting these sources so that I don’t have to address them, I’m going to look at two of these documents starting with the “Gospel of Philip.” The passage in Philip that supposedly shows that Jesus and Mary were married is:
Philip 63:33-36: “And a companion of the … Lord [probably], Mary Magdalene. He loved Mary more than [all] the disciples, and he used to kiss her [often] on the ________. He used to kiss her ________ on the ________. The rest of [the disciples were offended]. They said to him, ‘Why do you love her more than all of us?’”
The Philip document we have is damaged because of its antiquity so there are sections missing where there is a line or three dots present instead of text. For, those of us who want this to be a compelling passage we might put “mouth” in the area that is damaged. Then we could claim like some do, “See, he kissed here on the mouth…that means they were married!” However, “head” or “cheek” or “hand” would fit nicely as well. We simply do not know where Jesus kissed Mary according to this historically unreliable text.
But, there’s more to say about this text specifically.
Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 7
DaVinci Code Part 7 - More External Evidence
It’s been ten days since my last DaVinci Blog. I promised that we would “address the power of the Bible” as an evidence of its divine origins. So, we’ll take a look at this subject in today’s blog and then move on to new issues relating to the DaVinci Code. The following are well-known defenses for the inspiration of the Bible. The reason they’re so “tried” is because they’re so “true.” In many ways though these points will likely serve only to encourage the Christ follower and do little to compel the skeptic.
First, the Spirit uses God’s Word to convict men of sin. The verse that most profoundly relates the power of the Spirit of God to convict men through biblical text is Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Bible continues to be a tool used by His Spirit to convict men of their sin and compel them to submit to His rule in their life. I have served God as an evangelist and pastor for twelve years and I’m astonished at the power of the Word to convict people of their sin. I have had one-on-one conversations with hundreds and hundreds of people over the past twelve years about Jesus Christ. I can say with conviction that there is nothing more compelling to the heart of man than the Word of God recited in conversation. Men surrender to the weight of the Truth recorded in the Bible. The Word of God becomes a mirror for people to see themselves as they really are - sinners in need of a Savior. (This is why it is vitally important that Christ followers become intimate with the text. Paul tells us we must be prepared to give a defense for the hope that lies within us.)
That brings me to my second defense: the Spirit uses the Word of God to free men from sin. In other words, the revelation of salvation from God through Jesus Christ is present only in the Bible. The Word of God reveals to all people the way to forgiveness from sin, eternal life in communion with God, and abundant life while it is still today! I preached at a prison in Texas in 1997 and after the service a prisoner came up to me. I thought he was going to thank me for my sermon as others had done but he had a very different message FOR ME. He said, “I read the gospel of John last night and realized that Jesus was my Savior – MY Savior. He showed me that even though I was in prison for life, I was a free man…I’m a FREE man.” This man was set free by God through the reading of the Truth in the gospel of John.
No other book in history has exerted so much power on humankind than the Bible.
We’re going to move on in my next blog to the topic of Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus, here importance as a follower of Christ, and whether or not she was married to Jesus.
I want to remind all my readers that you have the opportunity to leave comments on each blog and many of you do so. There are currently over seventy comments in my blog library that you can review and you can even leave comments about the comments! Just go to the bottom of the blog you’re interested in and see if there are any comments recorded. You will see something like “3 comments” or “0 comments.” If there is a number next to “comments,” just click on “comments” and scroll to the bottom of the next page to see the comments that have been posted.
Finally, the DaVinci Code sermon series will begin at Frontline on May 21st and continue through June 4th. So, let your friends at work know that this would be a great time to visit Frontline!
Until my next blog…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
It’s been ten days since my last DaVinci Blog. I promised that we would “address the power of the Bible” as an evidence of its divine origins. So, we’ll take a look at this subject in today’s blog and then move on to new issues relating to the DaVinci Code. The following are well-known defenses for the inspiration of the Bible. The reason they’re so “tried” is because they’re so “true.” In many ways though these points will likely serve only to encourage the Christ follower and do little to compel the skeptic.
First, the Spirit uses God’s Word to convict men of sin. The verse that most profoundly relates the power of the Spirit of God to convict men through biblical text is Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” The Bible continues to be a tool used by His Spirit to convict men of their sin and compel them to submit to His rule in their life. I have served God as an evangelist and pastor for twelve years and I’m astonished at the power of the Word to convict people of their sin. I have had one-on-one conversations with hundreds and hundreds of people over the past twelve years about Jesus Christ. I can say with conviction that there is nothing more compelling to the heart of man than the Word of God recited in conversation. Men surrender to the weight of the Truth recorded in the Bible. The Word of God becomes a mirror for people to see themselves as they really are - sinners in need of a Savior. (This is why it is vitally important that Christ followers become intimate with the text. Paul tells us we must be prepared to give a defense for the hope that lies within us.)
That brings me to my second defense: the Spirit uses the Word of God to free men from sin. In other words, the revelation of salvation from God through Jesus Christ is present only in the Bible. The Word of God reveals to all people the way to forgiveness from sin, eternal life in communion with God, and abundant life while it is still today! I preached at a prison in Texas in 1997 and after the service a prisoner came up to me. I thought he was going to thank me for my sermon as others had done but he had a very different message FOR ME. He said, “I read the gospel of John last night and realized that Jesus was my Savior – MY Savior. He showed me that even though I was in prison for life, I was a free man…I’m a FREE man.” This man was set free by God through the reading of the Truth in the gospel of John.
No other book in history has exerted so much power on humankind than the Bible.
We’re going to move on in my next blog to the topic of Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus, here importance as a follower of Christ, and whether or not she was married to Jesus.
I want to remind all my readers that you have the opportunity to leave comments on each blog and many of you do so. There are currently over seventy comments in my blog library that you can review and you can even leave comments about the comments! Just go to the bottom of the blog you’re interested in and see if there are any comments recorded. You will see something like “3 comments” or “0 comments.” If there is a number next to “comments,” just click on “comments” and scroll to the bottom of the next page to see the comments that have been posted.
Finally, the DaVinci Code sermon series will begin at Frontline on May 21st and continue through June 4th. So, let your friends at work know that this would be a great time to visit Frontline!
Until my next blog…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
Monday, April 10, 2006
DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind the Fiction - Part 6
DaVinci Part 6 – More External Evidence
We’ve been looking at both the internal (from the Bible) and external evidence that the Bible is divinely inspired. In my last post I ended by telling you what my last piece of external evidence would be – the power and influence of the Bible. There are many other arguments given by scholars and theologians over the century such as the perennial freshness of the Bible from generation to generation, the character of biblical teaching, and the centrality of Christ throughout the entire Bible. But, I’ll focus in this post on the Bible’s power and influence for both the sake of time and the fact that this argument is especially powerful to me.
Influence. The influence of the Bible is, of course, world-wide. The content of Scripture has supplied themes for the greatest poets, artists, composers and playwrights the world has yet produced. The Bible has been the single most influential factor is shaping the moral progress of the human race. Its influence becomes more impressive when we consider the antiquity of the work itself. Even the most liberal scholars put the last books of the Bible added to the canon at over eighteen hundred years ago. Yet, the message of the Bible speaks to our generation as it has for countless generations over two millennia.
Books written by men (with few exception), even those of paramount influence, wane in their influence and altogether cease having any effect on mankind within fifty years. Man’s prose lives and dies with the same certainty of its creator. There are a few great works and great authors who defy this axiomatic truth – but in the end they to die and their wisdom is buried under the progress of coming generations. Further testament to this is the fact that even those whose works span centuries only make it into the hands of a very small percentage of men throughout the ages. The vast majority of mankind simply does not read these great works.
But, how different is the influence of the Bible! God describes His work as the Living Word - a Word that speaks fresh to each generation, a Word that finds relevance in an ever-changing world of diverse cultures. How can this be? This is a Book that reaches all form of man and speaks into his life in his mother tongue just as surely as it spoke to men in biblical times. No other book has experienced such success and influence – no other book.
You’ve read of the Bibles influence but what of its power? I’ll address the power of the Bible in my next blog. I know I’m leaving you waiting for the end of the story once again, but I’ve run out of time unexpectedly and at such a perfect point in my writing. So…
Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
We’ve been looking at both the internal (from the Bible) and external evidence that the Bible is divinely inspired. In my last post I ended by telling you what my last piece of external evidence would be – the power and influence of the Bible. There are many other arguments given by scholars and theologians over the century such as the perennial freshness of the Bible from generation to generation, the character of biblical teaching, and the centrality of Christ throughout the entire Bible. But, I’ll focus in this post on the Bible’s power and influence for both the sake of time and the fact that this argument is especially powerful to me.
Influence. The influence of the Bible is, of course, world-wide. The content of Scripture has supplied themes for the greatest poets, artists, composers and playwrights the world has yet produced. The Bible has been the single most influential factor is shaping the moral progress of the human race. Its influence becomes more impressive when we consider the antiquity of the work itself. Even the most liberal scholars put the last books of the Bible added to the canon at over eighteen hundred years ago. Yet, the message of the Bible speaks to our generation as it has for countless generations over two millennia.
Books written by men (with few exception), even those of paramount influence, wane in their influence and altogether cease having any effect on mankind within fifty years. Man’s prose lives and dies with the same certainty of its creator. There are a few great works and great authors who defy this axiomatic truth – but in the end they to die and their wisdom is buried under the progress of coming generations. Further testament to this is the fact that even those whose works span centuries only make it into the hands of a very small percentage of men throughout the ages. The vast majority of mankind simply does not read these great works.
But, how different is the influence of the Bible! God describes His work as the Living Word - a Word that speaks fresh to each generation, a Word that finds relevance in an ever-changing world of diverse cultures. How can this be? This is a Book that reaches all form of man and speaks into his life in his mother tongue just as surely as it spoke to men in biblical times. No other book has experienced such success and influence – no other book.
You’ve read of the Bibles influence but what of its power? I’ll address the power of the Bible in my next blog. I know I’m leaving you waiting for the end of the story once again, but I’ve run out of time unexpectedly and at such a perfect point in my writing. So…
Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
Sunday, April 02, 2006
DaVinci Code: The Truth Behind The Fiction - Part 5
DaVinci Part 5: More External Evidence
In our last blog we left with a piece of statistical evidence for the other-worldly origins of the Bible. And, if you will remember, we are responding to two claims that come from the DaVinci Code: "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. 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 translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book." (p. 231)
We first addressed the question of whether or not we have accurate translations of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We simply don’t have the time here to look at the accuracy of every document in the Bible so I chose the Gospels because they deal most directly and definitively with the life of Christ. So, as we looked more closely at the process by which we received our current translations, we concluded that we can be extremely confident that what we have today is the words of the original authors.
Our second question came from the same quote above and has to do with the divine origins of the Bible. We looked first at the internal evidence, asking whether or not the bible itself claims to have divine origins. And, we concluded that the writers of the Bible saw the Bible as having divine origins – “God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
We are now up to our current blog where I will look at other external evidences of God’s hand in creating the Bible. Let’s get to it…
First, the unity of the Bible as a completed work attests to its divine origin. This (along with the previous external evidence I offered regarding prophesies) is one of the more encouraging evidences of God’s hand in producing the Bible as we have it today. The way in which the Bible was brought together argues against even the possibility of unity. For example, the Bible was penned on two (or three) continents, written in three languages over fifteen hundred years. The various parts of the Bible were written in varying circumstances and in different places such as tents, palaces, cities, deserts, and dungeons. Among the writers were kings, priests, prophets, patriarchs, herdsmen, scribes, soldiers, physicians, and fishermen. Yet, behind these myriad of dis-unifying influences the Bible has an unmistakable unity of message. It contains one system of doctrine, one plan of salvation, one code of ethics, and one rule of faith.
Think if we were to plan to accomplish the same feat today by human hand. If we were to somehow bring the same type of people together as described above and have them write a chapter to be placed in a book on theology. They would know neither the profession of the writer nor the topic of the chapters both before and after their specific chapter. When these chapters were collected together what are the chances that there would even a slight sense of unity among the chapters as a whole. As with our last evidence regarding prophesy the chances of the Bible actually coming together with such unity of theology and message is so small as to be virtually impossible.
Yet, what we find when we look at the Bible in its entirety is a book written by forty different people on such diverse themes as to cover nearly the whole range of human inquiry, yet the spiritual, theological, relational, ethical and historical lessons presented in the Bible agree.
Arthur W. Pink has a great analogy:
The more one really studies the Bible the more one is convinced that behind the many human mouths there is One overruling, controlling Mind. Imagine forty persons of different nationalities, possessing various degrees of musical culture visiting the organ of some cathedral and at long intervals of time, and without any collusion whatever, striking sixty-six different notes, which when combined yielded the theme of the grandest oratorio ever heard: would it not show that behind these forty different men there was one presiding mind, one great Tone master? As we listen to some great orchestra, with an immense variety of instruments playing their different parts, but producing melody and harmony, we realize that at the back of these many musicians there is the personality and genius of the composer. And when we enter the halls of the Divine Academy (the Bible) and listen to the heavenly choirs singing the Song of Redemption, all in perfect accord and unison, we know that it is God Himself who has written the music and put this song into their mouths.
The unity of the Bible is a fantastic and irresistibly strong defense of its divine origins. Next week we’ll look at one final piece of external evidence of divine inspiration: The power and influence of the Bible.
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
In our last blog we left with a piece of statistical evidence for the other-worldly origins of the Bible. And, if you will remember, we are responding to two claims that come from the DaVinci Code: "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. 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 translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book." (p. 231)
We first addressed the question of whether or not we have accurate translations of the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We simply don’t have the time here to look at the accuracy of every document in the Bible so I chose the Gospels because they deal most directly and definitively with the life of Christ. So, as we looked more closely at the process by which we received our current translations, we concluded that we can be extremely confident that what we have today is the words of the original authors.
Our second question came from the same quote above and has to do with the divine origins of the Bible. We looked first at the internal evidence, asking whether or not the bible itself claims to have divine origins. And, we concluded that the writers of the Bible saw the Bible as having divine origins – “God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
We are now up to our current blog where I will look at other external evidences of God’s hand in creating the Bible. Let’s get to it…
First, the unity of the Bible as a completed work attests to its divine origin. This (along with the previous external evidence I offered regarding prophesies) is one of the more encouraging evidences of God’s hand in producing the Bible as we have it today. The way in which the Bible was brought together argues against even the possibility of unity. For example, the Bible was penned on two (or three) continents, written in three languages over fifteen hundred years. The various parts of the Bible were written in varying circumstances and in different places such as tents, palaces, cities, deserts, and dungeons. Among the writers were kings, priests, prophets, patriarchs, herdsmen, scribes, soldiers, physicians, and fishermen. Yet, behind these myriad of dis-unifying influences the Bible has an unmistakable unity of message. It contains one system of doctrine, one plan of salvation, one code of ethics, and one rule of faith.
Think if we were to plan to accomplish the same feat today by human hand. If we were to somehow bring the same type of people together as described above and have them write a chapter to be placed in a book on theology. They would know neither the profession of the writer nor the topic of the chapters both before and after their specific chapter. When these chapters were collected together what are the chances that there would even a slight sense of unity among the chapters as a whole. As with our last evidence regarding prophesy the chances of the Bible actually coming together with such unity of theology and message is so small as to be virtually impossible.
Yet, what we find when we look at the Bible in its entirety is a book written by forty different people on such diverse themes as to cover nearly the whole range of human inquiry, yet the spiritual, theological, relational, ethical and historical lessons presented in the Bible agree.
Arthur W. Pink has a great analogy:
The more one really studies the Bible the more one is convinced that behind the many human mouths there is One overruling, controlling Mind. Imagine forty persons of different nationalities, possessing various degrees of musical culture visiting the organ of some cathedral and at long intervals of time, and without any collusion whatever, striking sixty-six different notes, which when combined yielded the theme of the grandest oratorio ever heard: would it not show that behind these forty different men there was one presiding mind, one great Tone master? As we listen to some great orchestra, with an immense variety of instruments playing their different parts, but producing melody and harmony, we realize that at the back of these many musicians there is the personality and genius of the composer. And when we enter the halls of the Divine Academy (the Bible) and listen to the heavenly choirs singing the Song of Redemption, all in perfect accord and unison, we know that it is God Himself who has written the music and put this song into their mouths.
The unity of the Bible is a fantastic and irresistibly strong defense of its divine origins. Next week we’ll look at one final piece of external evidence of divine inspiration: The power and influence of the Bible.
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
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