Truth and fiction in "the da vinci code"

There is no doubt that Dan Brown’s novel "The Da Vinci Code" has caused many heated debates since being released in 2003. To date, it is estimated to have sold more than 60,000 copies, not to mention the websites it has launched, the television shows and the movie or the sequel book. Here we are going to take a look at several of the most talked about statements in the novel, and from a Christian standpoint, we will supply facts as to how much is truth and how much is fiction.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene

Probably the most talked about statement, the one that causes most people to enter into heated and emotionally fueled debates is that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and that they had a daughter named Sarah. To support this, the book refers to the writings of the "Gnostic Gospels" more specifically to the text of Philip.

Here is what we know, that Jesus lived during the first century of this era. The New Testament that talks about the life and death of Jesus, historians that were born during the same century wrote accounts of Jesus' life and death, and a collection of Rabbinical writings as well as letters that were written around 96 AD make no mention of a marriage between Jesus and Mary or that there was a child. These documents were written by people that were followers as well as by people that did not believe in the miracle of Jesus. As a matter of fact, of the non believers that wrote about Jesus many were antagonistic and derogatory, but still do not mention anything that would change the current portrayal of a celibate and unmarried Jesus.

The Gnostic Gospel

The text that is referred to the most from the Gnostic Gospel is the "Gospel of Philip." The novel states that this specific text made reference to a very intimate relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The novel states that the Gospel of Philip" states that "Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth…"

It is important that you have some background information about the Gnostic Gospels. They were discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi in Egypt. It is believed by many scholars that it was written approximately 150 years after Jesus. The person responsible for writing the "Gospel of Philip" is unknown and it is considered a non-Christian document.

Now there are many writings in the Gnostic Gospel itself that were written about the same time that seem to borrow names, ideas and concepts from the Christian New Testament. If you were able to the read the text of Philip, there is a story of Jesus and Mary where they are described as having a relationship that was unlike the relationship Jesus shared with his other disciples. The difference in the actual text and the novel is that the word for "mouth" does not appear in the non-translated text. Therefore many fit their own word in the statement. It is possible that what was meant could be hand, forehead or cheek. Cheek is more believable then mouth as that kissing on the cheek is still a custom in the Middle East.

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copyright notice © 2008 Sumit Pty Ltd All rights reserved. Eliezer Gonzalez has written and edited several books and numerous articles. The article may be copied and used freely. For More Information: http://www.davincitruth.com

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Truth and fiction in "the da vinci code"