The Top 10 Errors Found in 'The Da Vinci Code'
> http://go.family.org/davinci/content/A000000061.cfm
>
> compiled by Alex McFarland
> 1. Fallacy: The world was once dominated by goddess-based worship. Religion
> was originally matriarchal and later (under Judeo-Christian dominance) changed
> to patriarchal monotheism (male dominated). (The Da Vinci Code, p. 124)
> Fact: There is no evidence that any significant religious movement had
> dominant female deities: They were always linked to their male counterparts, and
> usually in a subservient role. (See, for example, Tikva Frymer-Kensky's In the
> Wake of the Goddesses (New York: Ballantine Books, 1993) and Craig Hawkins'
> Goddess Worship, Witchcraft, and Neo-Paganism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998).
> 2. Fallacy: The Bible has been extensively rewritten and revised. Therefore,
> its original meaning has been lost. The Christian Scriptures "evolved through
> countless translations, additions, and revisions." (DVC, p. 231)
> Fact: "Countless translations" is excessive hyperbole and vague
> generalization. Without a specific charge of what was translated, added or revised, it is
> impossible to respond to this point specifically. However, consider the
> following points:
>
> · Translation issues for the Bible are not different from translation issues
> for any other document, and cause no more difficulty. The quote implies that
> there is some great confusion over translation that is cause for concern.
> · It is true that there are issues to discuss in terms of translating the
> Bible from ancient Hebrew and Greek to any modern language. This is a natural
> function of all translation processes and in no way detracts from offering a
> "definitive," reasonable account of what was originally written.
> · In fact, the means of transmission of the ancient texts, the voluminous
> quantity of manuscript copies, the science of textual criticism and the art of
> translation ensure that any reputable modern translation of the Bible is an
> accurate rendering of the original text. This subject has been covered so
> comprehensively and so well by so many scholars that Brown's misrepresentation of the
> facts is inexcusable.
> 3. Fallacy: "Fortunately for historians . . . some of the gospels that
> Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were
> found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert." (DVC, p.
> 234)
> Fact: According to Dr. Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western
> Michigan University, Constantine was never involved in any attempt to
> eradicate any gospels. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 and contained no
> gospels, nor any reference to Jesus. They contained portions of every Old
> Testament book except Esther, commentaries on the Old Testament, some
> extrabiblical works, secular documents and business records. The Qumran community, which
> wrote or preserved these documents, had nothing to do with Jesus or
> Christianity.
> 4. Fallacy: "The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman
> emperor Constantine the Great." (DVC, p. 232)
> Fact: Although the verdict is out as to whether Constantine was a true
> follower of Christ, he was not a pagan. He converted to Christianity (regardless of
> his motives for doing so). And he did not collate the Bible. The Old Testament
> was compiled even before the time of Jesus. The New Testament began to be
> recognized by the end of the 1st century. By the 2nd century, church leaders were
> inserting quotes from the four Gospels into their writings. Athanasius
> recorded the earliest list of New Testament books in 367 A.D.
> 5. Fallacy: The Bible was "hodge-podged" together over time and is not
> trustworthy. "The Bible is the 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." (DVC, p.
> 231)
> Fact: If men wanted to create a new religion, they would never choose one
> with a God-man as its central figure and a resurrection from the dead as its
> foundation. (1 Corinthians 15:14, Ephesians 2:20). Further, if men had produced
> Christianity, it would be man-centered, as are all other religions. In other
> words, man would earn his way into eternal bliss through his good deeds. Thus,
> man would get the glory. In stark contrast, the Bible uniformly declares that
> man cannot work his way to God. There must be a substitute that is acceptable to
> God according to His holy standard - perfect righteousness. Jesus Christ is
> that perfect substitute - the one and only way to God. Therefore, God gets all
> the glory. (Isaiah 64:6, Philippians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18)
> 6. Fallacy: Many "gospels" existed recounting the life of Christ, some of
> which were suppressed: "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 . . . " (DVC, p. 231)
> Fact: The "gospels" to which Brown refers are the Gnostic gospels. They were
> written from about 250-350 A.D., several hundred years after Christ lived.
> They were written to reinterpret the life of Christ and His teachings, based upon
> Gnostic philosophy. There were never as many as 80, and they were never
> considered for inclusion in the New Testament.
> Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were accepted in the 1st century based upon
> their authorship and their use in the early Christian centers of Jerusalem,
> Antioch, Alexandria and Rome. The Gnostic gospels appeared after most of the New
> Testament was already in use and accepted by the Church. Eusebius, the first
> church historian, affirms that the early church rejected these gospels as soon as
> they appeared.
> 7. Fallacy: Christianity as we know it was "invented" by people, rather than
> revealed by God. "At [the Council of Nicea] . . . many aspects of Christianity
> were debated and voted upon - the date of Easter, the role of the bishops,
> the administration of sacraments and, of course, the divinity of Jesus . . .
> [U]ntil that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal
> prophet . . . a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal." (DVC,
> p. 233)
> Fact: The Council of Nicea debated only one issue: Was Jesus coeternal with
> the Father? (See A History of Christianity by Kenneth Scott Latourette, pp.
> 152-157.) Although Jesus' disciples were fearful skeptics who initially did not
> clearly understand who Christ was and what He came to do, after the
> resurrection they willingly sacrificed their lives for proclaiming that He was indeed God
> in the flesh. (John 20:19-28, 31; 2 Peter 1:16-18; Philippians 2:5-11)
> 8. Fallacy: Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. ". . . [O]ne particularly
> troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the [Gnostic] gospels. Mary Magdalene.
> . . . More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ." (DVC, p. 244)
> Fact: None of the Gnostic gospels contain any references to a marriage
> between Mary and Jesus. There is no support for this claim in the Scriptures or in
> early church traditions. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul defended his right to have
> a wife (even though he was unmarried). He cites as support the other apostles,
> the Lord's brothers and Peter. If Christ had been married, Paul would most
> certainly have cited Him as conclusive support for being accompanied by a wife.
> 9. Fallacy: Christianity borrowed its practices and symbols from the pagan
> mystery religions. "And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual . . .
> were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions." (DVC, p. 232)
> Fact: A distinction needs to be made between New Testament Christianity and
> what developed over time as Greek and Roman converts brought certain
> non-biblical elements into their worship. In particular, the Church at Rome abandoned
> the biblical feast days observed by the early church in favor of the feast days
> of the pagan they were seeking to convert. And to some degree, they adopted
> the vestments and rituals of the pagan Roman priests.
> Most mystery religions, however, flourished long after the closing of the
> canon of Scripture. Therefore, it would be more proper to say that Christianity
> influenced mystery religions, rather than the other way around. A careful
> observation of the mystery religion stories reveals there is a vast difference
> between the events recorded in the New Testament and the mythologies of the
> mystery religions. The mysteries were rooted in emotionalism and fantasy. In
> contrast, Christianity is rooted in history and evidence. The mysteries were a
> combination of many religious systems, worshipping numerous deities. Christianity is
> rooted in the consistent revelation of one God who ordained the pure and
> spotless sacrifice of His Son in payment for man's sin.
> 10. Fallacy: The book is based on fact. "All descriptions of artwork,
> architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." (DVC Page 1)
>
> Fact: Contrary to the book's claim that early Jewish tradition involved
> ritualistic sex, the Old Testament carefully defined and steadfastly condemned
> sexual immorality - especially the pagan practice of bringing sex into public
> worship (Leviticus 10:10-21; Deuteronomy 23:17-18; 1 Kings 14:24).
> The novel contends that Da Vinci painted the Apostle John as representing
> Mary Magdalene. However, John's appearance reflects the way Florentine artists
> traditionally depicted John. (See The Truth Behind the Da Vince Code, Richard
> Abanes, pp. 71-72). The claims of ". . . hidden documents that detail the truth
> about Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and their lineage . . . " (DVC, p. 160) are based
> on forgeries. (See The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, pp. 51-54.)
>
> compiled by Alex McFarland
> 1. Fallacy: The world was once dominated by goddess-based worship. Religion
> was originally matriarchal and later (under Judeo-Christian dominance) changed
> to patriarchal monotheism (male dominated). (The Da Vinci Code, p. 124)
> Fact: There is no evidence that any significant religious movement had
> dominant female deities: They were always linked to their male counterparts, and
> usually in a subservient role. (See, for example, Tikva Frymer-Kensky's In the
> Wake of the Goddesses (New York: Ballantine Books, 1993) and Craig Hawkins'
> Goddess Worship, Witchcraft, and Neo-Paganism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998).
> 2. Fallacy: The Bible has been extensively rewritten and revised. Therefore,
> its original meaning has been lost. The Christian Scriptures "evolved through
> countless translations, additions, and revisions." (DVC, p. 231)
> Fact: "Countless translations" is excessive hyperbole and vague
> generalization. Without a specific charge of what was translated, added or revised, it is
> impossible to respond to this point specifically. However, consider the
> following points:
>
> · Translation issues for the Bible are not different from translation issues
> for any other document, and cause no more difficulty. The quote implies that
> there is some great confusion over translation that is cause for concern.
> · It is true that there are issues to discuss in terms of translating the
> Bible from ancient Hebrew and Greek to any modern language. This is a natural
> function of all translation processes and in no way detracts from offering a
> "definitive," reasonable account of what was originally written.
> · In fact, the means of transmission of the ancient texts, the voluminous
> quantity of manuscript copies, the science of textual criticism and the art of
> translation ensure that any reputable modern translation of the Bible is an
> accurate rendering of the original text. This subject has been covered so
> comprehensively and so well by so many scholars that Brown's misrepresentation of the
> facts is inexcusable.
> 3. Fallacy: "Fortunately for historians . . . some of the gospels that
> Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were
> found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert." (DVC, p.
> 234)
> Fact: According to Dr. Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history at Western
> Michigan University, Constantine was never involved in any attempt to
> eradicate any gospels. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 and contained no
> gospels, nor any reference to Jesus. They contained portions of every Old
> Testament book except Esther, commentaries on the Old Testament, some
> extrabiblical works, secular documents and business records. The Qumran community, which
> wrote or preserved these documents, had nothing to do with Jesus or
> Christianity.
> 4. Fallacy: "The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman
> emperor Constantine the Great." (DVC, p. 232)
> Fact: Although the verdict is out as to whether Constantine was a true
> follower of Christ, he was not a pagan. He converted to Christianity (regardless of
> his motives for doing so). And he did not collate the Bible. The Old Testament
> was compiled even before the time of Jesus. The New Testament began to be
> recognized by the end of the 1st century. By the 2nd century, church leaders were
> inserting quotes from the four Gospels into their writings. Athanasius
> recorded the earliest list of New Testament books in 367 A.D.
> 5. Fallacy: The Bible was "hodge-podged" together over time and is not
> trustworthy. "The Bible is the 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." (DVC, p.
> 231)
> Fact: If men wanted to create a new religion, they would never choose one
> with a God-man as its central figure and a resurrection from the dead as its
> foundation. (1 Corinthians 15:14, Ephesians 2:20). Further, if men had produced
> Christianity, it would be man-centered, as are all other religions. In other
> words, man would earn his way into eternal bliss through his good deeds. Thus,
> man would get the glory. In stark contrast, the Bible uniformly declares that
> man cannot work his way to God. There must be a substitute that is acceptable to
> God according to His holy standard - perfect righteousness. Jesus Christ is
> that perfect substitute - the one and only way to God. Therefore, God gets all
> the glory. (Isaiah 64:6, Philippians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18)
> 6. Fallacy: Many "gospels" existed recounting the life of Christ, some of
> which were suppressed: "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 . . . " (DVC, p. 231)
> Fact: The "gospels" to which Brown refers are the Gnostic gospels. They were
> written from about 250-350 A.D., several hundred years after Christ lived.
> They were written to reinterpret the life of Christ and His teachings, based upon
> Gnostic philosophy. There were never as many as 80, and they were never
> considered for inclusion in the New Testament.
> Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were accepted in the 1st century based upon
> their authorship and their use in the early Christian centers of Jerusalem,
> Antioch, Alexandria and Rome. The Gnostic gospels appeared after most of the New
> Testament was already in use and accepted by the Church. Eusebius, the first
> church historian, affirms that the early church rejected these gospels as soon as
> they appeared.
> 7. Fallacy: Christianity as we know it was "invented" by people, rather than
> revealed by God. "At [the Council of Nicea] . . . many aspects of Christianity
> were debated and voted upon - the date of Easter, the role of the bishops,
> the administration of sacraments and, of course, the divinity of Jesus . . .
> [U]ntil that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal
> prophet . . . a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal." (DVC,
> p. 233)
> Fact: The Council of Nicea debated only one issue: Was Jesus coeternal with
> the Father? (See A History of Christianity by Kenneth Scott Latourette, pp.
> 152-157.) Although Jesus' disciples were fearful skeptics who initially did not
> clearly understand who Christ was and what He came to do, after the
> resurrection they willingly sacrificed their lives for proclaiming that He was indeed God
> in the flesh. (John 20:19-28, 31; 2 Peter 1:16-18; Philippians 2:5-11)
> 8. Fallacy: Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. ". . . [O]ne particularly
> troubling earthly theme kept recurring in the [Gnostic] gospels. Mary Magdalene.
> . . . More specifically, her marriage to Jesus Christ." (DVC, p. 244)
> Fact: None of the Gnostic gospels contain any references to a marriage
> between Mary and Jesus. There is no support for this claim in the Scriptures or in
> early church traditions. In 1 Corinthians 9:5, Paul defended his right to have
> a wife (even though he was unmarried). He cites as support the other apostles,
> the Lord's brothers and Peter. If Christ had been married, Paul would most
> certainly have cited Him as conclusive support for being accompanied by a wife.
> 9. Fallacy: Christianity borrowed its practices and symbols from the pagan
> mystery religions. "And virtually all the elements of the Catholic ritual . . .
> were taken directly from earlier pagan mystery religions." (DVC, p. 232)
> Fact: A distinction needs to be made between New Testament Christianity and
> what developed over time as Greek and Roman converts brought certain
> non-biblical elements into their worship. In particular, the Church at Rome abandoned
> the biblical feast days observed by the early church in favor of the feast days
> of the pagan they were seeking to convert. And to some degree, they adopted
> the vestments and rituals of the pagan Roman priests.
> Most mystery religions, however, flourished long after the closing of the
> canon of Scripture. Therefore, it would be more proper to say that Christianity
> influenced mystery religions, rather than the other way around. A careful
> observation of the mystery religion stories reveals there is a vast difference
> between the events recorded in the New Testament and the mythologies of the
> mystery religions. The mysteries were rooted in emotionalism and fantasy. In
> contrast, Christianity is rooted in history and evidence. The mysteries were a
> combination of many religious systems, worshipping numerous deities. Christianity is
> rooted in the consistent revelation of one God who ordained the pure and
> spotless sacrifice of His Son in payment for man's sin.
> 10. Fallacy: The book is based on fact. "All descriptions of artwork,
> architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." (DVC Page 1)
>
> Fact: Contrary to the book's claim that early Jewish tradition involved
> ritualistic sex, the Old Testament carefully defined and steadfastly condemned
> sexual immorality - especially the pagan practice of bringing sex into public
> worship (Leviticus 10:10-21; Deuteronomy 23:17-18; 1 Kings 14:24).
> The novel contends that Da Vinci painted the Apostle John as representing
> Mary Magdalene. However, John's appearance reflects the way Florentine artists
> traditionally depicted John. (See The Truth Behind the Da Vince Code, Richard
> Abanes, pp. 71-72). The claims of ". . . hidden documents that detail the truth
> about Mary Magdalene, Jesus, and their lineage . . . " (DVC, p. 160) are based
> on forgeries. (See The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code, pp. 51-54.)