The
Davinci Code – Real Truth Does Not Come In Codes
By Seth
Evans
When
deciphering The Da Vinci Code it is beneficial to separate the fiction
from the fact. Below you will see the ‘fiction’ portrayed in the book the Davinci
Code, and below that what the truth is.
Concerning
the Divinity of Jesus:
FICTION:
“Jesus
was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet….Not the Son of God” (Brown,
233)
FACT:
Those
directly with Jesus believed Him to be God:
Thomas (disciple of Jesus): And
Thomas answered and said to Him [Jesus], “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
Peter (disciple of Jesus): You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)
Those in the early church believed Him to be God:
Clement (AD 150): “It is fitting
that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God.”
Novatian (AD 235): “He [Jesus] is
not only man, but God also.”
Concerning the Bible:
FICTION:
“The
Bible as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine
the Great” (Brown, 231)
“
FACT:
About AD 115, the gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, &
John were considered the authoritative gospels. By AD 180 they were recognized to be as
established as the four cardinal points on
a
compass. (Bruce, 18)
Origen (AD 185-254) states that the four gospels, Acts,
the thirteen Pauline epistles, 1 Peter, 1 John, & Revelation
had been acknowledged by all as Scripture. (20)
AD 367 Athanasius confirmed the twenty-seven books that
we know today as the New Testament (not Constantine in AD 325). (21)
Concerning the Christian Faith:
FICTION:
“Those
who truly understand their faiths understand that the stories are metaphorical”
(Brown,
342)
FACT:
The Christian faith is not a faith of metaphors or
wishful thinking. It is a faith founded
upon the historical birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible itself declares these facts and assures
us that if they did not occur then our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:3-4,
14).
If Jesus truly is the Son of God as His early followers
believed and the Bible truly is the accurate Word of God then we are faced with
a choice. We can either try to reject
the facts or receive the facts. If we
receive them as truth then we will also receive the promise of the Bible “that
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that
God raised Him for the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
For further reading:
“The Da Vinci Code: A Quest for Answers” by
Josh McDowell
Sources:
Brown,
Dan. The Da Vinci Code.
Bruce,
F.F. The New Testament Documents: Are
They Reliable?