One Bad Book

I stumbled upon multiple articles pertaining to the book Dan Brown wrote in 2003, “The Di Vinci Code” and later the film that was released based on the book.

Just for review and in case there is anyone who is not familiar with this work, it centers on Leonardo Di Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper.

Why is this Book Offensive?

For openers the book is highly deceptive posing a great hindrance in preaching the Gospel as it tends to have the potential of causing confusion and doubt as to the fundamental facts about Christ.

The author, Dan Brown will not agree that his book is fiction (this information based on an interview taped with Mr. Brown). This fact alone is deceptive. If the book were treated as pure fiction there would be no threat to undermining the facts contained in the Gospel. Thus, this literary work is a blatant attempt to discredit God’s Word.

Greedy Basis

Everyone knows that you have to have a “hot” product to sell in today’s world market place. Nothing could be hotter than to write a controversial book which discredits God’s Word and berates Jesus. Mr. Brown hit the jack-pot with this book in this respect.

What Does this Book Claim?

The claims this book makes as being facts are outrageous. Consider these straight from “The Di Vinci Code”:

• The early Catholic Church covered up the actual truth of Christianity by using terror and force
• Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene
• Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child
• Jesus did not rise according to the account in the Bible
• Jesus is not the Son of God
• A descendant of Jesus became a French King
• Jesus was finally given the distinction of becoming the Son of God by voting in the Council of Nicaea which occurred in 323 A.D.

Other Falsifications

The purpose of the Council of Nicaea was to declare Jesus divine; giving authority to the Roman Catholic Church. Consider other erroneous facts regarding the Council of Nicaea in Dan Brown’s masterpiece:

• In 320 A.D Elder Arias in North Africa claimed Jesus was a created being not God in human form.
• The Council met to squelch the havoc this statement caused among the Christian community.
• The Council declared Jesus as God by a close vote.

Historical fact differ with Mr. Brown’s lie: The Council was attended by 300 and the vote confirming that Jesus is God was overwhelmingly unanimous. It was at this Council that the Nicene Creed was adapted.

The Nicene Creed (from fly page of “Hymns of the Christian Life”)

“ I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made: who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead: whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeded from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified who spake by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

If Dan Brown would have studied the Nicene Creed he should not have passed off the lies purported about Jesus that he did in his book, “The Di Vinci Code”.

No End to the Falsifications

In the “Di Vinci Code”, the apostle Peter is claimed to be the foundation of the Church, not Christ. How on earth could Mr. Brown have gotten this fact so badly twisted? Let’s look at the Scripture which this idea could have come from. In the sixteenth chapter of Matthew Jesus has asked his disciples who do they believe him to be; Peter responds in this way:

(Verse 16) “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Many think this passage indicates that Jesus is telling Peter that he will build his church on him. But it isn’t on Peter that the church is built, but on what Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This is what the Christian Church is built upon.

Another fallacy was alluding to the fact there was another gospel called The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, but it was omitted from the other four Gospels. This fifth gospel incidentally was written in 620 A.D. Certainly not at the time Jesus was on earth, and definitely not by Mary Magdalene!

Dan Brown attests that in Leonardo Di Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, it shows Mary Magdalene, not John standing next to Jesus. This is not conceivable as Scripture tells us all twelve of the disciples were with Jesus in the upper room.

The Error of Imagination

Too often we accept an artist’s rendering of a person to be valid. However the painting is only true if the artist created that portrait or picture from the person being present for the artist to draw and paint the image according to real life.

In the case of Biblical paintings, these artists had only God’s Word to provide insights into the characterization of these individuals; the rest was based on imagination. This is true of The Last Supper.

Clearly Dan Brown does not know what he was doing when he penned, “The Di Vinci Code”; nor the harm it could cause the Christian Church. God tells us he will be judged. But as far as the Church, it will never be shaken because Christ is the foundation.