The Da Vinci Code and the Bible
I know I'm behind the times, but I'm finally reading the Da Vinci Code. I waited until the paperback came out at Costco. It's an interesting read, but I'm not sure about all the hype. I've read better. What is interesting is the emphasis on the "divine feminine" and the goddess. That seems to be a central theme -- that a patriarchal Christianity (and by extension Judaism) pushed aside the benign goddess worship of pre-Christian paganism. That debate, however must wait for another day. What I want to comment on is Dan Brown's use 0r misuse of the Bible.
There has been much made of late of the Gnostic Gospels. The recent publication of the Gospel of Judas follows in the wake of publications of the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. It is the contention of some that these gospels, not the ones in the New Testament are the true accounts of Jesus' life. Elaine Pagels and others have suggested that Irenaeus led the charge against the more "spiritual" Gnostic accounts. What I've never seen before though is the suggestion that Constantine compiled the Bible and had the earliest gospels burned, the gospels that taught that Jesus was a prophet and not Son of God. He suggests that until Constantine Christians didn't teach that Jesus was divine. My Ph.D. isn't in early Christianity, but I've studied enough this period to know that this is simply not true. In addition, the Gnostic gospels actually place greater emphasis on Jesus' divinity than do the canonical gospels.
My concern in all this isn't Dan Brown's total ignorance of biblical scholarship -- even the most liberal and minimalist of biblical scholarship -- but the fact that so many are reading this and with biblical literacy at an all time low, many are thinking this is fact. The problem with Brown's book is simply this -- it trusts shady pseudo-scholarship, such as that found in Holy Blood, Holy Grail, rather than true biblical scholarship. More could be said, but this must suffice for now. My warning -- Read and have fun, but don't believe everything you read therein!
I know I'm behind the times, but I'm finally reading the Da Vinci Code. I waited until the paperback came out at Costco. It's an interesting read, but I'm not sure about all the hype. I've read better. What is interesting is the emphasis on the "divine feminine" and the goddess. That seems to be a central theme -- that a patriarchal Christianity (and by extension Judaism) pushed aside the benign goddess worship of pre-Christian paganism. That debate, however must wait for another day. What I want to comment on is Dan Brown's use 0r misuse of the Bible.
There has been much made of late of the Gnostic Gospels. The recent publication of the Gospel of Judas follows in the wake of publications of the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. It is the contention of some that these gospels, not the ones in the New Testament are the true accounts of Jesus' life. Elaine Pagels and others have suggested that Irenaeus led the charge against the more "spiritual" Gnostic accounts. What I've never seen before though is the suggestion that Constantine compiled the Bible and had the earliest gospels burned, the gospels that taught that Jesus was a prophet and not Son of God. He suggests that until Constantine Christians didn't teach that Jesus was divine. My Ph.D. isn't in early Christianity, but I've studied enough this period to know that this is simply not true. In addition, the Gnostic gospels actually place greater emphasis on Jesus' divinity than do the canonical gospels.
My concern in all this isn't Dan Brown's total ignorance of biblical scholarship -- even the most liberal and minimalist of biblical scholarship -- but the fact that so many are reading this and with biblical literacy at an all time low, many are thinking this is fact. The problem with Brown's book is simply this -- it trusts shady pseudo-scholarship, such as that found in Holy Blood, Holy Grail, rather than true biblical scholarship. More could be said, but this must suffice for now. My warning -- Read and have fun, but don't believe everything you read therein!
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