Breaking the Da Vinci Code

Breaking the Da Vinci Code
Darrell L. Bock

 
 
This book is my effort to clarify the difference between virtual reality and historical likelihood. (p. 9)
 
Code 1              Who was Mary Magdalene?
                                    Refutes Gnostic Text on Jesus and Mary Kissing
 
Code 2             Was Jesus Married?
 
Refutes the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdalene with the use of historical evidence.
           
For now, we need to appreciate that some Jews did not view marriage as an obligation and chose celibacy as a sign of piety.
(p. 40)
 
Code 3             Would being single make Jesus un-Jewish?
 
Refutes the idea that Jesus was married. Also, tells of groups that were single to give glory to God.
 
Code 4             Do the so-called secret, Gnostic gospels help us understand Jesus?
 
This new scholarship of historical revisionism is a cause worth noting. Here we begin to discover the real secret and code behind The Da Vinci Code. It is nothing less than a conscious effort to obscure the uniqueness and vitality of the Christian faith and message. (p. 95)
 
 
Code 5             How were the New Testament Gospels assembled?
 
Gives a basis understanding of the four reasons the gospels were established before the council of Nicea and Constantine:
1.     Apostolic roots as a ground for truth
2.     Widespread use
3.     Threat of False teaching
4.     Persecution
 
 
Code 6             Does Mary’s Honored role as apostle match the claims of the new school?
 
Those who suggest that Jesus was a full-fledged feminist (or “the original feminist, as The Da Vinci Code says on p. 248) are trying to impose a twenty-first-century standard on first-century evidence. (p. 141)
 
It is unlikely Junia saw the risen Lord, so whatever her role is, it appears distinct from how the title was applied to Mary and others like her who saw the Lord. (p. 145)
 
It reflects an effort to represent and, in some cases, rewrite history with a selective use of ancient evidence that it ironically claims was the failing of the old story. It reflects an effort to redefine one of the key cultural forces standing at the base of Western civilization, the Christian faith. (p. 149)
 
 
Code 7             What is the remaining relevance of The Da Vinci Code?
 
Two historical claims of the novel stand: (1) women were elevated by what Jesus taught (although probably not as much as some would suggest), and (2) Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute. The remaining foundation of the novel is made of sand. The dots do not connect historically. (p. 154)
 
 
Code 8             Added to the book: The Real Jesus Code
 
This is a presentation of the gospel to those who read the book that  don’t know Christ as their Savior.
 
 
This is a good reference and simple reading for any leader who receives questions regarding the book and the new theologians that are presenting the new story of Jesus because they believe the old story is not the truth. Some of these theologians are at good schools. It is a surprise who is on the list. Couple of hours of interesting reading.