1. 06/11/20061 Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? Bill Petro your friendly neighborhood historian www.billpetro.com/davinci

2. 06/11/20062 The Book 40 M hardback/6 M paperback sold, 44 languages Film by Ron Howard Popularity: something for everyone

3. 06/11/20063 Château de Villette

4. 06/11/20064 Westminster Abbey

5. 06/11/20065 Musée du Louvre

6. 06/11/20066 “…Everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false” -British Royal Historian, Sir Leigh Teabing The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

7. 06/11/20067 The Story Murder in front of Mona Quest for the Grail Blood of Christ Person - secret Secret society –Newton, Victor Hugo, Leonardo Da Vinci

8. 06/11/20068 What’s the Big Deal? It’s just a book! So what are the dangers?

9. 06/11/20069 Issues: Who was Mary Magdalene? Was Jesus married? Is there a group known as Opus Dei? Was there an ancient Priory of Sion? What do we know about Constantine? What happened at the Council of Nicea? Were other Gnostic/Hidden/Secret Gospels a legitimate expression of Christianity? What is Gnosticism?

10. 06/11/200610 Mary Magdalene Who was she? Was she married?

11. 06/11/200611 Mary in the “Gospel of Philip” Gospel of Philip (post AD 250) “And the companion of the […] Mary Magdalene. […loved] her more than [all] the disciples [and used to] kiss her [often] on her […].” –  Koinonia – Not  gyne Gospel of Philip 63:33-36 “For it is by a kiss that the perfect conceive and give birth. For this reason we all kiss one another. We receive conception from the grace which is in one another.”

12. 06/11/200612 Mary in the “Gospel of Mary Magdala” Gospel of Mary Magdala (post AD 100) –The Debate Levi: “if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed (Peter) to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why He loved her more than us.”

13. 06/11/200613 Jesus Married? Did a Jewish male need to be married? Did a Rabbi need to be married? Did he have children?

14. 06/11/200614 Is there an Opus Dei? Yes: www.opusdei.org Their reaction: http://www.opusdei.org/art.php?w=32&p=7017

15. 06/11/200615 Priory of Sion A secret society since 1099? A splinter social group founded in 1956?

16. 06/11/200616 Who was Constantine? First “Christian” Roman Emperor AD 312: Battle of the Milvian Bridge

17. 06/11/200617 In this sign, Conquer 

18. 06/11/200618 What did Constantine do? AD 313: Edict of Milan AD 315: Arch of Constantine AD 325: Council of Nicaea

19. 06/11/200619 Arch of Constantine, next to Coliseum

20. 06/11/200620 Council of Nicea 318 Bishops 7 weeks 84 issues

21. 06/11/200621 Eusebius: on Nicaea When all the bishops had entered the place appointed for their session, the sides of which were filled by a great number of seats, each took his place, and awaited in silence the arrival of the Emperor… He appeared as a messenger from God, covered with gold and precious stones - a magnificent figure, tall and slender, and full of grace and majesty. To his majesty he united a great modesty and devout humility, so that he kept his eyes reverently bent upon the golden seat which had been prepared for him when the bishops gave him the signal to do so.

22. 06/11/200622

23. 06/11/200623 Arianism “There was a time when Christ was not”

24. 06/11/200624 Similar vs. Same HOMOI-OUSIAS  –similar HOMO-OUSIAS  –same One “iota”

25. 06/11/200625 Nicaean Creed “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousion) with the Father. By whom all things were made, both which be in heaven and in earth. Who for us men and for our salvation came down [from heaven] and was incarnate and was made man. He suffered and the third day he rose again, and ascended into heaven. And he shall come again to judge both the quick and the dead. And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost… And whosoever shall say that there was a time when the Son of God was not, or that before he was begotten he was not, or that he was made of things that were not, or that he is of a different substance or essence [from the Father] or that he is a creature, or subject to change or conversion--all that so say, the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes them.

26. 06/11/200626 Were other (Gnostic) Gospels a legitimate expression of Christianity? Where were they discovered? Were they suppressed in the 4th century? Can they help us understand Jesus?

27. 06/11/200627 Nag Hammadi

28. 06/11/200628 Constantine “paid” for Bibles Financed scribes to copy 50 copies of the Bible for use in Constantinople Constantine burned writings of Arius Eusebius’ list

29. 06/11/200629 “Other” Gospels Nag Hammadi Library, James M. Robinson The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels Lost Scriptures, Bart D. Ehrman The Other Gospels, Ron Cameron The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Jean-Yves Leloup The Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas, Ronald F. Hock

30. 06/11/200630 “Value” of other Gospels Writings of Apostolic Fathers & Post-Apostolic Fathers (late 1 st, early 2 nd Centuries) Popular third-class literary entertainment (2 nd and 3 rd Centuries) Heretical books, especially of a Gnostic nature (2 nd – 4 th Centuries)

31. 06/11/200631 Dates of Gospels Mark:AD 40 – 65 Luke:AD 60 – 85 Matthew:AD 70 – 90 John:AD 86 – 100

32. 06/11/200632 New Testament Canon Rule, “Ruler” = list Clement, Bishop of Rome – AD 90 Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch – AD 115 Polycarp – AD 155 Origen – AD 230 Officially confirmed in its present and final form by the 3 rd Council of Carthage in AD 397

33. 06/11/200633 “Canon” timeline Iraneus 180 100200300400 “4 Gospels” Mark Luke Matthew John 325 Nicea 393 397 Carthage Hippo 40 60 70 86 Athanasius NT: 27 books 367 203 Origen Against others 33

34. 06/11/200634 NT vs. Antiquities Gallic Wars10BC 58AD 900 Livy20AD 17AD 300 Tacitus12AD 100AD 1000 Thucydides8BC 400AD 900 NT5,600AD 100AD 140 CopiesWrittenEarliest copy

35. 06/11/200635 Why a Canon? Dealing with Heresy – Doctrine Reading in Churches – Devotion Surrendering to Authorities – Persecution

36. 06/11/200636 Tests: Apostolicity: Had been written by an apostle or specifically approved by the apostles. Acceptance: A history of continuous and widespread approval amongst Christians Conformity: to the Old Testament scriptures and Apostles’ rule of faith.

37. 06/11/200637 How: Letters from apostles were written and received in churches, copied and circulated Growing group of books were recognized as inspired Scripture By end of 1 st century all 27 NT books were written and received by the churches

38. 06/11/200638 Then: A generation after the Apostolic Age, every book of the NT had been cited as authoritative by a Church Father Debates continued into the 4 th century, until Athanasius’ Easter letter in AD 367 Ratified by the Council of Hippo - AD 393, 3 rd Council of Carthage - AD 397

39. 06/11/200639 What was Gnosticism? Gnosis Platonic, Neoplatonism Dualism Aeons, Archons, Sophia, Demiurge Christ Spark of divinity Guide into Truth and Light

40. 06/11/200640 Promise of Modern Gnosticism Secret knowledge Salvation without change Irrelevance of morality God is within you …Everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false

41. 06/11/200641 A Question…

42. 06/11/200642 DaVinci Code Discussion

43. 06/11/200643 Postmodernism Postmodernism redefines how we do evangelism Postmodernism asserts we exist in a reality we have constructed Postmodernism asserts that any one narrative used as meta-narrative is oppressive We live in a time when there is no ultimate value: –There are many paths to the same destination –All faiths are interchangeable –“What works for me” is more important than some eternal value

44. 06/11/200644 Primary longings of Postmoderns Authenticity Community Lack of dogmatism Cynicism They respond best to a passionately lived out faith!

45. 06/11/200645 How to build the bridge Be intentional about looking for relationships Ask questions Focus on common interests (DaVinci?) Our stories are important

46. 06/11/200646 Bibliography The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? Hank Hanagraph, Paul L Maier Zondervan ISBN 1-4143-0312-2 Breaking the Da Vinci Code Darrell L. Bock, PhD. Nelson ISBN 0-7852-6046-3

47. 06/11/200647 Bibliography The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code Richard Abanes Harvest House ISBN 0-7369-1439-0

48. 06/11/200648 Bibliography The Da Vinci Deception Erwin W. Lutzer Inspiration ISBN 0-8423-8430-8 Cracking the Da Vinci Code James L. Garlow, Peter Jones Victor (Cook Communications) ISBN 0-78144-165-X

49. 06/11/200649 Bibliography Eusebius: The Church History Paul L. Maier Kregel Publications ISBN 0-8254-3328-2

50. 06/11/200650 Bibliography The New Testament Documents: are they reliable? F.F. Bruce Inter-Varsity Press Christian History Magazine, Issue 51 Heresy in the Early Church

51. 06/11/200651 Q&A