Debunking Dan Brown's "Fact Based Fiction"

1. Debunking Dan Brown's "Fact Based Fiction" Note: Much of the information in this presentation is taken from an article written by James White http://www.aomin.org

2. First Objection: It's Fiction, Dummy • Question: Are we making a mountain out of a mole-hill? Should we just laugh at the TheDa Vinci Code, enjoy the story, and ignore the statements it makes about the Scriptures, Christ, the apostles, the Church, etc.? • Answer: It is important to keep in mind that The Da Vinci Code is presented as fiction based on facts. The book itself begins by stating that what it says about art, architecture, and documents, is accurate.

3. Note the “fact” page in the front Dan Brown’s work of “fiction”:

4. First Objection: It's Fiction, Dummy • Question: Are we making a mountain out of a mole-hill? Should we just laugh at the TheDa Vinci Code, enjoy the story, and ignore the statements it makes about the Scriptures, Christ, the apostles, the Church, etc.? • Answer: It is important to keep in mind that The Da Vinci Code is presented as fiction based on facts. The book itself begins by stating that what it says about art, architecture, and documents, is accurate. • “Accurate” is not a word we normally use when we are talking about "fiction“! And that brings us to the key issue: no one is arguing Langdon or Teabing actually exist. They are the fictional characters. But the assertions these characters make in the story are presented not as fiction, but as unquestioned historical facts.

5. First Objection: It's Fiction, Dummy • On his web page, Dan Brown makes the following statement which, I believe, shows that he fully believes the things that the characters in his book state. He said: • "I am not the first person to tell the story of Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail. This idea is centuries old. I am one in a long line of people who has offered up this alternative history. The Da Vinci Code describes history as I have come to understand it through many years of travel, research, reading, interviews, exploration." • These are not the words of someone who is merely offering fiction without factual basis. He presents his assertions regarding the untrustworthiness of the Scriptures as historical facts: and he clearly believes this to be true, and the movie presents these accusations as historical facts.

6. Some Background

7. Some Background • The Da Vinci Code is not one big long attack upon the Christian faith. In fact, if you fall asleep for about ten minutes in the film...ok, and run to the bathroom a little later for another couple of minutes...you'll probably miss the main objectionable portions. • But the problem is that the anti-Christian material in the book is absolutely central to the plot. • And since it is central to the theme, it is the main thing the reader, or the movie-goer, takes from the experience. "What if...?"

8. Some Background • The main part of the book/movie in which this anti-Christian material is found comes as Langdon and Sophie are running from the police, bearing the cryptex, the key to the location of the Holy Grail. They go to Leigh Teabing's residence. Teabing is an eccentric old man, an expert on the Grail legends, and far more involved in the entire story than Langdon and Sophie know. • In any case, they enter into Teabing's library and there “educate” Sophie, who we later find out is actually a descendant of Mary Magdalene and Jesus and therefore part of the “royal bloodline”. • The fundamental nature of the book's attack upon the Christian faith can be seen when Teabing and Langdon begin weaving their conspiracy theory in an attempt to “enlighten” Sophie.

9. Responses to Attacks Made in The Da Vinci Code Against the Bible

10. “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven” "And everything you need to know about the Bible can be summed up by the great canon doctor Martyn Percy." Teabing cleared his throat and declared, "The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven." "I beg your pardon?""The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book. (The DaVinci Code, p.231)

11. “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven” • “And everything you need to know about the Bible can be summed up by the great canon doctor Martyn Percy." Teabing cleared his throat and declared, "The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven.” (p.231) • He is not even arguing against the true Christian view of the Scriptures! This is what we call a “straw man” argument. God did not, in fact, "fax" the Bible down. He did not produce it through automatic writing, either. As Peter put it, "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

12. “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven” • "The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds.” (p.231) • Again, no Christian argues that the Bible fell “magically from the clouds”. Nor does anyone deny that God used men (apostles and prophets) to produce the scriptures. But what the Bible does claim is that God sovereignly controlled the writing of these men in such a way that the words which they wrote were the very words of God – i.e. “God breathed” (2 Tim 3:16). Dan Brown seeks to deny this, but so far he has offered no evidence.

13. “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven” • "Man created [the Bible] as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.” (p.231) • The Bible is a historical record – but it is much more than that. The Bible has been translated into many languages so that people can read it in their own tongue. What he implies here is that somehow the Bible has significantly changed (“evolved”) over time and that somehow translations have something to do with that. This is not the case. God has preserved thousands of ancient manuscripts so that we can determine what the original writings say with great accuracy. All good translations are based on these manuscripts and are therefore accurate representations of God’s words.

14. “The Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven” • "History has never had a definitive version of the book.” (p.231) • Christians throughout the world today all use the same definitive version of the Bible that was largely defined within less than 100 years of when it was originally written. By 367 A.D. it was explicitly defined to the point that Athanasius lists the exact books that we still have in our Bibles today.

15. Before we go to the next section of the DaVinci Code, we need to take a brief look at. . .

16. Some Historical Background on the Roman Empire and Early Christianity Statue of Augustus Caesar, first emperor of the Roman Empire Icon depicting the First Council of Nicaea

17. The Roman Empire:Geographical Birthplace of Christianity • The “birth” of New Testament Christianity (marked by the incarnation and ministry of Jesus Christ) took place in the Roman Empire. • The initial spread of the Christian church (brought about primarily by the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul as recorded in the book of Acts) also took place in the Roman Empire. • The Roman Empire remained in place (though in varying forms) throughout the first 1400 years of church history – eventually becoming controlled by the Roman Catholic Church – a gradual spin-off of true Christianity. • Through much of its history, the Roman Empire was ruled by a series of emperors. As we are about to see, these emperors impacted the church in a variety of ways.

18. The Roman Empire at its Greatest Extent.

19. The Roman Empire Under the Reign of Trajan (AD 117)

20. Persecution of Early Christians by the Romans

21. Persecution of Early Christians by the Romans • In its first three centuries, the Christian church endured regular persecution at the hands of Roman authorities. • But the persecution was not constant from the time of Christ until 300 A.D. Persecution came in waves. • The Roman Empire was generally quite tolerant in its treatment of other religions. The imperial policy was generally one of incorporation - the local gods of a newly conquered area were simply added to the Roman pantheon and often given Roman names. Even the Jews, with their one God, were generally tolerated. • But religious beliefs were valid only if they could be shown to be old and in line with ancient customs; new and innovative teachings were regarded with distrust. • Because Judaism was so opposed to idolatry and were unwilling to worship other gods – it seemed to outsiders (at first) that Christianity was just another sect of Judaism. This provided Christianity with a certain level of protection up until the middle of the second century. • As it became more evident over time that Christianity was distinct from Judaism (due in part to the large number of Gentiles coming into the church), the Romans began to see it as an outside religion.

22. Persecution of Early Christians by the Romans • It has been customary to count ten major persecutions in the early church. These ten persecutions are: • Persecution under Nero (64-68) • Persecution under Domitian (81-96) • Persecution under Trajan (112-117) • Persecution under Marcus Aurelius (161-180) • Persecution under Septimus Severus (202-210) • Persecution under Maximinus the Thracian (235-38) • Persecution under Decius (250-251) • Persecution under Valerian (257-59) • Persecution under Aurelian (270–275) • Severe persecution under Diocletian and Galerius (303-324) • Christian persecution ended under the reign of Constantine I

23. The Emperor Constantine I Bronze statue of Constantine I in York, England, near the spot where he was proclaimed Emperor in 306

24. The Emperor Constantine I • Constantine I (AD 280-337), son of a Roman general (who later became a Western Roman Emperor) was proclaimed emperor by his troops in 306, and ruled an ever-growing portion of the Roman Empire until his death. • His mother, Helena, was a Christian and played a very influential role throughout her son's life. Scholars debate whether Constantine adopted his mother’s Christianity in his youth, or whether he adopted it gradually over the course of his life. • Constantine was over 40 when he finally declared himself a Christian. Writing to Christians, Constantine made it clear that he believed he owed his successes to the protection of the Christian God alone.

25. The Emperor Constantine I • Constantine is perhaps best known for being the first Christian Roman Emperor. His reign was a turning point for the Christian Church. • In 313 Constantine announced toleration of Christianity in the Edict of Milan, which removed penalties for professing Christianity (under which many had been martyred in previous persecutions of Christians). • Throughout his rule, Constantine supported the Church financially, built various church buildings, granted privileges (e.g. exemption from certain taxes) to clergy, promoted Christians to high ranking offices, and returned property confiscated during the Great Persecution of Diocletian.

26. The Emperor Constantine I • Although the changes put in place by Constantine were a relief to the early Christians, Constantine set a bad precedent for the relationship between church and state. • To his credit, Constantine believed that the emperor did not decide doctrine – he believed that was the responsibility of the bishops. But Constantine believed that it was his role to enforce, by the power of the sword if necessary, the decisions made by the bishops. • Constantine was mistaken in taking on this role: true Christianity cannot be produced by the power of the sword! • In later centuries this power was greatly abused by the so-called “church” and resulted in the persecution and death of many true Christians by unbelieving religious authorities.

27. The Council of Nicaea – AD 325 Ruins of Hagia Sophia in present-day Iznik, Turkey, where the Council of Nicaea met

28. The Council of Nicaea – AD 325 • Constantine is also known for having called the first “universal council” (a meeting in which all the major church leaders gather together to resolve serious issues) since the council of Jerusalem that is described in Acts 15. • The Council of Nicaea is often misrepresented by cults and other religious movements. • To understand why the first universal council was called, we must go back to around A.D. 318. • A popular preacher in the city of Alexandria by the name of Arius began teaching that Christ, though highly exalted, was nevertheless a created being and therefore "there was a time when the Son was not”. • About three years later (in 321), Arius was declared a heretic by a local council.

29. The Council of Nicaea – AD 325 • But this did not end the matter. Arius simply moved to Palestine and began promoting his ideas there. • Arius found an audience for his teachings, and over the course of the next few years the debate became so heated that it came to the attention of Constantine, the Emperor. • Constantine recognized that a major division like this in the Christian church could cause problems in his empire. • So in the summer of 325, Constantine called for a meeting or council of church leaders from churches throughout the empire to meet in Nicaea, (now known as Iznik, in modern-day Turkey), a place easily accessible to the majority of them. • Leading bishops in the various churches agreed to come because they recognized the serious nature of the issue being discussed.

30. Nicaea The Council of Nicaea – AD 325

31. The Council of Nicaea – AD 325 • Approximately 300 bishops attended the Council of Nicaea, from every region of the Empire except Britain. • Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church (about 1000 in the east and 800 in the west), but only 250 to 320 bishops actually participated. • The participating bishops were given free travel from their home churches to the council (and back), as well as free lodging during their stay – courtesy of Constantine and the Roman government! • These bishops did not travel alone; each one had permission to bring with him two priests and three deacons; so the total number of attendees would have been above 1500.

32. The Council of Nicaea – AD 325 • While a few other minor issues were discussed at the Council of Nicaea (such as what date they should celebrate Easter) the major issue discussed was the deity of Jesus Christ. • Note it was only recently that Christ’s deity had been questioned – Arius’ teacher Lucian (AD 240 – 312) is said to be the real author of idea that Christ was a created being. • Prior to this time the early church had believed the teachings of scripture which tell us that Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. And this was the majority view of the bishops who attended Nicaea as the final vote on this topic would later show.

33. The Council of Nicaea – AD 325 • Note also that a topic that was not in question at the council of Nicaea was which books belonged in the New Testament. • When arguing over the deity of Christ, the delegates at this council quoted from the same books of the New Testament that we use today! There is no record of this ever being questioned during the council. • Nor is there any record of delegates quoting from the “Gnostic gospels” that have become so popular among heretics in our day.

34. The Nicene Creed of AD 325

35. The Nicene Creed of AD 325 Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα Θεὸν Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, πάντων ὁρατῶν τε και ἀοράτων ποιητήν. Πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, γεννηθέντα ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς μονογενῆ, τουτέστιν ἐκ τῆς ουσίας τοῦ πατρός, θεὸν εκ θεοῦ ἀληθινου, γεννηθέντα, οὐ ποιηθέντα, ὁμοούσιον τῳ πατρί δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, τά τε ἐν τῳ ούρανῳ καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν κατελθόντα καὶ σαρκωθέντα και ενανθρωπήσαντα, παθόντα, καὶ ἀναστάντα τῇ τριτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καὶ ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανούς, καὶ ἐρχόμενον κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς. Καὶ εἰς τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα. Τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας, ὁτι ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν, καὶ πρὶν γεννηθῆναι οὐκ ἦν, καὶ ὅτι ἐξ ἑτέρας ὑποστάσεως ἢ οὐσίας φάσκοντας εἶναι, ἢ κτιστόν, τρεπτὸν ἢ ἀλλοιωτὸν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, τούτους ἀναθεματίζει ἡ καθολικὴ καὶ ἀποστολικὴ ἐκκλησία.

36. The Nicene Creed of AD 325 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, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, 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 both in heaven and on earth; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost. But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable' — they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.

37. According to the DaVinci Code: “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” (p.231)

38. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” "Jesus Christ was a historical figure of staggering influence, perhaps the most enigmatic and inspirational leader the world has ever seen. As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus toppled kings, inspired millions, and founded new philosophies. As a descendant of the lines of King Solomon and King David, Jesus possessed a rightful claim to the throne of the King of the Jews. Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land….More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.“Who chose which gospels to include?” Sophie asked.“Aha!” Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. “The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” (The DaVinci Code, p.231)

39. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” • As the prophesied Messiah. . . • Brown says Jesus was the “prophesied Messiah”. Is Brown admitting here that the OT contains valid prophecy - divine prediction of future events - and that Christ fulfilled those prophecies? Would it not follow then that God could protect the New Testament as well? Brown needs to listen to the words Jesus spoke to his disciples soon after His crucifixion: • And [Jesus] said to [his disciples], "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?" Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:25-27)

40. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” • As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus toppled kings, inspired millions, and founded new philosophies. • Jesus “toppled kings”? As sovereign God He has certainly done so, but Jesus' earthly ministry was only noticed by men as high as Pilate and Herod, surely not Caesar in far away Rome. • Jesus has indeed inspired hundreds of millions, but only through the testimony of His teachings as recorded in the very documents Brown has already undercut and will soon identify as little more than politically-motivated lies.

41. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” • "Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land…..” (p.231) • While at other points Brown will compete with the worst liberal scholars in promoting the most radical viewpoints of the corruption of the text of the New Testament, here he goes the other direction and goes far beyond anything the most conservative Christian would ever say regarding the ministry of Christ: specifically, he claims that Jesus' life was recorded by “thousands” of His followers. We need to realize how utterly outside the realm of any kind of published scholarship this perspective is. Thousands of literate, writing followers of Christ recording His ministry? Where is the historical evidence for this? There is none, of course.

42. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” • "More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.” (p.231) • This is an utterly bogus claim – the four Gospels that we have in our NT are the only ones written in the first century. Even if we count all the Gnostic gospels (written after the first century), there were far less than this. But still, one wonders what happened to the “thousands” of others recorded by these anonymous followers of Jesus? Brown here seems to contradict his own claims! • We have to almost chuckle at the next line: “yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.” Matthew, Mark, Luke and John among them? Hmm...what others once were in these relative “few” that were “chosen” outside of the four canonical gospels? We aren't told. This is probably just a mistake that the copy editors did not catch (since it would require some level of biblical knowledge to recognize it, and that is surely not something that marks off The Da Vinci Code).

43. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” • “Who chose which gospels to include?” Sophie asked.“Aha!” Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. “The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” (p.231) • Between the death and resurrection of Christ (appx. AD 33) and the Council of Nicaea (AD 325) almost a full three centuries passed. During the vast majority of that time the Christian church was an illegal or banned religion, under the persecution of the Empire. • But early Christians were writing during this time, and we have sufficient amounts of their writings to get a pretty good idea of what they believed and what they viewed as Scripture. • Brown will ignore all of this material and simply make things up as he goes along when it comes to this topic and especially to the issue of the deity of Christ.

44. “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great” • “Who chose which gospels to include?” Sophie asked.“Aha!” Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. “The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” (p.231) • The claim that Constantine “collated” the Christian Scriptures, though tremendously common, is likewise just as tremendously wrong. There isn't a shred of historical basis for making such a claim. The closest you can possibly come is to note that Constantine paid to have a number of Bibles copied. The fact of the matter is the canon was not an issue of discussion at Nicaea – the Deity of Christ was. And this issue was settled using the New Testament as we know it today – not the Gnostic writings. • Brown calls Constantine a pagan. But Constantine did not remain a pagan - he converted to Christianity and put a stop to Christian persecution that had been going on for centuries prior.

45. Review Questions

46. Review Question #1 • Who did God use to produce the New Testament? • The apostles and those working in close association with them.

47. New Testament Written 45 90 Review Question #2 • When was the New Testament written (what century and approximately what years)? • The first century • From about AD 45 to about AD 90. B.C. A.D. 100 200 300 400

48. Review Question #3 • What is Gnosticism? • Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that developed and took root early in church history. • The term Gnosticism is taken from the Greek word gnosis which means “knowledge”. • An early form of Gnosticism appears to have developed in the during the first century. • During the second century Gnosticism began to infect Christians in growing numbers.

49. Review Question #4 • What are some of the false beliefs held by most Gnostics? • That we must be initiated into a secret gnosis or “knowledge” in order to be saved • That the universe is governed by two equal opposing gods – one who is good and one who is evil. This idea is known as “dualism”. • That all physical matter is evil and “spirit” matter is good. • That there are “layers” of gods and spirit beings between us and the good god.

50. Gnostic Gospels Written New Testament Written 45 90 Review Question #5 • During what time period did the so-called “Christian” Gnostics begin to produce their own literature in order to promote their false “gospel” (what century)? • Beginning in the second century and continuing for a couple of hundred years after that. B.C. A.D. 100 200 300 400