Jesus Out of Focus
The Da Vinci Code is raising issues that go to the heart of the Christian faith—and it's starting to confuse us all.
Gary M. Burge | posted 6/01/2006 12:00AM
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The Da Vinci Code is of little consequence in itself. But it is raising a host of questions about the origin of our faith (and our Scriptures) that Christians need to master.
This came home to me when I was discussing The Da Vinci Code in a book group recently. Everyone there had a graduate degree, was a professing Christian, and had a professional career. But I was asked: "What are the apocryphal Gospels, such as the Gospel of Mary, anyway? Don't Catholics have them in their Bible?" Another: "What is the New Testament apocrypha, and who decided it wasn't inspired?" More: "Didn't Thomas write the Gospel of Thomas? And if so, didn't he know Jesus?"
Thanks to a blockbuster novel with absurd claims, and a big-budget summer movie, this academic debate has moved from the ivory tower to the public arena. The intellectual battle has been joined. Are we ready?
Gary M. Burge is a professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School.
Assessing the Apocryphal Gospels
When the mainstream media present apocryphal Gospels as authentic, what do we need to keep in mind?
Their naming is misleading. While most of these documents are named after biblical characters (such as Mary, Thomas, Peter, and Judas), the attribution is completely false. Even liberal scholars readily concede this point. (Hence, the Gospel of Judas has nothing to do with Judas.)
Their dating is speculative. One scholar may claim that Thomas is from the first century, but numerous others will assert that it was penned a hundred years later.
Their theological framework is utterly foreign. Gnostic strains abound. This fact alone dates them later than the New Testament writings. It also explains why orthodox teachers excluded them from the canon.
—Gary M. Burge
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Sidebar
The Lapsed-Evangelical Critic | Bart Ehrman's doubt as a student at Moody has turned to agnosticism.
Our sister publication, Christian History, compiled a special section on the Da Vinci Code.
Our full coverage of The Da Vinci Code and other Gnostic gospels includes:
A Faith Tailored Just for You | The hoopla over the Gospel of Judas is both absurd and revealing.—A Christianity Today editorial (May 10, 2006)
Books & Culture's Books of the Week
Betrayed Again | The Gospel of Judas Roadshow.
The Jesus and Judas Papers: A Look at Recent Claims about Jesus | Questions about history may be sincere, but make no mistake: There is an agenda at work. (April 13, 2006)
The Judas We Never Knew | Disgraced disciple actually conspired with Jesus, according to newly released Gospel of Judas. Should we believe it? (April 6, 2006)
Why the 'Lost Gospels' Lost Out | Recent gadfly theories about church council conspiracies that manipulated the New Testament into existence are bad—really bad—history. (May 21, 2004)
Breaking The Da Vinci Code | So the divine Jesus and infallible Word emerged out of a fourth-century power-play? Get real. (Nov. 07, 2003)
Thanks, Da Vinci Code | Tbe book sends us back to Christianity's "founding fathers"—and the Bible we share with them (Nov. 14, 2003)
The Good News of Da Vinci | How a ludicrous book can become an opportunity to engage the culture. (Jan. 05, 2004)
Leading with Conclusions | Much of Jesus scholarship is about neither the historical Jesus nor good scholarship. (April 29, 2002)
Historical Hogwash | Two books—one new, one newly reissued—debunk false claims about the "real" Jesus. (July 13, 2001)
See more in our Da Vinci Code, Bible, and Theology pages.
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