Transcript The Da Vinci Code”– The True Conspiracy Revealed

“The Da Vinci Code”–
The Real Conspiracy
Revealed
By
Jeff Chacon
San Diego Church of Christ
“The Da Vinci Code”

A fictional mystery
novel by Dan Brown
(2003)

Worldwide bestseller

Over 60 million copies
in print

Translated into 44
languages
Barna Research Group…

The Da Vinci Code has

That makes it the most
been read “cover to
cover” by roughly 45
million adults in the U.S.
– that’s one out of
every five adults
(20%).
widely read book with
a spiritual theme in
America other than
the Bible.
Barna Research Group…

24% (11 million) adults
consider The Da Vinci Code to
have been a helpful spiritual
document.

2 million adults said that
they changed one or more
beliefs or religious
perspectives because of
the book’s content.

The Washingon Post: “Read
the book and be enlightened.”
“The Da Vinci Code”

Recently turned into a
major motion picture with
Tom Hanks; directed by
Ron Howard

Movie trailer:

We are led to believe that
The Da Vinci Code will
reveal to us the truth.

Q: But what is the real
truth behind The Da Vinci
Code?
“Seek the Truth”
The fictional conspiracy
of the book
o
The premise of this book is that there is a conspiracy
by the Catholic Church to cover up the true story of
Jesus.
The fictional conspiracy
of the book
o
The title of the book comes from the claim that
Leonardo Da Vinci was a member of a secret society
(The Priory of Sion) entrusted with the secret truth
about Jesus.
The fictional conspiracy
of the book
o
The secret of this group is that Jesus had a daughter
by Mary Magdalene, named Sarah, and that their
family tree extends all the way to the present day – a
living royal bloodline.
The fictional conspiracy
of the book
o
The sarcophagus containing the bones of Mary
Magdalene and ancient documents that tell the true
story of her life, according to this secret society, is the
true Holy Grail, since Mary’s womb is the
metaphorical chalice that bore the royal bloodline of
Jesus on earth.
The fictional conspiracy
of the book
o
The church, not wanting the truth of Jesus’ humanity
to be known, has conducted a massive cover up for
over 1700 years to conceal this truth from the public.
The fictional conspiracy
of the book
o
Quote from The Da Vinci Code
o
“…almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is
false.” (page 255, DVC)
The real conspiracy
of the book

But what is the real conspiracy
of The Da Vinci Code?

Where is author Dan Brown leading us?
The real conspiracy
of the book

If Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a
child…
The real conspiracy
of the book

And if Jesus was not truly the Son of God, but
merely another mortal man like the rest of us…
The real conspiracy
of the book

And if Jesus entrusted the future leadership of
the church to Mary Magdalene instead of the
Apostle Peter…
The real conspiracy
of the book

And if Jesus and the early church shared the pagan
belief that the world is divided into two halves,
masculine and feminine, with the feminine half referred
to as “the sacred feminine”, and the feminine
counterpart to God referred to as “the divine goddess”,
who is equally worthy of worship…
The real conspiracy
of the book

And if the Emperor Constantine led the early Church at
the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. to cover all this up by
burning all the so-called “alternative gospels” that
supposedly exposed these truths so that the maledominated clergy would wield more power…
The real conspiracy
of the book

And if “enlightened” people throughout the centuries like Leonardo
DaVinci, Botticelli, Sir Isaac Newton and Victor Hugo were a part of
a secret society that devoted itself to protecting these truths, giving
hints of them in their art and planning one day to make them public
so that mankind could be liberated from the destructive effects of
male chauvinism in the name of God and enter into a new era of
enlightenment where we worship many Gods and Goddesses, or
better yet, where don’t need religion at all…
The real conspiracy
of the book

Then obviously we have all been the victims of a
massive conspiracy, and it’s time to liberate
ourselves from these lies!
The real conspiracy
of the book

We need to liberate ourselves from monotheism
and sexism - the worship of only one God – and
a male one at that – the God of the Bible!
The real conspiracy
of the book

We need to liberate ourselves from the worship
of Jesus as the God the Son!
The real conspiracy
of the book

We need to liberate ourselves from the ignorant
belief that the Bible is inspired and authoritative!
The real conspiracy
of the book

And ultimately, we need to liberate ourselves
from the tyranny of religion altogether!
The real conspiracy
of the book

Then we can be free to worship several Gods
and Goddesses as the Israelites and the early
Christian Church supposedly did before this
massive cover-up.
The real conspiracy
of the book

We can be free to see Jesus as “just another
good teacher” as the early church supposedly
did – not as the Son of God.
The real conspiracy
of the book

We can be free to see the Bible as simply a good
book, as the early church supposedly did – not
as the uniquely inspired and authoritative Word
of God.
The real conspiracy
of the book

And ultimately we can be free from the tyranny of
religion altogether so that we can live independently
from God!

This is the hidden agenda in The Da Vinci Code, the
real conspiracy…
o
Let’s piece this hidden
puzzle together as we
read excerpts from The
Da Vinci Code (DVC) and
ask ourselves this
question:
o
Where is Dan Brown
really leading us?
o
(Note: some of this material
appears in the book, but not in
the movie.)
Excerpt from DVC
 “The
point here,’ Langdon said, motioning back to
the bookshelf, ‘is that all of these books
substantiate the same historical claim.’
 ‘That Jesus was a father.’ Sophie was still
uncertain.
 ‘Yes,’ Teabing said, ‘And that Mary Magdalene was
the womb that carried his royal lineage. The
Priory of Sion, to this day, still worships Mary
Magdelene as the Goddess, the Holy Grail, the
Rose, and the Divine Mother.” (page 275, DVC)
Excerpt from DVC

“…At its heart, the quest for the Holy Grail
has always been a quest for Magdalene –
the wronged Queen, entombed with proof
of her family’s rightful claim to power.”
(page 278, DVC)
Excerpt from DVC

“Teabing spoke more quietly now. ‘The
quest for the Holy Grail is literally the
quest to kneel before the bones of Mary
Magdalene. A journey to pray at the feet
of the outcast one, the lost sacred
feminine.” (page 277, DVC)
Excerpt from DVC

“Sophie,’ Langdon said, ‘the Priory’s tradition of
perpetuating goddess worship is based on a
belief that powerful men in the early Christian
church ‘conned’ the world by propagating lies
that devalued the female and tipped the scales
in favor of the masculine… Constantine and his
male successors successfully converted the
world from matriarchal paganism to patriarchal
Christianity by waging a campaign of
propaganda that demonized the sacred
feminine, obliterating the goddess from modern
religion forever (page 133, DVC)…”
Excerpt from DVC

“…we are currently in an epoch of enormous change.
The millennium has recently passed, and with it has
ended the two-thousand-year-long astrological Age of
Pisces – the fish, which is also the sign of Jesus. As
any astrological symbologist will tell you, the Piscean
ideal believes that man must be told what to do by
higher powers because man is incapable of thinking
for himself. Hence it has been a time of fervent
religion. Now, however, we are entering the age of
Aquarius – the water bearer – whose ideals claim that
man will learn the truth and be able to think for
himself. The ideological shift is enormous, and is
occurring right now.” (pages 289-290, DVC)
The real conspiracy
o
The real conspiracy in The Da Vinci Code is
where author Dan Brown is leading his readers.
o
But is this really where we want to go?
The real conspiracy

Replace religion with humanism and place our
trust and confidence in ourselves rather than in
God?
The real conspiracy

Extol the virtues of atheism as the supreme
enlightenment and laud nature worship and
polytheism as a step in the right direction?
The real conspiracy

Praise pagan sexual fertility rites as
appropriate worship?
The real conspiracy

Here is the type of “worship”
that this book exalts
and commends to the reader…

Note: in the movie, it is a brief flashback that
Sophie (the main female character) has of
seeing her grandfather engaged in a pagan sex
ritual.
Excerpt from DVC

“He (Langdon) explained that although what she saw
probably looked like a sex ritual, Hieros Gamos had
nothing to do with eroticism. It was a spiritual act.
Historically, intercourse was the act through which
male and female experienced God. The ancients
believed that the male was spiritually incomplete until
he had carnal knowledge of the sacred feminine.
Physical union with the female remained the sole
means through which man could become spiritually
complete and ultimately achieve gnosis – knowledge
of the divine. Since the days of Isis, sex rites had
been considered man’s only bridge from earth to
heaven.” (page 335, DVC)
The real conspiracy

Group sex is a
spiritual act?

Immorality is how we
experience God?
The real conspiracy

And this is the sole
means to becoming
spiritually complete and
ultimately achieve
“gnosis”? (“Gnosis” is the
Greek word for
“knowledge” from which
“the Gnostic Gospels” get
their name.)

Sex rites are man’s only
bridge from earth to
heaven?

No wonder the
Apostles warned us
about the destructive
teachings of the
Gnostic heretics!
1 Timothy 6:20-21

“Timothy, guard what has
been entrusted to your
care. Turn away from
godless chatter and the
opposing ideas of what is
falsely called knowledge,
21which some have
professed and in so doing
have wandered from the
faith.”
2 Peter 2:1-3

“But there were also false prophets among the
people, just as there will be false teachers among
you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies,
even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—
bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will
follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of
truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers
will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their
condemnation has long been hanging over them, and
their destruction has not been sleeping.”
Cont.

Even the vulgar way that the fictional male
experts (Leigh Teabing and Robert Langdon)
tell the fictional female character (Sophie
Neveu) about the supposedly hidden secret of
Jesus and Mary Magdalene’s relationship (the
Holy Grail) exposes the book’s ungodliness –
hardly a book to be followed in the moral and
spiritual areas it claims expertise:

Note: this dialogue is not in the movie script.
Excerpt from DVC










“Langdon sighed. ‘I was hoping you would be kind enough to explain
to Ms. Neveu the true nature of the Holy Grail.’
Teabing looked stunned. ‘She doesn’t know?’
Langdon shook his head.
The smile that grew on Teabing’s face was almost obscene. ‘Robert,
you’ve brought me a virgin?’
Langdon winced, glancing at Sophie. ‘Virgin is the term Grail
enthusiasts used to describe anyone who has never heard the true Grail
story.’
Teabing turned eagerly to Sophie. ‘How much do you know my dear?’
Sophie quickly outlined what Langdon had explained earlier…
‘That’s all?’ Teabing fired Langdon a scandalous look. ‘Robert, I
thought you were a gentleman. You’ve robbed her of the climax!’
‘I know, I thought perhaps you and I could…’ Langdon apparently
decided the unseemly metaphor had gone far enough.
Teabing already had Sophie locked in his twinkling gaze. ‘You are a
Grail virgin, my dear. And trust me, you will never forget your first
time.” (page 248-249, DVC)

This is a book of
spiritual
enlightenment?

This is a book that is
more credible than
the Bible?
Matthew 7:15-19,20
“Watch out for false
prophets. They come to
you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ferocious
wolves. 16By their fruit you
will recognize them. Do
people pick grapes from
thornbushes, or figs from
thistles? 17Likewise every
good tree bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad
fruit. 18A good tree cannot
bear bad fruit, and a bad
tree cannot bear good
fruit… 20Thus, by their
fruit you will recognize
them.”
o
But this is not about
author Dan Brown…
o
Satan is the real
conspirator behind
The Da Vinci Code
2 Corinthians 2:11
o
“…in order that
Satan might not
outwit us. For we
are not unaware of
his schemes.”
Satan is a schemer
o
“scheme” = “a secret
plot; a secret and
cunning plan, especially
one designed to cause
damage or harm”.
(Encarta Dictionary)
Revelation 12:9

“The great dragon
was hurled down—
that ancient serpent
called the devil, or
Satan, who leads
the whole world
astray.”
Satan is the real conspirator

So, Satan is the real conspirator who is
constantly devising clever schemes to lead the
world astray.
Satan seduces us to sin
o
(DVC) “Is it surprising we feel conflicted
about sex?’ he asked his students. ‘Our
ancient heritage and our very physiologies
tell us sex is natural – a cherished route to
spiritual fulfillment – and yet modern
religion decries it as shameful, teaching us
to fear our sexual desire as the hand of
the devil.” (page 336, DVC)
Satan’s scheme revealed

According to The Da Vinci Code the reason
we feel conflicted about sex is that
modern religion has taught us to be
ashamed of our sexuality and fear it as
from the Devil. But our pagan ancestry
and the cravings of our human physiology
tell us that sex is “a cherished route to
spiritual fulfillment”.
Satan’s scheme revealed

Sex is “a cherished route to spiritual fulfillment”?
Proverbs 7:21-22
“With persuasive words
she led him astray;
she seduced him with
her smooth talk. 22
All at once he
followed her like an
ox going to the
slaughter, like a deer
stepping into a
noose.”
Satan’s scheme revealed
o
1 John 3:7-8
o
“Dear children, do not let
anyone lead you astray. He
who does what is right is
righteous, just as he is
righteous. 8He who does
what is sinful is of the
devil, because the devil has
been sinning from the
beginning.”
Satan seduces us to doubt
o
2 Corinthians 11:3-4
o
“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by
the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow
be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion
to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and
preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we
preached, or if you receive a different spirit from
the one you received, or a different gospel from
the one you accepted, you put up with it easily
enough.”
Satan seduces us to doubt
•
•
•
(DVC) “Sophie looked skeptical. ‘My friends who
are devout Christians definitely believe that Christ
literally walked on water, literally turned water into
wine, and was born of a literal virgin birth.’
‘My point exactly,’ Langdon said. ‘Religious
allegory has become a part of the fabric of reality.
And living in that reality helps millions of people
cope and be better people.’
‘But it appears their reality is false.”
Are the accounts of Jesus’ miracles merely
allegorical and not literally true?
Dr. John Oakes
o
College professor
o
Dual Phd. in chemistry and
physics
o
Written four books, including:
“Is There a God? Questions of
Science and the Bible”
o “Reasons for Belief: A Handbook
of Christian Evidences.”
o
o
(from article on “Evidence For
Christianity” website) “Everyone
knew that Jesus was a worker of
miracles. He healed thousands of
people. Even his enemies
indirectly confirm this.”
o
The Bible is historically accurate – attested
to by eyewitness accounts and written down
for us by inspiration of the Holy Spirit…
2 Peter 1:16-21
o
“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you
about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we
were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received honor
and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him
from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I
love; with him I am well pleased." 18We ourselves heard this
voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the
sacred mountain. 19And we have the word of the prophets
made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to
it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns
and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you
must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about
by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For prophecy never
had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as
they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Satan seduces us to doubt
o
Do not let Satan
seduce you
to doubt the Bible.
o
It is the literal,
inspired Word of God.
(More on this later.)
Decoding The Da Vinci Code
o
We need to separate fact from fiction.
o
1 John 4:1
o

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God, because
many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction. It does
not stand the test of historical truth.
Decoding The Da Vinci Code

Let’s explore
10 false claims
in The Da Vinci Code…
FALSE CLAIM #1

Christianity is simply a
compilation of pagan
religions
Excerpt from DVC

“Nothing in Christianity is original. The pre-Christian
God Mithras – called the Son of God and the Light of the
World – was born on December 25, died, was buried in a
rock tomb, and then resurrected in three days. …The
newborn Krishna was presented with gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. Even Christianity’s weekly holy day was
stolen from the pagans. …Originally, Christianity honored
the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday, but Constantine shifted
it to coincide with the pagan’s veneration day of the sun.’
He paused, grinning. ‘To this day, most churchgoers
attend services on Sunday morning with no idea that
they are there on account of the pagan sun god’s weekly
tribute – Sunday.” (page 252, DVC)
Question

Was the idea of Jesus
Christ being the Son of
God and the Light of
the World actually
borrowed from a
pagan god named
Mithras?
Josh McDowell

World-renowned expert in
Christian apologetics
(proving the truth of
Christianity)

Was once an “agnostic” who
tried to disprove Christianity,
but through his research
discovered compelling
historical evidence that caused
him to convert to it instead.

Since then, he’s authored over
77 books, including:
“Evidence That Demands a
Verdict”
 And “More Than a Carpenter”

Josh McDowell quote

“Specific myths about
Mithras’ miraculous
birth and becoming a
‘savior god’ were
modeled after the
stories of Jesus and
developed after
Christianity came to
Rome.”
The TRUTH
o
No wonder the early Church apologist, Justin
Martyr (160 A.D.) “referred to the Mithraic meal
as a Satanic imitation of the Lord’s supper.” (First
Apology, 66)
Josh McDowell quote

“With Christianity
exploding onto the scene
of the Roman Empire, it is
evident that other
religions adopted certain
teachings or practices
from Christianity in order
to stem the tide of
departing adherents
and/or to attract
Christians to their side.”
The TRUTH

And the claim that “Originally, Christianity
honored the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday,
but Constantine shifted it to coincide with
the pagan’s veneration day of the sun
(DVC)” is equally absurd.
Josh McDowell quote

“…the Christians have
been celebrating their
weekly liturgy on
Sunday, the first day
of the week, since the
time of Paul and the
other apostles (long
before Constantine
almost 300 years
later).”
Acts 20:7

“On the first day of
the week we came
together to break
bread.”
Justin Martyr quote
 The
early church father, Justin Martyr (100165 A.D.), confirms that the 2nd Century
church continued to meet on Sunday well
before the time of Constantine:
 “And
on the day called Sunday there is a
gathering together in one place of all those who
live in cities or in the country, and the memoirs of
the apostles or the writings of the prophets are
read…”
The TRUTH
o
In summary, it is a false claim to say that
Christianity is a compilation of pagan religions.
The truth is that many pagan religions imitated
Christianity.
FALSE CLAIM #2

Nobody worshipped
Jesus as God before
the Roman Emperor,
Constantine, made it
mandatory. Jesus is
simply a mortal man,
not the Son of God.
Excerpt from DVC
 “Constantine
turned Jesus into a deity who
existed beyond the scope of the human world,
an entity whose power was unchallengeable.
…It was all about power… the early Church
literally stole Jesus from his original followers,
hijacking His human message, shrouding it in
an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it
to expand their own power.” (page 253, DVC)
Excerpt from DVC
 (speaking
of the Council of Nicaea, in 325 A.D.)
“My dear,’ Teabing declared, ‘until that moment in
history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a
mortal prophet… a great and powerful man, but a
man nonetheless. A mortal.”
 “Not the Son of God?”
 “Right,’ Teabing said, ‘Jesus’ establishment as ‘the
Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on
by the Council of Nicaea. ‘…A relatively close vote
at that.’ (page 253, DVC)
The TRUTH

From the very
beginning of
Christianity, Jesus
was worshipped as
the Son of God,
some 300 years
before Constantine
and the Council of
Nicaea in 325 A.D.
The TRUTH
o
Jesus is referred to as
“God” at least seven
times in the New
Testament, and
“Lord” as a divine title
many other times.
John 1:1, 14, 17-18
o
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God… 14The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among
us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One
and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace
and truth… 17For the law was given through
Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18No one has ever seen God, but God the One
and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made
him known.”
Reliability of text

This segment of the
gospel of John has
been discovered and
carbon-dated at 175225 A.D.

This is “forensic
evidence”, scientific
proof if you will, that
Jesus was clearly
believed to be God at
least 100 years before
Constantine and the
Council of Nicaea in 325
A.D.
John 20:27-28
 “Then
he said to Thomas, "Put your finger
here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and
put it into my side. Stop doubting and
believe." 28Thomas said to him, "My Lord
and my God!”
 The
Apostle Thomas clearly worshipped
Jesus as “God”.
Early Church Fathers
o
Not only the Apostles, but also many of the most
famous 1st and 2nd century church fathers
recorded the same belief – long before
Constantine and the Council of Nicaea in 325
A.D.
Justin Martyr
o
Justin Martyr wrote of
Christ, “being the
first-begotten Word of
God, is even God.”
(First Apology, Ch.
63)
Irenaeus
o
Irenaeus (A.D. 130200) wrote about
Christ, “our Lord, and
God, and Saviour,
and King.” (Irenaeus,
“Against Heresies”,
bk. 1, ch. 10)
Clement of Alexandria
o
Clement of Alexandria
wrote, “truly most
manifest Deity, He
that is made equal
to the Lord of the
universe; because
he was his Son.”
(Clement of
Alexandria,
“Exhortation to the
Heathen”, ch. 10)
Ignatius of Antioch
o
Ignatius of Antioch wrote,
“For our God, Jesus
Christ, was, according to
the appointment of God,
conceived in the womb
by Mary, of the seed of
David, but by the Holy
Ghost.” (Ignatius of
Antioch, “Letter to the
Smyrneans”, 10)
The early Christians
worshipped Jesus as God
o
Even non-Christian writings from Romans such
as Celsus, Pliny and Lucian state that the
Christians worshipped Jesus as God.
The TRUTH
o
Constantine did not “turn Jesus into a deity” in order
to give the church more power. That is a false claim.
The truth is that Jesus was worshipped as God by
the Apostles and the early Christian church
since the very beginning of Christianity, and
that worship has continued to this day.
1 John 2:22

“Who is the liar? It is
the man who denies
that Jesus is the
Christ…”
FALSE CLAIM #3

The four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were
personally selected by Constantine in 325 A.D. at the
Council of Nicaea, to be included in the Bible because
they were the only gospels that emphasized Jesus’
divinity and downplayed his humanity.
Excerpt from DVC

“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.” (page 251, DVC)
Excerpt from DVC

“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.” (page 251, DVC)
Excerpt from DVC

“Constantine commissioned and financed
a new Bible, which omitted those gospels
that spoke of Christ’s human traits and
embellished those gospels that made Him
godlike. The earlier gospels were
outlawed, gathered up, and burned.”
(page 254, DVC)
The TRUTH

Dr. Erwin Lutzer, author of “The Da Vinci
Deception” says: “Constantine did not decide
which books would be in the canon; indeed,
the topic of the canon did not even come up
at the Council of Nicaea. By that time the
early church was reading a canon of books it
had determined was the Word of God two
hundred years earlier.”
The TRUTH
o
The early church father,
Origin, writing 75-100
years before the time of
Constantine and the
Council of Nicaea, writes,
“Nevertheless, among all
these we have approved
solely what the church
has recognized, which is
that only the four
gospels should be
accepted.”
The TRUTH
o
The early church father,
Irenaeus, only about 100
years after the four
orthodox gospels were
written, referred to them in
his book, “Against
Heresies”, saying that it
was fitting that she (the
church) should have four
pillars. Later on he
speaks of them as “the
Gospels in quadriform.”
(Ch. 3.11.8)
Josh McDowell
o
“The four New Testament
Gospels were written within
10 to 40 years after Jesus’
death and resurrection by
those who were either
eyewitnesses or gathered
the records of
eyewitnesses. The
historical record makes
clear that the early Gospel
accounts were accepted
very early on in the canon
of Scripture.”
Seen Elvis lately?
o
Dr. Erwin Lutzer writes in
“The Da Vinci Deception”:
“The ‘Da Vinci Code’s
assertion that
Constantine tampered
with the Scriptures or
excluded certain books is
bogus… As fabrications
go, ‘The Da Vinci Code’
is right up there with
Elvis sightings.”
FALSE CLAIM #4

The Gnostic gospels (referred to as “the Sangreal
documents” in the DVC) are written by the early
followers of Jesus, and implied to have been written in a
similar time frame to the orthodox gospels (Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John).
Excerpt from DVC

“The Sangreal documents simply tell the
other side of Christ’s story. …(they are)
the Purist Documents – thousands of
pages of unaltered, pre-Constantine
documents, written by the early followers
of Jesus, revering Him as a wholly human
teacher and prophet.” (page 277, DVC)
The TRUTH

The Gnostic
gospels were
forgeries –
claiming to be
written by the
apostles, but actually
written by imposters
over 100 years
later.
New Testament scholar
Norman Geisler
o
New Testament scholar
Norman Geisler writes,
“The Gnostic writings
were not written by
the apostles, but by
men in the second
century (and later)
pretending to use
apostolic authority to
advance their own
teachings. Today we call
this fraud and forgery.”
John McManners
“The Oxford History of Christianity”
o
John McManners writes in “The Oxford History
of Christianity” about Gnosticism: “Gnosticism
was (and still is) a theosophy (a philosophy
based on intuition) with many ingredients.
Occultism and oriental mysticism became
fused with astrology, magic… They collected
sayings of Jesus shaped to fit their own
interpretation (as in the Gospel of Thomas)...”
Irenaeus

Irenaeus, (AD 130-200),
commenting about how
the Gnostics used the
Bible in his day, said that
it is like taking a beautiful
picture of a king and
reassembling it to
become a picture of a
fox. (Dr. Erwin Lutzer,
“Jesus, Lover of a
Woman’s Soul”)
The TRUTH
o
No wonder the Apostles, the early church fathers,
and every serious Bible scholar since, has
recognized the Gnostic writings as counterfeit
Christianity. And yet, they are the primary sources
for Dan Brown’s conspiracy theory.
The Gnostic Gospels?
Let’s be careful where we get our information…
FALSE CLAIM #5

Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married.
Excerpt from DVC

“As I said earlier, the marriage of Jesus
and Mary Magdalene is part of the
historical record.” (page 265, DVC)
The TRUTH

The speculation that
Jesus and Mary
Magdalene were
married or
romantically involved
at all is a complete
fabrication, and
certainly not “part of
the historical record”
as author Dan Brown
asserts.
Josh MCDowell
o
“First and foremost,
there is no historical
evidence supporting
the marriage of Christ
and Mary Magdalene,
or that they had a
child.”
The TRUTH
o
There is a single verse in a Gnostic writing (“The Gospel of
Philip” – not written by Philip) that says Jesus kissed Mary. But
greeting friends with a holy kiss was common in the Bible (1
Corinthians 16:20 = “Greet one another with a holy kiss”), and
had no sexual connotation. But even if that is what this Gnostic
gospel writer had in mind, the “Gospel of Philip” is a forged
document, written 150-220 years after Christ by an
unknown author. So, it’s statement about Jesus isn’t
historically accurate, and there is no other historical
document to confirm this theory.
Newsweek Magazine

A “Newsweek magazine”
article that summarized
leading scholars’ opinions
concluded that the theory
that Jesus and Mary
Magdalene were secretly
married has no
historical basis.
(Barbara Kantrowitz and
Anne Underwood,
“Decoding the Da Vinci
Code”, Newsweek,
December 8, 2003, pg.
54)
FALSE CLAIM #6

God has a “powerful female equal” named
“Shekinah”, and to experience wholeness with
this deity, men must have sex with temple
prostitutes as a pathway to union with God.
Excerpt from DVC

“Early Jews believed that the Holy of Holies in
Solomon’s Temple housed not only God but also His
powerful female equal, Shekinah. Men seeking
spiritual wholeness came to the Temple to visit
priestesses – or hierodules – with whom they made
love and experienced the divine through physical
union. The Jewish tetragrammaton YHWH – the
sacred name of God – in fact derived from Jehovah,
an androgynous physical union between the
masculine Jah and the pre-Hebraic name for Eve,
Havah.” (page 336, DVC)
The TRUTH

Shekinah? Advocating sex with temple
prostitutes? Are you kidding? (No, Dan Brown
is not kidding.)
Josh McDowell
o
“’Shekinah’ is ‘A term
referring to the ‘glory of
God’. The idea that this
term is paired with the
name of God, Yahweh, so
that a male (Yahweh) and
female (Shekinah)
counterpart exists with
God, is simple
fabrication.”
Josh McDowell
o
“Again, it is apparent
that Dan Brown’s facts
behind his fiction are in
many cases exactly
opposite of the truth.”
Josh McDowell
•
“Yes, there was a problem in
Jewish history with temple
prostitution, but this was clearly
against the Law of Moses,
the prophets, and Jewish
tradition. It was actually the
adoption of Canaanite rituals,
which Moses sternly warned
them against (Deuteronomy
23:17-18).”
 What
would Moses
say about
polytheism and
temple
prostitution
today?!
FALSE CLAIM #7

The Bible is not inspired by God, and the New
Testament is historically inaccurate and therefore
unreliable.
Excerpt from DVC
 “The
Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of
God.” (page 250, DVC)
 “…presenting
to the world thousands of ancient
documents as scientific evidence that the New
Testament in false testimony… the New Testament
is based on fabrications.” (page 369, DVC)
The TRUTH

The Bible is definitely
inspired by God, and
the New Testament
has been proven to
be historically
accurate and
therefore completely
reliable.
Dr. John Oakes

“On the inspiration of the Bible, a lot more can be said.
The historical accuracy of the Bible is only a tiny fraction
of the evidence for biblical inspiration. I will again refer
you to my book, and also three others I have written, all
available at www.ipibooks.com. My book ‘From Shadow
to Reality” is jam packed with prophetical information
which proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the Bible
is inspired by God. ‘Is There a God’ is on the evidence
from science for inspiration of the Bible. The prophecies
of the Messiah in the Old Testament provide wonderful
proof of the inspiration of the Bible. I suggest the article
at my web site titled ‘Prophecies in the Old Testament
Predict Events in the Life of Jesus of Nazareth’ for details
on this topic…
Dr. John Oakes, continued

…In addition, there is the overwhelming evidence
supporting the actual, historical resurrection of Jesus. If
Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then the entire
gospel message is confirmed, and the inspiration of the
Bible is strongly supported. I suggest an article at my
web site titled ‘The Resurrection of Jesus’ for more
information on that. I could go on almost indefinitely.
The internal consistency of the Bible, the lack of
contradiction, the evidence for the miracles of Jesus, the
non-messianic prophecies and so forth…
Dr. John Oakes, continued

…The evidence for the inspiration of the Bible
is simply overwhelming--so much so that there
is no excuse for not accepting that the Bible is
indeed the Word of God.”
Josh McDowell

“Using the accepted
standard for evaluating the
textual reliability of ancient
texts, the New Testament
stands alone. It has no
equal. No other book of
the ancient world can even
approach the reliability of
the New Testament.”

For further study: see
handouts
FALSE CLAIM #8

That the term “heretic” was born at the Council
of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and referred to those who
“chose the forbidden gospels over Constantine’s
version (DVC)”.
Excerpt from DVC

“An interesting note,’ Langdon added.
‘Anyone who chose the forbidden gospels
over Constantine’s version was deemed a
heretic. The word heretic derives from
that moment in history.” (page 254, DVC)
Josh McDowell

“The term, ‘heresy’
actually dates back
several centuries prior
to Constantine… It
was not Constantine
who branded the
Gnostic beliefs as
heretical; it was the
apostles
themselves.”
2 Peter 2:1

“But there were also false
prophets among the
people, just as there will
be false teachers among
you. They will secretly
introduce destructive
heresies, even denying
the sovereign Lord who
bought them—bringing
swift destruction on
themselves.”
FALSE CLAIM #9

Author Dan Brown asserts that Christianity
demonized Mary Magdalene in order to suppress
her influence.
The TRUTH

Amy Welborn, in her USA Today article,
“5 Biggest Flaws in Da Vinci”, points
out that “Mary Magdalene is a saint. In
every Gospel, she (Mary Magdelene) is
cited as the first person to find the
empty tomb. She was the second-most
revered saint of the Middle Ages, after
Mary, Jesus’ mother. That’s an odd
way to demonize.”
The TRUTH

Ironically, the
Gnostic “Gospel of
Thomas”, one of
Dan Brown’s primary
sources for his
allegation of sexism in
the orthodox gospels,
has passages in it
that thoroughly
demean women.
From “The Gospel of Thomas”
 (supposedly
quoting Peter) “Let Mary go away
from us, because women are not worthy of
life.”
 Then
Jesus allegedly tells Peter that he will make
Mary male so that she may enter the
kingdom of heaven.
 Not
much of a battle cry for women’s rights, and
yet the “Gospel of Thomas” is one of the primary
sources for Dan Brown’s feminist agenda.
FALSE CLAIM #10

That the secret society known as the “Priory of
Sion” actually existed in medieval times and had
the noble task of protecting the bloodline of
Christ.
Excerpts from DVC

“The Priory of Sion – a European secret
society founded in 1099 – is a real
organization… The modern Priory of Sion
has a momentous duty… they must
nurture and protect the bloodline of Christ
(page 279).”
The TRUTH

The modern “Priory of
Sion” was created in
1956 by Pierre
Plantard. All
documents “proving a
bloodline” and a list of
historical Priory
members (such as
Leonardo Da Vinci)
were proven to be
forged by a French
court of law.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia
Encyclopedia on The Da Vinci Code

“…In 2005, UK TV
personality Tony Robinson
edited and narrated a
detailed rebuttal of the
main arguments of Dan
Brown… “The Real Da Vinci
Code”, shown on British TV
Channel 4. The
programme featured
lengthy interviews with
many of the main
protagonists cited by
Brown as ‘absolute fact’ in
the Da Vinci Code…
Excerpt from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia on
The Da Vinci Code, continued

“Arnaud de Sede, son of Gerrard de
Sede, stated categorically that his
father and Plantard had made up
the existence of the Priory de
Sion, the cornerstone of the Jesus
bloodline theory – to quote Arnaud
de Sede in the programme, ‘frankly
it was piffle’… Detailed analysis of
many other claims in the Da Vinci
Code in the programme showed them
to be unverifiable or unhistorical.”
Josh McDowell

“Brown’s ‘Priory of
Sion’ was really a
creation of forged
documents… The
most important
strand in the
central plot of ‘The
Da Vinci Code’,
then, is a total
hoax.”
Seek the real TRUTH

1 John 5:19-21

“We know that we are
children of God, and that
the whole world is under
the control of the evil one.
20We know also that the
Son of God has come and
has given us
understanding, so that we
may know him who is
true. And we are in him
who is true—even in his
Son Jesus Christ. He is the
true God and eternal life.
21Dear children, keep
yourselves from idols.”
Seek the real TRUTH

Verse 19 = “…the

Satan is the real
whole world is under
the control of the evil
one.”
conspirator…
Seek the real TRUTH

Verse 20 = “…Jesus

Jesus is the true
Christ. He is the
true God…”
God…
Seek the real TRUTH

Verse 21 = “Dear

An “idol” is anything
worshipped that is not
the one, true God.

Worship the one,
true God of the
Bible…
children, keep
yourselves from
idols.”
“The Da Vinci Code”–
The Real Conspiracy
Revealed