Dealing with Davinci



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West Side Church of Christ

Appendix & Helpful Aids



Appendix


New Testament Books and their Common Story-

The coming together of the 27 books of our New Testament is interesting when it comes to the ‘type’ of story each book tells and the consequence in human behaviour & direction that results. 27 different voices (with the understanding that some books were written by the same author) yet all with the foundation or vision of Jesus Christ was the human born Son of God who was crucified on a cross, buried in a tomb and rose again and thus lives again as the ‘Lord and Christ’ (Acts 2:36).
The following is just a taste of how these 27 books really do ‘come together’.
(It will be quite obvious for some (i.e. the four gospels) but still necessary to look at them all)

Matthew-- Jesus is presented as the one born of a virgin, and God with us (1:18-23), the one who can forgive sins (9:1-8), following him means bearing a cross (10:34-39), he is the Son of Man who will spend only 3 days and nights in the heart of the earth (12:40), He is the Christ the Son of God (16:13-20) who must suffer and be killed and rise again (16:21, 17:22, 20:18,19), He will be wherever his church is together (18:20), He will sit on a glorious throne (19:28). All this hinges on what he does in his last week:
the son gets thrown out of the vineyard and killed (21:27-39), the Lord’s Supper symbolizes the body about to be broken and the blood about to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins (26:26-29), he agonizes in the garden about what he is to do (26:36-46), he is beaten and put on trial where he announces again his future of sitting on a throne (26:51-68), he goes through torture before and during the cross (27:27-56) and then he leaves the tomb and appears to the women and then the remaining disciples and promises to be with them always (28:1-20).
Jesus though dead is alive and Lord.

Mark & Luke follow roughly the same pattern of writing that Matthew did. Jesus is presented still much the same way with a few differences in emphasis.

John—Jesus is the eternal Word which was with God and was God (1:1-4), he became flesh (human) and dwelt among us (1:14-18), the Lamb of God to take away sins (1:29), Son of God given to give life (3:16,17), one must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man (6:53,54), predicts of going to be with the Father soon (7:33,34, 13:31-38), understands the Jews seek to kill him (8:37), he was before Abraham (8:53-59), he will give his life for the sheep but take it back again (10:1-18), he is the one to raise the dead (11:25,26), he again agonized at what he was about to do (12:27,28), he was going away but would come back for the disciples (14:1-7), Jesus suffers greatly before the cross and on the cross (19:1-30) but then leaves the tomb and appears to Mary then the 10 and finally the 11 including Thomas (20 & 21).
Jesus though dead is alive and Lord.

Acts—written from the perspective that Jesus Christ is the Risen Son of God and Lord of all. He was clearly living after death (1:1-3) and because of this had been made Lord and Christ (2:22-36), he was the stone rejected that had become the cornerstone because they had crucified him but God had raised him (4:10-12), God raised Jesus whom they had killed on a tree to grant repentance and forgiveness (5:30,31), Jesus though murdered was seen by Stephen as standing in heaven (7:52-56), after raising from the dead, appeared to those who ate and drank with him and they declare him to be judge of living and dead (10:39-42), by fulfilling the prophecy to suffer and rise from the dead he is a light to Israel and the nations (26:23)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

Romans—Son of God descended from David and declared to be God’s Son by resurrection from the dead (1:3,4), Jesus put forward as a propitiation by his blood (3:25), delivered for our trespassed but raised for justification (4:25), he reconciled men to God by death and will saved much more by his life (5:10), men baptized into his death and raised into his resurrection (6:1-8), He is the one who was not spared suffering and death, but was raised and sits at God’s right hand (8:31-39)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

1 & 2 Corinthians—the cross of Jesus displays God’s wisdom and power (1:18-25), the power of the Lord Jesus is present in the assembly (5:4), he is the Passover Lamb sacrificed (5:8), Christ died for strong and weak brothers (8:11), Paul had seen Jesus the Lord (9:1), Lord’s Supper is participation in blood and body of Jesus (10:16,17), Jesus was betrayed, gave up his body and blood, but will come again (11:23-26), Christ died, was buried and rose again (15:1-4), he appeared to over 500 people (15:6-11), his resurrection leads to everyone’s resurrection (15:20-28),
2nd letter—God raised the dead (namely Jesus at this point) and can be trusted (1:9), Jesus death carried in messengers bodies and his life also manifested (4:10,11), all will stand before judgment seat of Jesus (5:10), Christ’s power can rest on his followers today (12:9,10), he was crucified in weakness but lives by power of God (13:4)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

Galatians—Jesus gave himself for our sins and to deliver us from present evil age (1:4), God revealed Jesus to Paul (1:16), Jesus loved and gave himself for men (2:20), Jesus became a curse for men (3:13), God’s Son born of a woman, redeemed men and his Spirit sent into men’s hearts (4:4-6), cross of Jesus Christ the only ground for boasting (6:14)—his grace to be with men’s spirit (6:18)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

Ephesians—men have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sins (1:7), God’s power worked in Christ when raised from the dead and seated him in power (1:20-22), Christ in heavenly places (2:6), made peace through the cross (2:16), now the cornerstone (2:20), Christ gave himself for men as sacrifice to God (5:2), Christ loved the church and gave himself for her (5:25) to present church to himself (must be alive) (5:27), he nourishes & cherishes the church presently (5:29)
—he though dead is alive and Lord!

Philippians—a day of final judgment with Jesus (1:6,10, 2:16,), to leave the world is to be with Christ (1:23), Jesus was in the form of God, emptied himself and became a man and a servant of men, died the death on the cross and was highly exalted by God (2:5-11), he resurrected and suffered greatly (3:10), to come from heaven and transform men’s lowly bodies into his glorious one and subject all things to him (3:20,21), near to his followers (4:5)
—he though dead is alive and Lord!

Colossians—Jesus as God’s Son has a kingdom and gives redemption, the forgiveness of sins (1:13,14). He is image of invisible God, agent of all creation, all creation for him, holds all things together, fullness of God dwelt in him and made peace by blood of cross (1:15-20), men reconciled will be blameless before him (1:22), in baptism buried with him and then raised with him, as God powerfully raised Jesus from the dead (2:11,12), Jesus is above on God’s right hand and will come back (3:1-4)
—he though dead is alive and Lord!

1 & 2 Thessalonians—the Son to return from heaven and raised from dead by true and living God and the Son delivers from the wrath to come (1:9,10), Jesus killed by the Jews (2:14,15), Jesus died and rose again and will bring those who died with him when he returns and gathers all the saved in the air (4:13-18), Jesus died for men so they might live with him (5:9,10), Jesus is coming (5:23)—
2nd letter—Jesus to return with vengeance on those who oppose his followers (1:8-10), he is coming (2:1-12), Jesus can presently comfort and establish (2:16,17),
--Jesus though dead is alive and Lord!
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1 & 2 Timothy—Jesus men’s hope (1:1), Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1:15), Jesus the man is men’s mediator and gave himself as a ransom for all (2:5,6), Jesus manifested in flesh and vindicated by Spirit (3:16), Jesus & God share same presence (5:21), Jesus made good confession before Pilate and will appear again (6:13-16)—
2nd letter
—promise of life in Jesus (1:1), Jesus before the ages began (1:9), he abolished death and brought life and immortality (1:10), Jesus raised from the dead, the offspring of David (2:8), to die with him means living with him (2:11), Jesus to judge the living and the dead and will appear (4:1)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

Titus—men wait for Jesus to return, he gave himself to redeem men (2:13,14)
—he though dead is alive and Lord!

Philemon—no direct reference to Jesus’ historical actions, but notice peace from the Lord Jesus (3), faith toward the Lord Jesus (5), grace of the Lord Jesus be with your spirit (25) —could we not conclude with Paul’s other writings that this is written from the viewpoint that Jesus though dead is alive and Lord?

Hebrews—Jesus is the Son, the radiance of God who made purification for our sins and sits at God’s right hand (1:1-4), he tasted death for everyone (2:9), through death destroyed the one who had power over death (2:14), Jesus has passed through the heavens (4:14), agonized in the flesh over duty and still suffered to become source of salvation (5:7-10), Jesus has gone as our forerunner into God’s presence (6:19,20), he can save forever because he lives forever (7:24,25), entered holy of holies by his own blood (9:12-14), though offered once will come again (9:27,28), men sanctified by the offering of Jesus’ body (10:10-14), opened the new and living way by his flesh (10:19-25), sits at God’s right hand after enduring the cross (12:2), he never changes (13:8), suffered outside the camp (13:12), brought back from the dead by God (13:20)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

James—Not much about Jesus, but Jesus is the one who is to come (5:7,8)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

1 & 2 Peter—we have a living hope through resurrection of Jesus from the dead (1:3), he is to return (1:7,13, 5:4), Jesus suffered terribly but it led to glory (1:11), his blood redeemed men and he was known before the world and was raised by God from the dead and given glory (1:19-21), Jesus is the precious cornerstone (2:3-8), Jesus the example, reviled, suffered, trusted and bore our sins in his body and healed men by his wounds (2:21-25), he suffered once for sins, put to death in flesh, alive in spirit, also resurrected and gone into heaven and at God’s right hand (3:18-22) men’s baptism identifies with this (3:18-22). Christ suffered in flesh (4:1, 13)—
2nd letter—Jesus has an eternal kingdom (1:11), Peter heard voice declaring Jesus to be God’s Son (1:17), Jesus to return (3:3-10)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

1,2 & 3 John—Jesus the life heard, seen & touched (1:1-4), blood of Jesus cleanses from sin (1:7), Jesus the lawyer who defends before God (2:1,2), Jesus to return and men to be like him (3:2), Jesus laid down his life for men (3:16), Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (4:2,3), Jesus sent by Father as Saviour of the world (4:14), Jesus came by water and blood (5:6), eternal life in Jesus (5:12)—
2nd letter—Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (7)—
3rd letter—there is nothing in here except a reference to those who went out for the sake of the Name (7) but seeing it is a package with the first two we see again the viewpoint—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

Jude—church are those kept for Jesus (1), men wait for Jesus’ mercy that leads to eternal life (21), able to keep from stumbling and to present us blameless before presence of his glory (24,25)—
he though dead is alive and Lord!

Revelation—firstborn of the dead and ruler of earth, freed men from sins by his blood (1:5), will return and men who pierced body will see (1:7), one formerly dead and alive forevermore and rules realm of dead (1:18-20), the one who died and came to life (2:8), the Amen and beginning of God’s creation (3:14), conquered and sat down on Father’s throne (3:21), Lamb standing as though slain but worthy to reveal future (5:6-10), the Lamb to shepherd the redeemed (7:17), the child sought by the dragon but taken up to God (12:1-5), servants conquer the dragon by Lamb’s blood (12:11), the Lamb who leads the heavenly army in victory (14:1-5), the Lamb who conquers is Lord of lords and King of kings (17:14), the Lamb and God who are the temple and the light of the future dwelling place (21:22-27), the Lamb shares the throne of God (22:1), the Lamb to return to his servant’s aid (22:7,12). Jesus the descendant of David (22:16).
He though dead is alive and Lord!

The New Testament was written from this perspective, Jesus Christ was the divine Son of God who was born as a human, in the flesh, and suffered and died in the flesh but was raised again to life and because he was raised will one day return to judge the world. Men and women are now called to live their lives with that in mind: everything from the standpoint of self-denial, which leads to eternal glory. They are all united in this viewpoint!


What about the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar and Opus Dei?

Dan Brown would have us believe that all these organizations are really involved in a war concerning the documents that prove the Holy Grail’s secret being Mary Magdalene and the offspring of Christ!
Like much of the book, the true history behind these organizations is not in there!
At the beginning of the Davinci code Dan Brown writes:
FACT:
The Priory of Sion—a European secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization. In 1975 Paris’s Bibliotheque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci.
The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brainwashing, coercion, and a dangerous practice known as ‘corporal mortification.’ Opus Dei has just completed construction of a $47 million National Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City. (From the front of the book)

What the DVC claims: King Godefroi founded the Priory of Sion and they learned of a stash of secret documents hidden beneath Herod’s temple and the Priory created a military arm of nine knights called the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, hence the Knights Templar! By the 1300’s Pope Clement V decided something had to be done with them. Working with King Philippe IV of France, they decided to squash the Knights on Friday, October 13 of 1307—the Knights Templar were deemed heretics guilty of devil worship, homosexuality, defiling the cross, sodomy, and other blasphemous behaviour and countless Knights were tortured and exterminated.
In the modern day, Opus Dei is now taking runs at the Priory of Sion to steal the truth and destroy it once and for all.

Truth time:

Knights Templar:

Founded in 1118 the original intention of the Knights was to protect pilgrims going to the Holy Land during the Crusades. All possessions were donated to the Templar Organization. These men were both monks and warriors. They were extremely dedicated to their profession—they were not allowed to retreat from battle and die if necessary.
In 1139 Pope Innocent II exempted the Knights from taxes and made the Knights independent of both secular and sacred governments. This was not out of fear they would reveal the Holy Grail but they were rewarded for their service in this endeavour.
In 1291 the crusades ended and the Knights had grown very wealthy due to freedom from taxation—they continued on.
In 1306—King Philippe IV (not the pope) wanted the Knights riches and went after them. Pope Boniface would not agree and was caught and murdered (who do you think did this?) Pope Benedict XI would also not agree and he died suspiciously. Finally, Pope Clement V followed the king and denounced the Knights and gave charges of crimes against the church! Nowhere in history except the ‘Dossiers Secret’ are the Templars and Priory of Sion ever connected!
Friday the 13th arresting and torture were done by Philippe’s order and not the Pope’s.

Priory of Sion:

Not founded in 1099 but 1956 AD in Paris by a forger named Pierre Plantard who planted the secret documents in the library at Paris. Plantard was claiming himself to be rightful heir of a now defunct kingship. 2 of his co-conspirators had a falling out with him and exposed the Priory as a hoax. The original president said in 1996 it was just four friends coming together to have fun. In 1993 Plantard confessed to creating the Dossiers Secret documents. So much for Dan Brown’s ‘FACT!’

Opus dei:

It really is a prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei. There are roughly 100 000 members worldwide. Main emphasis is to encourage all Catholics to live consistently with the teachings of their faith. 70 % belong to one class where they live their faith in normal lives. 30 % are of another class, which pledges celibacy, and donate all possessions to organization. Most of the second class lives in Opus Dei houses. The second class is under strict supervision, everything under the watchful eye of the supervisors. There is much criticism laid at the second-class type of Opus Dei, for they have been questioned about their recruitment methods and the idea of self-inflicted pain being beneficial. While we clearly disagree with much of the emphasis of this organization and methods, it should be obvious that they simply are not chasing the imaginary Priory of Sion around looking for documents that just do not exist.


Helpful aids


Materials used in this study:
Lynn Anderson, If I Really Believe, Why Do I Have These Doubts? (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 1992)
George Dehoff, Why We Believe the Bible (Murfreesboro, TN: Dehoff Publications, 1939, 1944)
George Park Fisher, History of Christian Church (New York, NY: Charles Scribners sons, 1887)
James L. Garlow, The Da Vinci Code Breaker (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2006)
Liz Curtis Higgs, Mad Mary (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2001)
Terry Hightower ed., A Handbook on Bible Translation (San Antonio, TX: Shenandoah Church of Christ, 1995)
Bo Kirkwood, Unveiling the Da Vinci Code (Arizona: Selah Publishing, 2005)
J.B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1956)
Erwin W. Lutzer, You Can Trust the Bible (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1998)
The Da Vinci Deception (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers Inc., 2004)
Luke Timothy Johnson, The Real Jesus (San Francisco, CA: Harper-San Francisco, 1995)
Living Jesus (San Francisco, CA: Harper-San Francisco, 1999)
J.W. McGarvey, Evidences of Christianity (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company, 1964—originally published 1886)
John Lawrence Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History Vol. I & II (Rosemead, CA: Old Paths Book Club, 1959—originally published in 1826)
Garry Poole & Lee Strobel, Exploring the Da Vinci Code (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006)
Gail Reid ed., Faith Today, Magazine of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, May/June 2006 Vol.24, No.3
Robert B. Stewart ed., The Resurrection of Jesus. John Dominic Crossan and N.T. Wright in Dialogue (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2006)
N.T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1992)
Jesus and the Victory of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996)
The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003)
Also valuable research taken from a sermon he recently gave entitled, Simply Christian. (Date & place is unknown at this time)
Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000)
An unknown editor of the volume, The Lost Books of the Bible (New York, NY: Bell Publishing Company, 1979)
Also some valuable historical information from www.newadvent.org a Catholic history website.

Copy used for this study in which all page numbers are quoted from:
Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code (New York, NY: Anchor Books, Mass-Market edition 2006)

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