Dealing with Davinci
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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