The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci [Paperback]

Ben Witherington III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2004

Dan Brown's international bestseller The Da Vinci Code has raised many questions in the minds of readers.

• Was Jesus really married to Mary Magdalene?
• Did he father a child with her?
• Did Constantine suppress the earliest Gospels and invent the doctrine of Christ's divinity?
• Do the Gnostic Gospels represent the true Christian faith which the early church sought to supplant?

The Da Vinci Code, in blurring the lines between fact and fiction, popularizes the speculations and contentions of numerous more serious books that are also attracting wide attention. How should we respond to claims that we now have documents that reveal secrets about Jesus, secrets long suppressed by the church and other religious institutions? Do these new documents successfully debunk traditional views about Jesus and early Christianity? Ben Witherington III confronts these claims with the sure-footedness of a New Testament scholar, yet in the plain language that any interested reader can follow. He takes us back to the early centuries after Jesus' death and tells us what we can really know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the canonical Gospels and their Gnostic rivals.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The popularity of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code has caused Christian apologists to address what they consider to be its heresies and historical errors. Witherington, a New Testament scholar at Asbury Theological Seminary, intends in this volume to add his voice to the growing criticism of Brown's novel. Each chapter treats an issue—the formation of the canon, the "married Jesus" theory, etc.—and then offers a wealth of background material to support an evangelical Christian viewpoint. Drawing on his background in Christian theology and church history, Witherington explains his position in a lucid and sometimes whimsical style. He is particularly strong when exploring and explaining the processes of textual criticism and redaction, and in helping readers understand the flow of Christian history and the development of doctrine. The influence of Gnosticism, ancient and modern, likewise receives extensive treatment. The book closes with an appeal for a more rational, and less speculative, consideration of the Jesus story. Quite apart from its treatment of Brown's novel, this book is a fine exposition of mainstream evangelical teaching and merits wide readership.
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Review

"Other publishers have already offered Da Vinci responses. Still, this more extensive, reasoned treatment may have the staying power that other instant books lack." (Publishers Weekly )

"Here's a much-needed antidote to the history-twisting misinformation that, unfortunately, has seeped into popular culture in recent years. Thanks, Ben, for setting the record straight!" (Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith )

"Ben Witherington won't stop at refuting the historical errors of The Da Vinci Code. He will not rest until he refutes the novel's spiritual error as well. Witherington names the narcissism at the heart of the Gnostic revival and offers the New Testament's God-centered good news in its place." (David Neff, Editor, Christianity Today )

"Unlike so many critiques that carefully mince words, Ben Witherington explains exactly why currently popular attempts to treat the historical Jesus in a revisionist manner are so wide of the mark. Beginning with a bang by noting 'seven deadly errors' right on through the conclusion, Witherington pulls no punches while showcasing his wonderful sense of humor. Here the reader is treated to an excellent evaluation, making points that many of us wish were made far more frequently. This book is simply a delightful read." (Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Philosophy, Liberty University )

"In these few pages, an eminent New Testament scholar not only explodes the follies of The Da Vinci Code but also dissects the claims of certain scholars to find in the Gnostic Gospels a historically authentic Jesus and an alternative Christianity. Timely and compelling!" (William Lane Craig, coauthor of Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books; Print On Demand Edition edition (June 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083083267X
• ISBN-13: 978-0830832675
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #606,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bible scholar Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies.

Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell. A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia. He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.

Witherington has written over thirty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications, and is a frequent contributor to the Beliefnet website.

Along with many interviews on radio networks across the country, Witherington has been seen on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and the PAX Network.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily the best Evangelical expose of the Da Vinci Code, March 6, 2005

By 

C. Catherwood "writer" (Cambridge UK and Richmond VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci (Paperback)

Of the countless rebuttals of the Da Vinci Code, this is by far the best one for a Christian audience. (For medievalists and later, Sharan Newman's is the best, but unlike this book, her grasp of theology is a little shaky...) It is written in a measured tone - no wild denunciations here - and shows conclusively that Brown's understanding of the early Christian church, and of theology, are pure rubbish. But as well as telling us the truth about Gnosticism, Mary Magdalene and other key things, Witherington shows us the deep theological agenda behind not just the Da Vinci Code itself, but all the other works in that genre. It is therefore a challenging book for any Christian to read, one that makes us think about our own world view and why we believe what we do. Make sure you read this book, and that everyone in your Sunday School class does too - it will be essential reading for when the Da Vinci movie comes out, and a first class apologetics/evangelistic tool for your non-Christian friends who will be flocking to see it. Make sure you and your pastor know Witherington's book. Christopher Catherwood, Cambridge UK and Richmond VA historian (author of CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE [Zondervan, 2003] and CHURCHILL'S FOLLY: HOW WINSTON CHURCHILL CREATED MODERN IRAQ [Carroll and Graf: hardcover 2004 and paperback 2005])

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aliens are Coming!, April 12, 2005

By 

Timothy N. Linnet "Tim" (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci (Paperback)

In a culture that is swarmed with media it becoming increasingly hard for people to discern fact from fiction. A couple decades ago the War of the Worlds aired over the radio. This little flick was an hour long narrative of aliens conquering the world. Soon enough people all over the US tuned in to the story after the "this is a fiction" disclaimer. Hundreds of 911 calls were made during the War of the Worlds broadcast because many civilians actually thought that aliens were taking over the world. Although, it is not always to this extreme, fact and fiction are becoming meshed together into one big boiling pot of mass media. The Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown is a historical fiction for the current popular audience. As expected there are many people that ignored the "historical fiction" disclaimer and began to believe all of the parts of the novel. Ben Witherington III composed The Gospel Code in response to the Da Vinci Code.
An entire History Channel special was dedicated to proving the facts behind the Da Vinci Code. During this broadcast the only source and reference used was Browns book. Browns book gained believers just like any other top selling story with media coverage. Witherington responds to Browns novel with a scientific but dummed down examination of Brown's "truths." Witherington targets the same audience as Brown with an aggressive style. Brown alludes to Timothy 4:3-4 when he says that people are believing things when they are "beyond belief." On page 12 he clearly states the book's agenda as "a wake up call to those who have not been noticing the sign of the times." He is extremely credible and informative as he reasons his way through the fallacies in Brown's novel. As the professor in my speech class would say Witherington uses "inductive" or sign "reasoning" for many points throughout the book. An example of this reasoning is when Witherington challenges the validity of Thomas's work as a Gospel. Witherington shows that Thomas doesn't have any eyewitness events on Jesus' life. He also says that Thomas writes in a non-Jewish style which brings him further away from a gospel. Thomas also says that you can find God from within relying on your own experiences, while Jesus wants us to learn on revelation rather than experience. Other than the persuasive style, Witherington uses emotional appeal to convince the audience. On page 81 Witherington tells the reader that part of the Nag Hammadi documents were thrown into the fire by the discoverer's mother! Most males can identify with the fear of loosing their baseball card, marble, or collection of treasures to the wrath of their mother.
Another way Witherington increased my liking for this book was through the intro and first chapter. He was very straightforward and blunt with his main points. He states seven basic errors that Brown makes in his novel. The seven errors are: the cannons were not the earliest gospels; Jesus was not proclaimed divine until the Councel at Nicacea; Emperor Constantine forced the cannons in and Gnostic gospels out of the church; Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene; the Dead Sea scrolls and Nag Hammadi documents are the earliest Christian documents; Jesus had offspring and this would defile the beliefs of the church. He lists all seven of them right away and then analyzes them in the proceeding chapters. As a biblical scholar and historian he has a knowledge of the issues that are brought up in the Da Vinci Code. Every main point that he had was sufficiently supported with concrete evidence. This book could have been a long and boring scientific novel but as he stated at the bottom of page 12; he wanted to avoid cluttering the book with text numbers so it would be easier to understand by the reader.
I feel that I have been completely informed on the Gnostic gospels, the issue of Christ's relationship, and the churches view on Christ and marriage. Although the chance will not arise every day I feel that I am well equipped to explain to a Brown believer that Witherington's points are correct. Those who read the Da Vinci Code should be exposed to Witherington's The Gospel Code because he puts Browns novel in its place... the fiction section.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A time worthy book..., July 28, 2004

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci (Paperback)

Seldom has a book had as much impact on society, particularly a fiction one, as the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. In the year and a half since it burst onto the bestseller lists, people who never thought much about Jesus have begun talking about Him and some who have thought about Him have changed their views. Those who remain faithful are often challenged at the water cooler to explain where in the Bible the Mrs. Jesus section is, or some such thing, and need something more than being able to say that is untrue because it's what they believe. To fill this gap, a host of books debunking the "Magdalene Files" have emerged, but this one stands ahead of the others.

**** While most are thin volumes that address superficial difficulties, The Gospel Code digs in deeper, exploring the root of the problem that has more branches than just Da Vinci. After reading this, you will know about the gnostic heresies, the alleged "lost books of the Bible," and have a good grounding in early church history. For that alone, even if you never read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, or DaVinci Code, etc., this is a time worthy book. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.