Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the Questions Everyone's Asking by Dan Brown

Author:Dan Brown [Brown, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jesus; the Gospels & Acts, Christianity in literature, Brown; Dan, Mary Magdalene - In literature, Biblical Biography, Jesus Christ - In literature, Christian Life, Christian saints in literature, New Testament, General, Religion, American, Literary Criticism, Christian Church, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Christian Theology, History
ISBN: 9780785280149
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
Published: 2006-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

New Testament. This core is orthodoxy in the best sense of that term. It is a Christianity with very distinct emphases that differ from the Gnostic texts or the collection of "secret" gospels we have just surveyed.

Pagels's claims and appeals reflect an agenda whose goal is to revise that orthodox faith. That effort is rooted in these ancient so-called secret documents that historically operated on the fringe of Christianity.

Interestingly and ironically perhaps this view is asking for something that neither of the early Christian alternatives in its time would have accepted as a viable option. The lesson of history is that these two approaches to Christianity were so very different from each other as to be incompatible from the view of each school.

Some variation among the four Gospels could be accepted within what we shall call traditional or orthodox Christianity (and these differences have been well documented for centuries). Yet there was never a persuasive combination that attempted to fuse all of these traditional expressions together with the more Gnostic-like ones in a manner that affirmed both views. So neither group could regard both expressions as Christian. One was claiming its roots in the past for under-standing the faith in the apostolic testimony and tradition, while the other was claiming access now to a direct kind of revelation that was of more significance than past revelation. This mutual acceptance that the other view was not Christian is something some modern historians in examining the movements seem unwilling to appreciate sufficiently. It is a point worth remembering as some extol the secrets of this rediscovered variant of Christian faith.

Again, I will let the ancient writers speak for themselves. Writing at the turn of the third century, Tertullian reacted to the work of Marcion, who gave his own "scripture" to defend his ideas in the second century. In Against Marcion, book 4, chapter 4, Tertullian wrote, We must follow, then, the clue of our discussion, meeting every effort of our opponents with reciprocal vigor. I say that my Gospel is the true one; Marcion, that his is. I affirm that Marcion's Gospel is adulterated; Marcion, that mine is. Now what is to settle the point for us, except it be that principle of time, which rules that the authority lies with that which shall be found to be more ancient; and assumes as an elemental truth, that corruption (of doctrine) belongs to the side which shall be convicted of comparative lateness in its origin. For, inasmuch as error is falsification of truth, it must needs be that truth therefore precedes error. A thing must exist prior to its suffering any casualty; and an object must precede all rivalry to itself. Else how absurd it would be, that, when we have proved our position to be the older one, and Marcion's the later, ours should yet appear to be the false one, before it had even received from truth its objective existence; and Marcion's should also be supposed to have experienced rivalry at

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.