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

by Ben Witherington III

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

Genres: Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, History, Christianity

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2004

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Craig Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This patient dissection of heresies is diminished, for me at least, having followed a reading of “Reason for God” by Tim Keller. What results is a stark contrast between an author that exudes compassion and empathy for his audience’s sincerely-held fallacies and a scholar’s rabid attack that, although steeped in accuracy will unquestionably leave him preaching to the choir, whilst the people for whom his medicine is most appropriate abandon the consumption long before the conclusion. Witherington tempers his acidity in the post-script, but it’s too little too late.

Nonetheless, if you are looking for robust counterpoints to inform your own debates with friends there is much merit to absorbing the message herein. A leader meets his flock where they are at, rather than calling vainly from the mountaintop.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scholarly dumping on the Da Vinci Code and the obnoxious, ignorant speculations that have arisen from such novelties. I found the book to be very interesting and hold a high esteem for Witherington as a scholar, despite his liberalities and how difficult he is to pick though. I found the parts with Witherington exposing the folly of modern scholars grasping onto Gnostic theology as a way of making Christianity more feminist very good, because it showed how much Gnosticism did NOT like women, and how much Christianity in its pure form has done for women globally.

Gospel of Thomas 114: Simon Peter says to them: "Let Mary go out from our midst, for women are not worthy of life!" Jesus says: "See, I will draw her so as to make her male so that she also may become a living spirit like you males. For every woman who has become male will enter the Kingdom of heaven."

BRUH

[Peresapy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a really interesting book, but not even near to the title.

All the topics are well research and treated with respect and objectivity, but they only mentioned The Da Vinci Code a couple of times in the book (not really what one expects with the book description).

Anyway, I liked the book so 3/5 stars are well deserved.

[Rehan Qayoom · Rating 1 out of 5]

'Seeking the truth is good, but finding it is better. Being found by the Truth is best of all.'

[Karo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the title and the summary, I was expecting different things from this book. And I can't really say I gained any new insights from it.
So... bit disappointed, if I'm honest

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refutation of the general heresy of Gnosticism and claims about Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus, specifically in response to the forever-running best seller "The DaVinci Code" by Dan Brown (which I rated "Well, OK, I guess" for its fun but not great suspense).

Witherington does a good job of making the theological points in understandable terms. Gnosticism is salvation based on "special knowledge" that not everyone has or understands, and is thus exclusionary. Witherington shows that the claim by Brown (and others) that orthodox Christianity surpressed and branded heretical all teachings they didn't agree with in politically driven councils in AD300-500 is historically incorrect. He shows that in fact a de facto orthodox canon almost identical to the current New Testament had developed for historical (because churches and apostles knew they were true--novel concept--no conspiracy theory required!) and spiritual reasons by around AD125. And this canon did not include Gnostic gospels, in part because most were written after AD125 and were clearly not primary source materials, in addition to their nonhistorical subject matter. The councils that later branded Gnostic gospels heretical didn't exclude them from the canon, but merely ratified the canon already accepted by believers everywhere.

History, or records of action, are important to the gospel. Witherington points out that the word "Evangelion" or "Gospel" in common use meant "something that someone--an emperor or benefactor--had done for them, some sort of undeserved by gracious action." (p. 173) The emphasis was on the action, not the words, in contrast to Gnosticism, with its reliance on special knowledge which would allow you to "save yourself." The "Gospel" was the good news of salvation through the action of Jesus!

[Amanda J · Rating 2 out of 5]

The entire book seems to be in response to the DaVinci Code and Gnostic theology. A lot of effort was put into convoluted arguments against Gnostic theology, veiled in historical facts with the four Canon Gospels as the meter of truth.

One of the biggest arguments was how Gnostic texts are more sexist than the Canon Gospels. The author also places a clear distinction between Gospels as actions, and Gospels as teachings. There is little to no acknowledgement of the difference of texts between Christian Sects, which could undermine a lot of the cut-and-dry truth.

The sentences often are long and hard to follow, and overall is not a book for leisure reading. It took a lot of brain power to decipher paragraphs and pages, much less the overall argument from chapter to book.

It would be an interesting read for people intensely interested in religious studies, or for reaffirming an existing Christian belief but would do little to no good against an objective, academic mind or a seeker.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a REALLY good book, even though it rarely relates its content to The Da Vinci Code. It's just a really nice, thorough, well-written study of the history of Christianity, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnostic texts.

I shouldn't say that it rarely relates its content back to tDVC -- Mostly it's a nice (really nice) history, and it does relate points back to The Da Vinci Code -- it's just that there's SO MUCH history... It's much more of a study of Christianity than one of the "Dan Brown got this wrong, and this wrong, and this wrong" books. Definitely a great book, and even though Witherington doesn't always say "See how Dan Brown got things wrong?!?!", he either wraps back around to topics (like Mary Magdalene) in The Da Vinci Code or the reader is able to make the connections for herself. Really good book.

[Natajia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was crap. I was excited to read this because I wanted to see the other side of the Da Vinci Code. But i was sorely dissapointed; not only is his writing style just infuriating to read, the points he makes aren't even worth the trouble. I wouldn't wish this book on my least favorite person in the world

[Mohammad]

Not my type !

[Bob Dijk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good defense of the Gospel versus Dan Brown's interpreation