Canon and Controversy

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Canon and Controversy

• The Gnostic Gospels and the NT

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Dan Brown Claims

• Fact
• Muratorian Canon gives basic list of NT books,
  170-200 AD.
• Irenaeus, writing at the same time The Gospels
  could not possibly be either more or less in
  number than they are (four). Cites in Adv. Haer.
  all NT books except Philemon, II Peter, III
  John, and Jude.

The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by
the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.
Before then, dozens of Gospels had been treated
equally.
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St. Irenaeus of Lyons

• On the Gospels The Gospels could not possibly
  be either more or less in number than they are.
  Since there are four zones of the world in which
  we live, and four principal winds, while the
  Church is spread over all the earth, and the
  pillar and foundation of the Church is the
  gospel, and the Spirit of life, it fittingly has
  four pillars, everywhere breathing out
  incorruption and revivifying men. From this it is
  clear that the Word, the artificer of all things,
  being manifested to men gave us the gospel,
  fourfold in form but held together by one Spirit.
  As David said, when asking for his coming, 'O
  sitter upon the cherubim, show yourself '. For
  the cherubim have four faces, and their faces are
  images of the activity of the Son of God. For the
  first living creature, it says, was like a lion,
  signifying his active and princely and royal
  character the second was like an ox, showing his
  sacrificial and priestly order the third had the
  face of a man, indicating very clearly his coming
  in human guise and the fourth was like a flying
  eagle, making plain the giving of the Spirit who
  broods over the Church. Now the Gospels, in which
  Christ is enthroned, are like these. Against
  Heresies 3.11.8

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St. Irenaeus of Lyons

• Against Heresies 1.31.1. Others again declare
  that Cain derived his being from the Power above,
  and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites,
  and all such persons, are related to themselves.
  On this account, they add, they have been
  assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has
  suffered injury. For Sophia was in the habit of
  carrying off that which belonged to her from them
  to herself. They declare that Judas the traitor
  was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and
  that he alone, knowing the truth as no others
  did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal by
  him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were
  thus thrown into confusion. They produce a
  fictitious history of this kind, which they style
  the Gospel of Judas.

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Disputed Books

• Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.25.1-7.
• True books, recognized by all
• Disputed, but known by all
• Hebrews, James, Jude, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John,
  Revelation
• Shepherd of Hermas, Didache, Barnabas
• Gnostic Gospels never included

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Eusebius on the Gnostic Gospels

• those which the heretics put forward under the
  name of the apostles including, for instance,
  such books as the Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, of
  Matthias, or even of some others besides these,
  and the Acts of Andrew and John and the other
  apostles. To none of these has any who belonged
  to the succession of ecclesiastical writers ever
  thought it right to refer in his writings.
• Moreover, the character of the style also is far
  removed from apostolic usage, and the thought and
  purport of their contents are completely out of
  harmony with true orthodoxy and clearly show
  themselves that they are the forgeries of
  heretics. For this reason they ought not to be
  reckoned among the spurious books, but are to be
  cast aside as altogether absurd and impious.

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The Gnostic Gospel

• Matter is evil, a prison
• Created by a lesser deity
• Jesus only appeared to be human
• He was opposed to the deity who created the
  worldand who inspired the Old Testament
• He taught a way to be freed from this prison
• Hidden knowledge, known only to a special few

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Gnostic Gospels

• Simon Peter said to them, Make Mary leave us,
  for females don't deserve life. Jesus said,
  Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that
  she too may become a living spirit resembling you
  males. For every female who makes herself male
  will enter the kingdom of Heaven." Gospel of
  Thomas
• But you will exceed all of them. For you will
  sacrifice the man that clothes me. Gospel of
  Judas
• And the Lord screamed out, saying 'My power, O
  power, you have forsaken me.' And having said
  this, he was taken up. Gospel of Peter

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Gnostic Gospel of Philip

• And the companion of the saviour is Mary
  Magdalene. Christ loved her more than all the
  disciples and used to kiss her often on her
  mouth.

Dan Browns Version
Genuine Translation
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Marcion

• Rome, ca. 144
• Not Gnostic, but anti-Jewish
• God of OT a lesser god, or demiurge, distinct
  from the God and Father of Jesus
• Against marriage
• Accepted only Luke (without first two chapters),
  and ten Epistles of Paul

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Which Sources Are Reliable?
From the Passion of Jesus to

• Epistles of Paul
• 20 years
• First Gospel
• 35 years
• End of NT
• 65 years
• Gnostic Gospels
• 100 to 300 years

1986 Challenger
1972 Watergate
1941 Pearl Harbor
1906 SF Earthquake 1706 Franklin Born
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Dan Brown Claims
Before Constantine, Jesus was viewed by His
followers as a mortal prophet. Jesus
establishment as the Son of God was officially
proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea.
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Scripture on Jesus Divinity

• The eternal Word, through whom all things were
  made (John 11-3 )
• Jesus is Kyrios (Phil 211, 1 Cor 123)
• The eternal Son, through whom he created the
  world. The angels worship him (Heb 11, 6)

• Before all things, created all things, in him all
  things hold together (Col 115)
• Before Abraham was, I AM (John 858)
• He claimed to be the Son of God (John 197)
• He shall judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 41)

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What Did Nicea Decide?

• Jesus is of the same substance as the Father
  (homoousios), not just of a similar substance
  (homoiousios).
• Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father he
  did not have a beginning.
• Final vote 316 - 2.

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Dan Brown Claims
Constantines new Bible omitted those gospels
that spoke of Christs human traits and
embellished those gospels that made Him godlike.
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Scripture on Jesus Humanity

• He emptied himself, humbled himself to death
  (Philippians 25-11)
• He shared our flesh and blood, like us in every
  respect he suffered, and so can sympathize with
  our weakness (Heb 214-18 414-16)
• Those who deny the incarnation are antichrist (1
  John41-3)

• The Word was made flesh (John 114)
• He was hungry (Matt 42)
• He wept (John 1135)
• He died (Matt 2750, Mark 1537, Luke 2346, John
  1930)
• After his resurrection he could be touched and
  could eat (Luke 2439-43 John 2027)