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Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?
Part 3
Bill Petro
your friendly neighborhood historian
www.billpetro.com/davinci
11/28/2004 2
Where is it?
www.billpetro.com/davinci
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Agenda:
• What was Gnosticism?
• Were other Gnostic/Hidden/Lost/Secret Gospels
a legitimate expression of Christianity?
• How did we really get the New Testament?
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What was Gnosticism?
• Gnosis
• Platonic
• Dualism
• Aeons, demiurge
• Spark of divinity
• Guide into Truth
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Were other (Gnostic) Gospels a legitimate expression of
Christianity?
• Where were they discovered?
• Were they suppressed in the 4th century?
• Can they help us understand Jesus?
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Nag Hammadi
Nag Hammadi
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Constantine “paid” for Bibles
• Financed scribes to copy 50 copies of
the Bible for use in Constantinople
• Constantine burned writings of Arius
• Eusebius’ list
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“Other” Gospels
• Nag Hammadi Library, James M. Robinson• The Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels• Lost Scriptures, Bart D. Ehrman• The Other Gospels, Ron Cameron• The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Jean-Yves
Leloup• The Infancy Gospels of James and Thomas,
Ronald F. Hock
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“Value” of other Gospels
• Writings of Apostolic Fathers and Post-
Apostolic Fathers (late 1st, early 2nd Centuries)
• Popular 3rd class literary entertainment (2nd
and 3rd Centuries)
• Heretical books, especially of a Gnostic nature
(2nd – 4th Centuries)
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Dates of Gospels
• Mark: AD 40 – 65
• Luke: AD 60 – 85
• Matthew: AD 70 – 90
• John: AD 86 – 100
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NT vs. Antiquities
• NT 5,600 AD 100 AD 140
• Gallic Wars 10 BC 58 AD 900
• Livy 20 AD 17 AD 300
• Tacitus 12 AD 100 AD 1000
• Thucydides 8 BC 400 AD 900
Copies Written Earliest copy
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New Testament Canon
• Rule, “Ruler” = list
• Clement, Bishop of Rome – AD 90
• Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch – AD 115
• Polycarp – AD 155
• Origen – AD 230
• Officially confirmed in its present and final form by the 3rd Council of Carthage in AD 397
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Why a Canon?
• Dealing with Heresy – Doctrine
• Reading in Churches – Devotion
• Surrendering to Authorities – Persecution
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Tests:
• Apostolicity: Had been written by an apostle or specifically approved by the apostles.
• Acceptance: A history of continuous and widespread approval amongst Christians
• Conformity: to the Old Testament scriptures and Apostles’ rule of faith.
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How:
• Letters from apostles were written and received in churches, copied and circulated
• Growing group of books were recognized as inspired Scripture
• By end of 1st century all 27 NT books were written and received by the churches
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Then:
• A generation after the Apostolic Age, every book of the NT had been cited as authoritative by a Church Father
• Debates continued into the 4th century, until Athanasius’ Easter letter in AD 367
• Ratified by the Council of Hippo - AD 393,3rd Council of Carthage - AD 397
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Bibliography
• The New Testament Documents: are they reliable?
F.F. BruceInter-Varsity Press
• Christian History Magazine, Issue 51Heresy in the Early Church
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Q&A
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