DA VINCI CODE AUTHOR GOES AT IT AGAIN: JESUS MARRIED?
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Jenifer Johnston of the Sunday Herald writes: "Author Dan Brown is set to reignite controversy over his besteller The Da Vinci Code today, by defending claims he makes in the book that Jesus Christ married and had a child.
"In a rare television interview to be broadcast tonight on the National Geographic Channel, Brown reaffirms his ‘belief’ in book’s key theory – that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and their French-born child started a blood line stretching to the present day. Critics have denounced the new claims as ‘bonkers’."
Author Dan Brown offers Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ wife. The two have a child. And so it goes.
I got the book the other day from the public library. After all, there’s much fuss about it these days. This too shall pass; but for the time being, it’s one of those subjects talked about.
I find the novel an exceptional read. Now I want to read his other book, ANGELS & DEMONS.
However, what I want to get to in this piece is that the Bible does not present Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus nor Jesus as mere mortal husband to her. The Bible has few references to Mary Magdalene. Of course, regarding Jesus, the Bible presents Him as divine as well as mortal.
The divinity of Jesus is quite another topic for another write-up, especially in light of Brown’s presenting through his characters that Jesus is other than deity. But that’s what novelists can do; they can write their own imaginative whatevers and get by with it. After all, Brown’s not penning as a theologian, even though there are too many liberal theologians who agree with his base, that is, that Jesus was mere mortal, not divine. But, as I state, that’s for another article.
This emphasis has to do with the woman — Mary Magdalene. She is offered by Brown, and of course other writers, as a prostitute. The Bible states nowhere that she was a prostitute.
She, as already offered, is pictured by Brown’s characters as the spouse to Jesus. Naturally, the Bible concludes no such fantasy. Brown insists that a Jew of Jesus’ age would never have entertained remaining a bachelor; therefore it is only logical to conclude that he married, hence Mary Magdalene being his wife.
So go the weavings of a novelist’s meandering through the netherlands of the brain. Again, a novelist can get by with anything, not being an historian nor theologian.
But what I want to underline is what the Bible says about Mary Magdalene. I do this because I know Christians themselves are confused as to what Scripture states in comparison to what they’ve seen in movies and read in novels and heard in discussions. The other day I was speaking with a fellow believer who was quite surprised to realize that there is scant material in the Bible concerning the woman.
That’s the nub of it. There is little detail. Therefore, down through centuries, persons have added to her character in order to come up with one legend after another.
The same has happened with other sections of the Bible, for instance, there being three wise men, one of them black. There is no detail in the Bible stating the number of wise men. They could have been two or two hundred. And there is nothing in Scripture concerning one of them being black. Yet the nativity scenes beneath our trees record for us more than what we have taken the time to research in the Bible.
Let me state for you the Bible references concerning Mary Magdalene so that perchance you will do your own study on the subject. I would strongly recommend that you don’t take any prime material but what you yourself read from the Book: Matthew 27:56; Mark 16:9; 15:40; Luke 8:2-3; 23:49, John 19:25. These are few references. It would be helpful to read them.
In the Bible, there’s nothing about Mary Magdalene being a prostitute nor marrying Jesus nor having a child to Jesus. There’s nothing even stating that it was she who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears! And that’s one shocker to many, even believers.
We have been told in film and book that it was this female who was so thankful for Jesus’ forgiveness of her prostituting ways that she washed His feet with her tears. Yes, there was a woman who did wash His feet with tears. In fact, there could have been two women who did that for such is mentioned in two separate passages. But Mary Magdalene is not mentioned by name in those sections.
(Traditionally, Roman Catholics have tended to identify Mary Magdalene as the woman washing Jesus’ feet. Protestants have tended to separate Mary Magdalene from the woman who washed Jesus’ feet.)
Therefore, back to the pure biblical detail residue: Mary Magdalene was one of the women who accompanied Jesus in His ministry. She was there at the base of the cross and witnessed Him laid in a borrowed tomb. She was honored to be the first seen by Jesus after His resurrection. And Jesus cast seven devils out of her. That’s it.
What was the nature of the seven devils? We don’t know. What was Mary Magdalene’s previous history? We don’t know. Where did she come from? Magdala. What did she do in years after the resurrection? We don’t know. Did she wash Jesus’ feet with her tears? We are not told in the Bible that she washed Jesus’ feet.
Who then washed Jesus’ feet with her tears?
Mary of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus, washed His feet on one occasion. Then an anonymous female, mentioned simply as "a sinner," washed His feet.
Could the two references have been to the same woman? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Nevertheless, Mary Magdalene is not mentioned in either reference. Not at all. It’s been conjectured that she was in those scenes. However, the Bible does not locate her in those scenes.
I think, after hearing some people talk about reading Brown’s book, that these individuals know very little about the Bible detail regarding both Jesus and Mary Magdalene. I hear them give forth with their opinions of Brown’s novel as if he had penned an historical account — that is, historically accurate on all levels. I know that the author does state that references to "artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals" as well as certain organizations stated in his book actually exist; but as to Jesus and Mary Magdalene, for instance, Brown through his characters weaves his own notions.
Sometimes he is just plain incorrect. For instance, when he states through one of the characters that nowhere in the Bible does it confirm Jesus’ divinity, he (the novel’s character) is all wrong. A ream of passages — chapters and verses — could be provided pointing to Jesus’ divinity.
However, to further his plot, Brown goes on his way with warping through characters’ statements the biblical detail, negating it, suppressing it, or whatever he finds convenient to do with it in order to further his thesis that Jesus was mere mortal husband married to Mary Magdalene.
And so it goes when writing a novel, using characters to convey religious this and that.
In conclusion: read the novels about Jesus. But do so having researched the Bible to know truly the specifics set forth in that Book. One does not have to believe the Bible to be inspired truth. But at least an intelligent person reading books referencing the Bible should themselves know the Bible from cover to cover if concluding anything about it and its subjects.
Jenifer Johnston of the Sunday Herald writes: "Author Dan Brown is set to reignite controversy over his besteller The Da Vinci Code today, by defending claims he makes in the book that Jesus Christ married and had a child.
"In a rare television interview to be broadcast tonight on the National Geographic Channel, Brown reaffirms his ‘belief’ in book’s key theory – that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and their French-born child started a blood line stretching to the present day. Critics have denounced the new claims as ‘bonkers’."
Author Dan Brown offers Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ wife. The two have a child. And so it goes.
I got the book the other day from the public library. After all, there’s much fuss about it these days. This too shall pass; but for the time being, it’s one of those subjects talked about.
I find the novel an exceptional read. Now I want to read his other book, ANGELS & DEMONS.
However, what I want to get to in this piece is that the Bible does not present Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus nor Jesus as mere mortal husband to her. The Bible has few references to Mary Magdalene. Of course, regarding Jesus, the Bible presents Him as divine as well as mortal.
The divinity of Jesus is quite another topic for another write-up, especially in light of Brown’s presenting through his characters that Jesus is other than deity. But that’s what novelists can do; they can write their own imaginative whatevers and get by with it. After all, Brown’s not penning as a theologian, even though there are too many liberal theologians who agree with his base, that is, that Jesus was mere mortal, not divine. But, as I state, that’s for another article.
This emphasis has to do with the woman — Mary Magdalene. She is offered by Brown, and of course other writers, as a prostitute. The Bible states nowhere that she was a prostitute.
She, as already offered, is pictured by Brown’s characters as the spouse to Jesus. Naturally, the Bible concludes no such fantasy. Brown insists that a Jew of Jesus’ age would never have entertained remaining a bachelor; therefore it is only logical to conclude that he married, hence Mary Magdalene being his wife.
So go the weavings of a novelist’s meandering through the netherlands of the brain. Again, a novelist can get by with anything, not being an historian nor theologian.
But what I want to underline is what the Bible says about Mary Magdalene. I do this because I know Christians themselves are confused as to what Scripture states in comparison to what they’ve seen in movies and read in novels and heard in discussions. The other day I was speaking with a fellow believer who was quite surprised to realize that there is scant material in the Bible concerning the woman.
That’s the nub of it. There is little detail. Therefore, down through centuries, persons have added to her character in order to come up with one legend after another.
The same has happened with other sections of the Bible, for instance, there being three wise men, one of them black. There is no detail in the Bible stating the number of wise men. They could have been two or two hundred. And there is nothing in Scripture concerning one of them being black. Yet the nativity scenes beneath our trees record for us more than what we have taken the time to research in the Bible.
Let me state for you the Bible references concerning Mary Magdalene so that perchance you will do your own study on the subject. I would strongly recommend that you don’t take any prime material but what you yourself read from the Book: Matthew 27:56; Mark 16:9; 15:40; Luke 8:2-3; 23:49, John 19:25. These are few references. It would be helpful to read them.
In the Bible, there’s nothing about Mary Magdalene being a prostitute nor marrying Jesus nor having a child to Jesus. There’s nothing even stating that it was she who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears! And that’s one shocker to many, even believers.
We have been told in film and book that it was this female who was so thankful for Jesus’ forgiveness of her prostituting ways that she washed His feet with her tears. Yes, there was a woman who did wash His feet with tears. In fact, there could have been two women who did that for such is mentioned in two separate passages. But Mary Magdalene is not mentioned by name in those sections.
(Traditionally, Roman Catholics have tended to identify Mary Magdalene as the woman washing Jesus’ feet. Protestants have tended to separate Mary Magdalene from the woman who washed Jesus’ feet.)
Therefore, back to the pure biblical detail residue: Mary Magdalene was one of the women who accompanied Jesus in His ministry. She was there at the base of the cross and witnessed Him laid in a borrowed tomb. She was honored to be the first seen by Jesus after His resurrection. And Jesus cast seven devils out of her. That’s it.
What was the nature of the seven devils? We don’t know. What was Mary Magdalene’s previous history? We don’t know. Where did she come from? Magdala. What did she do in years after the resurrection? We don’t know. Did she wash Jesus’ feet with her tears? We are not told in the Bible that she washed Jesus’ feet.
Who then washed Jesus’ feet with her tears?
Mary of Bethany, sister to Martha and Lazarus, washed His feet on one occasion. Then an anonymous female, mentioned simply as "a sinner," washed His feet.
Could the two references have been to the same woman? Perhaps. But perhaps not. Nevertheless, Mary Magdalene is not mentioned in either reference. Not at all. It’s been conjectured that she was in those scenes. However, the Bible does not locate her in those scenes.
I think, after hearing some people talk about reading Brown’s book, that these individuals know very little about the Bible detail regarding both Jesus and Mary Magdalene. I hear them give forth with their opinions of Brown’s novel as if he had penned an historical account — that is, historically accurate on all levels. I know that the author does state that references to "artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals" as well as certain organizations stated in his book actually exist; but as to Jesus and Mary Magdalene, for instance, Brown through his characters weaves his own notions.
Sometimes he is just plain incorrect. For instance, when he states through one of the characters that nowhere in the Bible does it confirm Jesus’ divinity, he (the novel’s character) is all wrong. A ream of passages — chapters and verses — could be provided pointing to Jesus’ divinity.
However, to further his plot, Brown goes on his way with warping through characters’ statements the biblical detail, negating it, suppressing it, or whatever he finds convenient to do with it in order to further his thesis that Jesus was mere mortal husband married to Mary Magdalene.
And so it goes when writing a novel, using characters to convey religious this and that.
In conclusion: read the novels about Jesus. But do so having researched the Bible to know truly the specifics set forth in that Book. One does not have to believe the Bible to be inspired truth. But at least an intelligent person reading books referencing the Bible should themselves know the Bible from cover to cover if concluding anything about it and its subjects.
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