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Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? Part 3

Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? Part 3. Bill Petro your friendly neighborhood historian. www.billpetro.com/davinci. Where is it?. www.billpetro.com/davinci. Agenda:. What was Gnosticism? Were other Gnostic/Hidden/Lost/Secret Gospels a legitimate expression of Christianity?

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Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction? Part 3

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  1. Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?Part 3 Bill Petro your friendly neighborhood historian www.billpetro.com/davinci

  2. Where is it? www.billpetro.com/davinci

  3. Agenda: • What was Gnosticism? • Were other Gnostic/Hidden/Lost/Secret Gospels a legitimate expression of Christianity? • How did we really get the New Testament?

  4. What was Gnosticism? • Gnosis • Platonic • Dualism • Aeons, demiurge • Spark of divinity • Guide into Truth

  5. 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?

  6. Nag Hammadi Nag Hammadi

  7. Constantine “paid” for Bibles • Financed scribes to copy 50 copies of the Bible for use in Constantinople • Constantine burned writings of Arius • Eusebius’ list

  8. “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

  9. “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)

  10. Dates of Gospels • Mark: AD 40 – 65 • Luke: AD 60 – 85 • Matthew: AD 70 – 90 • John: AD 86 – 100

  11. NT vs. Antiquities CopiesWrittenEarliest copy • 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

  12. 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

  13. Why a Canon? • Dealing with Heresy – Doctrine • Reading in Churches – Devotion • Surrendering to Authorities – Persecution

  14. 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.

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. Bibliography • The New Testament Documents: are they reliable? F.F. Bruce Inter-Varsity Press • Christian History Magazine, Issue 51 Heresy in the Early Church

  18. Q&A

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