The Truth of the Gospel of Judas (April 23rd, 2006)

5 Claims of the DaVinci Code (May 7th, 2006)

where nobody stands alone

(May 14th,  2006)

Focal Passage:  Ephesians 4: 14 – 16 (NAS) 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Why is it that things like DaVinci Code and Gospel of Judas are so interesting? I would like to answer that today by looking at the Gospel of Judas 1. Do not be decieved by everything labeled “Christian” a. What does the Gospel of Judas say i. The document purports to be written by Judas, even though it certainly was written long after Judas's death. ii. Jesus asked Judas to betray Him so that He could escape His body and return to God. iii. The Gnostic character of the text is immediately evident. In his supposed conversations with Judas, Jesus speaks in Gnostic categories such as "aeons" and an "eternal realm." Judas is identified as the "thirteenth spirit" who was appointed by God to be the agent of releasing Jesus from the physical body in which He was trapped in the incarnation. iv. Judas would perform a service to Jesus by betraying Him to those who would then crucify Him, liberating Jesus from the physical body and freeing Him as spirit. b. False doctrine - false doctrine, which may be compared to wind for its lightness and emptiness, and for its swelling and puffing nature, c. Hebrews 13: 9 (NIV) - Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. d. Illustration: Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans Beans  = vegetable Sugar is derived from either sugar cane or sugar BEETS. Both of them are plants, in the vegetable category.  Thus, chocolate is a vegetable. To go one step further, chocolate candy bars also contain milk, which is dairy.  So candy bars are a health food. Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as may as you want. Remember … “Stressed” spelled backward is “Desserts” 2. Accurately connect with the family of God a. Incorrect teaching can keep us from making a full connection to God. b. What is it about the gospel of Judas that is not correct so we shouldn’t connect with it as authoritative? i. Why isn’t it correct? c. why we think The Gospel of Judas does not tell us anything about the historical Judas or the historical Jesus. i. The Irenaus factor 1. Irenaeus, in A.D. 180, the Bishop of Lyons, was the most influential Christian thinker of his day , and it was his Rule of Faith that led eventually to the classical Christian Creeds, like the Nicene Creed. Irenaeus faced some Christians who threatened the Rule of Faith because they were adopting gnostic ideas. ii. The Cainites Connection 1. Now Irenaeus spoke of what may have been a kind of Gnosticism, called the Cainites, who revered folks like Cain, Esau, Korah, the Sodomites and others who were cast as evil characters in the biblical story. a. the Cainites were connected to what Irenaeus calls the "Gospel of Judas." 2. The particular sect thought to be associated with the origin of the gospel of Judas was known as the Cainites. The peculiar teachings of this sect included the rehabilitation of many characters presented negatively in the Bible -- starting with Cain. In essence, the Cainites attempted to take the negative figures of the Bible and present them in a heroic light. 3. Metropolitan Bishop, leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, dismissed the gospel of Judas as "non-Christian babbling resulting from a group of people trying to create a false 'amalgam' between the Greek mythology and Far East religions with Christianity . . . They were written by a group of people who were aliens to the main Christian stream of the early Christianity. These texts are neither reliable nor accurate Christian texts, as they are historically and logically alien to the main Christian thinking and philosophy of the early and present Christians." iii. The Gnostic aspect 1. Scholars of all stripes agree on this: the Judas of The Gospel of Judas is contrived; the theology of the text is second century at the earliest; the relationship of Jesus to Judas is not as this text says it is. 2. The most remarkable feature of this text is its thoroughly Gnostic character. a. How?  B/c of what it claims and how it was written i. Most scholars agree that the gospel of Judas was originally written in Greek, and later translated into Coptic. This was the common history of many Gnostic texts, (this gospel was written in the tradition of Gnostic works) ii. The concept of secret and mysterious knowledge was central to Gnostic sects. 3. What they agree on is that this text tells us about a kind of Gnosticism (or gnostic Christianity) in the second century. But it does not tell us about Jesus or the real Judas. 4. In essence, the Gnostics sought to escape the material world and to enter the world of spirit. 5. this Gnostic gospel is in direct conflict with the Christian Gospel and the New Testament. The consistent witness of the New Testament is that Jesus came in order to die for sinners -- willingly accepting the cross and dying as the substitutionary sacrifice for sin. 6. This redemptive action is completely missing from the gospel of Judas. For that reason, the text was rejected by early Christian leaders. 7. old Gnosticisms are continually repackaged and "rediscovered" even as new forms of Gnostic thought emerge in our postmodern culture. d. Be useful to the body of Christ and mature in your faith and connect to the body e. v. 16 – for you to be useful to the body of Christ, you must mature in your faith. f. effectual working--(Ephesians 1:19, 3:7). According to the effectual working of grace in each member (or else, rather, "according to each several member's working"), proportioned to the measure of its need of supply. g. Colossians 2: 18 – 19 (NIV) - 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. i. There are people that believe wrongly about Christianity, so they are no longer connected to the Head. 1. How do you know that epiphany is connected? a. The Word. h. How do you accurately connect to the family of God like epiphany? i. Correct 1. you (along with the leaders) make sure that everything that epiphany does is Bible centered. ii. Commitment 1. you are committed with attendance, serving others, tithing, and personal discipleship. 2. Vision statement A Place Where Nobody Stands Alone. It is the dream of a place with more than 800 ministering members mobilized to encourage, support, love and accept one another.  A message so simplistic in its sincerity yet so powerful in its connotation will always ring true.  That message is that this is a place where nobody stands alone. 3. We need to be relevant – socially active (It is your job to make epiphany relevant) a. Why is it relevant? i. This generation wants to believe it because they can't believe in the Church, because they can't believe the Church's story about itself is reliable and true and trustworthy. 1. We live in a generation that learned common human decency from Mr. Rogers and from Sesame Street. 2. These folks were good, they were kind, they treated people with respect, they were tolerant, and they were taught by such TV shows that honesty is required. 3. But this same generation observes, on the same TV, the scandals of televangelists, the defrocking of pedophile priests, and the impotence of local churches to make a difference. 4. If Mr. Rogers is telling the truth, they conclude, then the Church isn't. ii. The Gospel of Judas comes at the right time for a generation in search of the truth: it feeds the fuel of a generation that is wondering if the Church will step up to the plate. iii. The only thing this generation will believe is a Story that is made true by local churches that live out that Story in such a way that it becomes a living, credible Story for a new generation. b. To the church of Ephesus:  Revelaion 2:  4 – 5 (NAS) 4 `But I have this against you, that you have left R82 your first love. 5 `Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent R83 and do R84 the deeds F16 you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand R85 out of its place--unless you repent c. You have lost your first love. i. You have taken your focus off of the work of Christ. ii. You no longer desire and thirst for Christ. iii. That means you only desire for yourself. iv. We must be a place that always desires connection with God. v. A place that always has its lampstand for the community to see. 1. We need to always be a light to our community 2. That means:  divorce care, food closet. 3. Evangelism testimony a. Buiilding a relationship with neighbor that came to tell me that he thought my dogs were out of the pin.

Week 2 – Cracking the DaVinci Code Vision The Individual effects the Collective It is the dream of a place that embraces the growth of the individual and the collective. This is a place that will intently reproduce 12 small groups per year and one church plant per year for the purpose of creating more stations of growth and relationships for the individual and the collective.  It is a dream of seeing people come into the church and being mobilized for everyday ministry, then sending them out to do that ministry.  With every church plant, 10% of the resources and people will be accompanied with it to provide a strong launch. Evangelism Steph having the opportunity because of how she walked her Christianity. Philosopher quote        “Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.”   John Lennon quotes (English Singer, Songwriter and Political activist, member of the "Beatles", 1940-1980) Today will be less preaching and more teaching.  We need to prepare ourselves for the claims of the DaVinci Code.  I remember two weeks ago I stood before you saying that I would not go and see the movie.  I need to recant that statement.  I likened it to Phil. 4: 13 and the filth of pornography, but that was not an accurate comparison.  If watching the movie will allow more spiritual conversation with someone, then I need to watch it.  Because someone could ask me, what I thought of the movie.  Then I can say, well I liked the cinematography, the effects and the acting.  Then they will probably ask, well what do you think about what it claims.  Then I can say well it claims some interesting things, but none are more true than the claims of the National Treasure, where Nicolas Cage claimed that there was some hidden map on the back of the constitution. 1 Peter 3: 14 – 16 (NAS) 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. Week 2 – Gnosticism and Five Major Claims of the DaVinci Code I. Claims of Gnosticism a. The doctrine of salvation by knowledge. This definition, based on the etymology of the word (gnosis "knowledge", b. Gnosticism is thinly disguised Pantheism. c. The DaVinci Code, Gospel of Judas and others promote Gnosticism 5 Major Claims of the DaVinci Code II. The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine. a. Fact Check i. Are there “more than eighty gospels” as Brown claims? 1. There are less than 20 books that could be considered “gospels.” ii. Are these other gospels “earlier” than the 4 in the NT as Brown claims? 1. There is no evidence that any of these other gospels were written in the first century AD.  2. The earliest of the others is the Gospel of Thomas.  a. Most scholars date Thomas to the beg-mid of the 2nd century. b. Nearly all scholars date the 4 NT Gospels to the 1st century. b. Is today’s Bible the result of the Roman emperor Constantine (4th Century)? i. How did the books & letters of the Bible become one volume? 1. First Recognition of NT Writings a. Paul quotes the Gospel of Luke and refers to it as Scripture (1 Tim 5:18). b. Peter refers to the writings of Paul as Scripture (2 Pet 3:16). c. AD 70-150.  Apostolic Fathers.  Some knew the apostles (Peter and John).  The AF’s specifically quote from at least 17 books and letters in the NT. d. AD 125.  Polycarp quotes Ephesians twice and refers to it as part of the “Sacred Scriptures.” 2. Lists of Authoritative Works a. AD 140.  Marcion compiled a canon that included one Gospel (a large portion of Luke that had been heavily altered) and 10 of Paul’s letters.  b. AD 180.  Muratorian Canon Fragment consists of 23 books and letters. c. AD 185.  Irenaeus recognized 22 books and letters d. AD 200. Tertullian recognized 22 books and letters e. AD 225. Hippolytus recognized 22 books and letters f. AD 230.  Origen recognized 24 books and letters g. AD 325.  Eusebius lists 22 books and letters accepted as canonical h. AD 367.  Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, lists the 27 books and letters of the NT we now have today  (1st list of the 27 we have today.  Notice that it’s after the Counsel of Nicaea.) i. AD 380. Amphilocius of Iconium lists 22 books and letters j. AD 382.  Synod in Rome.  Pope Damascus; same 27 k. AD 397. 3rd Council of Carthage recognized the 27 books and letters of the NT l. AD 1442.  Council of Florence; same 27 m. AD 1546.  Council of Trent reaffirms 27 books and letters. 3. What the lists had in common a. All accepted the 4 NT Gospels as the true Gospels. b. All accepted Paul’s letters as authoritative. c. 4 NT Gospels were considered authoritative by the early Church d. Justin (c. AD 150) i. 15 times referred to the Gospels as the “memoirs of the apostles.”  ii. In several of these references he cites stories or quotes found in the 4 Gospels. iii. When referring to the “memoirs,” he never cites a story that occurs in another Gospel. e. Irenaeus (c. AD 185) i. Gospel is “quadriform” ii. Even the heretics accepted the 4 NT Gospels f. Ebionites used Matthew (2nd cent) g. Marcion used Luke (AD 140) h. Certain Gnostics used Mark (2-3rd cent) i. Valentinus used John (AD 110) j. Tatian (Gnostic) combined Matthew, Mark, Luke, John into the Diatessaron, the first attempt to combine the four into one continuous Gospel.  None of the other Gospels were included.  (AD 172) 4. All of these predated the Council of Nicaea by 153-215 yrs! a. Certain Gospels were specifically rejected by the Church prior to Nicaea i. Origen (AD 185-254): “I know a certain gospel which is called The Gospel according to Thomas and a Gospel according to Matthias, and many others have we read….  Nevertheless, among all these we have approved solely what the church has recognized, which is that only the four gospels should be accepted.” 5. What about the “lost books” of the Bible? a. Gospel of Thomas b. Gospel of Peter c. Apocalypse of Peter d. Gospel to the Hebrews e. Gospel of Barnabas f. Gospel of Phillip g. Gospel of Mary h. etc. 6. Not Considered Authoritative a. The only book thought to exist prior to the middle of the 2nd century is the Gospel of Thomas.  All the others were written more than 100 years after Jesus. b. Teachings in these differ from what we know the apostles taught c. Never quoted by any known author during first 300 years after Christ d. Never read in Christian assemblies e. Not included in the lists of accepted books & letters f. Not the subject of commentaries g. Some were specifically rejected by the Church c. Fact Check i. No evidence that other Gospels existed before mid-2nd century (lone exception of Thomas), whereas all 4 NT Gospels were written in 1st century. ii. 4 Gospels & Paul’s letters were recognized as authoritative since the 2nd century: 100-150 yrs prior to Council of Nicaea iii. Debate over the other books & letters wasn’t solved with Constantine at Nicaea.  Rather, it went on for several more centuries. II. The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.” a. Multiple checks & balances have ensured this did not occur. b. New Testament i. 5,000+ Greek Manuscripts (some very early) ii. 25,000+ manuscripts in other languages (e.g., Latin, Coptic, Syriac) iii. 30,000+ quotations of New Testament within 300 years of Jesus from Church Fathers iv. Variant Readings 1. “Let us pursue (diw,kwmen) the things that make peace.” 2. “We pursue (diw,komen) the things that make peace.” 3. “Pursue (diw,kete) the things that make peace.” v. Conclusions to New Testament Textual Criticism 1. Text is 97% pure/authentic. 2. When guidelines of textual criticism are applied, scholars can reproduce a text that is roughly 98.5% pure to what the original said. 3. The remaining 1.5% is mostly matters of spelling and word order and impact no major doctrine or practice. c. Old Testament i. Masoretic Text ii. Samaritan Pentateuch iii. LXX iv. Dead Sea Scrolls v. OT citations in the NT vi. Conclusions to Old Testament Textual Criticism 1. Approximately 90% of OT is without variation 2. When textual criticism applied, scholars can reproduce a text that is 95% pure to the originals. 3. The remaining 5% is mostly matters of spelling and word order and impact no major doctrine or practice. d. Fact Check (Major Claim #2: The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.”) i. The Bible we have today is a near perfect representation of what was originally written.  No part in question impacts any major doctrine or how we practice our faith. ii. For the most part, translations are fresh attempts at presenting the biblical text from different angles. III. Christianity borrowed its major doctrines from pagan religions (e.g., Son of God, Resurrection). a. Fact Check: b. It is true that accounts exist of pagan gods who rose from the dead. i. None of these pre-date Jesus ii. None of these are contemporary w/Jesus iii. All post-date Jesus by at least 100+ years iv. Who’s copying who? c. Even Sunday for worship was borrowed from pagan religions i. Fact Check: ii. First Christians were Jews.  They already worshipped on Saturday.  iii. If some Christians were so picky about shunning paganism that they wouldn’t eat meat sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 10), they wouldn’t change their day of worship in conformity w/pagan practice! iv. Nearly every scholar agrees that the change from Saturday to Sunday worship was to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. v. By the mid 1st-century this change had occurred (1 Cor 16:2; Acts 20:7). d. Quick Review of discussion so far i. The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine. ii. The Bible has “evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions.” iii. Christianity borrowed its major doctrines from pagan religions (e.g., Son of God, Resurrection). IV. Jesus as the Son of God did not become a Christian doctrine until it was brought up and approved at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.  A vote was taken and the position that Jesus is divine barely passed. a. Questions to Ask: i. Did Christians view Jesus only as a great man and prophet until the Council of Nicaea in AD 325? ii. Was the vote a close one? b. Fact Check: i. Nearly every scholar holds that the Gospels and Paul’s letters were written in the 1st cent. If these Gospels and letters refer to Jesus as the divine Son of God, then we know Christians thought of him this way more than 225 years prior to Nicaea. ii. The earliest reference to Jesus as Son of God is by Paul in Romans 1:3-4: 1. “Was born from the seed of David according to the flesh, was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord.” iii. Paul wrote Romans in AD 60. 1. So, we know that Jesus was being thought of as the Son of God by then. 2. But, scholars recognize that these verses are an earlier oral tradition which Paul included in his letter, which means the belief that Jesus is the Son of God is even earlier than AD 60. c. But we can go back even to Jesus! d. Matthew 20: 1 – 16 – The Parable of the Vineyard i. What did Jesus say in this parable? 1. Vineyard = Israel 2. Owner = God 3. Tenants = Jewish Leaders 4. Servants = Prophets 5. Son = Jesus is greater than the prophets.  He is the Son of God. ii. Did Jesus really say this parable?  Yes. 1. If this parable was invented by the Church after the death of Jesus, we would expect the Jesus in the parable to say God would vindicate him by raising him from the dead.  e. Fact Check: i. Da Vinci Code: The doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God was invented and approved at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 (p. 233). ii. Facts: 1. Jesus himself claimed to be the Son of God. 2. Within 30 years of Jesus’ crucifixion, Paul and even earlier tradition were presenting Jesus as the divine Son of God. 3. Was it a close vote at Nicaea? a. In AD 318 in Alexandria Egypt, Arius argued that Jesus was created by God.  (His teaching on Jesus was adopted 1,500 years later by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.) b. There was a Christian bishop there named Alexander who later that year called a meeting of 100+ bishops to discuss the subject. c. They all voted that Arius was a heretic and removed him from his position of leadership in the Church. d. Arius wasn’t quiet over the matter and continued to spread his teaching that Jesus was created. e. The main subject for discussion at Nicaea was Arius’ teachings about Jesus. f. 318 bishops were present; Only 28 sided with Arius. V. Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper and a number of ancient documents provide clues that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. a. The Bible does not say that marriage is sinful.  i. Paul opposes those who forbid marriage then says everything created by God is good (1 Tim 4:3-4). ii. Paul said it is not a sin to marry (1 Cor 7:36) & mentioned that the other apostles and Jesus’ brothers were married (1 Cor 9:5). 1. Argument from silence a. If Jesus was married, then wouldn’t Paul have used our Lord as an example of marriage along with the apostle’s and His brothers? iii. Being single has the advantage of allowing one to be completely focused on ministry b. Paul (1 Cor 7:28-35). i. Jesus said if one wants to remain single for the sake of the kingdom, he or she should do so (Matt 19:12). ii. The NT seems to imply that Jesus was single. 1. some suggest the marriage at Cana was Jesus’ a. but it said that after the wedding feast Jesus left with His brothers and mother. b. Traditionally would he have left with them? iii. His mother, father, brothers, and sisters were mentioned.  Jesus being married or having a wife was never mentioned. iv. Jesus was always portrayed as being single. v. Although it was typical for Jewish men to marry, some of those who didn’t to better serve God were regarded highly (Josephus on the Essenes). c. In the absence of good evidence that Jesus was married, the most plausible position is that he was single. d. The Da Vinci Code, p. 245-46 e. Fact Check: i. The actual text quoted has many gaps that Brown filled in with an obvious agenda (Gospel of Philip): 1. And the companion of the […] Mary Magdalene.  […] her more than […] the disciples [… ] kiss her […] on her […head? hand? cheek? mouth?]. (Gospel of Philip 63:32-36) 2. And the companion of the [ ... Mary Magdalene. [... loved] her more than [all] the disciples [and used to] kiss her [often] on her 3. And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene. [...] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. ii. Brown refers to the Nag Hammadi mss & Dead Sea Scrolls as “The earliest Christian records.” 1. Dead Sea Scrolls are all Jewish documents; not one is Christian or even mentions Jesus. 2. Nag Hammadi manuscripts were all written in 4th century AD.  Many are Gnostic.  Gospel of Philip composed in latter half of 3rd century—200 yrs after four NT Gospels! 3. Although “companion” meant “spouse” in Aramaic, the Nag Hammadi mss were not in Aramaic. a. They were in Coptic (Egyptian). b. The word for “companion” was borrowed from Greek (koinonos). i. This word means a joint owner, partner, colleague, accomplice, companion (2 Cor 8:23; 1 Pet 5:1). ii. The word for wife or spouse is gyne. Extra material 4. Why does the Catholic Bible have more books? a. The difference is that the Catholic OT contains what is called the Apocrypha (hidden) b. These Jewish documents were respected by Jews for historical significance, but never considered by them to be inspired. c. When the Hebrew OT was translated into Greek in Alexandria Egypt, the Apocrypha was also translated and included in the Greek OT (Septuagint).  d. When the Catholic Church translated the OT into Latin (Vulgate), they used the Greek Septuagint rather than the Hebrew OT.  Thus, the  Apocrypha was naturally included. e. Protestants believe the Hebrew OT is more reliable than the Greek OT, since it was the original language.  Thus, our English translation does not include the Apocrypha.