The DaVinci Code

I know that a lot of debate and talk is going on about The DaVinci Code, both the book and the movie. I don't claim to be an expert at all, just a fellow student trying to understand the issue and respond correctly to it. This post will be followed later by a more refined term-paper-like edition, but the current post is just some preliminary stuff that I wrote down for my Sunday school class. Have fun studying it out, and let me know if it helps. Also, if you know of any good resources, blogs, etc. dealing with it, add it to the list. Oh, yeah, as the library always says: "just because we have it doesn't mean we agree with all of it;" the same applies for the sources I have.
First, some books:

The DaVinci Code
Dan Brown
Publisher: Doubleday, January 2003
ISBN: 0385504209

Breaking the Da Vinci Code: Answers to the questions everybody’s asking
Darrell L. Bock
Publisher: Thomas Nelson, 2004
ISBN: 0785260463

The Da Vinci Deception: credible answers to the questions millions are asking about Jesus, the Bible, and the Da Vinci Code
Erwin W. Lutzer
Tyndale House
ISBN: 0842384308

Just a couple of web sites:
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/last_suppe1/f/readthecode.htm
Says it should be taken as a work of fiction; some problems with facts.
http://contemporarylit.about.com/od/mysteryreviews/fr/daVinciCode.htm
Jonathan Lesser – a work of fiction, not meant for religion
http://www.catholic.com/library/cracking_da_vinci_code.asp
List of the problems the Catholic Church has
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop;_ylt=ApABeT6S_ac0QjlhjNz_NhpfVXcA?d=hv&cf=parentsguide&id=1808625216
(following from links in this site)
http://www.danbrown.com/novels/davinci_code/faqs.html
(Dan Brown’s response to some questions)
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2003/nov7.html
http://debrahaffner.blogspot.com/2006/05/skip-movie-davinci-code-part-3.html

Notes from New Testament Introduction class:

Tests of Canonicity:
Apostolicity – written by an Apostle or the close associate of one.
Antiquity – had to be from the first century or close to it (closely related to Apostolicity).
Orthodoxy – agree with the rest of Scripture, not contradict any of it.
Catholicity – recognized and used by the Church at large, not just an isolated group.
Inspiration – does it show marks of inspiration?

Church Fathers and Councils:
Origen (185-250) – homolegomena (four Gospels, the 13 Pauline letters, Acts, I Jn., I Pt.; antilegomena (Hebrews, James, II Pt., II & III Jn., Jude, Rev.); spurious (Gospels of the Egyptians, of Thomas, of Matthias)
Eusibius of Caesarea (260-340) – homolegomena (four Gospels, 14 Pauline letters [includes Heb.], Acts, I Jn., I Pt., Rev.); antilegomena (James, II & III Jn. II Pt., Jude); spurious (Shepherd of Hermes, Epistle of Barnabas, Didache, Apocalypse of Peter, Gospel of the Hebrews, Pseudopigraphal works)
Marcion’s Mutilated Canon (140) – Luke, 10 of Paul’s epistles (not the pastorals)
Moretorian Fragment (170) – Matt. and Mk. are missing but Luke referred to as 3^rd Gospel and John as fourth; Acts, I II & III Jn., Jude, Rev.
Chetterhan Manuscript (360) – All except II Pt., James, Jude
Athanasias’ Easter Letter (367) – All 27 books we now have
Council of Laodicea – 59^th and 60^th canons discussed here
59^th – only authoritative books can be read and discussed in the churches
60^th – lists all 27 books in current NT as authoritative
Council of Carthage (397) – Lists all 27 books as authoritative; Canon seen as closed after this.
- With the church history, homolegomena were the books accepted as inspired, antilegomena were books that were not accepted as inspired (by that person/group) but which were fine to read, and spurious were books that were definitely not inspired and not suitable to read. I'll have to look up my notes for a more precise definition and put it in a later post.