More on the Da Vinci Code

An Opinion Research Business poll just published shows that over a third of those millions of Britons who have read the book are “significantly” more suspicious of the Catholic Church – that’s around a couple of million!

We highlighted last week how the basic dishonesty of Dan Brown who gets very basic, easily avai-lable facts wrong whilst claiming to have worked hard to be “fair and balanced” in these areas. One good that can come out of the evil of his completely unfounded calumnies concerning living people and the Christian Faith is that a lot of discussion about our faith has resulted. It’s a chance for us all to grow in our knowledge of the faith which is so important today. So we must inform ourselves.

There is a relevant article by Fr Joe Carola, who spoke very well at our parish meeting last Friday, in the current issue of FAITH magazine (as well as an editorial on it) which is in our newspaper rack, and some CTS pamphlets on the subject in our pamphlet rack. Fr Carola’s article interestingly uses the Early Church Fathers to refute Dan Brown’s fictional theses about the early Church.

Our auxiliary Bishop Alan Hopes has encouraged Parish Priests to pass on the below five points.

Five Facts You Should Know – from our Bishop
· The four New Testament Gospels (known as ‘canonical’) were written in the first century AD. Some scholars consider the Gospel of John may have been completed in the early years of the second century AD.
· These Gospels speak of Mary Magdalene as healed by Jesus, as a companion of Jesus, and as one of those who met the Risen Jesus.
· Other Gospels (known as ‘apocryphal’) were written by members of new sects in the second half of the second century. These Gospels were never accepted by the Church as authentic traditions about Jesus - for they frequently give exaggerated accounts, and portrayals of Jesus.
· Among these, the Gospel of Philip speaks of Mary Magdalene as a ‘companion’ of Jesus. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene narrates a dispute between her and the apostles about a vision given to her.
· No Gospel, whether canonical or apocryphal, ever speaks of marriage between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, nor does any Gospel ever refer to them having a child.
P.S. from Fr Hugh: The claim of the Catholic Church to teach with Christ’s authority is indeed founded upon His divinity and His remaining with us by his Spirit after his Ascension. His claim to divinity is indeed founded upon the Gospels but also the whole Judaeo-Christian interpretation of history as having the purpose of fulfilling the human mind and heart.