The Da Vinci Hoax (14)

A Brief List of Further Mistakes

Margaret M. Mitchell is Associate Professor of New Testament and the Chair of the Department of New Testament and Early Christian Literature at the University of Chicago. In an article for the journal Sightings entitled, "Cracking the Da Vinci Code," (Sept. 23, 2003) she listed a number of statements from Brown's book that are factually in a "gray area" ("where complex issues are misrepresented and distorted") and others that are "patently inaccurate." Her list is nowhere near complete, nor is it meant to be. In fact it is garnered from just three chapters (81-83) of the 105-chapter book (106 if you include the epilogue). Below are the "patently inaccurate" claims, a few of which we have already discussed.

* In his own lifetime Jesus "inspired millions to better lives" (p.231)

* There were "more than eighty gospels" (p.231)

* "The earliest Christian records" were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (including gospels) and Nag Hammadi texts (pp.234, 245)

* The Nag Hammadi texts "speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms" (p.234)

* The marriage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus is "a matter of historical record" (p.244)

* Constantine invented the divinity of Jesus and excluded all gospels but the four canonical ones

* Constantine made Christianity "the official religion" of the Roman Empire (p.232);

* Constantine coined the term "heretic" (p.234);

* "Rome's official religion was sun worship" (p.232).

* In his own lifetime Jesus "inspired millions to better lives" (p.231)

* There were "more than eighty gospels" (p.231)

* "The earliest Christian records" were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (including gospels) and Nag Hammadi texts (pp.234, 245)

* The Nag Hammadi texts "speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms" (p.234)

* The marriage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus is "a matter of historical record" (p.244)

* Constantine invented the divinity of Jesus and excluded all gospels but the four canonical ones

* Constantine made Christianity "the official religion" of the Roman Empire (p.232);

* Constantine coined the term "heretic" (p.234);

* "Rome's official religion was sun worship" (p.232).

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