I asked Luke Timothy Johnson what happened in those 400 years. In fact, nearly 400 years passed after the life of Jesus of Nazareth before the North African Council of Carthage closed the Christian canon. There were many writings circulating among early Christians that didn’t make the cut. And there was one apocalyptic vision, the Book of Revelation, which almost didn’t make it into the canon. There are a number of letters from the apostle Paul to early churches and a handful of letters by other writers.
They include the Gospels - four distinct narratives about the life of Jesus, as well as the book of Acts, stories about the early church. The 27 writings we know as the New Testament are meant to be a definitive measure of Christian teaching. TIPPETT: The word “canon” is taken from a Hebrew and Greek word denoting a straight line to measure by. I think the history of the process of canonization is both simpler and more interesting than that. LUKE TIMOTHY JOHNSON: The conspiracy theory says that Christianity was wildly diverse from the beginning with many different versions and that there was sort of a constriction down into a rigid uniformity. Theologians have always learned about inconsistencies in the New Testament narrative, but Luke Timothy Johnson is critical of what he calls “the conspiratorial tone” of The Da Vinci Code and other popular works. He’s known for examining the New Testament in theological, social, literary and historical context.
First, Luke Timothy Johnson of Emory University. A decade ago, she unearthed a true biblical cover-up of a female apostle whose name had been changed to make her male. Later, we’ll speak with feminist scholar Bernadette Brooten. We’ll focus on gathering a basic picture of the fluid early centuries in which orthodox Christianity was defined. It mingles biblical history with lore about pagan worship, the Holy Grail and secret societies both ancient and modern. TIPPETT: We won’t take on all the details of The Da Vinci Code this hour. Well, that’s a bit strange, isn’t it, considering both the Bible and standard Grail legend celebrate this moment as the definitive arrival of the Holy Grail? Ah.
And one final question: How many wine glasses are there on the table? AUDREY TAUTOU (AS SOPHIE NEVEU): In the middle. Now, mademoiselle, where is Jesus sitting? IAN MCKELLEN (AS SIR LEIGH TEABING): The Last Supper, a great fresco by Leonardo da Vinci. This, the story suggests, was covered up by early church authorities, but it was passed down through an elite society and encoded in a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Today, “Deciphering The Da Vinci Code.”Īt the core of The Da Vinci Code plot is a secret, that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife and the mother of his children. Why were some of the ideas of early Christians included in the Bible while others were left out? And how did it happen that modern Christians inherited a false view of women in the early church, including Mary Magdalene?įrom American Public Media, this is Speaking of Faith, public radio’s conversation about religion, meaning, ethics and ideas. But this hour we take on some real questions it raises. The Da Vinci Code‘s mix of fact and fantasy is dizzying. The actor Ian McKellen is proclaiming now at a theater near you that the greatest story ever told was a lie. It’s true that Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute, but the evidence suggests she was something far more liberated than a mistress. Also, recent scholarly discoveries about women in the New Testament world. He says the process by which it came to be is both simpler and more interesting than conspiracy theories can suggest. I’ll speak with Luke Timothy Johnson, who knows the New Testament as well as any living scholar. So what really happened in the fluid, early years of Christianity? This hour we’ll separate fact from fiction in The Da Vinci Code plot. Today, “Deciphering The Da Vinci Code.” The wildly popular novel-turned-movie reimagines the New Testament in part as a cover-up. KRISTA TIPPETT, HOST: I’m Krista Tippett.
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