Torch, Summer 2006

The acceptance of Jesus’ deity was not a fringe belief but was the nexus of early church faith and practice. Further, the early church leaders thought that Jesus Christ was God: Ignatius of Antioch (circa A.D. 110), Tatian of Syria (circa A.D. 170), Clement of Alexandria (circa A.D. 190), Tertullian (circa A.D. 210), and Origen (circa A.D. 255). All of these acknowledged leaders clearly recognized the deity of Jesus Christ. Remember, this was not a time of peace and prosperity for the church. Christians were oppressed, but the leadership was strong and correct doctrine was vital. In fact, it was because of the question of the deity of Jesus that the Council of Nicea was called. Arius, a church leader in Alexandria, North Africa, taught that Jesus Christ was not divine but a created being. More than 300 church leaders gathered in Nicea to deal with this false teaching. Arius’ teaching was ruled to be heresy, and the leaders developed what we know today as the Nicene Creed. In this creed, Jesus is described as “true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through Him all things were made.” It was certainly not a “close vote” as described in The Da Vinci Code . Of the more than 300 leaders there, only two did not sign the Creed. So the deity of Jesus Christ firmly established in the scriptures and in the early church was confirmed at the Council of Nicea. In an apparent attempt to make Jesus even less divine, The Da Vinci Code claims that Jesus was married: “The marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is part of the historical record” (p. 245). Further, The Da Vinci Code states, “The Last Supper practically shouts to the viewer that Jesus and Mary were a pair” (p. 244). The misinterpretation of Leonardo’s The Last Supper has already been discussed, but the claim that the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is a part of the historical record is difficult to understand. There are no historical records that say Jesus and Mary were married. Even the Gnostic writings of the second through the fourth century never make this claim. In fact, if Jesus and Mary had been married, the Apostle Paul would no doubt have mentioned him in I Corinthians 9:5 when he is giving support for wives traveling with the apostles; “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?” Paul seemed to know all the apostles who had believing wives who traveled with them, and Jesus’ example would have outshone them all. Mary Magdalene certainly was in a privileged position among those who traveled with the apostles and Jesus. We first meet her in Luke 8:1-3 where she is described as one from whom Jesus cast out demons. She was among the women who traveled with the apostles and provided for them out of their resources. The last mention of Mary Magdalene occurs when she appears in the resurrection accounts (Mark 15:40-16:11; John 20:1-2). She is the first to see the risen Christ and the first to deliver the Easter message “He is risen.” The truth of the matter is, of course, the New Testament proclaims unequivocally that Jesus Christ is indeed God incarnate. Summer 2006 / TORCH 9