Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Gospel Code

Subtitle: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Da Vinci

Author: Ben Witherington III

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-05-09

Publisher: christianaudio.com

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

Publisher's Summary:

Do these new documents successfully debunk traditional views about Jesus and early Christianity? Ben Witherington confronts these claims with the sure-footedness of a New Testament scholar, yet in the plain language than any interested reader can follow. He takes us back to the early centuries after Jesus' death and tells us what we really can know about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the canonical Gospels and their Gnostic rivals.

Members Reviews:

Thoughtful Response

This book covers the differences between the New Testament documents and the Gnostic documents, between heresy and orthodox doctrines, and how we know what we know about the New Testament. The book is a thoughtful response to the assertions in the "Da Vinci Code." It covers how the books in the New Testament became canonized. The book is not intended to cover all the misinformation in "The Da Vinci Code." The author stays pretty close to his expertise and does a good job of explaining his points. The book is a little dry in the middle, but overall it was a good presentation of conservative/evangelical views of who Jesus is and why an accurate historical view of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is important.

Five Stars

A Gift

My Review

If you enjoyed reading Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, getting lost in the possibility of all the possible connections Brown makes, then Ben Witherington's book The Gospel Code is not for you.

Witherington challenges many of the hypotheses that Brown's book proposes. Witherington begins with evaluating Brown's claim between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Witherington agrees that it may be possible that Jesus himself may have been married, however, he does not believe that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. Witherington's primary argument is that Mary would have been addressed differently by the gospel writers, instead of being referred to by the name of her town; she would have had some connection to Jesus himself.

In regard to this same scenario, many scholars have defended the idea of Mary Magdalene being the "Beloved Disciple" discussed in the gospel of John. Witherington completely negates this idea, with very little explanation. The argument that Brown presents is that Da Vinci's painting of the Last Supper, the person to the left of Jesus, the disciple with fair skin and red hair, is Mary Magdalene. Witherington simply states that the depiction Da Vinci painted is a common portrayal of what the beloved male disciple looked like, and has nothing to do with Magdalene.

However, it is not just Dan Brown's book, which Witherington is challenging. Witherington also challenges Karen King and Elaine Pagels theories about the role of Mary Magdalene played in the life of Jesus. Witherington takes both women's arguments and then proceeds to find flaws with their theories. Although clearly thoroughly researched, Witherington is acting as if his research is the final authority. There is no "wiggle room" so to speak, and neglecting any possibility of other interpretations of the Gospels. Witherington negates any other interpretations of the Gospels other than his own.

The book was an approachable read and is good for the masses.