Jumping the Shark from the Newsroom to the Ivory Tower: Assessing the Gospel of Judas Frenzy P8/8

Ancient of Days - Da Vinci Coda Conference
See also http://AncientofDays.net for DVDs
Or http://ChristianSymposium.com for recent events

Mike Heiser has a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mike has an M.A. in Ancient History and an M.A. in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages. He has taught biblical studies and biblical theology on the undergraduate level for eleven years. He has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal, particularly UFOlogy, and the subject of ET life. Mike has lectured frequently on those topics, specializing in critical evaluation of the belief that UFOs and aliens are found in ancient Near Eastern texts, including the Bible. He is an expert on divine beings and angels in the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Jewish literature, and Canaanite texts. Mike holds a personal disdain for both intellectual snobbery, and the religious fear of critical thinking (and thinkers) -- both of which he feels tend to form an ungodly barrier between general academia, church leadership, and the public whom they should be serving. In that spirit, Heiser authored The Facade, a mind-blowing novelization of the above subjects, which makes his original perspectives and 20 years of highly credentialed scholarship easily accessible to lay audiences.
http://drmsh.com http://thedivinecouncil.com http://facadethebook.com

Theologian Michael S. Heiser, PhD Challenges Claims of The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has become an international phenomena with 45 million books in print, and is coming to theaters May 19 in the major motion picture starring Tom Hanks. While presented as fiction, the novel makes claims of extensive research that are, at best, challenging to traditional Christian teachings. Among the ideas presented as fact in The Da Vinci Code are that Jesus fathered a child by Mary Magdalene (a bloodline that allegedly continues today), that the early Catholic church concealed this and invented the doctrine of Jesus' divinity, and that the church intentionally rejected any texts that hinted at this history from inclusion in the Bible, in part to suppress the role of women.

"The novel relies primarily on the teachings of Gnosticism, an early Christian sect," according to Bellingham-based theologian and Academic Editor for Logos Bible Software Dr. Michael S. Heiser, Ph.D. Heiser holds advanced degrees in Ancient History, Semitic Languages, and Hebrew Bible, and says he is very familiar with the Gnostic texts and the "conspiratorial" version of history The Da Vinci Codeis based upon.

He plans to examine, and where appropriate, to rebut, the claims of Brown's novel from both historical and theological perspectives via a one-day conference held at Hampton Inn's Fox Hall in Bellingham, Saturday April 22nd. Heiser will present a series of 45-minute lectures targeted at specific claims of the book. Scheduled sessions include an overview of Gnosticism, an examination of the evidence for Jesus' alleged marriage, a historical view of the idea that Jesus is God prior to Constantine's third-century declaration of such, the Gnostic view of women, and a working overview of how texts appearing in modern Bibles were selected.

Dr. Heiser discussed the claims of The Da Vinci Code for three hours in December before a national audience on the popular late-night radio show Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. At the request of an out-of-state sponsor* who heard the program (and is working with Faith Reformed Church in Bellingham, where Mike attends), he agreed to present the one-day conference to record for DVD.

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