Jesus, Christianity & the Da Vinci Code

Dr. Mike Heiser, scholar of history and archaeology, discussed the claims of The Da Vinci Code, mysteries concerning Jesus, and Christian philosophy & viewpoints. Whether Da Vinci used a code in his artwork in paintings such as The Last Supper to express a hidden history of Jesus is somewhat irrelevant, as this was just the belief system of a man separated by 14 centuries from the event, and not "authentic Christianity," he commented. Further,Gnostic texts from which Dan Brown drew inspiration for The Da Vinci Code contain material that is opposed to traditional Christianity, he said, such as the idea that Jesus was not a redeemer.

There is some evidence to indicate that Christ may have actually been born on September 11, 3 B.C., which could fit chronologically and is an interesting correlation to contemplate, said Heiser. He finds though that migration theories that Jesus traveled to places such as India to be unsubstantiated by the New Testament.

Heiser also tackled the subject of creation, arguing that the most coherent explanation presupposes a "first cause." Creation sprang from an "uncreated" being who brought everything else into existence, and evil was the "price he had to pay" for not making us into robots, he said.

Recycling Homes

First half-hour guest, Barry Fisher of Prime Environmental Intl. reported that his plan to recycle homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina has met with resistance. The New Orleans City Council was not interested because of concerns over lead being ground up and getting into the air, he said. But Fisher noted that his method keeps the lead contained, and that New Orleans has many serious environmental and contamination issues from the debris that it may not be fully confronting.