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Mrs. Jesus

• Hodgepodge , • The Da Vinci Code

I'm half tempted to side with the outraged Christians. But I can't see any reason to give a damn about some bestseller potboiler. The author is in the business of entertaining the masses. Readers of The Da Vinci Code aren't going to care about or appreciate the works of scholarly historians. Indeed we'll probably be hearing about conspiracies to suppress this, ahem, truth. Myself, I believe in Mrs. Jesus Christ as much as I believe that her hubby walked on water and is member of a tripartite god.

ABC's Elizabeth Vargas said Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci, to be shown in the US on Monday night, was being made "as respectfully as we can".

But she admitted: "You can't talk about this subject without intriguing people or offending people."

The programme is partly based on the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code.

The book alleges Mary Magdalene - a biblical figure widely thought to have been a prostitute - was actually Jesus's wife. ...

Mr De Feo said: "The majority of the people who spoke believed in either the plausibility or the outright truth of [book author] Dan Brown's claims. The facts themselves scream out that this is a crackpot theory."

Vargas said ABC had not found any proof as to whether Jesus had a wife, but could not completely discount the theory either.

US TV set for 'Jesus wife' storm

Looks like Dan Brown may be another Stephen Ambrose.

Ironically the original expression of that concept -- a thriller combining art, religion and Leonardo -- did not come from the current bestseller, The Da Vinci Code, but from The Da Vinci Legacy (published in 1983) and two other books by author Lewis Perdue.

The new edition of The Da Vinci Legacy, (by Tor Books) will be available in bookstores January 2004.

While The Da Vinci Code has sparked heated debate about historical accuracy and interpretations of art and religious dogma, the ABC special is sure to skirt the ongoing questions about its extraordinary similarities with The Da Vinci Legacy, Daughter of God and The Linz Testament, all written by Perdue. ...

"Da Vinci Code contains so many striking similarities to my own books, including nearly identical characters and scenes, sequences of events and other protected forms of expression, that it makes it stretches the boundaries of coincidence."

Perdue sent an initial list of those similarities to Da Vinci Code's publisher in June, and later posted the list on the Internet. Since then, he and his team of attorneys and experts have better developed that list of legally protected similarities.

"Some similarities on the first list were not protected expression," Perdue said. "But thanks to some very keen legal minds and experts in the field, the list has been replaced with a far larger number of similarities, all of which fall into the protected category."

ABC News Special on ``Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci'' Sure to Omit the Original Treatment of the Subject According to Author, Lewis Perdue

Whatever relationship Jesus and Ms. Magdalene may have had it looks like they aren't a couple anymore because Jesus is looking for a date.

Also: Mrs. God

Richard Evans Lee
November 01, 2003 •
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Comments

Isn't the Da Vinci Code a novel? How did a hack thriller's fictional premise become a "historical theory"?

Posted by: daze | November 2, 2003 11:24 PM

Entertainment conglomerates don't distinguish between fact and fiction but profit and loss. Wonder how many folks watch Signs as though it is a documentary? (Probably too early in the morning for me to be responding to comments.)

Posted by: Richard Evans Lee | November 3, 2003 5:58 AM

Why it is that our Christian-based society takes issue with the notion that Jesus may not have been the virginal-pure figure the Church has created him to be? In previously religious mythologies the gods had consorts, and many of these gods were born of virgin births. Why does our culture give so much credence to the mythology of Jesus that was created by the Church? If one reads both the Bible and the Gnostic Texts, there isn't a very clear picture of who Jesus actually was--there is much left unsaid, but left to be "filled-in". Yes, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene does say that Jesus kissed Mary on the mouth, and often did so, but this only says they kissed. We assume that only lovers kiss, and therefore the intimation that these two were more than just teacher and disciple. I think what this program is trying to address is the fact that the Church has created an image of Jesus that best suited them, that gave them the best manner in which to control the masses. Will we ever know the truth? As Mulder would say, "The truth is out there," but how will we recognize it when we encounter it, especially when so many authority figures are creating their own truth? This, I feel, can only be answered by the individual. Each person must decide for themself what is truth. Of course this means that the Church no longer has any importance (read: power) in the individual's life, but so be it. It's high time people be allowed to think for themselves.

Posted by: Lori | November 7, 2003 12:42 PM

The root myth of Fundamentalist Protestant Christianity is that Jesus was in all senses 'pure.' That he was literally God transitorily made flesh. Why Judaism and Christianity came to associate sex with impurity is one of those questions that can never be properly answered. It happened so long ago that we simply will never have enough datat (a pity, because it is a wonderful question). Why this particular flavor of Jewish messianism took hold of our ancestors is a question no honest scholarly historian will ever pretend to know. Most people are followers, they want the universe explained to them in simple terms (even though to some of us those explanations may seem little short of insane). The elements within the early church was unsurprisingly able to crush all differing interpretations. Simple momententum (and sometimes economic interest) keeps people in their place. As far as the TV show and the bestselling book that prompted it I don't think we need to look for more than their own desire for money (book sales, high ratings). I don't think most people want to think for themselves. Or could.

Posted by: Richard Evans Lee | November 7, 2003 5:46 PM

I think Mary and Jesus loved each other and were married. That is the most wonderful thing that could happen. And, God's greatest gift and cherished is a marriage.

Posted by: Duke | January 4, 2004 7:54 PM

How do you feel?

Feel free to share your feelings about Mrs. Jesus. Please stick to the theme of the entry. Disagreement is fine. Homophobia, racism, and kindred expressions of hatred will be deleted. This site is one of my hobbies. I genuinely enjoy hearing from people and hate moderating or killing comments. Forthright disagreement is fine as long as it is civil.
My thanks,
Richard

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