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In 2004 Hartford Seminary presented

In November of 2004, Revd. Canon Professor Martyn Percy ( Principal, Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford England) and Dean of Hartford Seminary Dr. Ian Markham taught a week-long online course on the theological truth behind the highly popular book, and upcoming movie, The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown.

Martyn Percy is the only living theologican mentioned by Dan Brown in The DaVinci Code. The book states "Teabing smiled. ‘Everything you need to know about the Bible can be summed up by the great Canon Dr. Martyn Percy.’ Teabing cleared his throat and declared, ‘the Bible did not arrive by fax from heaven…the Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book…More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only [four] were chosen for inclusion…The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great…’.
[Chapter 55, The Da Vinci Code] Read an interview with Professor Percy about this DaVinci Code quote.

During the week-long course these two theologicans tackled five major assumptions within The DaVinci Code and the truth behind these claims. We make the brief readings on these five topics available for your reading and education.

• The Origins of the Bible - Martyn Percy explains Brown's quote.
• Jesus: What Kind of Human? - Martyn Percy
• The Blood Line - Ian Markham
• Christianity and Feminism - Ian Markham
• Was Jesus married? - Ian Markham

Take a look at the syllabus of the Hartford Seminary course Dr. Markham taught on Conspiracy Theories

If you are interested in The DaVinci Code and are in the Hartford, CT area, consider coming to another of Dr. Markham's free presentations on the topic:

Why Religious People Quite Like Conspiracy Theories:
An Analysis
With Ian Markham

Wednesday, April 26   -   7 p.m.
Hartford Seminary, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford, CT

For the liberal Christian, Dan Brown, author of The De Vinci Code, has a point.  For the evangelical, the truth lies in the Left Behind series. 

Join Dr. Ian Markham as he introduces a range of conspiracy theories (from Jesus got married to Mary Magdalene to President George W. Bush was behind 9:11) and looks at the reasons why these are plausible to some people and not to others.

Ian Markham is Dean of Hartford Seminary and Professor of
Theology and Ethics. He has spoken extensively on “The Da Vinci Code” and conspiracy theory.

For more information, contact (860) 509-9555 or events@hartsem.edu.

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