Book Review: The Gospel Code by Ben Witherington III

Date May 19, 2006 Posted by Roger Overton

“We are facing a serious revolution regarding some of the
long-held truths about Jesus, early Christianity and the Bible.” (11) This
understatement sets the framework for Ben Witherington III’s book, The
Gospel Code. Thus, the book is divided into three parts focusing on Jesus
in Part One, Mary and Gnosticism in Part Two, and the canon of scripture in
Part Three.

Dr. Witherington recognizes that cultural context in which
these ideas are being challenged, and reflects on them in light of it: “What
counts in a postmodern culture is the power of rhetoric, not the accuracy of
reporting or analysis.” (21) In each of the areas he covers, Dr. Witherington
explains the current debates and interacts with the work of well-known
proponents of opposing views; such as Elaine Pagels and Marcus Borg. At the end
of the book is a glossary and subject and Scripture indexes.

I was pleasantly surprised with how good this book
was. While there were a couple of points I disagreed with, for the most part
Dr. Witherington takes sophisticated scholarly debates, makes them accessible
to a lay audience, and convincingly defends the historic Christian position. He
provides a quality analysis of Gnosticism and “the sacred feminine.” Overall, The
Gospel Code is one of the better books that offer a serious response to The
Da Vinci Code and recent critical scholarship.

Related posts:

  1. Book Review: The Gospel According to the Da Vinci Code
  2. Book Review: Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Darrell Bock
  3. Book Review: Comparison of Da Vinci Code Response Books
  4. Book Review: Discussing the Da Vinci Code Curriculum Kit
  5. Book Review: Da Vinci Myth Versus the Gospel Truth
  6. Book Review: Exploring the Da Vinci Code

Category Posted in Book Reviews, Main Page, Roger's Posts, The Da Vinci Code

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