Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci

[Dave Monroe]

Nov. 3 — The best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code has
sparked a vigorous debate by raising a number of
provocative questions — most notably, was the
historical Jesus really a married man? Could he have
even been a father? Do his direct descendants still
survive today?
 
In an hour-long ABCNEWS special, "Jesus, Mary and Da
Vinci," Elizabeth Vargas explores these and other
controversial theories about the lives of Jesus and
Mary Magdalene, who some scholars believe was not a
prostitute, as she is often portrayed, but rather
Jesus' wife — and perhaps even the mother of his
child. "Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci" airs Monday, Nov. 3
at 8:00 p.m. ET.

[...]

The Da Vinci Code, a mystery novel that claims to be
based in part on historical fact, contains claims that
Mary Magdalene was Jesus' wife, that she fled
Jerusalem following his crucifixion carrying their
child, and turned up in France, where Jesus'
descendants ultimately married into French royalty.
This story, it is said, was long protected and
perpetuated by a secret society of some of the most
famous men in history, including Leonardo da Vinci and
Sir Isaac Newton.

[...]

The Weight of Evidence

Vargas finds plenty of disagreement among theologians
and historians about whether there is evidence to
suggest that Jesus was married. "The weight of
evidence that we have suggests to me the contrary,
that in fact he was a celibate," says Elaine Pagels of
Princeton University. "I think it's entirely plausible
to think that Jesus may have been married," counters
Karen King of Harvard University. "It was a normal
practice for Jewish men. It would also be normal not
to mention that he had a wife." In the Bible there is
no mention of Jesus being married.

One thing several authorities interviewed agree on is
that Mary Magdalene's portrayal as a prostitute is
attributable to mistaken identity, and her importance
may have been grossly understated — or, as some
charge, purposely suppressed by the church. "There's
no factual basis for that longstanding tradition that
Mary Magdalene was a prostitute, a woman of ill
repute," says the Rev. Richard McBrien of Notre Dame
University. "Mary Magdalene is one of the greatest
saints in the history of the church."

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/World/Primetime/davinci031103-1.html

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