4/26/2006

Message to Da Vinci Code Author, Film Makers and Fans: Don't Forget Jesus Was Jewish!
Messianic Jewish Leaders Say Historic Jewish Perspective of Jesus Left Out By Many

NEW YORK, April 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Da Vinci Code has caused an uproar in many Christian circles, since it claims that the traditional Church has suppressed the real story of Jesus. The best-selling book and movie also assert the New Testament documents in the Bible are unreliable. There have been numerous, substantial responses from Catholic and Protestant circles, but none from Messianic Jews (Jews who follow Jesus as Messiah) which is striking, considering that Jesus and his first followers were all Jews.

“Messianic Jews bring a unique perspective to The Da Vinci Code debate, yet their voice is being completely overlooked,” says Dr. Michael L. Brown, a biblical scholar and the author of the multi-volume series, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus.

“Messianic Jews also believe that traditional Christianity has obscured the real image of Jesus,” claims Dr. Brown. “But The Da Vinci Code got it all wrong. The real story is Jesus, the Jewish Messiah (Yeshua), is now worshiped as Lord by hundreds of millions of Gentiles. That’s what we should be talking about,” Dr. Brown continued.

Messianic Jews are sensitive to the fact that as the Church became institutionalized, it broke away from its Jewish roots, sometimes in very intentional ways, as when the decision was made to separate Easter from Passover, whereas in reality these holy days originally were inextricably linked to one another.

Messianic Jews also believe that, contrary to The Da Vinci Code, the entire Bible is truthful and reliable, and Jesus and the New Testament documents must be seen in their Jewish context to be rightly understood.

“It is incredible to even think that non-Jews, whether it be Opus Dei or mainstream Catholicism, have cornered the market as experts on understanding Jesus, a first century rabbi and first leader of a Messianic movement,” said Dr. Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries, one of the oldest and largest Messianic ministries in the world. “Assertions from Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, just go to show how far traditional Christianity has removed Jesus from his Jewish heritage,” exclaimed Glaser.

Many believe the time has come for Jewish people and especially Messianic Jews to also reclaim Jesus as one of the greatest Jewish leaders.

“If there is a conspiracy, it is that somehow Jesus has been separated from his roots and is viewed apart from his Jewishness,” said Dr. Glaser. “This is something Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code author, completely missed in his book and the movie will not do anything differently.”

As for The Da Vinci Code book and movie being a threat to faith, Michael Brown is not concerned, “The Bible has been selling far more copies than Dan Brown’s book for many years, and it will be selling by the multiplied millions long after The Da Vinci Code is a forgotten relic of the past.”

ABOUT CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES

Chosen People Ministries, founded in 1894, is a ministry of evangelism to the Jewish people. The organization has staff in 12 countries around the world and starts Messianic Centers and congregations as the main focus of their work. The message of the organization is very simple - the ministry believes Jesus, Yeshua, is the Messiah of Israel and a Jew who accepts Jesus as their Messiah is still Jewish. This is why Chosen People Ministries’ staff around the world encourages Jews who believe in Jesus to continue in their identification as Jews, to observe Jewish holidays and to support the nation of Israel. The core of the ministry’s outreach is still person to person, heart to heart. For more information about Chosen People Ministries, visit us online at www.chosenpeople.com .