Posted on 04/07/2006 3:56:27 PM PDT by rhema
The Gospel of Judas debuted Thursday in Washington, D.C. What's the Gospel of Judas, you ask? Well, it's not a gospel. And it's not written by Judas. But it's still important, if not the most important nonbiblical text discovered during the last 60 years, as a National Geographic Society executive told The New York Times.
The text, a copy of the document written during the second century, reveals some big news. Turns out Judas wasn't the renegade disciple who betrayed Jesus and committed suicide after remorse overwhelmed him. No, this Judas was just doing what Jesus told him to do. Jesus explained to Judas that he would "exceed all of [the disciples]" by getting Jesus crucified.
Well, that sure would change things. If it were true. This "news" isn't what makes the Gospel of Judas significant. Rather, thanks to this text, we can further confirm what we already know about Gnostics—those pesky heretics condemned by early-church leaders like Irenaeus. Don't get confused by mentions of Jesus and Judas. This is no Christian text. The Gospel of Judas did not circulate until about 150 years after Jesus died. Let's put it this way: This new text tells us nothing more about Jesus' relationship with Judas than does Jesus Christ Superstar.
Until the release of the Gospel of Judas and other Gnostic texts discovered decades ago near Nag Hammadi in Egypt, we learned about Gnosticism mostly through the polemics of Christian apologists. Now thanks to the Gospel of Judas, we can further verify two major Gnostic teachings.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianitytoday.com ...
. . .Nevertheless, some claim the Gospel of Judas and other Gnostic texts throw orthodox Christianity into doubt. "As the findings have trickled down to churches and universities," New York Times reporters John Noble Wilford and Laurie Goodstein wrote, "they have produced a new generation of Christians who now regard the Bible not as the literal word of God, but as a product of historical and political forces that determined which texts should be included in the canon, and which edited out. For that reason, the discoveries have proved deeply troubling for many believers."
Who are those troubled believers? We're not sure, because Wilford and Goodstein apparently didn't talk to any of them. Karen King and Elaine Pagels revive their Gnosticism act. We also meet James Robinson, a jilted scholar who wrote a book on the Gospel of Judas without having access to the text. The Times doesn't mention that Robinson believes the Gospel of Judas tells us nothing about the historical Jesus or Judas.
I talked with Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary hours before he was scheduled to lecture at Princeton, Pagels's employer. He explained some peculiarities about the group that gave us the Gospel of Judas. Turns out these "Cainite Gnostics" earned their moniker rehabilitating disgraced biblical figures, including Cain, the Sodomites, and Judas.
On the other hand, the Bible does contradict itself regarding the fate of Judas, and even what he did with the money, so I dunno.
It's just another early Christian writing. Some of them were voted as scripture and some were voted off the island. I wasn't there and I didn't get a vote, so I don't know.
And when would he have had time to write his Gospel?
Historic revisionism to destroy the Truth has been going on for centuries.
Think about the most sweepingly influential person of 1856 whose ideas had been so powerful that they could bring down empires and have continued to the present day....
Now based simply on what you know and what others have told you, write an account of the life of Marx. Your work will be about as accurate I expect as are the Gospels of Judas.
Oh great, I know I'll get flamed but how does the Bible contradict itself concerning Judas fate and the money?
When he was resurrected- but that's not coming until Judas: The Sequel.
Offhand, I recall it says he hung himself in one place, and that his body fell in another. It's easy to reconcile by supposing that he hung himself, and that his body later fell from where he was hanging. I'm sure you can google the specifics easily enough.
It's one of those things where you can invent a contradiction easily enough and cling to it, but it's also easy enough to reconcile in a reasonable manner if you aren't emotionally biased into trying to generate excuses to disbelieve.
Judas didn't write it. Someone else using the name "Judas" wrote it.
Brought to you by Revisionists, Inc. After looking at this arrant nonsense, it's easy to see what group of people are now writing Howard Dean's speeches.
What a coincidence that they pull this old story out just before Easter.
Twisting themselves into pretzels for the sake of rejecting the simple truth. It seems to be a theme lately.
Does anyone know if they've been hired yet, by the Clinton Legacy Rehabilitation Team???
Believers copying the homework of infidels placemarker
ROFLOL! Thanks! Great post!
DUHHHH....
You have NO IDEA what you're talking about and are probably as clueless about scripture as Joe Sixpack! ...And where is this supposed contradiction?
"as a National Geographic Society executive told The New York Times."
Two true friends of Christianity.
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