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Judas Saves; Why the lost gospel makes sense (Christopher Hitchens)
slate ^ | Ap 13 06 | Christopher Hitchens

Posted on 05/04/2006 10:20:30 AM PDT by churchillbuff

the idea of a sacred Judas always seemed rational to me, at least in Christian terms. The New Testament tells us firmly that Jesus went to Jerusalem at Passover to die and to fulfill certain ancient prophecies by doing so. How could any agent of this process, witting or unwitting, be acting other than according to the divine will? ...[snip]

Now we have, recovered from the desert of Egypt, a 26-page "Gospel of Judas," . ...[snip]

The Judas gospel puts legend's most notorious traitor in a new light—as the man who enjoyed his master's most intimate confidence, and who was given the crucial task of helping him shed his fleshly mortality. And you can see why the early Christian fathers were leery of such texts. This book has the same cast but a very arcane interpretation. Right before Passover, as the disciples are praying, Jesus sneers at their innocence. Only Judas has guessed the master aright—and has discerned that he comes from the heavenly realm of the god "Barbelo." In the realm of Barbelo, it seems, earthly pains are unknown and the fortunate inhabitants are free from the attentions of the God of the Old Testament. The Judas gospel would make one huge difference if it was accepted. It would dispel the centuries of anti-Semitic paranoia that were among the chief accompaniments of the Easter celebration until approximately 30 years after 1945, when the Vatican finally acquitted the Jews of the charge of Christ-killing. ...[snip]let us all therefore give thanks for our deliverance from religion, and raise high the wafer that summons us to the wonders and bliss of the faraway realm of Barbelo and brings us the joyous and long-awaited news that Judas saves.*

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: churchhilldisruptor; elainepagels; epigraphyandlanguage; gnosticgospels; gnosticism; godsgravesglyphs; gospelofjudas; hitchens; judas; judasiscariot; letshavejerusalem
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1 posted on 05/04/2006 10:20:33 AM PDT by churchillbuff
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To: churchillbuff

Brilliant! Let us do evil that good may come of it.


2 posted on 05/04/2006 10:22:08 AM PDT by The Old Hoosier (Right makes might.)
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To: churchillbuff

Poor Christopher. He seems like a good guy, but he's just asking to fry.


3 posted on 05/04/2006 10:23:06 AM PDT by Flavius Josephus (Nationalism is not a crime.)
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To: churchillbuff; Petronski

Another example that Christopher Hitchens seems to hate Christianity and Catholicism. Yet a lot of freepers love him because he's pro-Iraq-invasion. But so is Hillary. Favoring the Iraq invasion dosn't make you a conservative, just as opposing it (as I do) doesn't make you a liberal. Indeed, Hitchens is very liberal. He has said despicable things about Reagan, Mother Teresa and other people I, as a conservative, regard as heroes.


4 posted on 05/04/2006 10:23:39 AM PDT by churchillbuff
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To: churchillbuff

Some people will believe anything.


5 posted on 05/04/2006 10:24:07 AM PDT by Ptaz (Take Personal Responsibility--it's not fun, but it's the right thing to do.)
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To: churchillbuff
Hitchens has been on the right side in the War on Terrorism.

But I have no interest in his religious views. He's not on the right team.

6 posted on 05/04/2006 10:24:20 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Never question Bruce Dickinson!)
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To: churchillbuff

IOW somwone 1500 years ago came up with a cool forgery which was discredited.

Now National Geographic admits they can prove it is real and admits it is prrooooobably a forgery, so we have useful idiots like this buy the fraud a millenia later.

Stuck on Stupid for certain.


7 posted on 05/04/2006 10:26:47 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: churchillbuff

Let's bring back Gnosticism and call it Hitchenism.


8 posted on 05/04/2006 10:27:52 AM PDT by Fitzcarraldo
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To: ClearCase_guy
There's an old poem called "The Hound of Heaven" about how you can't really get away from Him. He's been after Hitchens a long time. And won't go away.
9 posted on 05/04/2006 10:28:02 AM PDT by SoCalRight
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To: churchillbuff

Isn't it one of the rules of writing that a person should write on topics that he knows something about?


10 posted on 05/04/2006 10:28:51 AM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican (A twenty -dollar head of bananas.)
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To: Southside_Chicago_Republican

"Isn't it one of the rules of writing that a person should write on topics that he knows something about?"

Not on Free Republic. [grin]


11 posted on 05/04/2006 10:30:09 AM PDT by MineralMan (non-evangelical atheist)
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To: churchillbuff
It would dispel the centuries of anti-Semitic paranoia that were among the chief accompaniments of the Easter celebration until approximately 30 years after 1945, """"

This is a vile anti-Christian smear. East was an occasion for anti-Semitic paranoia up until 1975? I was well into adulthood by 1975, and never heard of such paranoia. Rather, Easter was a time of joy because of Christ's Resurrection. Hitchens is hateful. Interesting, though, that you - Petronski- smear me as a Nazi-lover, simply because I disagree with Hitchens on the Iraq war. You, with your smear tactics (the NEville photo) are in good company, with this hateful person.

12 posted on 05/04/2006 10:31:00 AM PDT by churchillbuff
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To: churchillbuff
Favoring the Iraq invasion dosn't make you a conservative

Neither does being a devout Christian. And saying only positive things about Mother Teresa isn't the benchmark of American conservatism. Anyway I think Hitchens might identify himself more closely with American libertarianism than conservatism.
13 posted on 05/04/2006 10:31:30 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: churchillbuff

I compare Hitchens to Stalin. Stalin wanted to destroy Hitler. Whatever Stalin's motives for wanting that, the result was an absolute good. In all other respects, Stalin was an evil being.

Hitchens supported the Iraq operation? Great. He's still an evil person in many other respects.


14 posted on 05/04/2006 10:32:10 AM PDT by Petronski (I love Cyborg!)
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To: churchillbuff

Stck to your last, bud. Have you bothered to read this thing?


15 posted on 05/04/2006 10:32:21 AM PDT by RobbyS ( CHIRHO)
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To: churchillbuff; Petronski
It would dispel the centuries of anti-Semitic paranoia that were among the chief accompaniments of the Easter celebration until approximately 30 years after 1945, """"

This is a vile smear. Easter was an occasion for anti-Semitic paranoia up until 1975? I was well into adulthood by 1975, and never heard of such paranoia. Rather, Easter was and is a time of joy because of Christ's Resurrection. Hitchens is hateful. Interesting, though, that you - Petronski- smear me as a Nazi-lover (that NEvill photo you invariably trot out), simply because I disagree with you and Hitchens on the Iraq war. You, with your smear tactics are in good company with this hateful Hitchens.

16 posted on 05/04/2006 10:32:27 AM PDT by churchillbuff
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To: Flavius Josephus

If I'm not mistaken Hitchens is an athiest.


17 posted on 05/04/2006 10:32:32 AM PDT by traderrob6
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To: Petronski

Of course, Hitchens IS a Stalinist, so the comparison is all the more apt.


18 posted on 05/04/2006 10:32:45 AM PDT by Petronski (I love Cyborg!)
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To: churchillbuff
The Judas gospel puts legend's most notorious traitor in a new light—as the man who enjoyed his master's most intimate confidence, and who was given the crucial task of helping him shed his fleshly mortality.

Like Michael Schiavo then? 'Helping' Jesus to die was his task and we should thank Judas? Alrighty.

Hitchens has come unhitched. I guess for the abortion, love the sinner and his sins, euthanasia, culture of death crowd, this is the perfect answer. A 'new' twist on Christianity to fit their ideas, their culture of death lifestyle.

19 posted on 05/04/2006 10:33:12 AM PDT by fortunecookie
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To: churchillbuff

I like Hitchens, but you have a point. Yes, he's a liberal, but I think he tries to think through things and not blindly drink his kool-aid. I respect that. And he's a patriot. He's a good thinker and I can read him even when I disagree because he does think. But he has a hatred which gives him a very blind side--Christianity. So while I may scan what he has to say about it, it's the one area that I don't try to read and consider his thoughts.


20 posted on 05/04/2006 10:33:21 AM PDT by twigs
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