'Gospel of Judas' gives new view of Jesus' betrayer

Reuters ^ | 4/6/06 | Deborah Zabarenko

[freedom44]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Judas Iscariot, vilified as Christ's betrayer, acted at Jesus' request in turning him over to the authorities who crucified him, according to a 1,700-year-old copy of the "Gospel of Judas" unveiled on Thursday.

In an alternative view to traditional Christian teaching, the Judas gospel shows the reviled disciple as the only one in Jesus' inner circle who understood his desire to shed his earthly body.

"He's the good guy in this portrayal," said Bart Ehrman, a religion professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "He's the only apostle who understands Jesus."

The Judas gospel's introduction says it is "the secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot." Later, it quotes Jesus as saying to Judas, "You will exceed all of them (the other disciples) for you will sacrifice the man who clothes me."

"The idea in this gospel is that Jesus, like all of us, is a trapped spirit, who is trapped in a material body," Ehrman said. "And salvation comes when we escape the materiality of our existence, and Judas is the one who makes it possible for him to escape by allowing for his body to be killed."

Rev. Donald Senior, president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, said the document revealed the diversity and vitality in early Christianity.

"The question becomes ... does this tradition, this alternative story, if you like, in the gospel of Judas have a claim that in some sense is equal to the rival claim of the gospel tradition?" Senior said.

It is not known who wrote the Judas gospel. The copy unveiled on Thursday is of a document mentioned critically in the year 180 in a treatise called "Against Heresies," written by Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon in what was then Roman Gaul. It spoke out against those whose views about Jesus differed from those of the mainstream Christian Church.

In the Bible's New Testament, Judas is portrayed as the quintessential traitor, accepting 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus by identifying him to Roman soldiers. The biblical Gospel of St. Matthew says Judas quickly regretted his treachery, returned the silver and hanged himself.

The New Testament contains four Gospels -- of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- but many more so-called apocryphal gospels were written in the first centuries after Christ's death, attributed to such disciples as Thomas and Philip and to his female follower Mary Magdalene.

HIDDEN IN EGYPTIAN DESERT

Ehrman, Senior and other experts on Christianity spoke at a briefing at the National Geographic Society, which unveiled a translation of the Judas gospel and which helped authenticate, preserve and translate the document.

The leather-bound copy of the gospel was written in Coptic script on both sides of 13 sheets of papyrus, and spent most of the past 1,700 years hidden in a cavern in the Egyptian desert, said Terry Garcia of the National Geographic Society.

This document was probably copied from the original Greek manuscript around the year 300, Garcia said. Discovered in the 1970s near Minya, Egypt, the volume -- including the gospel and other documents -- was sold to an Egyptian antiquities dealer in 1978.

The dealer offered it for sale without success, and eventually locked it in a bank safe deposit box in Hicksville, New York, for 16 years, which hastened its decay. In images displayed at the briefing, the papyrus looked like brown, dry autumn leaves.

Garcia said it had crumbled into more than 1,000 pieces.

In 2001, the Maecenas Foundation for Ancient Art in Switzerland began an effort to transcribe and translate the volume from the Coptic. In the next years, scientific tests -- including radiocarbon dating, ink analysis and multispectral imaging -- showed the document was copied down around 300.

The Judas gospel is being published in book form by National Geographic and pages from the papyrus manuscript will be on display at the society's museum in Washington starting on Friday. The manuscript will ultimately be housed at the Coptic Museum in Cairo.

[AnnoyedOne]

I dunno that such a revelation is all that Earth shattering. Christ assuredly knew what was going to happen to him, knew who was going to do it, and did nothing to prevent it from occuring... but I doubt it was at his request. The crucifiction and resurrection WERE God's plan, weren't they?

I do not know where I stand on the issue of Judas. Even Christ DID say that it was a betrayal (the comment he made about being betrayed with a kiss).. but then, it appears to have been God's plan. A conundrum for sure. Maybe that is exactly what the point is supposed to be...that if we follow the tenets of Christ, we will not concern ourselves with the moral issue surrounding Judas, because we know that judging him is not our place.

One could drive oneself crazy trying to figure out the whole free-will vs pre-destination thing. I do tend, however, to lean heavily towards the free-will side because without it, I cannot see how a Just God could condemn us for sinful acts. And I do believe Him to be a Just God.

[Junior]

I've always wondered about the view of Judas as a bad man. If Jesus had to die for our sins, then the man who arranged that death should be considered a saint, not as someone who was evil.

[floridaobserver]

Christ assuredly knew what was going to happen to him, knew who was going to do it, and did nothing to prevent it from occuring...

This is why the Gospel of Judas appears credible here. Jesus had numerous opportuntities to avoid execution, but He clearly had no interest in avoiding it. He practically welcomed it. Jesus really wanted a big show trial, with all the attendant publicity. Was Judas in on it? We will never know, but it does make a lot of sense.

Frankly the Gospel of Judas is so fantastic, it could very well be true. What would be the motivatoin 1900 years ago to make it up??

[floridaobserver]

If Jesus had to die for our sins, then the man who arranged that death should be considered a saint, not as someone who was evil.


Your logic is faulty here. If he did it on his own to betray Jesus and make some money, Judas was evil.

If he did it at Jesus' request, then he is doing what God wanted him to do. But then why did Judas hang himself later?

I can hardly wait to see the movie . . . It' on National Geographic Channel this weekend . . and is a must see. Most important documentary to come down the pike in a long time. . .

[kittymyrib]

Two days ago, the msm was pushing the "Jesus walked on ice" story and yesterday the "Judas was really a nice guy" story. This is how the msm Jesus-haters prepare for Holy Week. The Good News is that Jesus will be back to correct all these heresies.

[Junior]

Judas was just following God's plan -- he was doing God's will whether he knew it or not.

[floridaobserver]

How do you know it was God's will? Did you ask him?

[Junior]

Was it not supposedly prophesied? Did not God offer up His only son as a sacrifice for our sins? Then the whole thing unfolded according to God's will.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

The Church I was talking about was the church first and for most formed by the Lord, and the church that followed by the likes of Peter, Paul, and all of the apostles, and early believers.
I guess most of us have trust issues with the image of the " Church " as of today.
Please remember, when you are fellow shipping with a fellow believer in the Lord, even at a yard cookout, that is the church.

[Scotswife]

This gospel doesn't tell us anything we don't already know.
It is an authentic gnostic writing - that is why it was found in the Egyptian desert.
The gnostics were a sect known to have existed during this period of time and other "gospels" (of Thomas and Mary) are attributed to them.
The early Church did not try to "hide" any of them, but neither did it recognize them as valid christian writings.
Gnosticism was considered a heresy - incompatible with christian belief concerning creation and the human/divine nature of Christ.

St. Irenaus knew about this gospel of Judas and criticized it as heresy.

But here we are again...it is time for an important christian holy day, and the MSM thinks they've found something important to undermine christian belief.

Once again, they've produced a big yawn.

[AnnoyedOne]

I have no problem with the church in the manner which you are using the term. What I have issues with is organized religion, and the many associated non-biblical authorities that many of them claim for themselves. Admittedly I take issue mostly with the RCC, but I do with others as well who have often followed in the same paths. I have heard folks say "You cannot judge the modern incarnation of the RCC by the actions it commited in the past". Sounds reasonable enough, except when one considers that they have NEVER repudiated the doctrines which led to abuses such as the inquisitions, witch hunts, and generally holding mankind in bondage to ignorance. It was the late 1800's before the RCC admitted the Earth was round, and it was not until 1992 that the RCC at long last admitted its error in convicting Galileo of heresy for believing the earth revolved around the sun. I could go on and on, but I think it is unecessary. The abuses of the Church throughtout history are many and well documentd, and apparent to anyone who opens a history book. The RCC did not stop being a terror because it changed it's views on issues such as Papal infallability or heresy. The RCC stopped because the power to commit such abuses was forcibly taken away from the Church. I fully believe, given that they have never repudiated the doctrines that led to abuses, that if they still had the power the abuses would continue even today.

[floridaobserver]

Does anything happen in life that isn't God's will?

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Yes,, when we ( humans ) chose to sin and rebel against God.