Judas Not a Traitor?
Filed Under: Religion, Society
Staying with the religion theme for a moment the Gospel of Judas, lost for some 1,700 years, has been fully restored and translated. The book, unveiled at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. contains a big surprise.
The Bible’s New Testament Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - depict Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, as a traitor. In biblical accounts Judas gives up Jesus Christ to his opponents, who later crucify the founder of Christianity.The Gospel of Judas, however, portrays him as acting at Jesus’ request.
It goes on to describe Judas as Jesus’ closest friend, someone who understands Christ’s true message and is singled out for special status among Jesus’ disciples.
In the key passage Jesus tells Judas, “you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”
“So he asks Judas, who is his friend, to sell him out, to betray him. It’s treason to the general public, but between Jesus and Judas it’s not treachery.”
It will be interesting to see how mainstream religion reacts to this.
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6 Comments so far. Add Yours Now!
Brian Lemon
Barely at all.
There are a number of similar
“gospels” which profess a different view on Jesus and his time.
Some, like that of Judas, were written by people who were not alive to witness the events (as opposed to the MMLJ).
Also, don’t forget Judas committed suicide shortly after Jesus - there was no CNN to interview him just before he left.
And the Gnostics who wrote this gospel have a totally different opinion of the reasons and events that were Jesus’ purposes.
So, not a wave expected.
Apr 10th, 2006
kariba
From a totally historical point of view, the discovery and translation of this codex is fascinating and important.
From a religious point of view, however, I cannot see how this gospel can be so controversial. Jesus knew how it would all end, and Judas was used by God to make it happen. (I mean, that’s how i always interpreted it, anyway). This gospel only confirms that.
By the way, last night I watched a special documentary on the Gospel of Judas on the National Geographic channel. Very, very interesting stuff. I have an immense amount of respect for those scientists who restored and translated this document.
Apr 10th, 2006
Shane
Let me draw a comparison for you.
I will write out today on a piece of paper, that George Washington wrote a litter to King Louis XVI in France in 1785, that “he is going down”, thus confirming the rumour that American revolutionaries incited the French Revolution.
This piece of paper is going to be lost for 1700 years, and unearthed. It will then be trotted out by those with an agenda to push as “evidence” that America has always had it in for France.
That is how authentic this document is.
Apr 10th, 2006
kariba
Regarding Shane’s post…I agree that this document was written several hundred years after the death of Jesus and is not actually the gospel of Judas insofar as Judas himself dictated it to the writer. However, it is authentically the lost “Gospel of Judas” that first surfaced in 180AD.
So perhaps a better term to use than “authentic” would be “significant” when discussing this codex in relation to the scriptures.
Apr 10th, 2006
Anonymous
re:judas the traitor
The document trying to portray judas as a cooperating conspirator and close friend of jesus is an attempt to whitewash the image of judas.jesus could easily have given himself away without the help of judas,who remains exactly as the bible portrays him, a judas.
Jun 30th, 2006
Len Kutchma
“The document trying to portray judas as a cooperating conspirator and close friend of jesus is an attempt to whitewash the image of judas.”
Interesting thought but in the spirit of discussion to what end?
Jul 2nd, 2006
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