The Gospel of Judas
Last week the National Geographic Society released the text of a document called The Gospel of Judas. According to the National Geographic website: “The Gospel of Judas gives a different view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, offering new insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus. Unlike the accounts in the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in which Judas is portrayed as a reviled traitor, this newly discovered Gospel portrays Judas as acting at Jesus' request when he hands Jesus over to the authorities.” Does this newly published gospel call into question to traditional gospel story? The answer to this question can only be determined by answering several other questions.
1) What is the Gospel of Judas? The Gospel of Judas is an ancient text written approximately AD 180. The National Geographic has recently published a translation of a copy of the Gospel of Judas discovered in Egypt that is believed to come from the third or fourth century.
2) Did Judas Iscariot write the Gospel of Judas? No. The Gospel of Judas was written long after Judas Iscariot killed himself. As MSNBC reported, “James M. Robinson, America's leading expert on such ancient religious texts from Egypt, predicts in a new book that the text won't offer any insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus. His reason: While it's old, it's not old enough. ‘Does it go back to Judas? No,’ Robinson told The Associated Press…There are a lot of second-, third- and fourth-century gospels attributed to various apostles,’ Robinson said. ‘We don't really assume they give us any first—century information.’”
3) If Judas did not write the Gospel of Judas, then who did? It is not possible to identify the specific author, but it is clear from the text of the Gospel of Judas that it was written by someone who embraced an ancient belief known as Gnosticism.
4) What is Gnosticism? There are many varieties of Gnosticism, but here are the basic principles:
• A divine essence exists, but did not create the material universe.
• A series of lesser beings emanated from the divine essence, known as “aeons.”
• From one of those aeons, called Sophia (“wisdom”), another being emanated, flawed and corrupt. This being created the material universe, and is called the Demiurge (“half-creator”).
• The Demiurge is served by underlings called the Archon (“rulers”).
• Mankind possesses a “divine spark,” but it is shrouded in our corrupt material bodies.
• To be saved from this corruption we must acquire a special knowledge (Greek gnosis) of our true divine origin and transcend the material world. The specific content of this gnosis varied from one Gnostic group to another.
5) Is Gnosticism compatible with Christianity? No. Gnosticism flatly rejected the Christian belief that the created world was good (Genesis 1:31; 1 Timothy 4:4). In fact, the Gnostics often identified the Demiurge as the God of the Old Testament, who they sometimes called Yaldabaoth (Aramaic for “child, come here”) or Saklas (Aramaic for “foolish one”). And of course, the Gnostics denied Jesus’ humanity, including the incarnation, His death and His resurrection. Instead, they believed Christ emanated from an aeon but was clothed in the body of Jesus.
6) What claims does the Gospel of Judas make that are different from the traditional gospels? Fundamentally, the Gospel of Judas claims that Judas was the only one of the twelve apostles to understand the true nature of Jesus. “Judas [said] to him, ‘I know who you are and where you have come from. You are from the immortal realm of Barbelo. And I am not worthy to utter the name of the one who has sent you.’” Barbelo is a name found in Gnostic writings that refers to the first emanation from the divine essence and mother of all Aeons. Specifically, the Gospel of Judas claims that Judas would be exalted above the other apostles, presumably because he helped to free Jesus from His body. "But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me."
7) Were historians aware of the Gospel of Judas before the discovery and publication of this manuscript? Yes. In fact, one of the early church fathers, Irenaeus (AD125-202), wrote about the Gospel of Judas in his work Against Heresies: “Others again declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury. For Sophia was in the habit of carrying off that which belonged to her from them to herself. They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas” (Book 1 Chapter 31.1).
8) Does the Gospel of Judas contribute anything to our understanding of Jesus and Judas? Not at all. Contrary to the National Geographic’s assertion that the document offers “new insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus,” the Gospel of Judas provides no insight into the traditional account of the four gospels. It does shed light on the specific beliefs of one strain of Gnosticism, which in turn only serves to set in even greater contrast the beliefs of the Gnostics with those of the early Christians.
9) If this document was discovered in 1970, why was it published last week? Part of the reason has to do with the painstaking care that historians must use to authenticate such an old document. However, I believe the specific timing of the publication of the Gospel of Judas reflects an agenda on the part of some scholars to cast doubt on the truthfulness of the gospels at the very time of the year when many people are interested in religion (Easter). Further, it is hard not to imagine that this is an effort to capitalize on the phenomenal interest in The DaVinci Code, since the premise of that novel is based in part on the existence of similar Gnostic writings.
I believe that books like The DaVinci Code and sensationalistic reports such as the news about the Gospel of Judas reflect a desire for “spirituality” without the inconvenience of the demands of the Bible. Gnosticism is about self-discovery; Jesus demands self-denial. Jesus taught that there would be few who found the way of life (Matthew 7:13-14), not because the knowledge of this way is accessible to only the elite, but rather because its demanding path is so clearly known by all who consider it. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Further Resources
You can access the Gospel of Judas at the National Geographic’s website
I drew on a lot of the insights found at the blog of Mark D. Roberts.
James Robinson’s comments about the Gospel of Judas can be found at the MSNBC site.
My summary of Gnosticism was drawn from a Gnostic website (yes they still exist!).
You can read the work of Irenaeus here.
There is also a lot of great material about the Gospel of Judas on the blog of New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III.
1) What is the Gospel of Judas? The Gospel of Judas is an ancient text written approximately AD 180. The National Geographic has recently published a translation of a copy of the Gospel of Judas discovered in Egypt that is believed to come from the third or fourth century.
2) Did Judas Iscariot write the Gospel of Judas? No. The Gospel of Judas was written long after Judas Iscariot killed himself. As MSNBC reported, “James M. Robinson, America's leading expert on such ancient religious texts from Egypt, predicts in a new book that the text won't offer any insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus. His reason: While it's old, it's not old enough. ‘Does it go back to Judas? No,’ Robinson told The Associated Press…There are a lot of second-, third- and fourth-century gospels attributed to various apostles,’ Robinson said. ‘We don't really assume they give us any first—century information.’”
3) If Judas did not write the Gospel of Judas, then who did? It is not possible to identify the specific author, but it is clear from the text of the Gospel of Judas that it was written by someone who embraced an ancient belief known as Gnosticism.
4) What is Gnosticism? There are many varieties of Gnosticism, but here are the basic principles:
• A divine essence exists, but did not create the material universe.
• A series of lesser beings emanated from the divine essence, known as “aeons.”
• From one of those aeons, called Sophia (“wisdom”), another being emanated, flawed and corrupt. This being created the material universe, and is called the Demiurge (“half-creator”).
• The Demiurge is served by underlings called the Archon (“rulers”).
• Mankind possesses a “divine spark,” but it is shrouded in our corrupt material bodies.
• To be saved from this corruption we must acquire a special knowledge (Greek gnosis) of our true divine origin and transcend the material world. The specific content of this gnosis varied from one Gnostic group to another.
5) Is Gnosticism compatible with Christianity? No. Gnosticism flatly rejected the Christian belief that the created world was good (Genesis 1:31; 1 Timothy 4:4). In fact, the Gnostics often identified the Demiurge as the God of the Old Testament, who they sometimes called Yaldabaoth (Aramaic for “child, come here”) or Saklas (Aramaic for “foolish one”). And of course, the Gnostics denied Jesus’ humanity, including the incarnation, His death and His resurrection. Instead, they believed Christ emanated from an aeon but was clothed in the body of Jesus.
6) What claims does the Gospel of Judas make that are different from the traditional gospels? Fundamentally, the Gospel of Judas claims that Judas was the only one of the twelve apostles to understand the true nature of Jesus. “Judas [said] to him, ‘I know who you are and where you have come from. You are from the immortal realm of Barbelo. And I am not worthy to utter the name of the one who has sent you.’” Barbelo is a name found in Gnostic writings that refers to the first emanation from the divine essence and mother of all Aeons. Specifically, the Gospel of Judas claims that Judas would be exalted above the other apostles, presumably because he helped to free Jesus from His body. "But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me."
7) Were historians aware of the Gospel of Judas before the discovery and publication of this manuscript? Yes. In fact, one of the early church fathers, Irenaeus (AD125-202), wrote about the Gospel of Judas in his work Against Heresies: “Others again declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury. For Sophia was in the habit of carrying off that which belonged to her from them to herself. They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas” (Book 1 Chapter 31.1).
8) Does the Gospel of Judas contribute anything to our understanding of Jesus and Judas? Not at all. Contrary to the National Geographic’s assertion that the document offers “new insights into the disciple who betrayed Jesus,” the Gospel of Judas provides no insight into the traditional account of the four gospels. It does shed light on the specific beliefs of one strain of Gnosticism, which in turn only serves to set in even greater contrast the beliefs of the Gnostics with those of the early Christians.
9) If this document was discovered in 1970, why was it published last week? Part of the reason has to do with the painstaking care that historians must use to authenticate such an old document. However, I believe the specific timing of the publication of the Gospel of Judas reflects an agenda on the part of some scholars to cast doubt on the truthfulness of the gospels at the very time of the year when many people are interested in religion (Easter). Further, it is hard not to imagine that this is an effort to capitalize on the phenomenal interest in The DaVinci Code, since the premise of that novel is based in part on the existence of similar Gnostic writings.
I believe that books like The DaVinci Code and sensationalistic reports such as the news about the Gospel of Judas reflect a desire for “spirituality” without the inconvenience of the demands of the Bible. Gnosticism is about self-discovery; Jesus demands self-denial. Jesus taught that there would be few who found the way of life (Matthew 7:13-14), not because the knowledge of this way is accessible to only the elite, but rather because its demanding path is so clearly known by all who consider it. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Further Resources
You can access the Gospel of Judas at the National Geographic’s website
I drew on a lot of the insights found at the blog of Mark D. Roberts.
James Robinson’s comments about the Gospel of Judas can be found at the MSNBC site.
My summary of Gnosticism was drawn from a Gnostic website (yes they still exist!).
You can read the work of Irenaeus here.
There is also a lot of great material about the Gospel of Judas on the blog of New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III.
posted by Shane at 10:46 AM
3 Comments:
The fact that the Gospel of Judas contradicts the existing gospels is no surprise, given that the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John contradict each other , particularly in the area of Jesus's birth. Keep in mind that the New Testament we know today was hand-picked by Constantine and his Christan bishop lackeys in Nicenea about 1700 years ago. Institutional Christianity continues to be an implement of mass control, completely obscuring Jesus's original message (what's left of it) of peace and tolerance. For a good look at the gospels the church left out (and tried to destroy), read Elaine Pagel's The Gnostic Gospels.
I believe an age is coming when we start to think for ourselves, and this is just the beginning.
Hi gillespie-
Thanks for dropping by. I would have to take issue with virtually every sentence in your post.
1) Matthew, Mark, Luke and John do not contradict each other, though they certainly contain different details of the life of Jesus.
2) The NT as we know it today was recognized long before the time of current conspiracy bogeyman Constantine. With the exception of a handful of later epistles, the current NT was recognized by Christians throughout the empire a century before Constantine. This is especially true of the four gospels.
3) I agree that much of what passes for "institutional Christianity" is deeply flawed, but that does not prohibit anyone from thinking for themselves, which I try to encourage everyone to do.
4) The early Christians were adamantly opposed to Gnosticism because it ran counter to the entire message of the Bible, Old and New Testaments. Frankly, the Gnostics thought the Christians were just as deluded. There is nothing sinister about the clash of ideas. It is what happens when "we start to think for ourselves."
Thanks again for dropping by. I'd be glad to contiue the discussion.
I watched the National Geographic special, got in on the last half. I've thought a lot about it and I am afraid to call it a "gospel". In the big scheme of things, I guess it really doesn't matter because it doesn't affect my christian walk and personal relationship with Christ. It was an interesting show though. Love your blog! Your Bro, Donny
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