Ancient text offers revelations about Judas

archteryx · Post by **archteryx** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:37 am

National Geographic unveiled an ancient manuscript Thursday that may shed new light on the relationship between Jesus and Judas, the disciple who betrayed him.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/04 ... index.html

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:51 am

It should be an interesting show although no one outside of divinity schools believes that any of these so-called gospels are eye-witness accounts of events. They were all later creations by separate communities and scholars generally agree that the "names" were attached late in the second century AD.

There were a number of so-called Gnostic gospels found in the Egyptian desert and it will be interesting to see why this one was suppressed by the early church doctrine committee along with the ones which treated women decently.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:32 pm

why was it suppressed? because it was written in the 3 or 4th century a.d. long after the fact and it simply isn't true. there is no record of the relationship between Jesus and Judas, scripture also relates very little about the inter-personal relationship between Jesus and the disciples except to illustrate that it was mainly a teacher/student one.

what gifts Judas may have had, we will never know, they died with him and there really is no record of his achievements prior to his betrayal

Post by **Minimalist** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:54 pm

The reasons why the four gospels that eventually made their way into the NT has nothing to do with accuracy or timeliness. They represented a particular male-dominated view of the world which the church fathers wanted incorporated.

One of the significant differences between Christianity and Mithraism, which was the dominant cult of the Roman Empire for a long time while Christianity dwelt in the shadows, was that Christianity was far more inclusive in that allowed women and slaves to participate. Once the church gained political power that idea had to go.

Post by **Minimalist** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:35 am

The New York Times weighs in on the issue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/scien ... 6d&ei=5087

(The Times requires registration. It is FREE to view articles such as this.)

An early Christian manuscript, including the only known text of what is known as the Gospel of Judas, has surfaced after 1,700 years. The text gives new insights into the relationship of Jesus and the disciple who betrayed him, scholars reported today. In this version, Jesus asked Judas, as a close friend, to sell him out to the authorities, telling Judas he will "exceed" the other disciples by doing so.

Post by **Minimalist** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:59 am

This morning's Arizona Republic also has a story and they do not require registration....for those of you who are not "joiners."

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... s0407.html

A new gospel says Judas was no "Judas."

University of Arizona scientists have determined that a 1,700-year-old text known as the Gospel of Judas is authentic. It portrays Judas Iscariot as a hero rather than the greatest traitor in the Christian world. The Coptic-language text depicts him as the most special of Jesus' apostles, chosen by Jesus to hand him over to authorities so he could fulfill his redemptive mission.

The 26-page papyrus text, dated by UA's lab to around A.D. 300, is bound to spur a flurry of debate, church study classes and buzz.