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Apr. 6, 2006. 03:29 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — For 2,000 years Judas has been reviled for betraying Jesus. Now a newly translated ancient document seeks to tell his side of the story.
The “Gospel of Judas” tells a far different tale from the four gospels in the New Testament. It portrays Judas as a favored disciple who was given special knowledge by Jesus — and who turned him in at Jesus’ request.

“You will be cursed by the other generations — and you will come to rule over them,” Jesus tells Judas in the document made public today.

The text, one of several ancient documents found in the Egyptian desert in 1970, was preserved and translated by a team of scholars. It was made public in an English translation by the National Geographic Society.

Religious and lay readers alike will debate the meaning and truth of the manuscript.

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The Gospel according to Judas

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Originally posted by lagatta:
I misread it for a moment as "The Gospel according to Judes".

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Originally posted by Hephaestion:

*whew* For a second, I thought this was another Senator Buzz thread...

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So you're off you Buzz free pledge?

On the story itself, it almost sounds like an april fools joke. I'm sure this will cause a few fights.

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Originally posted by N.Beltov:
Leon Rosselson the English folk musician sang a very fine song, an anarchist anthem almost, called Stand Up For Judas...

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In "Jesus Christ, Superstar" there is the definite implication that Judas has been carried to his doom by destiny, or by the will of God. He ends the play shouting "You have murdered me!" before he suicides.

The Gospel of Judas is one of several writings by the Gnostics, who taught that Christ was wholly divine, therefore incapable of being killed and wore the illusion of Jesus the way a man would wear a garment. The garment, having served its purpose,was discarded at the crucifixion. Judas, then, becomes part of a cosmic ballet, rather than a fiendish traitor.

This will no doubt cause a stink amongst the Fundies. If I may quote Professor Farnsworth:

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The Gospel of Judas is one of several writings by the Gnostics, who taught that Christ was wholly divine, therefore incapable of being killed and wore the illusion of Jesus the way a man would wear a garment. The garment, having served its purpose,was discarded at the crucifixion. Judas, then, becomes part of a cosmic ballet, rather than a fiendish traitor.

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Isn't that Manichean... conception?

[ 06 April 2006: Message edited by: Cueball ]

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I'd be very interested in reading the text, but the national geographic site is being coy.

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Originally posted by Hephaestion:

*whew* For a second, I thought this was another Senator Buzz thread...

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Originally posted by Hephaestion:
Unionist...

That was my *only* reference in well over a week, and it was only a wiseacre remark. Doesn't really count.

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Ok, you're forgiven. Just make sure you don't skip any Buzzaholics Anonymous meetings.

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Originally posted by Kindly Wise:
In the mainstream gospels, Jesus says that "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to the man by whom he is betrayed." This implies that Judas had the option of NOT betraying Jesus but failed to turn away in time.

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Not necessarily. Maybe he was just recognizing that Judas would suffer for having to do what Jesus asked him to do.

But if there's any truth in this story, it would be another clue the bible has been "written by the winners", as in history often occurs.
Looks like the same has happened to Judas as what happened to Mary Magdalene. Both were a possible threat to the power of the Church, so slander and libel were used to minimize their influence in the religion.

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Originally posted by Clog-boy:

Both were a possible threat to the power of the Church, so slander and libel were used to minimize their influence in the religion.

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[ 08 April 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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Not necessarily. Maybe he was just recognizing that Judas would suffer for having to do what Jesus asked him to do.

And Jesus DOES ask him to do it in the mainstream gospels, during the Last Supper. He tells him to go now, and do what he must. (I forget the exact wording.)

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During the 1970s, a Coptic papyrus was discovered near Beni Masah, Egypt. This has been translated and appears to be a text from the 2nd century AD describing the story of the Jesus's death from the viewpoint of Judas. The BBC has termed this the 'Gospel of Judas'. The end of the text reads Ευαγγέλιον του Ιούδα (euangelion tou Iouda) which means "gospel of Judas".

The text is apparently a Gnostic account of an arrangement between "Jesus" and "Judas", who in this telling are Gnostically enlightened beings, with "Jesus" asking "Judas" to turn him in to the Romans to help "Jesus" finish his task from God.

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But if there's any truth in this story, it would be another clue the bible has been "written by the winners", as in history often occurs.

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Even if the story recounted in this particular gospel is untrue, it nonetheless sheds light on an unappreciated fact: the tome we call the Bible was written by a committee chaired by the Emperor Constantine.

The Council of Nicea, as it is called, picked and chose among dozens of gospels floating around, including some as part of the canon, and banishing others into the outer darkness.

Since there was no one true Christianity, one had to be invented, and it was. Obviously, little made it into the final, politically correct version, which did not meet the needs of Emperor Constantine.

I do not think this political origin of the Bible is generally understood; most people think the Bible is "a book" whose constituent parts are necessary and exclusive.

To be perfectly honest, I always thought he was poorly treated. Jesus wanted to die, had to die, so what did Judas do? He made it possible. I always thought that he either was doing Jesus a favour, or had no control over his actions.