I am both amazed and not so amazed at the attention being given to The Gospel of Judas. Media claims abound, like:
“Unseen Judas Gospel Sheds New Light on Betrayal”
“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.”
“Judas Kiss No Betrayal, Lost Gospel Reveals”
And so on and on ad nauseum ad infinitum.
What silly sensationalism. And what timing! Is it just a coincidence that National Geographic is doing its TV special on GJ tonight? And that the pieced-together manuscript of the truly ancient document + commentary has just been published as a book? (National Geographic is the publisher.)
The truth is:
- GJ tells us nothing about the real Jesus.
- GJ tells us nothing about the real Judas.
- GJ was not written by "Judas."
- GJ is a valuable historical document because we get even more insights into ancient Gnosticism.
- GJ (like the other Gnostic "Gospels") was written much later than the four canonical Gospels.
- Neo-Gnosticism is alive and well.
Finally - I suggest you read GJ on-line, as I did. It's very interesting. And very, very un-Jewish.
And for something more substantive, try this.
