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The National Geographic presented a special a few days ago on a purported "Gospel" of Judas in Coptic. They also have it in their website. The publication of their "findings" on this lost gospel has caught the imagination of reporters. The NY Times even has a catchy title for it: 'Gospel of Judas' Surfaces After 1700 Years.
Here are some things about this "Gospel" that are being highlighted:
- It was written after the four gospels and before 180 AD within a Gnostic intellectual climate (see timeline of National Geographic);
- The "gospel" presents a Judas Iscariot that is different from the one appearing in the four canonical gospels.
- In this gospel, Judas is presented as the confidant and closest friend of Jesus
- Judas did not betray Jesus; he merely did what Jesus already wanted him to do
- The NY Times quotes Elaine Pagels and her statement about the exploding myth of monolithic religion (=Christianity?)
- Irenaeus of Lyons is called a "heretic hunter" who was unsympathetic with the Gnostics and who mentions "The Gospel of Judas" as a fantastic heretical book.
What can be said about all this?
Some people have been circulating the idea that in the early years of Christianity, there were different "Christian" faiths which were later on levelled to just one Christian faith when a dominant sector of the Church constrained everybody else to conform to it. But to make this allegation stick, they had to come up with a historical picture of the early church that was truly diverse before the ascent of Constantine on the emperor's throne and the move to make the Christian "faiths" uniform began. To do this, they have to come up with "discoveries" like that of the Gospel of Judas to bolster their view of a diversified Christianity.
But will this hold?
1. They admit that the Gospel of Judas was written by someone in the second century AD, someone who already knew the four gospels. The thing is, before the gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew and John were written, these were first proclaimed. When they were written, Christians were already familiar with their content; they recognized these written materials as reflecting the proclamation of the apostles. If the other gospels (e.g. Gospels of Peter, of Thomas, even that of Judas) were not included in the canon of what we now call "The New Testament" it was because these did not reflect the faith that the apostles preached.
2. They admit that the Gospel of Judas is understandable within the intellectual climate of Gnosticism. Scholars of the New Testament know that Gnosticism flourished in the second century but its elements were already combatted by Paul and by John. Gnosticism was about gnosis, a hidden knowledge that was passed on to elect. It was an elitist movement that was not part of Judaism from which Jesus' movement came out. Second, Gnosticism tended to de-humanize Christ for it looked on the "earthly" as unworthy of the divine. Thus its mysticism tended towards the heavenly while discarding that which was earthly. Gnosis, the hidden knowledge, was the key to this passage. It was light leading to the Light and away from the darkness of ignorance and sin. The Gospel of John while making use of the light-darkness contrast attacks Gnosticism when it insists that the Word that was the light that shone on every man that was born became flesh and dwelt among us and that he died as God-man not as appearance-of-man only as the Gnostics would contend.
3. The National Geographic timeline mentioning the work of Irenaeus dramatizes the Christian situation in 180 AD making it seem that there were "problems" because of the Gospel of Judas. Irenaeus' "Adversus Haereses" is a compilation of the heresies during his time and responses to these that could be used as a resource by pastors. National Geographic and the New York Times make it sound as if it was an instrument for the Inquisition.
In the last analysis, this "Gospel-of-Judas" thing is about two things: novelty and the Do-It-Yourself-Christianity-spirit that some sectors of society would like to encourage. "Novelty" because it is good business; and "Do-It-Yourself-Christianity" because it is easier to control and safer for those who don't like the sting of real Christianity.
More interesting links about this at Hypotyposeis.ORG.
