Judas:%20%20Another%20Gospel?

1
Judas Another Gospel?
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Is it Genuine?

• Discovered in a subterranean chamber in Egypt in
  1970s.
• Carbon-14 dating AD 220-340.
• A Coptic manuscript on papyrus.
• Quoted by Iranaeus Against Heresies AD180.
• Probably originated AD 150-170.
• Bottom line, it is genuine!

3
The Theme of the Gospel of Judas The secret
account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in
conversation with Judas Iscariot.
Judas was Jesus closest apostle. Jesus
revealed secret, deeper knowledge of his purpose
and ministry to Judas. This Gospel reveals this
deeper knowledge (gnosis).
4
National Geographic Article Some of these
alternative versions (Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of
Phillip, Gospel of Judas) may have circulated
more widely than the familiar four Gospels A
long-buried side of Christianity is
re-emerging In fact, it is unclear whether the
authors of any of the gospelseven the familiar
fouractually witnessed the events they
described.
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Is the Gospel of Judas a Gospel?

• 3200 words longabout three chapters in length.
• No miracles, no healings, no ministry to the
  people.
• Not a biography of Jesus.
• No passion account!
• Not a gospel.

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The Message and Content of the Gospel of
Judas Judas Did Jesus a favor when he
betrayed him!!!
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Content (cont.)

• A few vaguely familiar sayings I come from a
  place which no eye has seen and no thought of the
  heart has ever comprehended. (1 Cor 29)
• Jesus heaps contempt on the apostles, he laughs
  at them for not understanding the deeper
  mysteries.
• A vision of Priests sacrificing their wives and
  children, engaging in homosexual acts, all in the
  temple. Those you have seen receiving the
  offerings at the altarthat is who you are.
  That is the God you serve. (GJ p. 38) The God
  of the Old Testament is an evil god!!!
• The cattle you have seen brought for sacrifice
  are the many people you ie the Jews lead
  astray. (GJ p. 39)

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Content (cont.)

• A bizarre Gnostic cosmology put into the mouth of
  Jesus
• Come, that I may teach you about secrets no
  person has seen (GJ, p. 47)
• 12 Aeons (gods?) (see on Gnosticism below).
• 72 heavens and 72 luminaries six for each of the
  Aeons.
• 360 firmaments and 360 luminaries five for each
  of the heavens.
• Characters such as Nebro, Yaldabaoth, Saklas,
  Galila, Yobel, Adonaios, Seth. The first is
  Seth, who is called Christ (GJ p. 52) Jesus is
  Seth, one of the five rulers of the underworld.

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Content (cont.)

• The key like comes near the end For you will
  sacrifice the man that clothes me. (GJ p. 56)
  Believe it or not, this makes sense (to a
  Gnostic)!

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Gnosticism
The source of Gnostic teaching was NOT
Christianity. a. Its practices come
principally from the Mystery Religions. b.
Its theology came principally from Dualistic
religion, such as Zoroastrianism and
Manichaeism. c. Its philosophy came
principally from neo-Platonism (Plato,
Plotinus). d. Its story (or myth) came from
Christianity. Other sources Nag Hamadi Library
(1945, Egypt) Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of
Phillip, etc. Gnostic Christian gospels are
Gnostic writings dressed up to look like
Christianity. Ex Sophia of Jesus Christ
Book of Eugnostos the Blessed
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Mystery Religions

• (Greek) Cult of Dionysius, (Egyptian) Cult of
  Osiris, Eleusinian Mysteries (Persian) Mithraism.
• Like New Age Religion of today. Mysticism.
• Stressed deep knowledge gnosis in Greek, and
  thus the name Gnosticism.
• Initiates gradually given deeper hidden knowledge
• This knowledge revealed through symbolic/mythic
  rites
• For example the Baccanaliathe chief rite of
  Dionysius. Sex, drugs, alcohol, ecstatic
  dancing, stories to achieve a mystical experience
• In GOJ, Jesus is a sort of guru to Judas, leading
  him into the deeper mysteries. Come that I
  may teach you about secrets no person has
  ever seen. For there exists a great and
  boundless realm, whose extent no generations of
  angels have seen. (GJ p. 47)
• Does this come from actual events in Jesus life
  or because of the influence of Gnosticism on the
  writer of the Gospel of Judas?

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Dualist Religion

• For example Zoroastrianism (Persia), and later
  Manichaeism
• Dualists see the universe as dominated by a
  conflict between good and evil. The God of good
  and the God of evil are in a more or less equal
  battle for the souls of men. Light vs Darkness.
  Soul is good, body is bad.
• Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament is a God of
  body, therefore he is an evil God. Jesus is
  spiritual and good but Jehovah is physical and
  bad.
• Marcion rejected the Old Testament, Matthew,
  Mark, John and part of Luke. He was big on Paul.
  Jehovah is a worldly, evil God.
• The cattle you have seen brought for sacrifice
  are the many people you lead astray. (GJ p. 39)

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Neo-Platonism

• Greek philosophy from Pythagorus, to Plato, to
  Plotinus.
• The earth is a physical and therefore an
  inherently evil place.
• Through philosophy, introspection, we move to the
  higher, spiritual reality, we enter the
  quintessence.
• By contrast Genesis 131 God saw all that he
  had made, and it was very good.
• Here is where the Gospel of Judas gets its
  cosmology of Aeons, etc.
• Jehovah/Adam are physical and bad. Jesus is NOT
  a physical being, nor can he be.

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Neo-Platonism (cont.)

• The cosmology of the Greek philosophers included
  Aeons
• Sophia, also known as Barbelo is an Aeon
• Sophias thought emanated Ialdabaoth (or Nebro) a
  physical, evil god.
• Gospel of Judas adds Ialdabaoths thoughts
  eminated Jehovah.
• This explains the Gnostic contention that Jesus
  was not a physical being.
• For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.
  (GJ p. 56)

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Summary on Gnosticism

• The Gospel of Judas is Gnostic, through and
  through
• Gnosticism is not Christianity. It is (weakly)
  influenced by Christianity. It is a Mystery
  Religion cult, combined with Greek cosmology and
  philosophy, wrapped up in Dualistic religion,
  with a thin veneer of Christianity.
• The New Testament response 1 John 11 That
  which was from the beginning, which we have seen
  with our eyes, which we have looked at and our
  hands have touchedthis we proclaim to you
  concerning the Word of life.
• 1 John 322 Such a man is the antichrist.

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So, who cares? You should. National Geographic
Marcionites, Ebionites, Gnostics, Orthodox
Christians are all equally valid views of Jesus
which fought it out. What we know as
Christianity is the one that won out (DaVinci
Code). The Gospel of Judas is just another of
many equally valid pictures of the true Jesus.
In fact, it is unclear whether the authors of
any of the gospelseven the familiar
fouractually witnessed the events they
described. This is a lie!!!
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Gnostic writings Even the Gnostics did not
take them as historical facts. They interpreted
their stories/myths as allegories with deep,
hidden meaning. Even Marcion, in his canon did
not list the Gospel of Thomas or any other of the
Gnostic writings! No apostolic
authority. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and
Acts Clearly to be taken as literal history with
obvious literal meaning. Jesus really walked on
water. We know when and where he was born, where
he lived, who he touched and healed. He died a
horrible, physical, bloody death. This is
unmistakably literal.
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Why only four gospels?

• If you accept the others, you have to throw out
  the Old Testament.
• Dates they were written (as opposed to the
  Gnostic writings).
• Apostolic authority.
• Manuscript evidence.
• Church Father quotes.
• Evolution of the church canon.

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Dates of Composition

• Matthew 60s AD
• Mark AD 50s or 60s
• Luke AD 63 (based on details not included in
  Acts)
• John AD 70-90
• Alternative, non-canonical gospels 2nd and 3rd
  centuries AD
• Gospel of Thomas AD130-150
• Gospel of Judas AD 150-170

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Apostolic Authority Justin Martyr AD 150 four
memoirs of the apostles. Irenaeus MMLJ are
the four pillars of the Gospel. The New
Testament canon was chosen as those books which,
by consensus, had apostolic authority. The four
gospels are the only ones even the heretics ever
saw as being truly apostolic.
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Manuscript evidence for the canonical gospels
The Rylands Fragment John 1831-33, 37 AD 125
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Church Father Quotes

• Ignatius d. AD 115 Quotes from Matthew, John and
  Luke.
• Polycarp, writing to the Philippians in AD 120
  quotes from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, 1,2
  Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
  1,2 Thessalonians, 1,2 Timothy, Hebrews, 1 Peter,
  and 1,3 John
• Clement of Rome AD 95 or 96 quotes from ten of
  the twenty-seven New Testament books.
• Nearly the entire New Testament can be
  reconstructed from quotes of the church fathers
  in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
• None of these ever quoted from a Gnostic gospel,
  ever!

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Development of the New Testament Canon

• Four gospels circulating and recognized as
  apostolic by AD 100 or even by AD 90.
• A group of letters of Paul circulating together
  and recognized as apostolic by AD 100
• A still fluid, but developing complete list of
  canonical books by AD 150. (some doubt about
  Hebrews, 2,3 John, Revelation, 2 Peter, Epistle
  of Barnabus, Didache).
• By AD 200, the New Testament as we know it was
  canonized by acclamation of the church. (The
  Muratorian Fragment, AD 175)

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Summary The Gospel of Judas is not a gospel at
all. It is a non-Christian, Gnostic writing from
some time after AD 150 with absolutely no
apostolic authority and virtually no historical
content. It is of great interests to historians
of religion in the Eastern Mediterranean in the
2nd century AD, but it has nothing new to tell us
about Jesus or about true Christianity.