Website review: Edge: THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS
christian300 discovered this in Religion
•4 reviews since May 2, 2007
religion
•edge.org/3rd_culture/pagels07/pagels07_index....
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christian300 discovered 15 months ago- Fascinating read....Christianity's interesting history slowly being unravelled. http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/pagels07/pagels07_index.html T HE GOSPEL OF JUDAS The first time I heard of the Gospel of Judas was about five years ago, when I got a call from someone who said, I have a book for you to edit--the Gospel of Judas. That astonished me, since I knew that the "church father" Irenaeus had mentioned such a gospel nearly 2000 years ago, denouncing it as terrible blasphemy: but no one had ever seen it, or known whether it actually existed. But this dealer in Cleveland was telling me he had it there. Was he telling the truth? I called the Met, the Getty, and the Frist to ask about him, and they told me that he is a reputable dealer who has important material--but when I called back he suddenly stopped answering the phone. I realized then what already had seemed likely--that the book had been stolen from Egypt, and could not be legally sold. I located a man who often bought rare books from this dealer, and who also has given many of them to Princeton, hoping that he might buy the Gospel of Judas, give it to Princeton, and then return it formally to Egypt, which would legalize the arrangement. Then we could photograph and publish it--that was the plan.
- laodan rated 14 months ago
- THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS in Edge, The Third Culture, A Talk with Elaine Pagels
There is a Jewish tradition about persecution and about martyrdom which sees dying for God, as they called it, as a way of witnessing God's power. The followers of Jesus argued intensely about that question. And the Gospel of Judas is one of the writings that comes out of these intense, painful arguments involving the threat of violence, arrest, threat of torture and public execution. This shows us what DIDN'T become Christianity and casts very new light on what did. THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS
1. Stories about Jesus were written long after his death.
2. The story of Jesus that has been passed down through history is a simplified and screened history. It is only after emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made it the religion of the empire that the story of Christianity as we know it today was fashioned through selective retaining or purging of gospels. Among the retained are the ones by Mark, Paul, Matthew,... and among the purged are the ones by Mary Magdalene, Phillip, Thomas, Judas,...
3. The story of Christianity, as we know it, has to be understood in the context of it being transformed into the official worldview of the Roman Empire. It then became a tool for the men of power to glue mentally their citizens behind a unified vision and understanding of reality.
4. The story of Christianity devised as the worldview to be shared by all within the Roman Empire had not much in common with the message of Jesus the first century rabbi.
5. What does it change to know those facts?
- THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS in Edge, The Third Culture, A Talk with Elaine Pagels
- saltwatermatt rated 15 months ago
- Professor of Religion at Princeton University, ELAINE PAGELS, discusses one of the accounts of Jesus's death, what lead to it, and who may have been involved. This ancient work, called the Gospel of Judas, was written by somebody perhaps one or two generations after Jesus' death. It was rediscovered about five years ago. The account of Jesus' death is contrary to the canon texts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and john. Jesus and disciples were not popular by many accounts, but this new account adds the insight that Judas may not have been a traitor, but instead the very best friend that Jesus needed, able to selflessly do as Jesus asked him in a very difficult and trying situation. Here is a small extract. I really encourage you to read the full text. "Many people see the main message of Jesus as "Jesus died for your sins"--and see Jesus' death as a sacrifice God requires to forgive human sins. This gospel asks, What does that make of God? Is he a bloodthirsty pagan god who demands human sacrifice? The God of Abraham prevented Abraham from offering his son as a sacrifice--does the God of Jesus then require it?" "Second, we've all heard of Christian martyrs. This text sees Judas dying as a martyr--because here the other disciples hate him so much that they kill him! But the Gospel of Judas challenges the idea that God wants people to die as martyrs--just as it challenges the idea that God wanted Jesus to die. Whoever wrote this gospel--and the author is anonymous--is challenging church leaders who teach that. It's as if an imam were to challenge the radical imams who encourage "martyrdom operations" and accuse them of complicity in murder--the Gospel of Judas shows "the twelve disciples"--stand-ins for church leaders--offering human sacrifice on the altar--and doing this in the name of Jesus! Conservative Christians hate gospels like this--usually call them fakes and the people who publish them (like us) anti Christian. There was a great deal of censorship in the early Christian movement--especially after the emperor became a Christian, and made it the religion of the empire--and voices like those of this author were silenced and denounced as "heretics" and "liars." The story of Jesus was simplified and cleaned up--made "orthodox."" "But what really happened in the early movement is far messier, more intriguing, and more human. These recently discovered sources show us what was censored--and what those who didn't become "orthodox" were saying. For this is the only gospel we've ever seen that shows Jesus laughing at his disciples--because they have distorted his message and gotten it so wrong. What we have here is evidence of how some people in the early movement were struggling with the story of how Jesus died, betrayed by one of his own men. We don't have any stories of Jesus written down within 40 years of his death, but after that time many people wrote down accounts of what happened. One of the most puzzling parts of the story is that people knew that Judas Iscariot, one of his closest followers, had handed him over to the people who arrested him, and to the Roman authorities who killed him. The question was, Why? What was the motive? Why would Judas do that?" I don't do the author justice. It's a compelling, fascinating read.
- aljis rated 15 months ago
From the page
The Gospel of Judas shows "the twelve disciples"--stand-ins for church leaders--offering human sacrifice on the altar--and doing this in the name of Jesus! Conservative Christians hate gospels like this--usually call them fakes and the people who publish them (like us) anti Christian. There was a great deal of censorship in the early Christian movement--especially after the emperor became a Christian, and made it the religion of the empire--and voices like those of this author were silenced and denounced as "heretics" and "liars." The story of Jesus was simplified and cleaned up----made "orthodox."
