ebooks The Gospel of Judas; Second Edition by From Rodolphe Kasser in History

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. a very good Friend; who you love and respectBy Sacred ChapelAside from the exciting events related to the discovery and final rescue of this codics;STOP A MINUTE; AND CONSIDERWhat if you have a friend; a very good Friend; who you love and respect. He asks you to do something for Him; you are the only one He can trust to do this for Him; and because He asked and you can not for see the future; the repercussions of what He wants you to do. You do it because H asked you to. He spoke of it in previous days; but no one really understood. Nothing good can come of it. BUT everything He has done in the past seemed to work out okay. YOU DO AS HE ASKED BECAUSE HE ASKED. Now you see the consequences. And you can not face the fact. You try to undo it (by giving back the money). That did not stop it. You can not live with it. You end your life. Faithful friend that you were. You are not there to see it all come out all right. Others write about you; and in a bad way; some are kind and say the devil made you do it.-------OR ---- you are a misguided person and sell your friend out-- and you see the consequences of your actions and deep in remorse you can not reverse it--and make it all go away--you end your life.EITHER SCENARIO-- Judas ended his life--and is someone I have pity for; me heart goes out to him.Unless he was good or evil and someone else ended his life for him--and not written about.I will consider the Gospel of Judas in light of the Nag Hammadi and Gospel of John.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A different interpretationBy John TurnbullAlthough none of the seven scholars contributing to this book is a gnostic; they have been asked to speculate on what was in the minds of two gnostics writing 2000 years ago. As Marvin Meyer wrote in his introduction; “At stake in the divergent interpretations of the Gospel of Judas is the very nature of the text. Who is Jesus in the text and who is Jesus? What is the purpose of the text? Is the gospel fundamentally evangelium or dysangelium. Good news or bad news? What does the Gospel of Judas really mean?”I agree with him that “The discussion of the meaning of the Gospel of Judas is exciting and dynamic; and it is certain to continue into the future. Scholars will continue to scrutinize the reconstruction of the codex and the placement of fragments; and they will propose new textual restorations and new readings. Unplaced fragments may be placed: missing papyrus may be found. New suggestions for translation and interpretation will be presented and debated; and new theories will be advanced. In a way; the work on the Gospel of Judas has only begun. In the months and years ahead; more light will be shed on this fascinating gospel of light.” In response; I offer what may be some of the light he expected.Since scholars agree that gnostics existed; and that a Greek version of the Gospel of Judas was written prior to 180 CE; after the New Testament’s four gospels and the Book of Acts were composed; it would not be illogical to conclude that the Greek version was written by a Christian who had become a gnostic after becoming aware of the mystical gnostic belief system circulating at the time he wrote. His message was for Christians who could read Greek.In like manner; the translator of the Greek version into a Coptic dialect spoken in Egypt in the fourth century CE was a member of the Sethian Coptic Orthodox Christian Church. This church believed it was established by Saint Mark and that Seth was the Christ. This translator also became a gnostic after becoming aware the same gnostic texts. He was delivering a message to the Christians who read Coptic.The message in both versions was very simple; but to understand it a reader of the Gospel of Judas has to know that the word Christ is English for the Greek word Christos which; in turn; is Greek for the Hebrew word Mashiach which means the anointed one or messiah who was the flesh and blood deliverer expected by the Jews to be a descendent of King David. Seth was the flesh and blood son of Adam and Eve. Both Jesus the messiah and Seth the messiah were mortals who were unaware of who they were and where they came from. They were not gnostics!In short; both translators wanted the members of their respective churches to know that only mortals who had become gnostics would return to the preexistent “great and holy generation” that abides in the spirit world created by their Most High God.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A Discovery That Vindicates IrenaeusBy Stefano NikolaouThe discovery of this lost Gnostic Gospel caused a minor sensation. Lots of misguided people thought the Gospel of Judas somehow scandalised modern Christians. In reality it just confirmed what the Church Fathers had said. The Gnostics were notorious forgers and the Gospel of Judas is a good example of what they got up to. This account of its discovery and translation of the text is well worth a look.