The Gospel of Judas Iscariot

Lately you can't sling a dead cat in a bookstore without hitting a magazine or book with some type of Jesus theory. Some say Jesus was married, some say Jesus was alive for long after he was supposed to have died on the cross, and still others say Jesus was more human that previously given credit. I, for one, feel like a kid in a candy store. I love debate about religion, especially when that debate is based on scholarly work or discoveries. I must admit I've grown tired of the debate that comes from "born again" people who tell me that if I don't believe the exact same way as they do then I will go to Hell. When I ask them why should I believe what they say and not what others say, they respond with the equivalent of...."uh, because I said so". This is why I'm so exicited about the announcement of National Geographic about the discovery and subsequent authentication of The Gospel of Judas.

The Gospel of Judas was written by an unknown author in the 3rd century AD. It depicts Judas as Jesus' best buddy. His confidant, friend, and most trusted apostle. In the Gospel, Judas talks with Jesus about the temple elders approaching him to betray Jesus and assist in his arrest. Judas is against it. He doesn't want to do it. Jesus tells him to go through with it. Basically he tells Judas that dying on the cross is the reason for his existence. He tells Judas that he needs this to happen to fulfill the prophecy. Judas does as Jesus wishes but with a heavy heart that engulfs him in sadness and guilt.

I have found many things in the Bible as being contradictory. I have wondered many times, if Jesus was the Son of God and could raise the dead, heal the sick, turn water into wine, then how could he have not known that Judas betrayed him. This book answers that question....and it makes sense. The Gospel also shows Jesus as having more human qualities such as a sense of humor, apprehension about doing his duties, and manipulating circumstances to make the outcome what he wanted.

What many people don't know and the Church does not advertise is that the Bible we all know is a mere sample of all the Gospels that were out there at the time the Bible was created. In about 345AD, the newly converted Emperor Constantine got all the factions of Christianity together. He and a group of trusted elders got together and decided what books would be "cannonized" and what books would be burned. The Christianity we know today is a creation of the Emperor Constantine. He was also responsible for the original foundation principals on which Christianity was built. Among those were the assertion that Jesus was not an ordinary man but the Diety known as the "Son of God". Until that time, there was much debate about whether or not Jesus was a prophet or a deity. Constantine decided the answer for everyone and for all time. Constatine also decreed that a collection of Gospels used by the Gnostic Christians would not be used in the Bible and he ordered them destroyed. A copy of each of these books (coptic texts) was buried in a clay pot in the desert. Left undiscovered for nearly over 1800 years, the Gnostic Gospels were discovered in a village now called Naj Hammadi in 1945. The Gospels are a fascinating glimpse into the different factions of early Christianity. In the collection is the book called "The Gospel of Mary". It is said to be the teachings and story of Mary Magdalene.

What should The Gospel of Judas tell us? It should tell us that there is still much to be learned for those with open minds. As far as I'm concerned, the truth is what God is all about. Why shouldn't we seek the truth out, even if it makes us uncomfortable?