Who would be interested in reading the Gospel of Judas?

Clearly he will provide a new angle on the whole story. I'd be interested to read his reasons for the betrayal, perhaps he knew something about J that has remained secret through history.

Or it might just turn out to be more made up rubbish. It would be journalistically interesting to read anyway though.

Jesuit scholar says Gospel of Judas does not merit name 'Gospel'

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- The Gospel of Judas was unimportant to most Christians when it was written hundreds of years ago and it is unimportant today, said a Jesuit professor who has convoked a series of ecumenical studies of the historical Jesus.

Jesuit Father Gerald O'Collins, a longtime professor of Christology at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, said the text, like the gospels of Mary Magdalene and Philip, "does not merit the name 'Gospel.'"

The National Geographic Society unveiled the document April 6, posting a copy of it on the society's Web site, www.nationalgeographic.com, and releasing English translations of portions of the text.

"A 'Gospel' is a literary genre -- established by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- focusing on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus," Father O'Collins said.

While including events supposedly related to the life of Jesus, the Gospel of Judas and the others really are texts "attempting to bolster the importance" of the personalities they are named after, not of Jesus, the priest said.

"They are not summaries of the good news," he said.

The texts come from the gnostic tradition, a religious-philosophical current popular in the second, third and fourth centuries. The gnostics claimed to have secret knowledge unavailable to the vast majority of people and focused so strongly on the spiritual and intellectual that they despised material creation, including the human body.

In the year 180, St. Irenaeus condemned the gnostics, mentioning particularly a Gospel of Judas.

Father O'Collins said the most important thing about the text released in early April is that "it shows just how right Irenaeus was in saying the gnostics were against mainstream Christianity and Judaism, they were against our God."

"To give Judas greater credit," the Jesuit said, the gnostics "portray Jesus giving him secret knowledge. It was a nice try," but there is no evidence to support the claim.

"It was junk then and it is junk now," he said .

Father O'Collins, who between 1996 and 2003 convoked a series of ecumenical, interdisciplinary summits for scholars on the historical Jesus, said it was "ridiculous" for anyone to claim publication of the Gospel of Judas will challenge mainstream Christianity.

END

As long as it doesn't cost me 30 pieces of silver I'm game. Shouldn't one hear both sides of the story? Maybe the day before the betrayal an angel tapped him on the shoulder and said: "Yo, Jude, listen up! There's a whole lot of prophesy riding on this, so pay attention ... OK? Right .. now, these guys are gonna offer you some long money to finger JC. Yeah, I know it's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. By the way, are you depressive, or suicidal?"

Yeah. I'd like to read it.

i'm no longer a Christian yet i have examine the gospel of Judas and a e book about it referred to as "The misplaced Gospel of Judas Iscariot" by technique of Bart D Ehrman. that is a scripture of gnostic Christianity. that's totally incompatible with what all of us understand as mainstream Christianity. In gnosticism that is assumed that the god of this universe is evil. they imagine that Jesus got here to provide us from the god of this universe, no longer to reconcile us with that god. by the way the gospel of Judas change into no longer written by technique of Judas. Judas is basically the issue. Likewise, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John were no longer written by technique of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Bible students believe they were written countless generations after their time from oral custom.

I would love to read it. It would be interesting to see if there are new areas exposed in the Jesus Mythology which can be traced back to the older pagan mystery religions, such as the Virgin Birth, riding on a donkey, crucifixion etc.

Oh I would love to read it. Its just another piece of the puzzle and more insight into the Christian foundation, Jesus himself. The more we learn about the people who were around Jesus, the more we learn about Jesus himself the better understanding we gain into him ministry and intention of that ministry.

I would like to. It wouldnt affect my faith, but I fear others with weak faith in Jesus might easily be tricked into believing things that are against Jesus.

Sure, why not? Just reading it doesn't mean you have to believe any of it, but only by reading it can you gain new insights.

I would. I'd like to hear what the chap has to say (Even if someone else is saying it.)

P.S. JAT, very amusing! lol

Yeah... I would read it.To know the truth you have look in all angle..