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In a recent issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education (10 May 2008), the Gospel of Judas was put into scholarly perspective. The entire National Geographic project has come under severe scrutiny and criticism—not only from scholars on the outside of the project but also from those that made up the “dream team” of scholars paid by National Geographic. Although the National Geographic Society put a great deal of money into the project—transcribing, translating and preserving the 1700-year old manuscript—the secrecy of the project and the errors of many of the scholars associated with the project demonstrate that it was flawed. The film and the two books associated with the project reflect a bias against the authenticity of the four Gospels. It is difficult not to avoid the charge of intellectual dishonesty.
Permit me a review of the entire project, using my comments from April 2006 as the foundation. In early April 2006 a bombshell of some significance was dropped by the National Geographic Society. Through the generous financing of the Society, a third-century Coptic copy of a second-century Greek Gnostic text was newly restored and translated. The crumbling papyrus—13 sheets, in more than 1,000 fragments, written on both sides—was found in a cave in the Egyptian desert in the 1970s, passed on from one antiquities dealer to another and ended up in a safe-deposit box in Hicksville, New York. It was finally purchased by the Maecenas Foundation for Ancient Art, which began restoration, translation and authentication of the text. Through the Society’s efforts, this papyrus manuscript, which had been damaged due to its age and being bounced among antiquities dealers, has been pieced together and translated. The Society’s efforts produced a 9 April 2006 documentary and two books. But the overarching question is - does this ancient Gnostic text add anything of value to our understanding of the seminal event of biblical Christianity, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Or, in this postmodern culture where shallowness and superficially reign, does the release of this text smack of sensationalism and manipulation? Let’s explore these questions in this perspective.
- First some important background. This ancient Gnostic text is really not a gospel and it most certainly was not written by Judas. Its basic thesis is that Judas is not the treacherous disciple recorded in the historic, canonical gospels; rather, he is a hero of Easter because he conspired with Jesus to betray him at His insistence. Judas is therefore a strong and positive figure in the history of redemption. We should applaud him, not denigrate and loathe him. Judas’ betrayal was arranged so that Jesus could be liberated through death from his evil body and so that his spirit could then be released. That theme alone betrays the Gnostic worldview, namely its dualism—that the body is evil and the spirit is good. “Salvation” is the release of the spirit from the evil body. Judas, through his betrayal, enabled Jesus to accomplish this goal. In fact, as well, this text presents a despicable portrayal of Almighty God, who, through a demiurge (“an artisan-creative god”) and other angels, created the evil, physical world! God is, therefore, to be despised and loathed. Finally, this Gnostic text depicts Jesus despising all the other apostles except Judas, rejecting them all as lesser creatures. Only Judas has the inner divine spark that Jesus sees and applauds. Only Judas is a part of the super-spiritual elite who have true “knowledge” (gnosis). Therefore, the release of this Gnostic text enables us to verify two major Gnostic teachings: (1) That Jesus did not actually appear in the flesh or that He at least wanted to shed His physical body and longed to return to the spiritual world. Judas facilitated this: (2) That the Gnostics believed that only a select few would truly apprehend the knowledge of truth, especially of the spiritual world. This Gnostic text teaches that only Judas understood! In summary, this Gnostic text has a well-developed Gnostic cosmology and a ruthless critique of the Twelve, who do not “understand.” The text thereby confirms our understanding of a branch of 2nd century Gnosticism called “Cainite Gnosticism,” which sought to rehabilitate not only Judas, but also Cain, Korah, Esau and the Sodomites. Therefore, this text tells us nothing about the real Judas or the real Jesus of history.
- Second, is this a reliable text and does it contribute anything to our understanding of Christ’s passion? In the documentary broadcast by National Geographic, there was talk of “rehabilitating Judas” with a “story that could challenge our deepest beliefs” and create a “crisis of faith” that might “turn tradition on its head.” The documentary has well featured dramatic re-enactments of Judas and Jesus, adding to the credibility of this Gnostic text. All of this smacks of sensationalism and hyperbole. In fact, James H. Robinson, professor emeritus of Claremont Graduate University and the scholar who oversaw publication of the Nag Hammadi Gnostic texts found in 1945, calls the documentary “consciously misleading.” The typical 21st century person does not have the scholarly background or the level of biblical understanding to dismiss this ancient text as an ancient Gnostic writing that bears no resemblance whatsoever to genuine, biblical Christianity. When one combines this release by the National Geographic Society with the book and movie The Da Vinci Code, it buttresses the claims of “the significance of extracanonical texts for the history of Christianity and tend[s] to describe the emergence of scriptures considered reliable and authoritative in terms of power plays by church authorities pursuing institutional self-interest” (quote by Peter Seinfels). Seinfels goes on; this “combines a highly suspicious portrayal of the church represented by the traditional Scriptures with a highly sanitized portrayal of the Gnosticism represented by the Gospel of Judas.” Indeed, scholar James Robinson comments that “[the Gospel of Judas] tells us nothing about the historical Jesus, nothing about the historical Judas. It only tells what, 100 years later, Gnostics were doing with the story they found in the canonical Gospels. I think purchasers are going to throw the book down in disgust.”
The tragedy of the publication and the accompanying National Geographic documentary of the Gospel of Judas is that both fall upon a biblically illiterate culture and church. Such illiteracy often views such news as truth. There is a clear lack of discernment and wisdom in thinking about this “Gospel.” It adds nothing to our understanding of 1st century Christianity. It only adds to our understanding of 2nd and 3rd century Gnosticism, especially the strange branch called Cainite Gnostics. May we who love and know Jesus Christ see it for what it is—a sensational release by a reputable Society that sadly distorts genuine, biblical Christianity.
See Darrell Bock, “The Jesus and Judas Papers: A Look at Recent Claims about Jesus,” www.ChristianityToday.com (13 April 2006); David Gates, “Sealed with a Kiss,” Newsweek (17 April 2006); Collin Hansen, “The Judas We Never Knew,” www.ChristianityToday.com (6 April 2006); Peter Seinfels, New York Times (15 April 2006); David Gibson, New York Times (9 April 2006). |
