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The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed
The recent National Geographic special on the Gospel of Judas was a major media event, introducing to millions of viewers one of the most important biblical discoveries of modern times. Now, a leading historian of the early church, Bart Ehrman, offers a comprehensive account of the newly discovered Gospel of Judas, revealing what this legendary lost gospel contains and why it's so important for our understanding of Christianity.
Ehrman, a featured commentator in the National Geographic special, describes how he first saw the Gospel of Judas—surprisingly, in a small room above a pizza parlor in a Swiss town near Lake Geneva—and he recounts the fascinating story of where and how this ancient papyrus document was discovered, how it moved around among antiquities dealers in Egypt, the USA, & Switzerland, and how it came to be restored & translated.
More important, Ehrman gives a complete and clear account of what the book teaches and he shows how it relates to other Gospel texts—both those inside the New Testament & those outside of it, most notably, the Gnostic texts of early Christianity. Finally, he describes what we now can say about the historical Judas himself as well as his relationship with Jesus, suggesting that one needs to read between the lines of the early Gospels to see exactly what Judas did & why he did it.
The Gospel of Judas presents an entirely new view of Jesus, his disciples and the man who allegedly betrayed him. It raises many questions and Ehrman provides illuminating and authoritative answers, in a book that will interest anyone curious about the New Testament, the life of Jesus and the history of Christianity after his death.
Duration 08:27:36
Ehrman, a featured commentator in the National Geographic special, describes how he first saw the Gospel of Judas—surprisingly, in a small room above a pizza parlor in a Swiss town near Lake Geneva—and he recounts the fascinating story of where and how this ancient papyrus document was discovered, how it moved around among antiquities dealers in Egypt, the USA, & Switzerland, and how it came to be restored & translated.
More important, Ehrman gives a complete and clear account of what the book teaches and he shows how it relates to other Gospel texts—both those inside the New Testament & those outside of it, most notably, the Gnostic texts of early Christianity. Finally, he describes what we now can say about the historical Judas himself as well as his relationship with Jesus, suggesting that one needs to read between the lines of the early Gospels to see exactly what Judas did & why he did it.
The Gospel of Judas presents an entirely new view of Jesus, his disciples and the man who allegedly betrayed him. It raises many questions and Ehrman provides illuminating and authoritative answers, in a book that will interest anyone curious about the New Testament, the life of Jesus and the history of Christianity after his death.
Duration 08:27:36
Audiobook
First published October 1, 2006
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About the author
Bart D. Ehrman
83 books2,003 followersBart Denton Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks. He has also authored six New York Times bestsellers. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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January 21, 2009
I wish I was as clever as those people who attach images to their reviews – but I can’t work out how to do it. If I could attach an image to this review it would be this one:
http://www.savagechickens.com/2006/05...
(Special thanks to Richard for showing me how to do this and to Mr Savage for providing me so much amusement over the years.)
Now, I think that is funny and when I first saw it I knew very little about the Gospel of Judas and, to be honest, wanted to know even less. Like Mr Savage I ran this and the Da Vinci Code together and popped them both into my ‘crap to be avoided’ file.
Well, then I saw who wrote this one and my opinion immediately changed. The same man who wrote Misquoting Jesus and God’s Problem, two of the most fascinating books I’ve read all year – so it became urgent that I read this one.
One of the things I tend to worry about with a book like this is that if the author is not careful they might say something silly like, “This book finally tells the true story of Judas / Jesus”. The reason why this is silly is that even if you were able to prove beyond all doubt that Jesus was in fact a woman who believed in torturing camels by getting rich men to remove their eyes with needles, it really wouldn’t amount to anything. The Jesus who has dominated our culture for the past 2000 years is only vaguely related to an historical personage and any ‘proof’ one way or the other needs to recognise and account for that tradition. A tradition, quite frankly, that is not going to go away even if you do show Judas was actually the sort of bloke you would invite over for a couple of sausages and a beer.
Knowing this was written by Ehrman removed all my concerns – if anyone could be trusted to handle this subject well, then this most learned and fascinating writer was certain to exceed expectations. And has he come through in this one! This is now my favourite of his books – and that really is saying something.
If you ever need proof of why seeking profit isn’t always in the best interests of humanity – in the way the economic rationalists are constantly telling us it is – then the history of this ancient book is a text book lesson. It has to be said, the world is full of stupid people, but greed raises stupidity to a whole new level. What these idiots did to this precious book (and any book that is around 2000 years old is precious by definition, even if it was nothing but the mumblings of a madman) is simply criminal. I thought this part of the book was going to be the least interesting, but it turned out to be utterly compelling, while also being infuriating. I’ve never really understood the love of money and the desire to possess things merely for the sake of possessing them. When this all amounts to the near destruction of something infinitely valuable and irreplaceable, well, what can I say? Death is too good for them – perhaps there is a reason to keep Guantanamo Bay open for after all. That this vandalism is based on greed is nearly too much to bare.
If you had asked me before reading this book what I knew about the Gnostics I’d have thought I knew quite a bit. This book proved to me that I knew virtually nothing at all. The basic idea behind many of the Gnostic sects in the early Church was that there were lots and lots of Gods – and one very flawed God, who didn’t quite understand He was not alone – the God we know as the jealous, true god of the Jews. This God didn’t realise He was actually second rate and then He went on to create our deeply flawed universe and populated it with us and other flawed divine creatures. It was on this fundamental misunderstanding of the actual nature of the way things are that our universe got started. The central problem with our existence is IRONY. If you have ever felt a little like Neo in The Matrix, then Gnosticism might just be the religion for you. I have to admit, it makes me smile and a religion that does that must have something going for it.
His discussion of the relationship between orthodoxy and heresy in the early church is remarkably interesting. His discussion of the contradictions in the Gospels was a wonderful summary and remarkable in itself – but more interesting are the conclusions he draws from the fact of these contradictions.
His reconstruction of the Jesus story – a story of an Apocalyptic Jew certain the end of the world was about to happen and how Christianity changed from being about the apocalypse to being about redemption through the crucifixion with Paul’s conversion – is also fascinating take on the Christian message. This is a book written by a man who really knows his stuff and brings to the fore connections and relationships within the texts that will literally take your breath away.
Of course, I say all of this on the proviso that you are not a Fundamentalist Christian. If you are then you are in the lucky position of already knowing the truth and there is no need for you to read any more than one book – so off you go. If, rather, you have the wherewithal to think, then this book provides plenty of material to work the grey cells.
I have read other books that have asserted that Judas is a grossly misunderstood character, but this book explains the consequences of all of the various ‘Judases’. I had no idea, for example, that no one knows what Iscariot means. I had always just assumed it was a place name – like Jesus of Nazareth – but apparently not.
Understanding Judas is essential to understanding Jesus, and despite what I said at the beginning of this review, I do think I came away from this text with a deeper and more informed understanding of the Christian tradition. This really is a great book – I can’t recommend it too highly.
http://www.savagechickens.com/2006/05...
(Special thanks to Richard for showing me how to do this and to Mr Savage for providing me so much amusement over the years.)
Now, I think that is funny and when I first saw it I knew very little about the Gospel of Judas and, to be honest, wanted to know even less. Like Mr Savage I ran this and the Da Vinci Code together and popped them both into my ‘crap to be avoided’ file.
Well, then I saw who wrote this one and my opinion immediately changed. The same man who wrote Misquoting Jesus and God’s Problem, two of the most fascinating books I’ve read all year – so it became urgent that I read this one.
One of the things I tend to worry about with a book like this is that if the author is not careful they might say something silly like, “This book finally tells the true story of Judas / Jesus”. The reason why this is silly is that even if you were able to prove beyond all doubt that Jesus was in fact a woman who believed in torturing camels by getting rich men to remove their eyes with needles, it really wouldn’t amount to anything. The Jesus who has dominated our culture for the past 2000 years is only vaguely related to an historical personage and any ‘proof’ one way or the other needs to recognise and account for that tradition. A tradition, quite frankly, that is not going to go away even if you do show Judas was actually the sort of bloke you would invite over for a couple of sausages and a beer.
Knowing this was written by Ehrman removed all my concerns – if anyone could be trusted to handle this subject well, then this most learned and fascinating writer was certain to exceed expectations. And has he come through in this one! This is now my favourite of his books – and that really is saying something.
If you ever need proof of why seeking profit isn’t always in the best interests of humanity – in the way the economic rationalists are constantly telling us it is – then the history of this ancient book is a text book lesson. It has to be said, the world is full of stupid people, but greed raises stupidity to a whole new level. What these idiots did to this precious book (and any book that is around 2000 years old is precious by definition, even if it was nothing but the mumblings of a madman) is simply criminal. I thought this part of the book was going to be the least interesting, but it turned out to be utterly compelling, while also being infuriating. I’ve never really understood the love of money and the desire to possess things merely for the sake of possessing them. When this all amounts to the near destruction of something infinitely valuable and irreplaceable, well, what can I say? Death is too good for them – perhaps there is a reason to keep Guantanamo Bay open for after all. That this vandalism is based on greed is nearly too much to bare.
If you had asked me before reading this book what I knew about the Gnostics I’d have thought I knew quite a bit. This book proved to me that I knew virtually nothing at all. The basic idea behind many of the Gnostic sects in the early Church was that there were lots and lots of Gods – and one very flawed God, who didn’t quite understand He was not alone – the God we know as the jealous, true god of the Jews. This God didn’t realise He was actually second rate and then He went on to create our deeply flawed universe and populated it with us and other flawed divine creatures. It was on this fundamental misunderstanding of the actual nature of the way things are that our universe got started. The central problem with our existence is IRONY. If you have ever felt a little like Neo in The Matrix, then Gnosticism might just be the religion for you. I have to admit, it makes me smile and a religion that does that must have something going for it.
His discussion of the relationship between orthodoxy and heresy in the early church is remarkably interesting. His discussion of the contradictions in the Gospels was a wonderful summary and remarkable in itself – but more interesting are the conclusions he draws from the fact of these contradictions.
His reconstruction of the Jesus story – a story of an Apocalyptic Jew certain the end of the world was about to happen and how Christianity changed from being about the apocalypse to being about redemption through the crucifixion with Paul’s conversion – is also fascinating take on the Christian message. This is a book written by a man who really knows his stuff and brings to the fore connections and relationships within the texts that will literally take your breath away.
Of course, I say all of this on the proviso that you are not a Fundamentalist Christian. If you are then you are in the lucky position of already knowing the truth and there is no need for you to read any more than one book – so off you go. If, rather, you have the wherewithal to think, then this book provides plenty of material to work the grey cells.
I have read other books that have asserted that Judas is a grossly misunderstood character, but this book explains the consequences of all of the various ‘Judases’. I had no idea, for example, that no one knows what Iscariot means. I had always just assumed it was a place name – like Jesus of Nazareth – but apparently not.
Understanding Judas is essential to understanding Jesus, and despite what I said at the beginning of this review, I do think I came away from this text with a deeper and more informed understanding of the Christian tradition. This really is a great book – I can’t recommend it too highly.
April 11, 2025
This is a bit niche, but if you're intrigued by early Gnostic writings this might interest you.
And yeah, a lot of people think Gnostic is too broad a term, but I agree with Ehrman that it covers the same kind of ground as Christian. All Gnostics were/are not the same, but if you stand a Mormon and a Catholic side-by-side you would see a ton of doctrinal differences, and yet everyone is comfortable saying they can both snuggle together under the Christian blanket.
Ok, so this was a somewhat recent find. It knocked around for a few decades while the owner tried to sell it, disintegrated rapidly while being poorly stored, and finally found a home with a buyer who was able to preserve what was left and find out its true worth.
No, of course it wasn't written by Judas Iscariot or anyone who knew him. This isn't some Di Vinci Code thing. It's a Gospel written for a specific sect of Christians in antiquity that leaned toward the Gnostic teachings. In this story, Judas is the only disciple who had a "spark of the divine" and was able to understand what Jesus was trying to tell them about his true nature and what that meant for the afterlife. It also explains that his betrayal was sanctioned by Jesus as a way to escape his mortal body and transcend the physical form that was tethering him to this earth.
The book tracks Ehrman's journey from his first contact with National Geographic when he learned they wanted him and several other experts in various fields to try and authenticate this find, to the interesting story told in this new (to us) Gospel. Scholars were aware this Gospel had once existed due to its mention in other ancient writings, but they had no idea what it actually said because it was only mentioned by the (now) orthodox church leaders who wanted to discredit it. And it's never good practice to 100% believe what someone's enemy says about them.
So yeah. This had some interesting bits to it.
Again, I think the target audience for this is small, but I enjoyed it.
Recommended for Gnostic lovers everywhere.
And yeah, a lot of people think Gnostic is too broad a term, but I agree with Ehrman that it covers the same kind of ground as Christian. All Gnostics were/are not the same, but if you stand a Mormon and a Catholic side-by-side you would see a ton of doctrinal differences, and yet everyone is comfortable saying they can both snuggle together under the Christian blanket.
Ok, so this was a somewhat recent find. It knocked around for a few decades while the owner tried to sell it, disintegrated rapidly while being poorly stored, and finally found a home with a buyer who was able to preserve what was left and find out its true worth.
No, of course it wasn't written by Judas Iscariot or anyone who knew him. This isn't some Di Vinci Code thing. It's a Gospel written for a specific sect of Christians in antiquity that leaned toward the Gnostic teachings. In this story, Judas is the only disciple who had a "spark of the divine" and was able to understand what Jesus was trying to tell them about his true nature and what that meant for the afterlife. It also explains that his betrayal was sanctioned by Jesus as a way to escape his mortal body and transcend the physical form that was tethering him to this earth.
The book tracks Ehrman's journey from his first contact with National Geographic when he learned they wanted him and several other experts in various fields to try and authenticate this find, to the interesting story told in this new (to us) Gospel. Scholars were aware this Gospel had once existed due to its mention in other ancient writings, but they had no idea what it actually said because it was only mentioned by the (now) orthodox church leaders who wanted to discredit it. And it's never good practice to 100% believe what someone's enemy says about them.
So yeah. This had some interesting bits to it.
Again, I think the target audience for this is small, but I enjoyed it.
Recommended for Gnostic lovers everywhere.
June 9, 2023
Some time in the middle to late 1970s an ancient papyrus codex, still bound in its original leather, was discovered in a desert tomb near El Minya, Egypt. Although its significance wouldn’t be confirmed until years later, it now stands as an authenticated Coptic translation of a Greek “gnostic” gospel dating from the second to third century; the infamous once-lost-now-found Gospel of Judas Iscariot.
Author Bart Ehrman begins his biblical recounting of storied history with various well known (and lesser known) accounts of Judas’ life and death, starting with the books of the New Testament and then broadening his scope to non-canonical sources. Ehrman emphasizes that nothing written anywhere about Judas is dispassionate or objectively verifiable. That’s not to say that everything we know about Judas is false, but much of it is so contradictory, so mutually exclusive, that it is emphatically impossible for all of it to be true.
“…it is enough to know that when early Christians told stories about the followers of Jesus, even his betrayer, they did so in light of their own views, perspectives, and theological investments.”
Take for instance the accounts of Judas Iscariot’s death. Matthew 27:3 tells us that Judas was so remorseful over the condemnation of Jesus that he hung himself. Acts 1:18 says that Judas fell headlong in a field and “his entrails gushed out.” My personal favorite comes from the writings of Papias, a Greek Apostolic Father (60-130 CE):
“Judas walked about as an example of godlessness in this world, having been bloated so much in the flesh that he could not go through where a chariot goes easily, indeed not even his swollen head by itself. For the lids of his eyes, they say, were so puffed up that he could not see the light, and his own eyes could not be seen, not even by a physician with optics, such depth had they from the outer apparent surface. And his genitalia appeared more disgusting and greater than all formlessness, and he bore through them from his whole body flowing pus and worms, and to his shame these things alone were forced [out]. And after many tortures and torments, they say, when he had come to his end in his own place, the place became deserted and uninhabited until now from the stench…” -The Fourth Book of Papias
For all practical purposes the only thing about Judas that all the different sources agreed upon was that he betrayed Jesus, that he was the enemy of Christ. There was no text anywhere that truly portrayed Judas in a positive light—that is, until now.
[SPOILERS REMOVED]
___________________________________
Thinking on a “divine level” (which is difficult for a skeptical pragmatist like myself), was not Judas’ betrayal of Jesus simply a fulfillment of prophecy? If Christ had to die for the sins of the world and Judas (and the Jews) made that possible, is that not a good thing? Granted, those committed to antisemitic propaganda have depicted Judas as the prototypical Jew and Christ killer, but what if he was more hero than villain? Let’s face it, if he hadn’t betrayed Jesus and collected his thirty pieces of silver would Christianity still be a thing? If Jesus had died not on a cross but, for example, of old age then what would today’s followers wear around their necks? Tiny little rocking chairs?
Author Bart Ehrman begins his biblical recounting of storied history with various well known (and lesser known) accounts of Judas’ life and death, starting with the books of the New Testament and then broadening his scope to non-canonical sources. Ehrman emphasizes that nothing written anywhere about Judas is dispassionate or objectively verifiable. That’s not to say that everything we know about Judas is false, but much of it is so contradictory, so mutually exclusive, that it is emphatically impossible for all of it to be true.
“…it is enough to know that when early Christians told stories about the followers of Jesus, even his betrayer, they did so in light of their own views, perspectives, and theological investments.”
Take for instance the accounts of Judas Iscariot’s death. Matthew 27:3 tells us that Judas was so remorseful over the condemnation of Jesus that he hung himself. Acts 1:18 says that Judas fell headlong in a field and “his entrails gushed out.” My personal favorite comes from the writings of Papias, a Greek Apostolic Father (60-130 CE):
“Judas walked about as an example of godlessness in this world, having been bloated so much in the flesh that he could not go through where a chariot goes easily, indeed not even his swollen head by itself. For the lids of his eyes, they say, were so puffed up that he could not see the light, and his own eyes could not be seen, not even by a physician with optics, such depth had they from the outer apparent surface. And his genitalia appeared more disgusting and greater than all formlessness, and he bore through them from his whole body flowing pus and worms, and to his shame these things alone were forced [out]. And after many tortures and torments, they say, when he had come to his end in his own place, the place became deserted and uninhabited until now from the stench…” -The Fourth Book of Papias
For all practical purposes the only thing about Judas that all the different sources agreed upon was that he betrayed Jesus, that he was the enemy of Christ. There was no text anywhere that truly portrayed Judas in a positive light—that is, until now.
[SPOILERS REMOVED]
___________________________________
Thinking on a “divine level” (which is difficult for a skeptical pragmatist like myself), was not Judas’ betrayal of Jesus simply a fulfillment of prophecy? If Christ had to die for the sins of the world and Judas (and the Jews) made that possible, is that not a good thing? Granted, those committed to antisemitic propaganda have depicted Judas as the prototypical Jew and Christ killer, but what if he was more hero than villain? Let’s face it, if he hadn’t betrayed Jesus and collected his thirty pieces of silver would Christianity still be a thing? If Jesus had died not on a cross but, for example, of old age then what would today’s followers wear around their necks? Tiny little rocking chairs?
June 17, 2018
This book is neither a novel nor about a gospel written by Judas. It is rather a serious and well documented work on the history of the beginning of Christendom. Yes, of course, it is about the gospel of Judas. But as with other Gospels, whether they are part of the New Testament or apocryphal, it was not written by one of Jesus' apostles.
This book also talk about:
The four Gospels of the New Testament, the Acts of the apostles and Paul’s epistles. The author compared all these books and showed many discrepancies and contradictions relative to each other.
Then the Gospel of Peter, discovered in 1886, a book condemned by early church fathers for containing a docetic Christology. Other fragments of the Gospel have turned up in Egypt in the twentieth century. In fact, we have more fragmentary copies of the Gospel of Peter from the early centuries than of the Gospel of Mark. Was Peter the more popular Gospel at the time?
There is also the Gospel of Mary, discovered in 1896, which contains a Gnostic revelation given by Jesus to Mary about how the soul can ascend to heaven.
Then there are the fifty-two writings of the Nag Hammadi library, including the Secret Book of John, the Gospel of the Egyptians, the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, and the Coptic Apocalypse of Peter—all of them Gnostic writings detailing aspects of the Gnostic worldview—not to mention the Gospels of Thomas and Philip from the same collection.
In the 1980s a book called the Gospel of the Savior turned up, which narrates Jesus’ last hours and his final words delivered . . . to the cross!
And now there is the Gospel of Judas, another Gnostic dialogue that discusses the “secret revelation” Jesus gave to Judas Iscariot.
But these books are only a small part of the references given by the author.
About the Gospel of Judas Iscariot, the author says: “No one thought the Gospel was actually by Judas himself. Judas was an illiterate peasant, like Jesus' other disciples. But there was the possibility that it was one of our oldest surviving Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but possibly from the second Christian century. That century had seen a proliferation of Gospels forged in the names of Jesus' disciples-Gospels written in the names of Thomas, Philip, and Mary, for example. This Gospel would be different, HOWEVER. All the other surviving Gospels told the story from the perspective of Jesus' friends. This one allegedly was by his enemy. But according to the hints and rumors circulating in the early church, this lost Gospel named after Jesus betray portrayed Judas Iscariot not in the rotten apple in the apostolic barrel but as the one disciple who understood Jesus' teaching and did his will.”
Mr. Ehrman makes it very clear that Jesus was an apocalypticist. That is to say, like many other preachers of his time, he asserted that the end of the world was very close. Jesus repeated many times the same thing, "Truly I tell you, this generation will not be away from these things take place (Mark 13:30)" because “the time has been fulfilled” (Mark 1:15) and "Truly I tell you, some of those standing here will not taste death before they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power". This generation was his own and that of his apostles. So Jesus believed that the God’s Kingdom (or the Kingdom of Heaven) was imminent. And this was the foundation of his and other Apocalypcists’s beliefs.
Moreover, the Twelve would be the rulers of this Kingdom: in the “age to come, when the Son of Man is seated upon his glorious throne, you also will sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28; cf.Luke 22:30). So the apostles believe that they would be soon at the head of the twelve tribes of Israel, the powerful overlord of God’s Kingdom, and so during their lifetime (reason why there were TWELVE apostles, not less, nor more). They even argued to know which ones of them will be superior in the upcoming Kingdom of God; they want to know who will be allowed to sit at Jesus’ right and left hands (Mark 9:34; 10:35–37). Given what Jesus had told them about their future roles in the Kingdom, it is no surprise that they had visions of grandeur: they were to be the twelve rulers in the utopian Kingdom that was soon to arrive. This is what the Twelve—including Judas Iscariot—expected.
It is no wonder that they could not make heads or tails of Jesus’ declaration, near the end of his ministry, that he was about to be rejected and killed. Killed? How could he be killed? The Kingdom was coming, and they would be its rulers. Jesus was their master now. Wouldn’t he be their master then? So the disciples never did understand that Jesus was about to die. They thought he would be with them in the Kingdom. In fact, he would still be over them. They would be the overlords, ruling the twelve tribes, but he would be the Lord of all, the king of the Kingdom. And what is the Jewish term used to refer to the future king of the future Kingdom, the one who would be anointed to rule over all? It is the word messiah, and the equivalent term in ancient Greek, the language of the New Testament, is christos, or Christ. But no Jew of the ancient world thought the messiah was supposed to be God. The messiah was the “anointed one,” the mortal chosen by God to rule over his Kingdom. Furthermore, Jesus was none of the things that Jews expected the messiah to be. Calling Jesus the messiah made no sense to most Jews, of Jesus’ own day or afterward (e.g. the messiah was not supposed to “rise from the dead”). For Jews, what made the messiah the messiah was the fact that he was God’s chosen one who would rule God’s people.
However, Jesus did not mean that he was the messiah in the sense that he would raise an army and overthrow the Romans. He meant it in line with his apocalyptic teaching. Jesus believed the Son of Man (not himself) was coming in judgment on the earth to bring in God’s Kingdom, and he would be the one installed as the king. In this apocalyptic sense, he was the future messiah. This is not what Pilate understood when he asked him if he was the King of the Jews though. And Jesus was condemned for rebellion. But since Jesus never called himself the Messiah publically before his arrest, the Roman needed some insider to give them the charge. Judas, as one of the Twelve, was in a unique position to do it; he told them that Jesus considered himself as the King of Jews.
According to the anonymous writer of the Gospel of Judas Iscariot, Judas was the only member of Jesus’ apostolic band who understood Jesus’ apocalyptic message, where he came from and where he was going. Since Judas had insider knowledge, he could do what Jesus needed: turn him over to the authorities that he might be killed and escape his temporary entrapment in a mortal body and then become the King of the Jews in Heaven. In Jesus’ memorable words spoken to Judas, “you will exceed them all, for you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”
But this account was written a century after the fact by a Gnostic who saw liberation from this material world to be the greatest good imaginable, and who told his story about Jesus and Judas in light of his own belief. Why did Judas do it in reality? It is hard to tell. It could have been for many reasons (e.g. as the other apostles, his hopes were dashed; he had enough to wait for God's Kingdom that was not coming as fast as they had liked).
Jesus’ message is clear in our very earliest sources, such as Mark, Q (short for Quelle, German for “source”— a written account of Jesus’ sayings, and one of the sources behind Matthew and Luke), this was the heart and core of Jesus’ proclamation—that someone called the Son of Man, a cosmic judge from heaven, was soon to arrive in judgment to establish God’s Kingdom —why don’t people today normally think of this as his message? The answer is not hard to find. The expected end did not come.
Jesus died. Then his disciples died. And the end never arrived. As a result, the followers of Jesus started emphasizing other aspects of his message. His proclamation was reshaped away from its original apocalyptic emphasis. The early Christian church in Rome preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary; it was safer than to speak about the King of the Jews. This is why in the later sources, there is so very little of this apocalyptic message.
There is a section of the book explaining what Christians of the first centuries believed. There were competing groups within early Christianity; these different groups held different sets of beliefs and practices, and they were all seeking to win converts to their perspectives. These beliefs and practices differed so widely from one group to another that historians have sometimes had difficulty acknowledging all of them as “Christian.” In the early centuries, of course, there were Christians who believed in only one God. But others claimed that there were two gods (the Marcionites); yet others said there were thirty gods, or 365 gods (various groups of Gnostics). There were Christians who maintained that this world was the creation of the one true God; others said that it was the creation of the just but wrathful god of the Jews, who was not the true God; others said it was the creation of much inferior ignorant deities who were malicious and evil. There were Christians who believed that Jesus was both human and divine; others said he was human but not divine; others that he was divine but not human; others that he was two beings, one divine and one human. There were Christians who believed that Jesus’ death was what brought about a restored relationship with God; others said that Jesus’ death had nothing to do with salvation; yet others said that Jesus never died. And all of them insisted not only that they were Christians but that they were the true Christians, and that all the other groups had misunderstood the teachings of both Jesus and his apostles. But only one group emerged as victorious, near the end of the third century or the beginning of the fourth. And this group began to decide what was heretic and what was orthodox (relating to, or conforming to the approved form of any doctrine, philosophy, ideology, etc.). And if you weren't with them, you were against them. And thus began the Inquisition.
Since Jesus' fundamental message was about the coming of the end of the world and the Kingdom of Heaven and that it is also the essential message of the Gospel of Judas, we are safe to conclude that this last gospel was closer to Jesus’ initial message than the other gospels. But since the end of the world did not take place as announced, we can safely say that they were both wrong.
As for the winner of the religious conflicts between the different "factions" of Christianity, what it promotes (that is to say, Jesus’ death to wash away our sins and his resurrection) has nothing to do with his primordial and principal message. The winner group's non-apocalyptic approach is far from the true message of Jesus.
Since the author often re-uses the same passages from the Gospels and other "orthodox" or Gnostic texts to demonstrate what he seeks to prove to us, the result is a long and repetitive book. A better edition could have shortened it by at least one third without sacrificing important information. This said, this is a scholarly and very interesting book. That's why I give it four stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
By now of course, you've all heard about the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. When this book was written, it had only been a year or two since the National Geographic exposé of it. They wanted to be sure that it was authentic - as in an authentic copy from the second century - and Bart D. Ehrman was one of the first involved in this.
The gospel shows two things.
1) The Christians of the 1st and 2nd century were very diverse in their view of the faith. Not much survives from this time as the orthodox view that prevailed of course removed as much evidence for heretical views as possible.
2) Maybe there is an another interpretation of the betrayal of Jesus? Maybe Judas, as is suggested in this gospel, was the only one who truly understood his master's teachings and was only doing what he was told.
Every time I read this type of book I am astounded at the level of faith required to believe Christianity. If you read, think and analyze, it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It changed a lot even in the first few years after Jesus' ministry. He was an apocalyptic prophet and when the world did not end, of course the teaching and message had to be modified.
Bart D. Ehrman is a fine scholar and writer, I high recommend this and all his other books.
The gospel shows two things.
1) The Christians of the 1st and 2nd century were very diverse in their view of the faith. Not much survives from this time as the orthodox view that prevailed of course removed as much evidence for heretical views as possible.
2) Maybe there is an another interpretation of the betrayal of Jesus? Maybe Judas, as is suggested in this gospel, was the only one who truly understood his master's teachings and was only doing what he was told.
Every time I read this type of book I am astounded at the level of faith required to believe Christianity. If you read, think and analyze, it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. It changed a lot even in the first few years after Jesus' ministry. He was an apocalyptic prophet and when the world did not end, of course the teaching and message had to be modified.
Bart D. Ehrman is a fine scholar and writer, I high recommend this and all his other books.
June 2, 2016
This was a fascinating read.
I'd never heard of this Gospel until I came across this book. Apparently it was discovered in the 70s, but not translated or published until the early 2000s. It is genuinely old (radiocarbon dated to the late 3rd century AD), and was written about Judas Iscariot, rather than by him.
Ehrman, a respected writer on the early church, gives an overview of the document, and asks how, why, and when it was written. He looks at its context and meaning for its original readers, it's connection with gnostic 'heresies'. It and asks what it might mean for modern biblical scholarship.
The author presents his evidence and his answers with succinct precision. He has a pleasantly informal but authoritative style that enabled an interested layperson (myself) to understand these very complex ideas and follow his reasoning with ease.
I felt that this book gave me a solid foundation regarding the Gospel itself, and the milieu in which it was written. I now know a lot more about the early church and the foundations of Christianity than I did before.
At no time did I feel like the author was telling me what to think. Instead he seemed to be giving me his educated opinion and then allowing me to make up my own mind.
I found it fascinating and thought provoking.
I'd never heard of this Gospel until I came across this book. Apparently it was discovered in the 70s, but not translated or published until the early 2000s. It is genuinely old (radiocarbon dated to the late 3rd century AD), and was written about Judas Iscariot, rather than by him.
Ehrman, a respected writer on the early church, gives an overview of the document, and asks how, why, and when it was written. He looks at its context and meaning for its original readers, it's connection with gnostic 'heresies'. It and asks what it might mean for modern biblical scholarship.
The author presents his evidence and his answers with succinct precision. He has a pleasantly informal but authoritative style that enabled an interested layperson (myself) to understand these very complex ideas and follow his reasoning with ease.
I felt that this book gave me a solid foundation regarding the Gospel itself, and the milieu in which it was written. I now know a lot more about the early church and the foundations of Christianity than I did before.
At no time did I feel like the author was telling me what to think. Instead he seemed to be giving me his educated opinion and then allowing me to make up my own mind.
I found it fascinating and thought provoking.
April 7, 2009
Once again, someone found some scraps of parchment with the name of Judas and the whole concept of Christianity is therefor attacked. Dr. Ehrman starts out by saying that the writings were not by Judas nor probably written by anyone who knew Judas. He then goes on to say that they were probably gnostic papers and then proceeds to attack the four gospels in the New Testament, tries to prove a coverup by he Church, debunk the concept of a Christ or Messiah, all on a scholarly basis.
The fact that Christains believe in the Messiah has a great deal more to do with the faith of the followers. This can never be proven or for that matter disproven by Scholars and Historians.
What amazes me the most is that the book is about a newly founf "gospel" which consists of scraps (illustrated in the book), but the book does not say what they contain. Once you get past his three chapters of introduction, every chapter is a repeat of the one before it realing nothing.
The fact that Christains believe in the Messiah has a great deal more to do with the faith of the followers. This can never be proven or for that matter disproven by Scholars and Historians.
What amazes me the most is that the book is about a newly founf "gospel" which consists of scraps (illustrated in the book), but the book does not say what they contain. Once you get past his three chapters of introduction, every chapter is a repeat of the one before it realing nothing.
December 31, 2010
This was an absolutely fascinating book!
The discussion of the newly discovered "Lost Gospel of Judas" itself (its physical discovery, damage, restoration, translation and contents) was interesting, but was not actually the highlight of the book. What really made this book a great read was the thoroughness with which Ehrman takes us through the process of Biblical analysis and the history of pre- and post-Christian theology from the time just before, during and after Christ's life.
After an in-depth look at these different theologies (especially Gnosticism and Jewish Apocalypticism), the book culminates with Chapter 10 (What Did Judas Betray and Why did he Betray it?) in which we are confronted head-on with the fact that the traditional notion that "Judas betrayed Jesus by leading them to his secret hiding location" just doesn't add up and we use what we learned about the predominant ideas at the time to understand what it was that Judas actually "betrayed."
This is just the latest of Ehrman's excellent books that I've read and definitely won't be my last!
The discussion of the newly discovered "Lost Gospel of Judas" itself (its physical discovery, damage, restoration, translation and contents) was interesting, but was not actually the highlight of the book. What really made this book a great read was the thoroughness with which Ehrman takes us through the process of Biblical analysis and the history of pre- and post-Christian theology from the time just before, during and after Christ's life.
After an in-depth look at these different theologies (especially Gnosticism and Jewish Apocalypticism), the book culminates with Chapter 10 (What Did Judas Betray and Why did he Betray it?) in which we are confronted head-on with the fact that the traditional notion that "Judas betrayed Jesus by leading them to his secret hiding location" just doesn't add up and we use what we learned about the predominant ideas at the time to understand what it was that Judas actually "betrayed."
This is just the latest of Ehrman's excellent books that I've read and definitely won't be my last!
December 11, 2010
This is a great book, if you know what you're getting. This is not a translation of the Gospel of Judas. It includes a summary of the Gospel and a translation of a few of the passages, but you should look for another book if all you're after is the translation of the text itself.
Instead, Ehrman has provided a comprehensive history of everything surrounding the text. Not only do we get a history of how the Gospel was found, restored, and presented to the public, but we also get a history of the early Christian church (the widespread, conflicting beliefs), an overview of how Judas Iscariot is portrayed throughout history, and what this "new" gospel tells us about what the Christian movement was like in the years following the death of Jesus.
Ehrman writes in a highly readable style, meant for the layman's understanding rather for scholar's to study. A lot of his material overlaps with his other books though, so if you've read some of his previous books, you'll find yourself covering a lot of the same ground.
Instead, Ehrman has provided a comprehensive history of everything surrounding the text. Not only do we get a history of how the Gospel was found, restored, and presented to the public, but we also get a history of the early Christian church (the widespread, conflicting beliefs), an overview of how Judas Iscariot is portrayed throughout history, and what this "new" gospel tells us about what the Christian movement was like in the years following the death of Jesus.
Ehrman writes in a highly readable style, meant for the layman's understanding rather for scholar's to study. A lot of his material overlaps with his other books though, so if you've read some of his previous books, you'll find yourself covering a lot of the same ground.
March 23, 2017
This was just way too bible-y for me. I feel like I was being preached to. I didn't appreciate that.
September 22, 2014
The Gospel of Judas, a gnostic book written in the 2nd century AD, was discovered in Egypt in 1978. The only earlier report of this "Christian" text is found in Bishop Irenaeus' book Against Heresies, written about 180 AD. In the Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot, Professor Erhman reveals how the document was discovered and repeatedly sold by shady antiquities dealers. This unique and priceless document was mishandled, abused and damaged before it was acquired by Frieda Nussberger, a reputable dealer. Three years of painstaking reconstruction followed, but 10-15% of the book was lost.
Before analyzing the message contained in the Gospel of Judas, Professor Erhman reviews the (little) information we have about Judas Iscariot from the Gospels and later Christian documents. Then Erhman focuses on two key aspects of this ancient document. First, it is a gnostic gospel that has an ideology and mythology very similar to the many other gnostic gospels discovered in the past 150 years. These books were written to reveal knowledge that would lead to salvation and everlasting life for those few who received the hidden knowledge given in secret by Jesus to the special disciple - such as Mary Magdalene, Thomas, or Judas. Second, it is a gospel that reveals the true relationship between Jesus and his one true disciple Judas - as believed by the author and like believers.
Dr. Erhman does an excellent job of placing the heretical beliefs found in the Gospel of Judas in the historical setting of early Christianity. A catholic orthodoxy was finally achieved in the 4th-5th centuries, but in the 1st-2nd centuries there was an amazing diversity in beliefs about Jesus and his message. While a 21st century reader (me) finds that the Gospel of Judas cosmology reads like Hindu mythology, it is astounding to know it was gospel to many early Christians.
Interesting, informative, and well written.
Before analyzing the message contained in the Gospel of Judas, Professor Erhman reviews the (little) information we have about Judas Iscariot from the Gospels and later Christian documents. Then Erhman focuses on two key aspects of this ancient document. First, it is a gnostic gospel that has an ideology and mythology very similar to the many other gnostic gospels discovered in the past 150 years. These books were written to reveal knowledge that would lead to salvation and everlasting life for those few who received the hidden knowledge given in secret by Jesus to the special disciple - such as Mary Magdalene, Thomas, or Judas. Second, it is a gospel that reveals the true relationship between Jesus and his one true disciple Judas - as believed by the author and like believers.
Dr. Erhman does an excellent job of placing the heretical beliefs found in the Gospel of Judas in the historical setting of early Christianity. A catholic orthodoxy was finally achieved in the 4th-5th centuries, but in the 1st-2nd centuries there was an amazing diversity in beliefs about Jesus and his message. While a 21st century reader (me) finds that the Gospel of Judas cosmology reads like Hindu mythology, it is astounding to know it was gospel to many early Christians.
Interesting, informative, and well written.
September 21, 2021
101 ways to observe Bart Ehrman polishing a Gnostic TURD.
So should Judas really get his own Gospel account? The Gospel definition means: The Good News. So what exactly is this good news that Judas claims? Certainly not his freaky nasty morbid death. (hung, fell, burst open, probably eaten by small animals and bugs - if there's a God: he probably doesn't like you)
Somebody seemed to think maybe Judas shouldn't be remembered as the bad guy of the Bible - that he was actually helping Jesus out. Possibly the two of them were attempting to bring some kind of Buddhist enlightenment to the Universe by having Jesus killed... except: They both ended up dead and the world didn't care about their secret gnostic relationship and method for attaining an afterlife party.
NO wonder this lost Gospel was lost - because it failed. No reason to get excited.
I listened to the audio book of this while at work. So I won't be able to do any serious quotes. But I can mock the content just as easily. You could play a drinking game to every mention of the word SCHOLAR by Bart. He calls himself a scholar many many times - apparently this is a sore point for him - I guess because none of the actual Bible scholars I prefer will have much of anything to do with Ehrman and his propaganda publishing. Ehrman sells books to poorly informed christians, those who don't want to be christians, and Muslims and Atheists who really hate the Bible and wish they could mock it while using secular academic terms like "Historical Critical Scholarship".
It was very amusing that Bart spoke often about what a CASH COW this Judas Gospel was destined for. Apparently its been floating around for many decades waiting for the dollar sign to go up. Yep, from one owner to another... just raising the price --- till National Geographic can make some big coin off of it. All about integrity indeed. "Show Us The Money".
This is no reflection on Ehrman though, I don't think he gets more than a book out of it. Which apparently is probably all that's really happened so far. And that's the problem:
So this book is called: "The Lost Gospel Of Judas Iscariot - A New Look At Betrayer and Betrayed."
A small portion of this scribble is about the actual content of this lost gospel. Most of the book is about absolutely anything (and the kitchen sink) that Bart could throw at this topic to maybe get a few book sales. Honestly, I might have done the same thing with such a shallow topic like Gnostic Judas.
Yep, we get bits of Judas from every possible source. That being mostly the Bible of course. But the real problem is the bad theology of Ehrman that it gets filtered through. Yes, just because Bart failed Systematic Theology 101 this means everything he touches gets the stink of liberal short-sighted heresy on it.
So why do I say such a thing? Well...
Ehrman at one time claimed to be some sort of born again something. But when he was challenged to make sense of the entirety of the Bible - well, he gave it about a minute and gave up. Then he spent the next few decades to justify his poor ability to read ALL of Biblical scripture. For instance: He has no idea how the Holy Spirit influenced the entire Bible. He simply can't comprehend that a God would actually work with AND THROUGH people to produce a complex bit of history. So like a kid playing with a broken puzzle that is missing half its pieces... Bart is desperate to find some NEW pieces that will help him with the missing box top picture and those other essential corner bits that got eaten by the family dog. Sadly, this is often what happens when people attempt to read the Bible without the thread of the Holy Spirit or Trinity holding it all together - it becomes a confusing liberal mess.
This leads into the other related problem I have with Bart's babblings:
He just can't see how the Bible is not necessarily a simple God-given book. Funny enough, i've seen little kids who can make perfect sense of God's Word, as well as aged Christian scholars (REAL scholars that is).
And yet Bart can't seem to see how God is playing with liberals and atheists and muslims and the generally spiritually blind religious folk. Take the 4 Biblical Gospels for instance: Bart insists that they should be in perfect repetition and content. God forbid that one actually gives information that another is not prioritizing... OHHHhhhh NOOOoooo! What's a scholar to do? If one Bible account mentions 2 angels - and another prioritizes ONE: Oh my freakin' goodness, it's a Bible error that can never be undone. Sadly, even a Bible for Dummies won't help you.
Here's a fun test you can do: Have a man and a woman go to a restaurant for dinner...
Now ask and record what the two of them recall from the evening. One might say there was a waiter who took their order - the other might say there was a greeter, a water boy, 3 waitresses, and a separate person who dealt with the bill. YES, both accounts are correct. Just different priorities.
For some retarded reason Bart Ehrman just can't allow this type of thinking with the Bible. I find this humorous that God often allowed this in His Bible. Probably just for Bart to stumble over. Many times the Bible shows that ALL accounts are true - just different focuses. Here's a fun quote from the Old Testament book of Amos. Very Applicable:
Amos 8
11"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. 12"People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.
This book shows us that Ehrman went all over the world just to see some judas gospel crap - and yet he can't comprehend or put together a Bible that is right in front of him. All he see's is contradictions (that aren't really there... remember that restaurant scenario???), and he can't connect the dots between the Messiah like prophecies of the Old Testament with the fulfilling of Jesus "Son Of God" Kingship of the New Testament. He just doesn't see it. He'll use any excuse NOT TO SEE IT. Yep, even dismiss simple explanations as "Too Easy." Like the challenge of Judas's messy death. Isn't it interesting that nobody has altered those 2 accounts in 1900 years? It appears Bart's telephone type scenario really doesn't work throughout history.
But Bart shows us that he is close on occasions. He tries to comprehend Jesus being The Messiah, The Son Of God, The King of Kings, The Lamb Slain For the Sins of the World, The High Priest, And the Warrior... But he just can't get them together or hang onto anything but the gnostic hope of a Judas Gospel. (Hint: Indeed - Jesus is ALL of those things and more).
Bart mentions a few times that Bible characters in the New Testament didn't understand Jesus. Yet the Bible shows us a few who did --- and YES, it was only a very few. Often God works with only a few - this shouldn't surprise Bart - this has been God's M.O. since back in Genesis. Here's some: Luke 2
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30for my eyes have seen your salvation
31that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Interesting eh? And there's always the demons: Matthew 8
28And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
So demons and temple people knew a thing or two about Jesus and this Messiah idea. So did those amazing Wise Men: Matthew 2
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to WORSHIP him.” 3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Okay, I could post a bunch more. But some people might actually get the idea by now. (we know Bart won't of course -- he's still running around insisting just about everyone back then was illiterate cavemen who had no concept of a Isaiah 9 type Messiah Savior deity: Here's one more. Bart even mentions this one - but seems to have no idea that people from the East, the Temple, and demons are rather clear about this Jesus = Son of God.
Old Testament. Isaiah 9:
6For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Some of my favorite people in the Bible are those Wise men from the East that appear in the Christmas story. Few seem to realize that they are probably Daniels boys from the Old Testament. Sure it's been a few hundred years - but back then there was no TV or Cell Phones to distract folks from the truth. Here's the source of those Wise men: Daniel 2
Daniel 2:48
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
WHAT? The King put Daniel in charge of WHO? Over all the WISE MEN of Babylon. You mean the Babylon that is in the East?
_________________________________
So there is the problem with Bart Ehrman - he just can't connect the Bible stories. All he see's are loose ends and contradictions. He should be easily spotting how it all fits together. But Bart is just so tickled about this old bit of parchment from some long dead gnostics who are a little disgruntled that they were mostly ignored by Christianity at large.
This reminds me:
Are the gnostics really any different than the Mormons, or Muslims, or J.W.'s, or Crazy modern Cults??? Does Ehrman run to National Geographic every-time a crumpled piece of Joseph Smith polygamous "post-its" makes an appearance? Does he rethink Christianity when a new Islamic hadith makes an arabic prophecy about Muhammad on a flying horse? Why not?
This Gnostic secret lost Gospel of Judas reminds me of the Harry Potter fanzine offerings. Sure we all know and love us some Mr. Potter. But a few years after the canon of literature by Rowlings... stories of Harry being Gay and hooking up with his nemesis Malfoy started appearing all over the internet. Now we have thousands of new twists on the characters sex drives and general morals... then we got the movies that often altered the books accounts. We even have the American books that came out slightly different (with different covers) than the British versions. They are endlessly repackaged and touched up. But the story is rather set in canon. Most accept it.
Maybe Bart Ehrman should rethink how desperate he is to undo the Bible. And step back. (maybe read some Harry Potter over the weekend) and see what a mess he is making of something so beautiful and simple like the Bible. Yes, it's all about Jesus. Just ignore those gnostics for now...
I'll end with this.
Bart keeps insisting that 90% or more of the Israelites back then were illiterate and religiously stupid. Probably got this because he's trusting some hyped up account by a 1st century person who wasn't. (Just cause they wrote stuff down - doesn't mean it's legit.) Do recall that the foundation of the Israelites was:
Deuteronomy 6
6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Hard for illiterate people to do all that. And yet - they took their religion VERY seriously didn't they? For 100's of years. Lots of business at the local temple wasn't there? Hmmm.
So should Judas really get his own Gospel account? The Gospel definition means: The Good News. So what exactly is this good news that Judas claims? Certainly not his freaky nasty morbid death. (hung, fell, burst open, probably eaten by small animals and bugs - if there's a God: he probably doesn't like you)
Somebody seemed to think maybe Judas shouldn't be remembered as the bad guy of the Bible - that he was actually helping Jesus out. Possibly the two of them were attempting to bring some kind of Buddhist enlightenment to the Universe by having Jesus killed... except: They both ended up dead and the world didn't care about their secret gnostic relationship and method for attaining an afterlife party.
NO wonder this lost Gospel was lost - because it failed. No reason to get excited.
I listened to the audio book of this while at work. So I won't be able to do any serious quotes. But I can mock the content just as easily. You could play a drinking game to every mention of the word SCHOLAR by Bart. He calls himself a scholar many many times - apparently this is a sore point for him - I guess because none of the actual Bible scholars I prefer will have much of anything to do with Ehrman and his propaganda publishing. Ehrman sells books to poorly informed christians, those who don't want to be christians, and Muslims and Atheists who really hate the Bible and wish they could mock it while using secular academic terms like "Historical Critical Scholarship".
It was very amusing that Bart spoke often about what a CASH COW this Judas Gospel was destined for. Apparently its been floating around for many decades waiting for the dollar sign to go up. Yep, from one owner to another... just raising the price --- till National Geographic can make some big coin off of it. All about integrity indeed. "Show Us The Money".
This is no reflection on Ehrman though, I don't think he gets more than a book out of it. Which apparently is probably all that's really happened so far. And that's the problem:
So this book is called: "The Lost Gospel Of Judas Iscariot - A New Look At Betrayer and Betrayed."
A small portion of this scribble is about the actual content of this lost gospel. Most of the book is about absolutely anything (and the kitchen sink) that Bart could throw at this topic to maybe get a few book sales. Honestly, I might have done the same thing with such a shallow topic like Gnostic Judas.
Yep, we get bits of Judas from every possible source. That being mostly the Bible of course. But the real problem is the bad theology of Ehrman that it gets filtered through. Yes, just because Bart failed Systematic Theology 101 this means everything he touches gets the stink of liberal short-sighted heresy on it.
So why do I say such a thing? Well...
Ehrman at one time claimed to be some sort of born again something. But when he was challenged to make sense of the entirety of the Bible - well, he gave it about a minute and gave up. Then he spent the next few decades to justify his poor ability to read ALL of Biblical scripture. For instance: He has no idea how the Holy Spirit influenced the entire Bible. He simply can't comprehend that a God would actually work with AND THROUGH people to produce a complex bit of history. So like a kid playing with a broken puzzle that is missing half its pieces... Bart is desperate to find some NEW pieces that will help him with the missing box top picture and those other essential corner bits that got eaten by the family dog. Sadly, this is often what happens when people attempt to read the Bible without the thread of the Holy Spirit or Trinity holding it all together - it becomes a confusing liberal mess.
This leads into the other related problem I have with Bart's babblings:
He just can't see how the Bible is not necessarily a simple God-given book. Funny enough, i've seen little kids who can make perfect sense of God's Word, as well as aged Christian scholars (REAL scholars that is).
And yet Bart can't seem to see how God is playing with liberals and atheists and muslims and the generally spiritually blind religious folk. Take the 4 Biblical Gospels for instance: Bart insists that they should be in perfect repetition and content. God forbid that one actually gives information that another is not prioritizing... OHHHhhhh NOOOoooo! What's a scholar to do? If one Bible account mentions 2 angels - and another prioritizes ONE: Oh my freakin' goodness, it's a Bible error that can never be undone. Sadly, even a Bible for Dummies won't help you.
Here's a fun test you can do: Have a man and a woman go to a restaurant for dinner...
Now ask and record what the two of them recall from the evening. One might say there was a waiter who took their order - the other might say there was a greeter, a water boy, 3 waitresses, and a separate person who dealt with the bill. YES, both accounts are correct. Just different priorities.
For some retarded reason Bart Ehrman just can't allow this type of thinking with the Bible. I find this humorous that God often allowed this in His Bible. Probably just for Bart to stumble over. Many times the Bible shows that ALL accounts are true - just different focuses. Here's a fun quote from the Old Testament book of Amos. Very Applicable:
Amos 8
11"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. 12"People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.
This book shows us that Ehrman went all over the world just to see some judas gospel crap - and yet he can't comprehend or put together a Bible that is right in front of him. All he see's is contradictions (that aren't really there... remember that restaurant scenario???), and he can't connect the dots between the Messiah like prophecies of the Old Testament with the fulfilling of Jesus "Son Of God" Kingship of the New Testament. He just doesn't see it. He'll use any excuse NOT TO SEE IT. Yep, even dismiss simple explanations as "Too Easy." Like the challenge of Judas's messy death. Isn't it interesting that nobody has altered those 2 accounts in 1900 years? It appears Bart's telephone type scenario really doesn't work throughout history.
But Bart shows us that he is close on occasions. He tries to comprehend Jesus being The Messiah, The Son Of God, The King of Kings, The Lamb Slain For the Sins of the World, The High Priest, And the Warrior... But he just can't get them together or hang onto anything but the gnostic hope of a Judas Gospel. (Hint: Indeed - Jesus is ALL of those things and more).
Bart mentions a few times that Bible characters in the New Testament didn't understand Jesus. Yet the Bible shows us a few who did --- and YES, it was only a very few. Often God works with only a few - this shouldn't surprise Bart - this has been God's M.O. since back in Genesis. Here's some: Luke 2
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30for my eyes have seen your salvation
31that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Interesting eh? And there's always the demons: Matthew 8
28And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
So demons and temple people knew a thing or two about Jesus and this Messiah idea. So did those amazing Wise Men: Matthew 2
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to WORSHIP him.” 3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Okay, I could post a bunch more. But some people might actually get the idea by now. (we know Bart won't of course -- he's still running around insisting just about everyone back then was illiterate cavemen who had no concept of a Isaiah 9 type Messiah Savior deity: Here's one more. Bart even mentions this one - but seems to have no idea that people from the East, the Temple, and demons are rather clear about this Jesus = Son of God.
Old Testament. Isaiah 9:
6For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Some of my favorite people in the Bible are those Wise men from the East that appear in the Christmas story. Few seem to realize that they are probably Daniels boys from the Old Testament. Sure it's been a few hundred years - but back then there was no TV or Cell Phones to distract folks from the truth. Here's the source of those Wise men: Daniel 2
Daniel 2:48
Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
WHAT? The King put Daniel in charge of WHO? Over all the WISE MEN of Babylon. You mean the Babylon that is in the East?
_________________________________
So there is the problem with Bart Ehrman - he just can't connect the Bible stories. All he see's are loose ends and contradictions. He should be easily spotting how it all fits together. But Bart is just so tickled about this old bit of parchment from some long dead gnostics who are a little disgruntled that they were mostly ignored by Christianity at large.
This reminds me:
Are the gnostics really any different than the Mormons, or Muslims, or J.W.'s, or Crazy modern Cults??? Does Ehrman run to National Geographic every-time a crumpled piece of Joseph Smith polygamous "post-its" makes an appearance? Does he rethink Christianity when a new Islamic hadith makes an arabic prophecy about Muhammad on a flying horse? Why not?
This Gnostic secret lost Gospel of Judas reminds me of the Harry Potter fanzine offerings. Sure we all know and love us some Mr. Potter. But a few years after the canon of literature by Rowlings... stories of Harry being Gay and hooking up with his nemesis Malfoy started appearing all over the internet. Now we have thousands of new twists on the characters sex drives and general morals... then we got the movies that often altered the books accounts. We even have the American books that came out slightly different (with different covers) than the British versions. They are endlessly repackaged and touched up. But the story is rather set in canon. Most accept it.
Maybe Bart Ehrman should rethink how desperate he is to undo the Bible. And step back. (maybe read some Harry Potter over the weekend) and see what a mess he is making of something so beautiful and simple like the Bible. Yes, it's all about Jesus. Just ignore those gnostics for now...
I'll end with this.
Bart keeps insisting that 90% or more of the Israelites back then were illiterate and religiously stupid. Probably got this because he's trusting some hyped up account by a 1st century person who wasn't. (Just cause they wrote stuff down - doesn't mean it's legit.) Do recall that the foundation of the Israelites was:
Deuteronomy 6
6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Hard for illiterate people to do all that. And yet - they took their religion VERY seriously didn't they? For 100's of years. Lots of business at the local temple wasn't there? Hmmm.
July 18, 2021
In the late 1970s an ancient gospel was discovered in an Egyptian tomb, a document told from the perspective of Judas. It took 20 years before experts could gain possession of so rare a find. By the time it came under the scrutiny of the National Geographic Society, the papyrus it was written on was so badly degraded, it seemed nearly impossible to restore what remained. The society chose top rated experts to save as much as possible of the manuscript and to translate it from Coptic, the Egyptian language.
Ehrman was honored to translate the text. About 15% has been lost, but enough remains to understand what was written. The gospel is about Judas, his relationship to Jesus, and his heroism.
Before certain manuscripts were chosen to form the Bible, many more existed among the widely divergent Christian communities who formed their beliefs from their varied backgrounds. The Gospel of Judas falls into the Gnostic Christian camp whose believers held views quite different from what would become orthodox views.
Ehrman explores the various references to Jesus and to Judas, so we have a greater understanding of the times and the possible motives of each figure. We can never know exactly the whys of what transpired or the truths. But he does point out what we can count as fact.
I was hoping to see the translation, even with sections or words missing. Instead, Ehrman details what the Gospel of Judas contains. His treatment is thorough and redundant, showing his teaching technique. Consequently the reader comes away with nearly every question answered.
Ehrman was honored to translate the text. About 15% has been lost, but enough remains to understand what was written. The gospel is about Judas, his relationship to Jesus, and his heroism.
Before certain manuscripts were chosen to form the Bible, many more existed among the widely divergent Christian communities who formed their beliefs from their varied backgrounds. The Gospel of Judas falls into the Gnostic Christian camp whose believers held views quite different from what would become orthodox views.
Ehrman explores the various references to Jesus and to Judas, so we have a greater understanding of the times and the possible motives of each figure. We can never know exactly the whys of what transpired or the truths. But he does point out what we can count as fact.
I was hoping to see the translation, even with sections or words missing. Instead, Ehrman details what the Gospel of Judas contains. His treatment is thorough and redundant, showing his teaching technique. Consequently the reader comes away with nearly every question answered.
June 24, 2018
This book is very dense, but not in a good way. Because it goes in all directions. But it's interesting and indicative of what the beginning of Christianity was. We learn that the first Christians formed several groups whose visions of Jesus's life and message were numerous, very varied and sometimes contradictory.
What struck me most was that the essential message of Jesus was the same as that of many Jewish preachers of his time; that is to say that they all spoke of the liberation of the Jews at the impending advent of God's Kingdom on earth. And when they said "impending," they meant during their generation. But it did not happen; they were all wrong, Jesus as well. And if he was wrong about everything else... Either he was right or he was wrong. Did he lie to attract more followers or did he deliver his message in good faith (no pun intended)?
Be that as it may, a group, the one that made the most believers in Rome, won. And it was this group that then their leaders decided what seemed orthodox (right) or heretical (contrary to THEIR vision of things) to them. What they wanted was to keep the greatest flock of peaceful lambs, not of Zealots who would have their future threaten by Roman authorities.
To think that, still today, millions of believers continue to follow what they believe to be the truth out of the mouth of God Itself!
What struck me most was that the essential message of Jesus was the same as that of many Jewish preachers of his time; that is to say that they all spoke of the liberation of the Jews at the impending advent of God's Kingdom on earth. And when they said "impending," they meant during their generation. But it did not happen; they were all wrong, Jesus as well. And if he was wrong about everything else... Either he was right or he was wrong. Did he lie to attract more followers or did he deliver his message in good faith (no pun intended)?
Be that as it may, a group, the one that made the most believers in Rome, won. And it was this group that then their leaders decided what seemed orthodox (right) or heretical (contrary to THEIR vision of things) to them. What they wanted was to keep the greatest flock of peaceful lambs, not of Zealots who would have their future threaten by Roman authorities.
To think that, still today, millions of believers continue to follow what they believe to be the truth out of the mouth of God Itself!
April 18, 2023
Judas, lost in the translation. Never to be found.
This book raised more questions than it answered but still, such an interesting read. 4,5*
This book raised more questions than it answered but still, such an interesting read. 4,5*
Read
April 23, 2018Whether you ascribe to orthodoxy or are more questioning this book will give you much to think about. There are wonderful introductions to Gnosticism, New Testament scholarship, Christian History, and the influences of recently discovered second and third century text. A must read, especially if you liked Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, which I did.
January 28, 2021
Don't expect a word-for-word translation of the Gospel of Judas, though there are a few small sections of what the text is about and what it says.
This is more of a biography about Judas and what we can know about him from all the ancient texts that mention him. Ehrman in true Ehrman fashion also tells us what we can be suspicious and doubtful of, as many of the texts differ from each other, and even blatantly contradict other texts.
What can exactly be known about Judas? Well, given that all the texts that mention him were written a lifetime or two (or more) AFTER he supposedly lived. Prior to that, there was only undocumented oral tradition. And if we look to Paul's writings in the NT, Judas is really not mentioned, and Mark never mentions Judas' betrayal of Jesus.
Essentially, if Judas even existed, it is unknown what he was about or who he was, but this book still makes this Judas legend a fascinating read nonetheless.
If you're into early Christian history and textual dissecting, this is a great book about varying early Christianities that existed.
This is more of a biography about Judas and what we can know about him from all the ancient texts that mention him. Ehrman in true Ehrman fashion also tells us what we can be suspicious and doubtful of, as many of the texts differ from each other, and even blatantly contradict other texts.
What can exactly be known about Judas? Well, given that all the texts that mention him were written a lifetime or two (or more) AFTER he supposedly lived. Prior to that, there was only undocumented oral tradition. And if we look to Paul's writings in the NT, Judas is really not mentioned, and Mark never mentions Judas' betrayal of Jesus.
Essentially, if Judas even existed, it is unknown what he was about or who he was, but this book still makes this Judas legend a fascinating read nonetheless.
If you're into early Christian history and textual dissecting, this is a great book about varying early Christianities that existed.
July 20, 2021
I reviewed the The Gospel of Judas by Rodolphe Kasser, one of the people responsible for the recovery and translation of the original Gospel of Judas, but as opposed to that dry as burnt white toast, Ehrman (another person involved in the recovery and translation) looked at all of this from a religious scholar position. Erhman does his best to work within what we have written and handed down through the Christian gospels on the traditional 4 (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) plus the additions of Paul's letters and the Apocalypse of Peter.
I do enjoy not only hearing (reading) about the differences about the different gospels but how harsh that people go on Judas (to the point of pointing out that he was the "prototypical Jew" aka a greedy, lying, murderer of Jesus, nevermind that no one can give an accurate account of any of it. There is a long and involved exploration of Judas and his relationship to Jesus and how he was either the destroyer of his lord (regardless of if it at his behest) or the best thing since Betty White (who predates sliced bread, even in the biblical sense) - It is also interesting (re: funny) about how hardcore the writer goes into how (if) Judas died, be it hanging, explosion (no really), bloating and explosion, maggots, and pus plus explosion, and the list goes on and on.
If you are a fan of the old heretical texts, Gnostic vs. "Cannon" versions of the gospel, or just an interesting review of biblical history, then this is a good place to get something that many in the Catholic church consider "alternative facts"
I do enjoy not only hearing (reading) about the differences about the different gospels but how harsh that people go on Judas (to the point of pointing out that he was the "prototypical Jew" aka a greedy, lying, murderer of Jesus, nevermind that no one can give an accurate account of any of it. There is a long and involved exploration of Judas and his relationship to Jesus and how he was either the destroyer of his lord (regardless of if it at his behest) or the best thing since Betty White (who predates sliced bread, even in the biblical sense) - It is also interesting (re: funny) about how hardcore the writer goes into how (if) Judas died, be it hanging, explosion (no really), bloating and explosion, maggots, and pus plus explosion, and the list goes on and on.
If you are a fan of the old heretical texts, Gnostic vs. "Cannon" versions of the gospel, or just an interesting review of biblical history, then this is a good place to get something that many in the Catholic church consider "alternative facts"
August 21, 2014
Tom Miley introduced me to Ehrman's writing. His brother Michael called to inform me of National Geographic's publication of the Gospel of Judas, an event which I immediately checked up on via what was then available on the internet. Consequently, finding this book on the subject by Ehrman was felicitous.
Unfortunately, Ehrman does a less than stellar job of it. First, and remarkably, no transcript of the text of the gospel is provided in the book, not even as an appendix. One wonders if there was a matter of copyright involved with the translation, but still the original coptic text should have been reproduced. Instead, what one gets is the author's overview of the whole and its parts--a pretty complete overview as it happens, but one would not know that without having the text before one.
Second, the book is too long for its content. Ehrman apparently writes for a public totally unfamiliar with biblical scholarship and early church history. What he has to say is said repeatedly and long-windedly. One wonders if this is the result of teaching too many disinterested undergraduates for too many years or if it is simply padding. Or was this book simply a rush job which lacked an editor sufficient to the purpose of keeping it concise?
As regards the points Ehrman makes, none are especially earthshaking. His approach is well within the accepted boundaries of respectable scholarship and the Gospel of Judas, while important as contributing to our sense of the complexity of second century Christianity, does nothing to disturb long-held opinions.
Unfortunately, Ehrman does a less than stellar job of it. First, and remarkably, no transcript of the text of the gospel is provided in the book, not even as an appendix. One wonders if there was a matter of copyright involved with the translation, but still the original coptic text should have been reproduced. Instead, what one gets is the author's overview of the whole and its parts--a pretty complete overview as it happens, but one would not know that without having the text before one.
Second, the book is too long for its content. Ehrman apparently writes for a public totally unfamiliar with biblical scholarship and early church history. What he has to say is said repeatedly and long-windedly. One wonders if this is the result of teaching too many disinterested undergraduates for too many years or if it is simply padding. Or was this book simply a rush job which lacked an editor sufficient to the purpose of keeping it concise?
As regards the points Ehrman makes, none are especially earthshaking. His approach is well within the accepted boundaries of respectable scholarship and the Gospel of Judas, while important as contributing to our sense of the complexity of second century Christianity, does nothing to disturb long-held opinions.
September 21, 2009
This is a fascinating book. Ehrman is a true expert in his field(s), including early Christian manuscripts, the history of the early church, and the theology and literary criticism of the New Testament. His excitement at being able to analyze the newly released Gospel of Judas is palpable, and the reader gets caught up in his retelling of the tale of how the manuscript was discovered (and nearly destroyed). This is followed by a critical dissection of the contents of the book itself, and finished with scholarly explanations of the teachings of Jesus, what we can know about Judas, orthodoxy vs. heterodoxy in the early Christian centuries, and a theory of what Judas' betrayal of Jesus probably consisted of.
The brilliance of Ehrman's exposition is that as he makes a statement, he prefaces that statement with just the right amount of back information to make that statement meaningful. He will say, "X is a gnostic document". But then he will give you a paragraph on what a gnostic document is, with examples and just the right amount of description to create one logical, flowing argument, bringing even readers with no prior experience with his topics along.
This book does get a bit boggy and redundant at times. Ehrman makes his case for his conclusions, then makes them again and again. But his conclusions are extremely interesting and well-made.
The brilliance of Ehrman's exposition is that as he makes a statement, he prefaces that statement with just the right amount of back information to make that statement meaningful. He will say, "X is a gnostic document". But then he will give you a paragraph on what a gnostic document is, with examples and just the right amount of description to create one logical, flowing argument, bringing even readers with no prior experience with his topics along.
This book does get a bit boggy and redundant at times. Ehrman makes his case for his conclusions, then makes them again and again. But his conclusions are extremely interesting and well-made.
May 24, 2009
I really liked certain parts of this book. The description of the tangled series of events leading up to the unveiling, reconstruction and translation of the Gospel of Judas was exciting and (at least somewhat) tense. Ehrman's discussion of the Gospel's place within the gnostic tradition and the Christian tradition as a whole was likewise very interesting, as was his analysis of the evolution of Christian attitudes towards Judas.
Unfortunately, these different sections feel like they belong to different books. It seems as if Ehrman had a great deal to say on several subjects mostly tangential to the Gospel of Judas, wrote his ideas down, and then as an afterthought compiled them into a book. It was quite provoking, for instance, to read entire chapters of the text (principally those dealing with the historical Jesus and Judas) in which the Gospel the book is named after is dismissed as having nothing to add to the discussion.
Ehrman's editors should have sent this manuscript back to him with a note praising his arguments and conclusions—and a firm directive to tie it all together in a more convincing fashion.
Unfortunately, these different sections feel like they belong to different books. It seems as if Ehrman had a great deal to say on several subjects mostly tangential to the Gospel of Judas, wrote his ideas down, and then as an afterthought compiled them into a book. It was quite provoking, for instance, to read entire chapters of the text (principally those dealing with the historical Jesus and Judas) in which the Gospel the book is named after is dismissed as having nothing to add to the discussion.
Ehrman's editors should have sent this manuscript back to him with a note praising his arguments and conclusions—and a firm directive to tie it all together in a more convincing fashion.
June 5, 2013
Once again Ehrman proves why he should be referred to as one of the great christian historians of all time.
May 17, 2022
Judas Iscariot is the great villain of the Passion of Christ, the man who betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver and then hanged himself in regret over his treachery. However, it is not difficult to see Judas as the tragic hero of the story - the man whose action was necessary to ensure that Christ was crucified and mankind saved. Nikos Kazantzakis made this alternative vision one of the major plot elements of his novel The Last Temptation of Christ, which later was made into a film of the same name directed by Martin Scorcese.
When the discovery of the long-lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot was announced in the early 2000s, news reports made it appear as though the text of the gospel followed the same track. It turned out that these reports were not accurate; The Gospel of Judas Iscariot actually is a gnostic text, of which many examples have been found in recent years.
Gnosticism takes its name from "gnosis," the Greek word for "knowledge." Gnosticism was a variant of Judaism and Christianity which emphasized that special knowledge was necessary to attain salvation. It differs enough from orthodox religion that to my mind it should be classified as a separate religion, though that generally is not done.
Thus, in The Gospel of Judas Iscariot, the God of the Old and New Testaments is described as a villainous fool who stands below the superior gods of the realm that lies beyond this universe. Jesus did not seek to save humanity by taking their sins upon himself. Rather, he sought to transmit the hidden knowledge that would enable the small number of persons with a divine spark within them to ascend to the realm beyond. In The Gospel of Judas Iscariot, Jesus needed to die on the cross not to save sinners, but to enable his own soul to abandon "the man who clothes me" and return to the superior realm. Judas is the only one of the disciples who understands what is happening, and betrays Jesus to help him on his journey. Judas also is the only one of the disciples who has any hope of salvation himself, as he is the only one who is able to absorb the necessary knowledge.
Israel at the time of Christ was a place of despair. It had been conquered successively by the Assyrians, Persians, and Romans, and many people had lost faith in their own nation and its God. This despair provided an opening for Christianity, which preached that God had washed away mankind's sins and that the Kingdom of God was near. It's not difficult to see how this teaching would have appealed to the demoralized people of Israel. Gnosticism went much further, and sought to bury everything the people had believed in. Even God himself was recharacterized as a foolish charlatan. Gnosticism gradually disappeared after several centuries, but while it existed it no doubt benefitted from the same social upheaval as early Christianity.
Now, 2,000 years further on, our society seems to be undergoing the same crisis of despair that afflicted Israel. As Friedrich Nietzsche noted over a century ago, God is dead and we have killed him. However, even the secular values of patriotism, small-l liberalism, and scientific progress are under constant attack from the political left. They offer nothing to replace what they vilify, but the social challenge is there nonetheless. We will need to knit our culture back together, and for the most part do so without the unification provided by the Judeo-Christian churches.
When the discovery of the long-lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot was announced in the early 2000s, news reports made it appear as though the text of the gospel followed the same track. It turned out that these reports were not accurate; The Gospel of Judas Iscariot actually is a gnostic text, of which many examples have been found in recent years.
Gnosticism takes its name from "gnosis," the Greek word for "knowledge." Gnosticism was a variant of Judaism and Christianity which emphasized that special knowledge was necessary to attain salvation. It differs enough from orthodox religion that to my mind it should be classified as a separate religion, though that generally is not done.
Thus, in The Gospel of Judas Iscariot, the God of the Old and New Testaments is described as a villainous fool who stands below the superior gods of the realm that lies beyond this universe. Jesus did not seek to save humanity by taking their sins upon himself. Rather, he sought to transmit the hidden knowledge that would enable the small number of persons with a divine spark within them to ascend to the realm beyond. In The Gospel of Judas Iscariot, Jesus needed to die on the cross not to save sinners, but to enable his own soul to abandon "the man who clothes me" and return to the superior realm. Judas is the only one of the disciples who understands what is happening, and betrays Jesus to help him on his journey. Judas also is the only one of the disciples who has any hope of salvation himself, as he is the only one who is able to absorb the necessary knowledge.
Israel at the time of Christ was a place of despair. It had been conquered successively by the Assyrians, Persians, and Romans, and many people had lost faith in their own nation and its God. This despair provided an opening for Christianity, which preached that God had washed away mankind's sins and that the Kingdom of God was near. It's not difficult to see how this teaching would have appealed to the demoralized people of Israel. Gnosticism went much further, and sought to bury everything the people had believed in. Even God himself was recharacterized as a foolish charlatan. Gnosticism gradually disappeared after several centuries, but while it existed it no doubt benefitted from the same social upheaval as early Christianity.
Now, 2,000 years further on, our society seems to be undergoing the same crisis of despair that afflicted Israel. As Friedrich Nietzsche noted over a century ago, God is dead and we have killed him. However, even the secular values of patriotism, small-l liberalism, and scientific progress are under constant attack from the political left. They offer nothing to replace what they vilify, but the social challenge is there nonetheless. We will need to knit our culture back together, and for the most part do so without the unification provided by the Judeo-Christian churches.
May 2, 2025
This is the third book I've read by Bart Ehrman, and I recommend it for those who are interested in the history of early Christian Church. Dr. Ehrman is a New Testament historian who has a talent in writing for the lay reader,
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot is no exception. Ehrman's book tells the fascinating story of the discovery of the third or maybe fourth century scroll, that is a copy of a Gnostic Gospel that dates to the second century. He breaks down in fascinating detail how it ended up in the hands of National Geographic in the early 2000.
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot is a Gnostic gospel that has different story of the relationship between Jesus Christ and Judas. After telling the story of the discovery, Dr. Ehrman breaks down what this gospel tells us about some other movements in Early Christianity, and how they were different than from Orthodox Christianity we are familiar with today.
What did I learn from this book?
(1)The Gnostics and writers of the Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot believed in at least two separate Gods. The Old Testament God and a New Testament God.
(2) The Gnostics were actually several different groups of Christians who were around during the early centuries of the Christian movement.
(3) They were just as numerous as the Orthodox Christians who would eventually come to dominate
the religion.
The only reason I didn't give this a five star rating, is in the middle of the book, Dr. Ehrman gets into the weeds a little too much for me about the Theology of the Gnostics
Nevertheless, overall, I found this an interesting read.
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot is no exception. Ehrman's book tells the fascinating story of the discovery of the third or maybe fourth century scroll, that is a copy of a Gnostic Gospel that dates to the second century. He breaks down in fascinating detail how it ended up in the hands of National Geographic in the early 2000.
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot is a Gnostic gospel that has different story of the relationship between Jesus Christ and Judas. After telling the story of the discovery, Dr. Ehrman breaks down what this gospel tells us about some other movements in Early Christianity, and how they were different than from Orthodox Christianity we are familiar with today.
What did I learn from this book?
(1)The Gnostics and writers of the Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot believed in at least two separate Gods. The Old Testament God and a New Testament God.
(2) The Gnostics were actually several different groups of Christians who were around during the early centuries of the Christian movement.
(3) They were just as numerous as the Orthodox Christians who would eventually come to dominate
the religion.
The only reason I didn't give this a five star rating, is in the middle of the book, Dr. Ehrman gets into the weeds a little too much for me about the Theology of the Gnostics
Nevertheless, overall, I found this an interesting read.
February 27, 2024
Clear analysis of this rediscovered ancient document illustrating the wide range of beliefs and practices among early Christians. In this gnostic document (written late 200’s, composed perhaps late 100’s) Judas is portrayed as the only disciple who understood Christ’s message and fate and did what was necessary to free Jesus from his earthly body.
November 19, 2018
Interesting, but not the outrageously important find that the author pushes.
Putting the gospel in perspective, he even states, "The Gospel of Judas was written at least 100 or, more likely, 125 years after Judas's death, by someone who did not have independent access to historical records about the events he was narrating." And"If we are looking for the bedrock of historical fact about Judas, a critical examination of our sources yields at least three pieces of information: his name was Judas Iscariot, he was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, and he "betrayed" Jesus by turning him over to the ruling authorities."
In his concluding paragraph he suggests that Judas did Jesus a "kindness" to Jesus, (according to his Gnostic views) by turning him over to the authorities to be killed so his spirit could escape this world. Jesus was crucified. No one has ever described this as a quick or painless way to die. If Judas had wanted to be "kind" he could have killed Jesus while he slept.
Putting the gospel in perspective, he even states, "The Gospel of Judas was written at least 100 or, more likely, 125 years after Judas's death, by someone who did not have independent access to historical records about the events he was narrating." And"If we are looking for the bedrock of historical fact about Judas, a critical examination of our sources yields at least three pieces of information: his name was Judas Iscariot, he was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, and he "betrayed" Jesus by turning him over to the ruling authorities."
In his concluding paragraph he suggests that Judas did Jesus a "kindness" to Jesus, (according to his Gnostic views) by turning him over to the authorities to be killed so his spirit could escape this world. Jesus was crucified. No one has ever described this as a quick or painless way to die. If Judas had wanted to be "kind" he could have killed Jesus while he slept.
May 27, 2023
This was a fascinating look at a Gnostic gospel from Ehrman, and he goes into rather exhaustive detail to give the reader sufficient context to understand the points and arguments he makes. However, it may help to have some basic knowledge of early Christianity issues (namely, what textual criticism of the Bible entails, who some of the major figures were, that Gnosticism was a thing). I did, so I felt very comfortable with the book.
Just to be clear, though, this book is not a copy of the Gospel of Judas, it is a book about the Gospel of Judas that was first translated into English in 2006. In addition to learning about the Gospel itself, Ehrman tells us about its provenance and the path it took from its discovery around the 1980s to finally being put in safe hands for analysis. We also get lengthy digressions on the historical context for Judas and Jesus and how the betrayal is portrayed in different New Testament and early Christian texts, and he explores how the Gnostic aspect of the Gospel informs what we might know or understand about Christianity in the early centuries after Jesus's death.
Keep an open mind as you read this book, though, especially if you haven't been exposed to this kind of stuff before. The contradictions between the gospels in the New Testament are undeniably there, but they can help paint a picture of what we can know about that time period.
Just to be clear, though, this book is not a copy of the Gospel of Judas, it is a book about the Gospel of Judas that was first translated into English in 2006. In addition to learning about the Gospel itself, Ehrman tells us about its provenance and the path it took from its discovery around the 1980s to finally being put in safe hands for analysis. We also get lengthy digressions on the historical context for Judas and Jesus and how the betrayal is portrayed in different New Testament and early Christian texts, and he explores how the Gnostic aspect of the Gospel informs what we might know or understand about Christianity in the early centuries after Jesus's death.
Keep an open mind as you read this book, though, especially if you haven't been exposed to this kind of stuff before. The contradictions between the gospels in the New Testament are undeniably there, but they can help paint a picture of what we can know about that time period.
May 13, 2018
Interesting book. Falls into three parts
1. Background to the discover of the lost gospel. A
2. Discussion of the gospel itself.
3. Further exploration of gnostic tracts.
The first part is interesting and shocking. Amazing that an important document because some huckster was holding out for a big pay day. It survived nearly two thousand years in the dry desert air of Egypt and then over the course of two decades was nearly destroyed by humidity, freezing and rough handling. It was carefully restored in Switzerland and is intended to be returned to Egypt one day. (This is the point that I think is wrong. Egypt is at high risk of being taken over by religious nut jobs who would happily destroy any and everything non-muslim.)
Essentially the gospel of Judas fits into the gnostic theory that Jesus was a god trapped in a human body so that Judas' 'betrayal' was actually a positive thing because he alone understood this. Gnostics were important part of the early christian church but after the cannonism of the gospels they were branded heretics along with other denominations.
An enjoyable and illuminating read.
1. Background to the discover of the lost gospel. A
2. Discussion of the gospel itself.
3. Further exploration of gnostic tracts.
The first part is interesting and shocking. Amazing that an important document because some huckster was holding out for a big pay day. It survived nearly two thousand years in the dry desert air of Egypt and then over the course of two decades was nearly destroyed by humidity, freezing and rough handling. It was carefully restored in Switzerland and is intended to be returned to Egypt one day. (This is the point that I think is wrong. Egypt is at high risk of being taken over by religious nut jobs who would happily destroy any and everything non-muslim.)
Essentially the gospel of Judas fits into the gnostic theory that Jesus was a god trapped in a human body so that Judas' 'betrayal' was actually a positive thing because he alone understood this. Gnostics were important part of the early christian church but after the cannonism of the gospels they were branded heretics along with other denominations.
An enjoyable and illuminating read.
April 5, 2012
Maybe my expectations of this book were too high. I had hoped for (and expected to find) at least a partial translation of the text from the codex.
Unfortunately what I got was a "hodge-podge" lesson in Coptic and Gnostic manuscripts in general with an emphasis in telling me why the material is important to Christianity in general without really giving me any, other than the occasional small tidbit, real excerpts or translations. There were "promises" of more in-depth material, but it never happened.
Instead the author spent the majority of the later chapters expounding on related material and never got around to the real reason people want to read the book. Shouldn't be suprised ... the last couple of these that I have read were all basically the same, just different authors.
Getting off my soap-box .. there is some good material here ... from both a theological and historical aspect. Just nothing that I was looking for.
Unfortunately what I got was a "hodge-podge" lesson in Coptic and Gnostic manuscripts in general with an emphasis in telling me why the material is important to Christianity in general without really giving me any, other than the occasional small tidbit, real excerpts or translations. There were "promises" of more in-depth material, but it never happened.
Instead the author spent the majority of the later chapters expounding on related material and never got around to the real reason people want to read the book. Shouldn't be suprised ... the last couple of these that I have read were all basically the same, just different authors.
Getting off my soap-box .. there is some good material here ... from both a theological and historical aspect. Just nothing that I was looking for.
January 22, 2022
Bart D. Ehrman is a scholar and he writes like one. Therefore, this is much like reading a textbook for a college class. He is also a pre-eminent theologian who was asked to assist in the authentication of the lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot. I have often heard about the Gnostics and their writings, but this book opened a door into their world. I became aware of the many sects of Christianity and the varying thoughts, ideas, origin stories, and views on the role of Jesus as man, Messiah, divine being, etc. This type of study should be required of anyone who wants to step into a pastor's position. Christians should be taught that the canonical writings about Jesus are not the only opinions out there and that each writer has an agenda of his own. There is much to learn if one is willing to broaden one's horizons when it comes to religion. As Ehrman tells us, gnosticism is a broad umbrella, but so is Christianity, Judaism, religion, etc.
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