Stouthorn
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Post by Stouthorn on Apr 16, 2006 0:12:00 GMT -5
I'm surprised there hasn't been a thread yet on the recent reconstruction of the Gospel of Judas. Heres a wiki link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_judasDiscuss...I guess. Silly Gnostics. |
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aric
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Post by aric on Apr 16, 2006 2:44:55 GMT -5
Wow, those Gnostics...
I was going to see the National Geographic special last weekend, but I think there was something else on.
Anyway, I thought it was interesting overall that there was another interpretation of Judas' actions, but frankly, I never concerned myself with that guy too much.
I particularly thought this part of the Wiki entry was interesting: "On the contrary its [The Gospel of Judas] message is that the disciples have not learned the true gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot..."
Perhaps this may be partly an indication of theological and political jockeying of the first century between the various cults centered around Jesus.
I also found it particularly interesting that some estimated that the Gospel of John was written at broadly the same time. IIRC, that's the major Gospel that attributes tons of divinity and miracles to Jesus. Maybe these were two results of opposing propoganda machines at work in the late first century?
Anyway, this brings to mind a story. Earlier in the week, I had info duty at the Customer Service station at my Barnes and Noble store. This lady comes up to me and admires one of the books about the Gospel of Judas showcased on the counter at the station. I approached her thinking that she wanted help. Maybe she did, but was asking for it in a more roundabout way… Anyway, before I could ask what book she wanted me to look up for her, she started praising the Truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus. She ranted about how God knows everything and about how carbon-dating of the paper remains of the Gospel of Judas made the carbon-dating machine do weird stuff and whatnot.
Anyway, I don’t have to say that she was rather divorced from reality. It was an awkward moment for me. I tried to segue into another topic, but she continued to barrel ahead and spout whatever non-conventional pseudo-Christian beliefs she had ratling around in her head. Of course, being an employee, I couldn’t tell a customer to shut the hell up and take her medication, so I just stood there and took it until she moved on.
No real relevance to the topic. Thought I’d just air that little thing out.
- Aric
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Stouthorn
Junior Scholar
"POWER! UNLIMITED POWER!!"
Posts: 341
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Post by Stouthorn on Apr 16, 2006 4:09:02 GMT -5
Anyway, I thought it was interesting overall that there was another interpretation of Judas' actions, but frankly, I never concerned myself with that guy too much. Part of it is a reaction to the problems some people have in believing that the guy should be damned, seeing as it was apparently preordained that Jesus be betrayed and crucified. There's a long philosophical strain in Christianity trying to acertain the exact relationship between omniscience and free will, and Judas' damnation, for some, proves problematic. I particularly thought this part of the Wiki entry was interesting: "On the contrary its [The Gospel of Judas] message is that the disciples have not learned the true gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot..." Perhaps this may be partly an indication of theological and political jockeying of the first century between the various cults centered around Jesus. Possibly, though I tend to believe it has more to do directly with justifying the gnostic belief that the material was intrinsically evil. I also found it particularly interesting that some estimated that the Gospel of John was written at broadly the same time. IIRC, that's the major Gospel that attributes tons of divinity and miracles to Jesus. Maybe these were two results of opposing propoganda machines at work in the late first century? On the nose. The Gospel of John opens with "In the beginning there was God, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," which is similar in many ways to gnosticism and the "mystery religions." Other elements of gnosticism creep in, too, and there is evidence that the Gospel of John was read by gnostics. Whether this is evidence that the writer of John was trying to appeal to gnostics, as my high school theo teacher proposed. Of course it's possible that not all gnostic thought was considered terrible, as their heresies tend to be on fairly major theological points. Interestingly, there is thought to be a fairly strong relationship between the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas, and it is believed the writer of John was actively writing to quell the ideas in Thomas. I used to have a chart that compared and contrasted certain statements found in Thomas and John, which I lost, but it's worth noting that the Gospel of John is the only gospel to give an apostle a nickname: "Doubting Thomas." Anyway, this brings to mind a story. Earlier in the week, I had info duty at the Customer Service station at my Barnes and Noble store. This lady comes up to me and admires one of the books about the Gospel of Judas showcased on the counter at the station. I approached her thinking that she wanted help. Maybe she did, but was asking for it in a more roundabout way… Anyway, before I could ask what book she wanted me to look up for her, she started praising the Truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus. I assume she meant the gospels, and not some nonexistant text attributed to Jesus. She ranted about how God knows everything and about how carbon-dating of the paper remains of the Gospel of Judas made the carbon-dating machine do weird stuff and whatnot. Sort of a roundabout way of invalidating it, huh? |
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Post by Christopher on Apr 16, 2006 12:26:59 GMT -5
Shoot, I meant to watch the national geographic channel show about this...does anyone have an idea when they're gonna re-run it?
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