Gospel of Judas
Apr. 7th, 2006 12:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swestrupThere has been a recently released translation of the Gospel of Judas, a work of early Christianity that had been lost for many centuries. In it Judas is portrayed in a very different light than in the New Testament.
Being neither a Christian nor a Biblical scholar, I am only tangentially interested in this topic. The part that interests me is what will happen next. You see, I've always taken it as given that once the First Council of Nicaea declared certain books of the Bible to be orthodoxy and some to be heresy, that the Biblical accounts had been given a spin that was politically expedient for the time.
Its long been an known that history has been written by the winners, and its clear that Judas was never on the winning side of anything. I've also come across any number of bits of folk music (Bob Dylan: With God on Our Side), science fiction (Peter F. Hamilton: Judas Unchained, Phillip K. Dick: A Scanner Darkly), and fantasy (Dave Duncan: The Great Game), which have primed me to think that the Christian orthodox view of Judas is only one possible interpetation of events.
In other words, the existance of a Gospel of Judas, no matter its contents, will have as close to zero impact on my knowledge of Christianity as is possible. Its impact on Christians in general (as opposed to theologicians) is bound to be different, and that's what I find fascinating. I would hope for it to have an equally minimal impact on them, but somehow I doubt it.
Being neither a Christian nor a Biblical scholar, I am only tangentially interested in this topic. The part that interests me is what will happen next. You see, I've always taken it as given that once the First Council of Nicaea declared certain books of the Bible to be orthodoxy and some to be heresy, that the Biblical accounts had been given a spin that was politically expedient for the time.
Its long been an known that history has been written by the winners, and its clear that Judas was never on the winning side of anything. I've also come across any number of bits of folk music (Bob Dylan: With God on Our Side), science fiction (Peter F. Hamilton: Judas Unchained, Phillip K. Dick: A Scanner Darkly), and fantasy (Dave Duncan: The Great Game), which have primed me to think that the Christian orthodox view of Judas is only one possible interpetation of events.
In other words, the existance of a Gospel of Judas, no matter its contents, will have as close to zero impact on my knowledge of Christianity as is possible. Its impact on Christians in general (as opposed to theologicians) is bound to be different, and that's what I find fascinating. I would hope for it to have an equally minimal impact on them, but somehow I doubt it.
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Date: 2006-04-07 06:26 pm (UTC)If you accept the Bible as the word of God, then just as someone may perceive a remark one way, another person may perceive it another.
Long before the discovery of the "Gospel of Judas", I had noted that Jesus calls Judas His "friend"...
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Date: 2006-04-07 08:27 pm (UTC)The thing I find odd is that people interpret the phrase 'the bible is the word of god' as meaning 'particle physics is not the word of god', and for myself I can't get from there to here.
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Date: 2006-04-07 09:58 pm (UTC)Secondly, I believe God CREATED particle physics so I don't follow YOUR point.
I wasn't saying Jesus was a friend of Judas, I was saying the Bible (or the "Christian orthodox view" as was stated -- which is kind of like saying the "Republican democratic view") has chosen to record Jesus as literally calling Judas "friend". Now, with Jesus knowing what would transpire, he still called him friend, because I believe, (and seriously what do I know)that he was carrying out the will of God.
Of course, I'm just waiting to hear you say that you don't believe in God, and if you do, I will simply reply "He'll be disappointed, because I'm sure he believes in you."
Blessings... ;]
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Date: 2006-04-08 02:27 am (UTC)To clarify: first, I'm inclined to think that Jesus chose to call Judas 'friend' simply because it was true. The money changers truly peeved him, but not many others. And even then I understand that to have been, how can I put this, a professional dispute. It is not impossible to treat someone as a friend even though they have, or will, stab you in the back; and to believe otherwise of Jesus is to think him a hypocrite - something I do not believe, whatever I might (or might not) make of the son of man/son of god language.
Second, I understand the christian god to be the creator of the universe, most specifically including time, and as such I find any theology which requires god to literally change his mind incoherent. Those who believe that speciation is necessarily miraculous are either explicitly doubting the omnipotence of god, by positing a flawed creation, or they are worshipping a false god, by positing a flawed creator.
You don't seem to be such a person. My quarrel is evidently not with you.
Whether I believe in God or not.
Peace.
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Date: 2006-04-08 02:50 am (UTC)