Gospel of Judas

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/04/06/gospel.judas.ap/index.html

Anyone know more about this?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4882420.stm
^^
More of the same, but goes a little more in depth with the Gnostics and the storyline.
I'm very intrigued, however. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

It's also interesting that this surfaces now. The author of Holy Blood Holy Grail is working on a book exploring a theory that Jesus did not die on the cross, but was drugged to make him appear dead, and later carried away to safety.

 

Just say that today myself. It kind seems like there should be one after all. He was the most important apostle, odd though it may seem.

 

http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81835

 

Interesting, same article ran today in my local paper.

Anyways, I always wondered, even before I ever heard of this new gospel, why everyone hated Judas so much. Jesus forgave him for it (didn't he?), and after all, if he hadn't turned in Jesus, Christianity would have no savior. So really, Judas was an integral part of the salvation of mankind.

In fact, if he had gone behind Jesus' back, the entire salvation would have been tainted by having been dependant on a dirty, two-faced deed. Instead, if Jesus knew, and actually ordered Judas to turn him in, it's not such a dirty deal. If it really was treachery, then we must recognize that treachery is not always a bad thing. In fact, it saved humankind, if the Christians are right! Instead, if this new gospel is right, then the line between evil and good need not shift or fade.

 

I was reading about this earlier, to me it highlights how we have just this one view in the bible of what happened, because contrasting storys were classed as heretical and destroyed and people who believed in them hunted down and killed .

who is to know what really happened

 

It looks like someone has a huge coffer of ancient documents and takes out some of them whenever the suitable ideas become popular.

As for the text itself… well, yes, it is a text At first glance, looks like a potpourri from the Nag Hammadi library. The translation is here:

http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/gospel_of_judas/

 

I watched the today show...I don't know if you get that up in Canada. Well they talked the scrolls. Some thing will be on National Geo Sunad at 10 or 11.

 

You’re welcome. Of course, ancient Athenians couldn’t read something written in Cairo on that same day. But anyway, it was a very healthy, decentralized society; the trouble began later. The Alexandrian library hadn’t been burnt yet, and they had neither widespread religious oppression nor strict rigid mainstream as now. In every small town people craving for knowledge gathered everyday and discussed whatever they wanted to. Probably they would invent the Web, say, in the 8th century, if not opposed by all that fanatical hogwash

 

That actually happened, although it was called the Council of Nicea. Strange how few people know about it. Unfortunately, it is well documented that anything not chosen for inclusion by the council was labelled heresy and immediately destroyed.

Or... was it? Maybe the truth IS out there...

 

Christians usually know but think it was the fair separation of the wheat and the tares. And maybe it was, but some tares are much better than wheat

What I, in my naivety, still hope to read is the intact work of Heraclitus. He had nothing to do with Christianity, though

 

…and to disinformation too But this is quite usual, and I agree with you.

 

Gnostics don't beleive Jesus died on the cross, they either have a similar beleif to the muslims as in since he could reach enlightenment (to borrow the term from Buddhism) he like the buddha would already be in Nirvana, so when his physical flesh died he had already been in heaven the whole time. So he did not die but rose to heaven.

They beleive that or the whole Jesus christ event was a myth/metaphor for ego death and resurrection.

Or they beleive he being a master of plants and sacraments, consumed a drug that would make him appear as dead, only to be dug up later on by mary magdeline and his genealogy to have spread to southern france starting the cathars and the merovingian kings. This is the hardest one to prove since it would go against the Catholics and even the protestant churches.

A final theory is that Jesus did die on the cross not to die for humanity, but to die as an example of his teachings. Of the GNOSIS, that death is the only way to acheive god. Then through celebacy and by stopping the human race, death no longer reigns. It is proven that Gnostics, were a death cult when it comes down to it. That you must recognize the divine spark, and that we are living in a world of the Christian hell. The only way out, is to make an intuitive connection with god on earth. Then eventually to die, and be released back to the creator. NOT the Demiurge or Jehovah, yahweh,allah. Who are masters of this life only.

This is part of the gnosis, knowing that death is your savior. Not jesus christ.

 

Try "the Lady with the Alabaster jar" its a good book, also

http://www.magdalene.org
has some god info

 

Research the Merovingians, all claim descent from Jesus Christ, were medieval kings of France. Claim descent via a female. Also reseach the Cathars, who were a neo-gnostic sect of the same period in southern France. They were basically Jains, or Buddhists, nothing liek what modern Christianity looks like yet they referred to themselves as Christians, and claim descent from a female figure named Sarah, daughter of Mary Magdeline and Jesus Christ. There is a church I forget the name in the south of France, that has an underground chamber worshipping this Sarah character. The statue resembles African features as well. This is a very big part of Christianty the pope, and even the protestants don't want you to know.

The Cathars, were the first acts of the Inquisition by the Catholic Church. They beleived the Cathar beleif was going to sweep Europe and dominate due to "proof of the bloodline of christ" therefore putting the Pope, descendants of Peter the Apostle whos always thought of as the divine hand of Christianity. The Dominicans killed all of them, because they took vows of non-violence, like buddhists and jains, and they didn't fight. An entire settlement was massacred, while supposedly 4 of the "Parfaits" French word for Perfecti, escaped down a hidden backside cave passage to the bottom. (The Settlement was on some sort of cliff town) However they say that these parfaits carried with them teh Holy Grail. Yet these 4 were the San Graal, which is the transliteration of Holy Grail, yet meant blood Royal. These 4 were the last descendants of Jesus Christ, they were the Holy Bloodline.

 

Jesus was called “the Savior” in so many authentic Gnostic texts that I am too lazy to list here them all. Just a few: The Gospel of Mary, The Secret Book of John, The Secret Book of James. And there is even the Gnostic book called The Dialogue of the Savior.

As for their beliefs, it is also impossible to enumerate them. Too many sects, too many free-thinking people. Of course, some of them did believe that Jesus died on the cross. Some scholars think that the canonical Gospel of John was widespread and received among the Gnostics. Needless to say that it mentions the death on the cross In general, Gnostics shared many beliefs with other Christians. There was no strict separation between different Christian groups at that time.

Did anybody mention this idea before the 5th century? Hard to believe It’s a medieval royal mercenary fiction.

 

Jains and Buddhists differ a great deal, as far as I know. But anyway, what do you mean? Did Cathars pray to Amitabha?

 

Just a question, but how does christianity fit into all of this? I highly doubt they will adapt their text to include new books. Basically, do they think the word of their god exist in texts outside what christians have compiled into their bible?

It will be interesting how to see how the christian community responds to this (if at all).

 

The Cathars were like Buddhists and Jains, because they beleived in a divine essence like the monad. THey beleived in a vast cosmic realm, filled with minor deites which is very close to Buddhism. They beleive in reincarnation, which is the same as Jains and Buddhists. They were vegan, like Jains. They did not pray to Amitabha. They beleive this worldly things are generally evil, and the dualism is in Spirit and matter. Spirit being good, matter being evil. The Cathars would take vows of exteme acesticism, and practice yogic type excercies and meditation. Both view escape from matters prison, into a one-ness with moksha to the jains, and simply god to the cathars. You could through pefect livelihood connect with this conciousness on earth before you died. Both were non-violent, and practiced ahimsa, and begged for food. The perfecti priests of the cathars were sky clad, just like the highest jains. Meaning they wore no clothes at all.
Both view god of the other religions as an evil tyrant forcing souls into bodies, and keeping them in this prison of reality, demanding worship and submission.

These attributes are found more in Jainism yet the big factors of Non-violence, transmigration of souls, and enlightenment whilst still alive can be found in Buddhism as well.

I haven't read The Da Vinci code but I beleive he mentions the Merovingians. As for the cathars Im not sure.

No they were not their children or even grandchildren. Jesus existed in according to the Gregorian Calendar the year 0-30 or something not sure exactly. Cathars weren't around till the 1000's. Publicly anyway, this obviously shows it started underground and eventually in 1000 years became a religion that rivaled the Catholic Church in Rome. So most likely alot of these Cathars could be traced to Jesus and Mary Magdeline. Yet these parfaits that left out the back said to be carrying the holy grail, and its a known fact that the text San Graal, did not mean sacred cup, but isntead Blood Royal. It was always translated from the original hebrew text as Sang Raal. This is groundbreaking and goes along with all this old tradition, and basically ties it all togethor.

 

Sure it has It was exactly Dan Brown who threw this idea into mass culture in order to gain money from that