The Gospel of Judas by Rodolphe Kasser (PDF)

Description

For 1,600 years its message lay hidden. When the bound papyrus pages of this lost gospel finally reached scholars who could unlock its meaning, they were astounded. Here was a gospel that had not been seen since the early days of Christianity, and which few experts had even thought existed?a gospel told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, history’s ultimate traitor. And far from being a villain, the Judas that emerges in its pages is a hero. In this radical reinterpretation, Jesus asks Judas to betray him. In contrast to the New Testament Gospels, Judas Iscariot is presented as a role model for all those who wish to be disciples of Jesus. He is the one apostle who truly understands Jesus. This volume is the first publication of the remarkable gospel since it was condemned as heresy by early Church leaders, most notably by St. Irenaeus, in 180. Hidden away in a cavern in Middle Egypt, the codex (or book) containing the gospel was discovered by farmers in the 1970s. In the intervening years the papyrus codex was bought and sold by antiquities traders, hidden away, and carried across three continents, all the while suffering damage that reduced much of it to fragments. In 2001, it finally found its way into the hands of a team of experts who would painstakingly reassemble and restore it. The Gospel of Judas has been translated from its original Coptic in clear prose, and is accompanied by commentary that explains its fascinating history in the context of the early Church, offering a whole new way of understanding the message of Jesus Christ.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “The story of the gospel’s rediscovery and salvation [The Lost Gospel by Herbert Krosney] reads like a Hollywood mystery.” –The Boston Globe“The long journey of the codex that ended up in box No. 395 at the Citibank…began in the caves along the Nile…when peasants discovered leather-bound papyrus written in an indecipherable language, according to Herbert Krosney, author of The Lost Gospel.” –NewsdayJesus says to Judas: “Lift up your eyes and look at the cloud and the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The star that leads the way is your star.” –from The Gospel of Judas“(The Gospel of Judas) is one of the greatest historical discoveries of the twentieth century. It rivals the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls or the Gnostic Gospels of Nag Hammadi.” –Bart D. Ehrman, author of Lost Christianities“The discovery of the Gospel of Judas is astonishing.” –Elaine Pagels“The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot…” –The Gospel of Judas About the Author Rodolphe Kasser, Ph.D., a professor emeritus on the Faculty of Arts at the University of Geneva, is one of the world’s leading Coptologists. He has organized the restoration and prepared the editio princeps of Codex Tchacos, containing the Gospel of Judas and three other Coptic Gnostic texts.Marvin Meyer, Ph.D., Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies at Chapman University and Director of the Chapman University Albert Schweitzer Institute, is one of the foremost scholars on Gnosticism, the Nag Hammadi Library and texts about Jesus outside the New Testament.Gregor Wurst, Ph.D., is professor of Ecclesiastical History and Patristics at the University of Augsburg, Germany.Bart D. Ehrman, Ph.D., is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an expert on early Christianity.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Having been raised in a religious household I learned the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John are the pillars of Christianity. It was my belief that led me to pursue biblical history, which in turn injected a sense of sobering reality in me. Discovering the relationship between the Roman emperor Constantine, the First Council of Nicaea, and the Creed of Constantinople was too provocative to ignore. The council reviewed several other gospels, Gospels of Thomas, Basilides, Philip, Mary, etc., but most copies were destroyed in order to legitimatize the 4 gospels they selected for the New Testament. The discovery of ANY Coptic artifact is tremendous and should be revered by all people. Burying your head in the sand won’t change the fact that a gospel was written around 200 AD that states the actions Judas took were at the behest of Jesus. We will never know how much was truly written about the life of Jesus because it was in the best interest of those who controlled the church to eliminate anything that could contradict what mortal man arbitrarily established as fact. To me, the gospel of Judas cannot be ignored simply based on it’s physical existence. The book “The Gospel of Judas” was written under the supervision of Rodolphe Kasser, who is one of the few people on the planet who can read Coptic script and who participated in the restoration process. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially Christians, not for the purpose of changing beliefs, but for the purpose of reading another chapter written about the life of Jesus from a time period other gospels were created in.

⭐Although none of the seven scholars contributing to this book is a gnostic, they have been asked to speculate on what was in the minds of two gnostics writing 2000 years ago. As Marvin Meyer wrote in his introduction, “At stake in the divergent interpretations of the Gospel of Judas is the very nature of the text. Who is Jesus in the text and who is Jesus? What is the purpose of the text? Is the gospel fundamentally evangelium or dysangelium. Good news or bad news? What does the Gospel of Judas really mean?”I agree with him that “The discussion of the meaning of the Gospel of Judas is exciting and dynamic, and it is certain to continue into the future. Scholars will continue to scrutinize the reconstruction of the codex and the placement of fragments, and they will propose new textual restorations and new readings. Unplaced fragments may be placed: missing papyrus may be found. New suggestions for translation and interpretation will be presented and debated, and new theories will be advanced. In a way, the work on the Gospel of Judas has only begun. In the months and years ahead, more light will be shed on this fascinating gospel of light.” In response, I offer what may be some of the light he expected.Since scholars agree that gnostics existed, and that a Greek version of the Gospel of Judas was written prior to 180 CE, after the New Testament’s four gospels and the Book of Acts were composed, it would not be illogical to conclude that the Greek version was written by a Christian who had become a gnostic after becoming aware of the mystical gnostic belief system circulating at the time he wrote. His message was for Christians who could read Greek.In like manner, the translator of the Greek version into a Coptic dialect spoken in Egypt in the fourth century CE was a member of the Sethian Coptic Orthodox Christian Church. This church believed it was established by Saint Mark and that Seth was the Christ. This translator also became a gnostic after becoming aware the same gnostic texts. He was delivering a message to the Christians who read Coptic.The message in both versions was very simple, but to understand it a reader of the Gospel of Judas has to know that the word Christ is English for the Greek word Christos which, in turn, is Greek for the Hebrew word Mashiach which means the anointed one or messiah who was the flesh and blood deliverer expected by the Jews to be a descendent of King David. Seth was the flesh and blood son of Adam and Eve. Both Jesus the messiah and Seth the messiah were mortals who were unaware of who they were and where they came from. They were not gnostics!In short, both translators wanted the members of their respective churches to know that only mortals who had become gnostics would return to the preexistent “great and holy generation” that abides in the spirit world created by their Most High God.

⭐Aside from the exciting events related to the discovery and final rescue of this codics,STOP A MINUTE, AND CONSIDERWhat if you have a friend, a very good Friend, who you love and respect. He asks you to do something for Him, you are the only one He can trust to do this for Him, and because He asked and you can not for see the future, the repercussions of what He wants you to do. You do it because H asked you to. He spoke of it in previous days, but no one really understood. Nothing good can come of it. BUT everything He has done in the past seemed to work out okay. YOU DO AS HE ASKED BECAUSE HE ASKED. Now you see the consequences. And you can not face the fact. You try to undo it (by giving back the money). That did not stop it. You can not live with it. You end your life. Faithful friend that you were. You are not there to see it all come out all right. Others write about you, and in a bad way, some are kind and say the devil made you do it.——-OR —- you are a misguided person and sell your friend out– and you see the consequences of your actions and deep in remorse you can not reverse it–and make it all go away–you end your life.EITHER SCENARIO– Judas ended his life–and is someone I have pity for, me heart goes out to him.Unless he was good or evil and someone else ended his life for him–and not written about.I will consider the Gospel of Judas in light of the Nag Hammadi and Gospel of John.

⭐as expected thank you

⭐It is nice to see this sort of book available as it addresses many inconsistencies, and presents a balanced view of the disciple Judas, by Rodolphe Kasser.

⭐very interesting !

⭐works for uni

⭐Excellent book

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