Refuting “The Judas Gospel”

April 25th, 2006 ~ La Vida Iglesia

I haven’t had to argue with anyone who thinks that “The Judas Gospel” is worth serious consideration, but I’m reading up on stuff all the same, because you never know. Thought this article on the Antiochian Web-site made some excellent points:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the media is fascinated by Gnostic ideas that were popular in the days of early Christianity. Consequently, the media is seeking to resurrect these defunct ideas with this so-called Gospel of Judas as Christians celebrate the true Resurrection. Orthodox Christians, however, believe that the truth of the four Gospels stands eternally unwavering. We retain strong confidence in the authenticity of the New Testament and, in particular, of the four Gospels.

Unfortunately, any discovery of an ancient text, especially one rejected by the early Church, is lavished with all kinds of media attention. This recent “new gospel,” better entitled the Judas Document, is neither “good news” (the meaning of “gospel”) nor was it written by Judas Iscariot—nor is it even particularly “new.” Although this ancient manuscript was recently found by some Egyptian peasants in the mid- to late-1970s, it was well known by the early Church Fathers. In fact, The Gospel of Judas was roundly condemned and refuted by the Fathers.

Leave a Reply


Bad Behavior has blocked 178 access attempts in the last 7 days.