Since I had a couple of people who are attending my class on The Da Vinci Code ask about the "Gospel of Judas", I'm posting some links to good information on the subject.
If you want to read the new translation of this document, it is available on the National Geographic's website here as a pdf file. Judge for yourself the authenticity and credibility of this document.
For good, sound analysis of how the "Gospel of Judas" fits into the history of early Christianity and whether it alters the traditional view of Jesus as presented in the New Testament Gospels, read Mark D. Roberts (Presbyterian pastor and Phd. in New Testament studies from Harvard University) and/or Ben Witherington III (professor at Asbury Seminary).
I don't have time today to post my own thoughts on the story and its media coverage, but suffice to say the Fourth Estate's ignorance of the development of the biblical canon and the Gnostic writings is almost breath-taking. But not quite. I'm talking back to the news incessantly and so must turn it off before I get my blood pressure up.
Truly, friends, as the Teacher observed in Ecclesiastes: "There is nothing new under the sun."
If you want to read the new translation of this document, it is available on the National Geographic's website here as a pdf file. Judge for yourself the authenticity and credibility of this document.
For good, sound analysis of how the "Gospel of Judas" fits into the history of early Christianity and whether it alters the traditional view of Jesus as presented in the New Testament Gospels, read Mark D. Roberts (Presbyterian pastor and Phd. in New Testament studies from Harvard University) and/or Ben Witherington III (professor at Asbury Seminary).
I don't have time today to post my own thoughts on the story and its media coverage, but suffice to say the Fourth Estate's ignorance of the development of the biblical canon and the Gnostic writings is almost breath-taking. But not quite. I'm talking back to the news incessantly and so must turn it off before I get my blood pressure up.
Truly, friends, as the Teacher observed in Ecclesiastes: "There is nothing new under the sun."
And don't forget the "Jesus Dynasty"...it's selling off the shelves of our local Target....
ReplyDeleteI was hoping to get through Holy Week without mentioning this and letting it sink without notice. But Friday, on the way to the hospital with some folks, the driver looked at me and said, "Well, as long as we've got you trapped for a while," (the hospital is forty miles away) "what do you think of the Gospel of Judas?" Thankfully, he has a pretty good grounding in church history (nothing I can take credit for) so I was able to cover it in just a few miles and then move on to other topics.
ReplyDeleteBut yesterday, at the door after church I was asked by one of my older folks what I thought. I didn't really have the time to go into it at that point, but I invited him to drop in during the week and I'd give him an earful.
So now I'm playing with the idea of the Easter sermon focusing on the difference between resurrection of the body or escape from the body.
Gotta love the biannual Christmas and Easter media coverage of challenges to Christianity. We can count on hearing from the Jesus Seminar this week as well.
Dave
No kidding, Dave. And it is not just the Fourth Estate which is woefully ignorant here. Most of the people in my church have no clue how the canon developed. Suffice it to say, there is an "aha" moment nearly every week in the Sunday school class I teach. Not because I am so clever, but because my denomination has done such an inadequate job of education in the past.
ReplyDelete