I wanted to write something very quickly about the Gospel of Judas that I know is making the news circuit at the moment. I have not had time to read it, but the shocking revelation is that Jesus asked Judas to betray him.
Well this is really not that shocking. First off, people should not be freaked out about a new gospel. There are plenty of non canonical gospels out there, so this is not that earth shattering. Martin Scrocese already told this story in some fashion, by simply acknowledging Judas’ role in this great drama.
I am not sure if this is considered a proper gnostic text at the moment, but my it is truly representative of one. The physical world is one of the worst things for a gnostic, so the man responsible for shedding Jesus’ mortal coil would be considered something of a hero. I am sure there was a pro-Judas gnostic-christian sect at one point.
Once I read it, I’ll write some more of my thougthts.