joe phelan

A few weeks ago during the penultimate days of Holy Week there was a media blitz about the publication of a new historical book about Christ called the "Gospel of Judas". It consists of a third century apocryphal writing associated with the gnostic Christian sect. What makes the writing so newsworthy is that Judas is revealed to be not the despised and detested traitor of the Lord but his closest disciple: the one really knew what Jesus was about and who was commanded to betray Him.


The manuscript was discovered in Egypt over thirty years ago and was stashed in various places including Hicksville (!) Long Island. Adam Gopkik who usually writes on art reviews the gospel in this New Yorker piece http://www.newyorker.com/printables/...0417crbo_books. I found his piece more penetrating than anything else I've read on the subject including the piece by the usualy astute Christopher Hitchens in Slate http://www.slate.com/id/2139781/



The National Geographic has published the new English translation of the twenty six page document as well the story of how it was discovered. There is also a small but powerful exhibit which is now at the National's headquarters in Washington DC indefinitely. The show may travel. There was also a TV special which will be repeated .

http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/



National Geographic