Tonight at 8PM EDT the National Geographic Channel will present "The Gospel of Judas," a two hour documentary boasting, "One of the most significant biblical finds of the last century—a lost gospel that could challenge what is believed about the story of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus."
According to web sources, "In this version, Jesus asked Judas, as a close friend, to sell him out to the authorities, telling Judas he will 'exceed' the other disciples by doing so. " [nytimes.com]
The star in tonight's melodrama is a papyrus manuscript which was uncovered in Egypt during the 1950s-1960s. Its original owners did not understand its significance until recently, according to the Swiss Maecenas Foundation. Carbon dating suggests the ink and papyrus is of the appropriate time period, but the provenance of the manuscript remains obscure ... and at least a bit suspicious.
In any event, the manuscript never indicates that Judas Iscariot actually penned the original text, or offer any hints about who did.
Somehow the notion that for almost 2000 years Christians have been "deceived" by the "incompleteness" of the canonnical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), and that the "Gospel of Judas" offers irrevocable proof of a conspiracy to conceal the truth from believers, has whipped agnostics and atheists into a slobbering, chest-pounding frenzy.
It's probably not coincidence that "The Gospel of Judas" is airing tonight; "The Da Vinci Code" opens next week on May 19. That film's plot suggests the Vatican suppressed proof that Jesus was actually married, and had a child by Mary Magdalene who, following the crucifixion, escaped Israel with their child.
What's suggested by both the "Gospel of Judas" and "The Da Vinci Code" is that Jesus Christ was a fraud, an ordinary man and an imposter, and that the accounts detailing the factual events of Christ's life were subsequently either ignored, destroyed or altered and conformed to fit the Vatican's theological and political agendas.
But is there really anything new under the sun here?
In John 8:44 Jesus said, For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. NLT [italics added]
The enemy may try his hardest, but neither "The Da Vinci Code" nor the "Gospel of Judas" amount to a pebble falling against the fortress of God's Kingdom.
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