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[I didn't write this]

There is a lot of hype in the media right now about "The Gospel of Judas." As it turns out, there is absolutely nothing new here. This supposedly "lost" gospel was known to, and rejected in the early years of Christianity.

Irenaeus, who lived from 120-202 A.D., pastor in Lyons, France, who claimed to have been taught by Polycarp who in turn had been taught by the apostle John, wrote five books entitled “Against Heresies.” In these books, he documented and refuted the many Gnostic groups that had sprung up to attack the faith.

One of these groups was called the “Cainites.” This was a particularly despicable group known for its extreme immorality. They believed that for a person to ascend to perfect “Gnosis” (which was their concept of salvation), he must experience everything that can possibly be experienced including every imaginable sort of immorality.

They celebrated the worst men in the Scriptures (including Cain, the men of Sodom, Korah and Judas) as proper role models. They believed that these persons were actually the good guys. They had access to hidden knowledge and wisdom and that is why they did the things they did. They also taught that these men were persecuted by God because He feared their knowledge. They called by the name of “Hystera,” and urged the abolition of His works and commands.

The so-called “Gospel of Judas” is the product of this sect. I find it fascinating that in these last days before the Lord’s return, Satan is attacking the church with so many of the very same devices that he used to attack it in its infancy. And this is a prime example. If we are going to protect ourselves and our children from his devices and the coming apostasy, then we need to be as vigilant as Irenaeus. Here is what Irenaeus said about the Cainites and the “Gospel of Judas.”
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Irenaeus:

1. They declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury. They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas.

2. I have also made a collection of their writings in which they advocate the abolition of the doings of Hystera. Moreover, they call this Hystera the creator of heaven and earth.

I have no idea whether there is any truth is the work they are calling ther gospel of judas. My comments go to the following

1. I don't know the exact method by which God caused his will to be carried out or how Judas made his decisions.

2. I think it is entirely possible that the church did not include every scrap that contained some truth about Jesus's life and sayings

3. The existence or lack thereof of a Gospel of Judas doesn't change my basic view of the bible - I already know it is the message and the salvation that are important rather than the authors and wording, this is reinforced by the authors not being who most people think.