Posted on 11/04/2007 5:26:37 PM PST by blam
Contact: David Ruth
druth@rice.edu
713-348-6327
Rice University
Rice University professor debunks National Geographic translation of Gospel of Judas
A new book by Rice University professor April DeConick debunks a stunning claim by National Geographic's translation of the Gospel of Judas. According to that translation, Judas was a hero, not a villain, who acted on Jesus' request to betray him. DeConick disagrees.
Before releasing her book "The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says," DeConick was intrigued by the original release of the Coptic Gospel of Judas and as a scholar wanted to read it for herself. While researching and translating it, she discovered that National Geographic's translators had made some serious errors.
"Once I started translating the Gospel of Judas and began to see the types of translation choices that the National Geographic team had made I was startled and concerned," DeConick said. "The text very clearly called Judas a 'demon.'"
DeConick contends that the Gospel of Judas is not about a "good" Judas or even a "poor old" Judas. It is a gospel parody about a "demon" Judas written by a particular group of Gnostic Christians who lived in the second century.
"The finding of this gospel has been called one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the past 60 years," DeConick said. "It's important that we get this right."
DeConick said many scholars and writers have been inspired by the National Geographic version.
"It appears to have something to do with our collective guilt about anti-Semitism and our need to reform the relationship between Jews and Christians following World War II," she said. "Judas is a frightening character. For Christians, he is the one who had it all, and yet betrayed God to his death for a few dollars. For Jews, he is terrifying, the man whom Christians associated the Jewish people, whose story was used against them for centuries."
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DeConick is the Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University in Houston. To read more about her teachings, visit http://reli.rice.edu/rice_reli.cfm?a=cms,c,38,1
"The Thirteenth Apostle" (Continuum International Publishing Group) is available to purchase on www.amazon.com.
April DeConick is available nationwide for media interviews. To book an interview, contact David Ruth at 713-348-6327 or druth@rice.edu.
Maybe someone should post the Greek text of this work so that all the Freepers can read it for themselves.
I don’t suppose it ever occurred to anyone that Judas didn’t have enough time to write it between the time he betrayed Jesus and the time he committed suicide.
Parody my foot. I can’t believe what so-called intellectual types fall for. I guess it comes from not knowing Scripture.
Maybe National Geographic’s translators were inspired to mischief by ‘The Satanic Verses’.
“Maybe someone should post the Greek text of this work so that all the Freepers can read it for themselves.”
Are there a lot of Freepers that are fluent in Greek?
I may be confusing two different books here . . .
None of the gospels were written by the apostle they are named after (with the possible exception of Luke / Acts wich were originaly one book). The books of the bible written most closely to thife of Chirst are those written by Paul - the epistles, followed then - chronologically - Mark, Matthew, John, Luke. The word Gospel means good news. The books are titled “the good news according to...” and were written by followers of the particular disciples, often many years later.
It doesn’t claim Judas wrote it (see below). Anyway - much ado about nothing as far as I am concerned.
“It is a gospel parody about a “demon” Judas written by a particular group of Gnostic Christians who lived in the second century. “
Not fluent in Greek yet but my wife and I are going to take at least one year of Latin next year. The course is offered on-line by the University of Maine at Orono.
Are there a lot of Freepers that are fluent in Greek?
It would be Greek to me.
The text that got all the attention in 2006 was a Coptic text, thought to be a translation of a Greek original. As far as I know the Greek text has not been found.
Excellent point! Freeper logic shoots down a college professor and National Geographic in one fell swoop!
The story indicates that its in Coptic, not Greek.
There may be a few Freepers that can read it but they would probably be Egyptian Copts and able to read a version of Coptic in use 2 millenia ago. DeConick is probably a specialist in Coptic.
Are there a lot of Freepers that are fluent in Greek?
Ooday ooyay avhay eethay “Igpay Atinlay” ershunvay?
Do tell. Why does that not surprise me?
DeConick contends that the Gospel of Judas is not about a "good" Judas or even a "poor old" Judas. It is a gospel parody about a "demon" Judas written by a particular group of Gnostic Christians who lived in the second century."
As I understand it the so-called “Gospel of Judas” and ALL of the so-called “Gnostic Gospels” were written more than a century after the crucifixion. While one can debate whether or not the New Testament is absolutely reliable, the idea that extremely obscure texts written more than a century later (by people who had absolutely no first-hand knowledge of any of the events of the life and death of Jesus Christ) should be given any great credibility is just another dogma of politically correct debunkers. There is a great rage for pretending that convenient novelties are important when they serve a particular (liberal-secular) point of view. I would not give “The Gospel of Judas” any more credibility than Dan Brown’s “DaVinci Code” (the latter has been thoroughly discredited).
Even taking Ryland’s papryus into consideration?
HuH?
Count me as being one. 5 years of Greek and Latin in high school, then my first degree was a BA in Greek and Latin from Catholic University.
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