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Scholars reveal how they scrambled to authenticate Gospel of Judas
MSNBC ^ | 04/08/2013 | Stephanie Pappas

Posted on 04/08/2013 8:06:25 PM PDT by caldera599

A long-lost gospel that casts Judas as a co-conspirator of Jesus, rather than a betrayer, was ruled most likely authentic in 2006. Now, scientists reveal they couldn't have made the call without a series of far more mundane documents, including Ancient Egyptian marriage licenses and property contracts.

The Gospel of Judas is a fragmented Coptic text, traced back to Egypt, which portrays Judas in a far more sympathetic light than did the gospels that made it into the Bible. In this version of the story, Judas turns Jesus over to the authorities for execution upon Jesus' request, as part of a plan to release his spirit from his body. In the accepted biblical version of the tale, Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

As part of a 2006 National Geographic Society investigation of the document, microscopist Joseph Barabe of McCrone Associates in Illinois and a team of researchers analyzed the ink on the tattered gospel to find out if it was real or forged. Some of the chemicals in the ink raised red flags — until Barabe and his colleagues found, at the Louvre Museum, a study of Egyptian documents from the third century A.D., the same time period of the Gospel of Judas.

(Excerpt) Read more at science.nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bravosierra; elainepagels; epigraphyandlanguage; gnosticgospels; gnosticism; godsgravesglyphs; gospelofjudas; judas; judasiscariot; letshavejerusalem; news; nonsense; religion
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Anyone else getting the idea that this is just another Gnostic piece of trash?
1 posted on 04/08/2013 8:06:25 PM PDT by caldera599
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To: caldera599

One of much trash.


2 posted on 04/08/2013 8:07:13 PM PDT by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: caldera599

It’s definitely Gnostic, as is much of the so called “lost Gospels”.

I feel like people would be far less interested if academics were blunter about what they are, forgeries and fabrications concocted often centuries after Christ’s death and resurrection.


3 posted on 04/08/2013 8:10:42 PM PDT by Shadow44
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To: caldera599

Don Imus recently tried to use the so-called Gospel of Judas to make the blasphemous accusation that Jesus was homosexual. My first though was, “Imus is going to Hell”, but my second though was “Why would you take ANY writings by the man who betrayed Jesus as being useful?” I question the authenticity of this ‘discovery’ anyway.


4 posted on 04/08/2013 8:15:41 PM PDT by Viennacon
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To: caldera599

If anyone wants to learn how to be a good socialist or communist, MSNBC can offer a lot of insight. But if anyone wants to become acquainted with sound biblical doctrine and the basis for what is received as scripture by the church, MSNBC has little useful to offer.


5 posted on 04/08/2013 8:20:13 PM PDT by unlearner (You will never come to know that which you do not know until you first know that you do not know it.)
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To: caldera599

Sorry y’all ‘scholars’ — the council of Nicea has had the final word on this subject.

All you latecomers are, er....late. We definitely do not need your advice.


6 posted on 04/08/2013 8:25:21 PM PDT by 353FMG ( I do not indicate whether I am serious or sarcastic -- I respect FReepers too much.)
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To: caldera599

From Wikipedia, Pope Francis’ Education. I fear it’s going to come out in bad format.

Anyway, point is, most people, Catholics included, don’t have any idea about the scholarship of the average Cardinal or bishop.

They see “scholars say” blah blah or some stupid novelist (Dan Brown) says what ever and they buy it.

They don’t think to check credentials. And they’re raising kids - or leaving that to some leftist group of friends and teachers.

I’d say the Pope could say a final on this heretical load of trash, but what silly Oprah Catholic former coed would take his word over Oprah’s book of the month?

Bergoglio studied at the archdiocesan seminary Inmaculada Concepción in Villa Devoto, Buenos Aires City, and humanities in Santiago, Chile.

In 1960, Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel. In 1964 and 1965, he taught literature and psychology at the Colegio de la Inmaculada, a high school in the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina, and in 1966 he taught the same courses at the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires City.

In 1967, Bergoglio finished his theological studies . . . He attended the Facultades de Filosofía y Teología de San Miguel (Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel), a seminary in San Miguel. He served as the Master of novices for the Province there and became a professor of theology

In 1980 he was named the rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel in San Miguel, and served in that capacity until 1986. He spent several months at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany, while considering possible dissertation topics, before returning to Argentina to serve as a confessor and spiritual director to the Jesuit community in Córdoba.

He often woke up hours before his classmates so that he could celebrate Mass with Czmil.[36]


7 posted on 04/08/2013 8:27:19 PM PDT by stanne
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To: caldera599
It actually is very old, but it is not authentic.

If, 1700 years from now, an archaeologist finds a text written in Vancouver in 1985 explaining that John Wilkes Booth was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln and that Lincoln wanted to commit suicide and hired Booth to do the job - well, they may be able to prove that it really was written in Vancouver in 1985 and is thus "auhentically" an ancient document, it still will not be an authentic account of Lincoln's life.

8 posted on 04/08/2013 8:29:05 PM PDT by wideawake
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To: caldera599

So what if it dates to 300? Authentic Scripture was written during the life of the Apostles, and there were hundreds, if not thousands of copies circulating. Not this rubbish.


9 posted on 04/08/2013 8:31:54 PM PDT by Gamecock ("Ultimately, Jesus died to save us from the wrath of God." —R.C. Sproul)
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To: Viennacon

If you were a writer of fiction in AD 200 or so, and wanted to come up with your own story, you might be inclined to create your own gospel, and put a disciple’s name on it. Especially if you had an agenda.


10 posted on 04/08/2013 8:35:24 PM PDT by Defiant (If there are infinite parallel universes, why Lord, am I living in the one with Obama as President?)
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To: caldera599

Total rubbish.


11 posted on 04/08/2013 8:36:24 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
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To: caldera599

Gee he was helping Jesus. I guess that is why he hanged himself.


12 posted on 04/08/2013 8:37:20 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: caldera599; Salvation; NYer
This Gospel of Judas is very odd.

Maybe I'm looking over something, but I don't remember reading about the Gospel of Judas in my "The Bible for Dummies".

I'll recheck. <8^)

13 posted on 04/08/2013 8:39:26 PM PDT by hummingbird
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To: wideawake
If, 1700 years from now, an archaeologist finds a text written in Vancouver in 1985 explaining that John Wilkes Booth was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln and that Lincoln wanted to commit suicide and hired Booth to do the job - well, they may be able to prove that it really was written in Vancouver in 1985 and is thus "auhentically" an ancient document, it still will not be an authentic account of Lincoln's life.

Excellent juxtaposition to this nonsense.

And there really was a lot of nonsense going on in the first few centuries after Christ, people trying to justify themselves. Someone estimated that, with all the "pieces" of the Cross of Christ available in medieval Europe, the Cross had to have been the size of a Sequoia tree.

14 posted on 04/08/2013 8:41:50 PM PDT by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: jeffc; wideawake

I give the FReepers two thumbs up on this. Sure, the age of the document can be proved. It’s going to be much harder to prove the information in it.


15 posted on 04/08/2013 8:48:49 PM PDT by Enterprise ("Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire)
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To: Venturer
Gee he was helping Jesus. I guess that is why he hanged himself.

There's no way this can be "authenticated" other than as a product of the 3rd Century AD. It'll probably never be traced back earlier than that, meaning that it's gnostic.

However, Judas' suicide would make sense in the context being presented. If the plan was to bring about a clear and unmistakable demonstration of Christ as the Messiah and Son of God by having the Romans attempt to kill Him, only to fail miserably when the Hand of God, Angels, Archangels etc etc etc show up to save Him ... then things didn't exactly go as planned, right?

So not only did Jesus actually die on the cross rather than be immediately saved (as opposed to being buried only to rise on the third day), Judas played a critical role in the death. It's understandable, given those circumstances with Jesus being dead, that Judas went looking for a piece of rope and a suitably high tree.
16 posted on 04/08/2013 9:01:49 PM PDT by tanknetter
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To: caldera599

It’s a gnostic text. It’s of genuine historical interest in that it tells you about gnostic beliefs in the third century. But for telling you anything about Jesus, the Apostles, or the real Judas, it’s historically worthless.


17 posted on 04/08/2013 9:02:50 PM PDT by Hilda
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To: caldera599; fellowpatriot; MarineMom613; Ron C.; wolfman23601; ColdOne; navymom1; Pat4ever; ...
+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.

18 posted on 04/08/2013 9:03:30 PM PDT by narses
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To: caldera599

how long before they tell us that Jesus and Judas were married or something?


19 posted on 04/08/2013 9:10:26 PM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: caldera599

B.S. and I don’t mean Bible Study


20 posted on 04/08/2013 9:14:10 PM PDT by right way right (What's it gonna take? (guillotines?))
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