Reading Judas: The Controversial Message of the Ancient Gospel of Judas

by Elaine Pagels (Author), Karen L. King (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2008

  $5.95

  Discover the true meaning of the lost Gospel of Judas ...Lost for 1,600 years, the Gospel of Judas has only now had its meaning unlocked for readers today. Its startling text included the claim that not only was Judas the favoured disciple of Jesus, but also that Judas was killed by the other disciples. Was Judas a betrayer or a loyal disciple? Did he write this shocking document? And what does it mean for us today? In Reading Judas Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King, world-renowned experts in religious texts, explore the meanings of this contentious gospel in detail. Here they reveal a gospel that, far from seeing Jesus' death as a sacrifice for humanity's sins, opposes the idea that God desires martyrdom and instead points towards a faith that is based on inner spiritual life. Containing a new translation of the Gospel of Judas from the original Coptic, Reading Judas radically challenges our notions of the Christian faith.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $5.24

  Lost for 1,600 years, the Gospel of Judas was discovered in Egypt in the 1970s. Nearly 30 years later, when it reached scholars who could unlock its meaning, it was clear this was a major biblical discovery. In its telling our understanding of Jesus' death, of Judas' betrayal, and of why God allowed it, are all altered. Reading Judas explores the meanings of the Gospel, unpacking its startling claim that not only did Jesus ask Judas to betray him, but also that the other disciples killed Judas: he didn't commit suicide. From this, it moves on to explain how each Gospel - whether New Testament or `heretical' - supports one (or more) disciple and is a rallying point for different groups in the early Church, with competing views and doubts on their new faith, including the meaning of Jesus's death and the importance of sacrifice. Encompassing the serious questions of Christianity (why do we suffer? Can women be leaders? How did early Christians find meaning in Jesus' death?), Reading Judas throws open the world of the early Christians and shows that there are many interpretations of the Christian faith. It lets us see afresh this diversity of view point even within the New Testament itself.