What do you think of the Gospel of Judas?
Has anyone read the recently discovered Gospel of Judas? It’s quite old, and dates to the early Christian era. It is a Sethian gnostic text, so it is quite out of keeping with modern Christian beliefs. Anyone have opinions, wish to discuss, etc?
Many interesting points raised. Yes indeed it is a gnostic creation. It is hardly fake, the extant manuscript is carbon dated to the later half of the fourth century, and textual clues lead us to believe it was based on an earlier work. The actual words of Judas, unlikely, but an interesting picture of the diverse practices of early Christians. As for Irenaeus of Lyon’s rejection of it, it still is a rejection from a purely theological standpoint.
It can hardly be called ‘fake,’ but it certainly isn’t standard.