Since someone brought up this topic - thought I should share something which I read recently:
Good news or bad news? (Michael Gonsalves reports Fr Dr Rui de Menezes SJ views - The Week, April 23, 2006. page 33) The intellectual and the religious world should welcome the astonishing discovery of the Gnostic Gospel of Judas in the Egyptian desert. Radiocarbon dating and other tests have proved that it is genuine, written around 300 CE (Common Era). Canonical gospels are probably from the first century CE. The Synoptic Gospels [Matthew, Mark and Luke] were accepted as inspired very early by the church. John's gospel took more time to be accepted because of its so-called Gnostic traits. Much has been made of the fact that in the Gospel of Judas, Judas comes out in a good light. It cannot be denied as scholars have already shown that from Mark to John there is a gradated vilification of Judas. What impact will the discovery of the Gospel of Judas have on our faith? None at all. Just as every society needs a constitution which defines the rights and duties of its members, the church also needed a charter. This is called, in theological terms, a canon of scriptures. Many gospels, genuine and spurious, have come to light. Of the around 60 known gospels, the church chose only four. The church cannot add or subtract any of its inspired books without changing its own nature. All the same, the Gospel of Judas surely will throw light on the developments and struggles within the early church. As for the historical Judas, he did what he did! The gospels have variously interpreted his action. We shall never know the motives for what we call the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. It is not our business to condemn Judas. Even Jesus merely asked: Will you betray the son of man with a kiss? God can make use of human folly or sin to achieve his plan of salvation for human kind. Whether human beings condemn the action of Judas as John's Gospel does or whether they exonerate him as the Gospel of Judas does, is our affair. God always forgives human beings their sins for God can write straight on crooked lines. Regarding the death of Judas, the New Testament has two versions. According to the gospels, he hanged himself out of remorse. The Acts of the Apostles say that his guts came out which implies we shall never know the real facts. The new understanding of Judas as the only one of the apostles who really understood Jesus and was his real friend needs clarification. The Gnostics believed that matter is evil and created by a Demiurge or a lesser and a bad creator whom they identified with the God of the Old Testament. Consequently for the Gnostics, Jesus whom they call the `Living Jesus' could neither suffer nor die. The Gnostics' main contention is that salvation comes from `knowledge', gnosis, better rendered as `insight'. Once we know who we are, where we have come from, and whither we should tend, we are saved. Some Gnostics do not believe in prayer, for once we realise we are divine, it is but logical that there is no room for prayer. Similarly, some Gnostics reject the sacraments since they have contact with matter. Resurrection of the body is also denied by them since the body is evil as it is matter. The writer is former president, Jnana Deeps Vidyapeeth (Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion) in Pune and dean of faculty of theology. As told to Michael Gonsalves _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list ([email protected])
