Sunday, May 21, 2006

THE LOST GOSPEL: The Quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot, by Herbert Krosney, is reviewed by William Murchison in the Washington Times. Excerpt:
Then to the point. Says Jesus to Judas: "[Y]ou will exceed all of [the disciples]. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me." Mr. Krosney explains: "Jesus is asking Judas to hand him over and sacrifice him. The reasons become clearer. Jesus' life on Earth is only in the guise of a man. The man provides clothes for the spirit within. Jesus is an eternal figure; he is part of the higher God . . ."
Believe it if you like. Just don't confuse it with Christianity, notwithstanding Mr. Krosney's praise of this "fresh and authentic witness [to] an early era" of the faith. "Fresh" and "authentic" aren't the words that come most readily to mind. Wild and woolly or febrile and fraudulent are among the likelier possibilities for characterizing the contents of the Judas gospel.
There's also a word for this whole publishing project: Cynical or credulous, take your pick.
I trust the book makes clear that the "early era" is the second century and not the first.

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