COPTIC GOSPEL OF JUDAS WATCH: The Christian Science Monitor explores the ethical implications of the National Geographic Society's connection with the publishing of this (looted) manuscript:

A gospel's rocky path from Egypt's desert to print

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

When the Gospel of Judas first surfaced in Geneva in 1983, scholars wondered if the mysterious text could trigger a reappraisal of history's most infamous traitor.

They never found out, however, because they couldn't afford the $3 million price tag on this second-century gnostic tale. Instead, the fragile pages vanished into private hands and set off on a 23-year, intercontinental journey through fist-pounding negotiations and even periods, reportedly, stuffed inside a Greek beauty's purse.

Now, at long last, the world is about to see the contents. The National Geographic Society last week reported it will publish a translation this spring, when "The Da Vinci Code" film is sure to rekindle interest in gnostic artifacts.

I don't recall hearing anything about "a Greek beauty's purse" before this. But at least that's not as strange as the story about the prostitute (two prostitutes?) who showed John Strugnell a microfilm of a (Qumran?) Enochic manuscript, which microfilm she had hidden in an even more unusual place. Strugnell did verify that something like this actually happened, but he seems to be saving the details for his memoirs.

Be that as it may, the key issues in this article come out here:

National Geographic doesn't deny Dr. Robinson's allegation that the text left Egypt without that country's required authorization. Still, the organization stands by its decision.

"Everyone involved believes the materials should be given to Egypt" after scholars finish translating them, says spokeswoman Mary Jeanne Jacobsen. "National Geographic has done its due diligence, and is working with an international team of experts on this artifact to save the manuscript before it turns to dust and is lost forever."

But others worry that those who publish "hot" manuscripts create a tragic incentive. "When you publish material that's the result of recent looting ... you're adding to the value of other pieces similar to it," says Patty Gerstenblith, an expert in culture heritage law at DePaul University Law School in Chicago. That entices others to hunt for treasure, she says, with hopes that even something later branded contraband could still yield a nice windfall.

[...]

This is the problem and I don't know of a good solution.

For the episode involving the Enochic manuscript, see Biblical Archaeology Review 20.4 (July-August 1994): 46-47.