RABBI PROFESSOR MICHAEL COOK writes in The Forward about the Gospel of Judas, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, and why Jews should be more familiar with the New Testament:

Time To Teach Jews Gospel Dynamics
By Michael Cook
April 14, 2006

The story of Judas Iscariot has been, if nothing else, damaging to Jesus' image. Since their time Judas's presence among Jesus' inner circle has been disconcerting, as it suggests not only Jesus' lack of insight into Judas' character but also his inability to reform Judas once he became a follower. Indeed, around 200 C.E. the pagan Celsus ridiculed the presumably all-knowing Lord of Christianity for selecting among his close followers one who became a traitor.

One purpose of the recently discovered Gospel of Judas — which intimates that Judas, contrary to commonly held belief, was Jesus' best friend — was to repair Jesus' reputation. It tries to rescue his image by showing that he made no mistake in selecting Judas after all.

Most Jews likely view this revelation as no more than a matter for Christian scholars, or at best as a news item of passing interest. That is a shame, because the questions raised by the Gospel of Judas are in many ways analogous to questions our community has avoided for centuries, much to our own detriment.

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