Hi! No picture this time, just me with my thoughts.
I'm sure most of you have heard about the recent Judas "gospel" that has surfaced in the past few weeks. Some of you, like me, were a little stymid. A little worried. Some of you were probably a little happy, or confused, or whatever. The document in question claims that Judas - who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities for 30 pieces of silver - was commanded by Jesus to do so. If this were true, it would through doubt into the minds of many people about the authenticity of Jesus Messiahship. I'm here to say that, I, in my opinion, think that the document is bubkes. It's not true. Based on the research I've done, I feel there are too many loopholes in the story. The main website I checked out (one amoung a few) - http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/ - gives an account of what the document claims and how scientists went about determining it's date and origin. Let me start of by saying I have no doubt that it is an authentic ancient document, from the time they are claiming, around 220-340 AD. And I've come up with three very good reasons, which I shall share.
One! As I said, the document was found to be written around 220-340 AD. The last books of the New Testament to be written were penned around 80-90 AD. The gospels were written between the years of 40-70 AD. That's a large space of time for rumours, and the Jewish gossip tabloids to spread around the country. And there were probably groups back then who through Judas to be the underdog. There are hundreds of groups these days vying for child molesters to be set free because it's their right! A man was arrested and tried for making child pornography. The court found him not guilty because what he was doing was his way of expressing himself, and besides, children are sexual creatures, too! So it's not much of a stretch to think that there was someone who thought that Judas was getting a bum rap, and not so much falsyfied a report, but wrote a 'romantic' conclusion. A sort of alternate ending. Novelizing a true story, and editing it to fit their own views.
Two! How in the world did someone who wouldn't even have been born at the same time that Judas was alive find out about this? Especially since no other claim such as this has ever been found, to my knowledge. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Three! Assuming this person had this information, how is it that the other apostles didn't find out about this? They were around him just as much as Judas, some of them more, those in the inner circles of apostles. And yet these claims don't appear in the other gospels. Most of the apostles dies horrible torturous deaths for their beliefs in God and His Son. I think they would have been much more hesitante to die had they thought that their Master was organizing His death.
As I said, I at first was a little worried when I first heard of this document. But I looked into it, and have come to the conclusion that my faith is justified. It is justified through Christ, whom I put my faith in. The wonder and beauty that I see around me, through people and nature, is evidence of a loving Creator who sent His Son to die for us, and no third or fourth century writer can ever convince me otherwise.
Hey, ya'll! What's been happening? Well, I've ungraded my computer terminal from a little puny end table that I have to hunch over to reach, to a full fledged table....that I stole from my kitchen. Hope my roommate doesn't mind.
