Jesus, Mary Magdalene & Judas:
The Crucifixion and Atonement for Sin in the Early Church

Sunday Evening Discussions with Supper, March 15, 22 and 29, 2009, 5:30-8:00 p.m.

Course Home Page       Session 1: Jesus & Thomas       Session 2: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
   
Mar.
29 		Session 3. Judas & Sethian Gnosticism

Mosaic of Thomas

Background: There are two very different interpretations of the Gospel of Judas. The editors of the original National Geographic translation make out Judas to be a hero, the recipient of special instruction from Jesus "that can eradicate ignorance and lead to an awareness of oneself and God." Here is their summary:
In contrast to the New Testament gospels, Judas Iscariot is presented as a thoroughly positive figure..., a role model for all those who wish to be disciples of Jesus. That is probably why theGospel of Judas ends with the story of the betrayal of Jesus and not the crucifixion of Jesus. The point of the gospel is the insight and loyalty of Judas as the paradigm of discipleship. In the end, he does exactly what Jesus wants. In the biblical tradition, however, Judas — whose name has been linked to "Jew" and "Judaism" — was often portrayed as the evil Jew who turned Jesus in to be arrested and killed.... In the Gospel of Judas, Judas Iscariot turns out to be Jesus' beloved disciple and dear friend.

April D. DeConick argues, on the contrary, that this is a misunderstanding based on mistranslation of the Coptic text. Her summary:
Judas did the most evil thing he could do. By sacrificing Jesus to Saklas (the evil archon in control of this material world), he was instrumental in making operative the Archons' destructive plan. Jesus tells him this after a lengthy... monologue about the sacrifices that the disciples will make, all of which are "evil." Then he says to Judas, "You will do worse than all of them, for the man that clothes me, you will sacrifice him." (p. 125)

She concludes,
This is what the Gospel of Judas is about - Judas' involvement in this supernatural drama. Judas in not a human actor betraying a human Jesus as a good friend, collaborator, or confidant [as argued in the National Geographic translation]. Rather, ... he is aligned with the Archons and demons who rule this world. The Archons form a powerful army warring against the Father above, wishing to kill Jesus before the Father can implement whatever plan of his own he may have been contriving against them." (p. 127)

We will review the two sides of this debate in class, then follow the DeConick interpretation.

Readings:
(1) Mark's account of the betrayal (Mk 14:43-46), Luke's account of Judas at the Last Supper (Lk 22:14-23), and his account of Judas' death (Acts 1:15-20)
(2) The Gospel of Judas. Recommended books (unfortunately hardbound, but lots of used copies available): April D. DeConick, The Thirteenth Apostle (New York, Continuum, 2007). Compare the first edition: Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, and Gregor Wurst, The Gospel of Judas (Washington D.C., The National Geographic Society, 2006).

Preparations: xxx