The Gospel of Judas: irrelevant to Christ's mission
As a Christian of the Mennonite tradition (or denomination) the newly discovered Gospel of Judas is not faith-shattering, nor is it a threat to the Church.similar to the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Mary, the author of the Gospel of Judas is unknown but has similar tones to the gospels accepted in the New Testament. This is why those gospels, including the Gospel of Judas, will not be accepted by the Church. It is not a matter of content, so much as it is a matter of authenticity. The same can be said for the Book of Mormon that the Church of Latter-Day Saints proclaims is another testament of Jesus Christ. No author, and no history within the early church.
While the Gospel of Judas seems interesting it's content would not change the event of the cross and the resurrection, nor the meaning behind it. Furthermore, knowledge of first-century Palestinian culture and the meaning of the order of the disciples at the last supper, indicate that Peter was indeed the closest disciple to Jesus, not Judas.
While the Gospel of Judas paints Judas as a hero (go figure) I would doubt that many Christians see Judas as a despicable character in the New Testament to begin with. If it were not for Judas betraying Jesus, the cross and the resurrection would never have happened! It is also argued, in some Christian theological circles, that if it were not Judas, it would have been a different disciple turning Jesus in. Such action was necessary for the divine plan of God to take place.
As a Mennonite, I believe (as Mennonites do) that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine. That being said, if Jesus did orchestrate his own betrayal, it still would have been God's will since he is God incarnate. Every prophecy within the Old Testament points to Jesus of Nazareth as the messiah. His betrayal is one of them, and just like he asked Peter to carry a sword when he was taken to fulfill the prophecy, he very well have asked Judas to do his part and betray him (without the knowledge of the other disciples) in order to keep in step with OT prophecy. Either way, Jesus still died on the cross for the sins of all who believe in him and was still resurrected from the grave.
Will I read the Gospel of Judas? Sure. I just fail to see how it will change my theology or the Church.
posted by D @ 7:11 PM
3 Comments:
So if you don't mind, what does it mean to be socially progressive to you? As a Mennonite does that simply mean the charity of MCC or something a little more? You ever want to have a good talk about the modern menno you got someone right here!
The Gospel of Judas isn't what it's supporters say it is.
If you ever read those Gospels you find a pretty tough Jesus. Neo-gnostics like Elaine Pagels would never follow those "Gospels" in any consistent way. They just use it as a weapon against Christianity to say "anything goes!"
-from the Rum millet
Iberian - thanks for commenting! Being socially progressive to me means that I try to embody Jesus' social gospel as much as I can. Being socially progressive means thinking forward on social issues while respecting tradition.
If you want to talk more about Menno things, you should visit the blog I write on far more often: http://rightofcenterice.blogspot.com
I started The Mennotaur as an avenue for blogging about my faith while Right of Center Ice (RCI) was reserved for my political thought. After reading "Politics of Jesus" by John H. Yoder, I came to realize that faith and politics cannot be separate, so, now I blog about both on RCI. Check out the posts under the Christianity tab there for some much more lively (and current) discussion!
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