The Incredible Gospel of Judas (Iscariot)
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How would you respond if I told you that, actually, Judas was the only disciple who understood what Jesus was doing on earth? Or that I said that Jesus is unrelated to the God who created the world? Or that the God who created the world is not the same as the one who created humans? From a modern Christian point of view, those are blasphemous statements - some more so than others, yet they are all paraphrasing an early Christian Gnostic text, known as the Gospel of Judas. Join us today on Misquoting Jesus to find out more about this surprising, esoteric gospel, and to learn the secrets of the world according to the Gnostics.
Stories of mishandled ancient manuscripts genuinely activate an adrenal response in me. Imagining something precious surviving relatively intact for 1,600 years, only to end up in an idiot's freezer spikes my blood pressure.
I, too, have this response. It's one reason why I hate books being banned or burned. If there's anything in this world that is sacred, it's books.
Same. I wonder if we are missing some laws here. Some harsh, unforgiving laws.
I literally had to be hospitalized after listening to this... proud of that, actually.
This is one of my favorite podcasts. The synergy between Megan and Bart is exquisite. Love this, and it is so informative to us who are curious about the history of Christianity's formative years, and beyond. Good work~!
I agree! I work graveyard shift from home and I enjoy watching while I'm working
Oh, the jumper coordination was exquisite!😊
Next week Bart is dyeing his beard.
WOW! How informative can you get! I read the Gospel of Judas back in 2006 and got a huge kick out of it then! So didn’t one of my brothers whose son (my nephew) thought he’d like to choose “Judas” for his Confirmation name. 🤭 It wasn’t long there after where none of us stayed as practicing Roman Catholics. Years later, I’d always thought Elaine Pagels or Karen King authored the book! (I’d given my copy to my brother and he never returned it😆). I was pleasantly surprised to not only learn today that Bart was largely responsible for the book’s publication but the inspiring exegesis of its translation! Many thank-you’s, Bart! And for Megan always on target with her astute questions!😃😍🥰🤩👍👍
Doc, I think the things you talked about concerning "Gospel of Judas" make far more sense than anything I was ever taught or drilled to believe in that bible. Truth is I got in trouble with a Nun in about 1960, maybe 5th grade or so when I pointed out that if Judas didn't fulfill his task of turning over Jesus to the law then redemption would never had happened. She beat me for that one. LOL
What's even more important is that god let him do this. God is all knowing. Another reason I no longer believe.
Nun's were famous for their reception of student's ideas. I, too, had some nuns who were very handy with a metal edged, wooden ruler.
@@paulkoza8652Here in the UK the C of E is in the middle of another child abuse scandal with the Archbishop of Canterbury just resigning. I just keep thinking about the phrase 'Suffer the little children'!
I was thrown out of class when I pointed out to my elementary school catholic religion teacher (at the age of 7 or 8) that the whole virgin birth thing might be a mistranslation of sorts. If she had been allowed to beat me, she probably would have.
Yes Judas did his job it seems
Hey there. Thanks for the compelling retelling of the finding and publishing of this fun gospel.
Incredible information. Thank you ❤
I love that you’re both wearing gray. It looks like you’re the thing with two heads. Which one is Rosie Greer? 😂😂😂
I think Kazantzakis's Last Temptation of Christ deserves a nod for having a similar view of Judas as the strongest apostle, long before this gospel was discovered.
...do you have the Peter Gabriel's album of music- and mood-setting sounds he composed for THE LAST TEMPTATION..." ?
@@neclark08 Didn't know about that - thanks!
Kazantzakis got numerous death threats because of the film. I bet at the end he regretted shooting it. But it is a marvelous film !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@narancauk Note that long before the film there was the book.(1955, translated into English 1960).
@@douglashoover6473 Yes , I understand that he insisted that on the second edition on the cover is printed '''THIS IS ONY A STORY''---haahhhhaaaaaa
I have been patiently waiting for this 😂❤
Being that Megan and Bart are now dressing alike, maybe she should buy him new glasses, but I do not know what to do about his hair color??? Love the show!
😅
i am a christian Coptic Egyptian my blood pressure reached a high level that haven't ever reached before because of what happened in the manuscript in the first 17 minutes of the video and i wondered how many bible first and second century many scripts were wasted out of ignorance and greed of those trash
Finally, "bar enash" (it was an eye opener for me when I read Imperial Aramaic) -- are you sure you wanted to get into that :)? I agree with your example, but it may provoke many more questions! It might be a good podcast on its own.
So Interesting !
Thank You.
This is a really great episode, best yet. So much more information than we had previously got about the Gospel of Judas. Unless we had read Bart's book on it obvs
I appreciate the social chemistry between Bart and Megan.
Another thing is that apostle Peter took and he said...... (according to what is shown written anyway in Acts 2:34-35 verses) that king David said, 'The Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until i make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'
Hearing everything the manuscript goes through never ceases to be upsetting.
Idk if I just listen to so much Bart that I’ve heard this already from him someplace else, but I swear this episode was done already.
He did a video with Alex O’Connor on it
That’s probably what I’m thinking of then
Yea ive heard most of it from other videos with Bart but there was some new things in this one anyway, like the part of how different interpretations has come around of Judas position in the text and such.
I'm not a fan of Alex O'Connor, but he has a very good interview on the gospel with Dr. Ehrman. They went in more detail there.
In Plato’s dialogues Socrates often speaks of his daimon and it not evil but on the contrary a benevolent spirit that guides Socrates toward truth. At least that’s my recollection, it’s been forever since I read Plato. These discussions are so interesting. I love the joy they both take in discussing these issues.
Daimon is a neutral term, like 'spirit'. When Greeks wanted to make clear the spirit was evil, they have a word for that, 'Cacodaimon'. And they also had "Eudaimon" for good spirits.
Clever choice of music.. rising and falling to many expectations; yet always effective..even among sardonic Ehrmanesque impersonators.
Fantastic and helpful episode...many thanks to both of you!!
This was lovely! Thank you.
The Gospel of Judas appears to be a rational response to the state of humanity. Why would you worship or give praise to anyone or anything that put us in this “bloodthirsty realm” here on earth. Sometimes it truly feels as if this reality were created by a demon and ruled over by fools and lower creatures.
45:40 ''That is rather extreme''------------------Well. God is extreme more often than not.
One of my fave episodes! Thank you! The mystery of Judas is one of the biggest in history, and it’s a shame the canonical Christian texts don’t dig into his story- probably the shame factor, because he’s seen as betraying Jesus, but maybe he really didn’t? Those questions pondered, the Gnostic gospels are so bizarre that it’s to imagine anyone believing in these elaborate constructs of universe- regardless of Jesus, or Judas for that matter.
The Gospel of Thomas- no canonical, but not noticeably Gnostic is genius that never gets enough spotlight, how about an episode on it? Feels like the yellow brick road of faith, finding faith-that religion isn’t relevant in this journey
This was a great episode!
I thought
Meagan and Bart were beginning to merge.
Then i noticed that their swaeter were nearly identical fabric.
Was this a plan or happenstance?
Oh man, now I can't unsee that movie about the man with two heads.
Interesting 😮❤
Is this a reupload? I remember watching this podcast a couple of years ago.
The Gospel of Judas is the most theologically comprehensive _Gnostic Christian_ text available.
I remember hearing this story from Bart Ehrmann. Is this a repeat of a previous video, be it from this channel or any other channel?
Definitely heard this before.
I had to check more than once to make sure I was not watching an old video
He's described this process before on this channel but not with Megan interviewing from what I recall... "Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot at RSE 2013" is the video title
Bart did a whole deep-dive into this on Alex O'Connor's channel.
Love the matching jumpers!
Those are sweaters, dude!
@@louisewagenknecht6140I think that's a Brit term, mate.
@@dbarker7794 I know...
Nikos Kazantzakis' novel The Last Temptation of Christ, and Martin Scorsese's movie based on it, also feature Judas as Jesus' best friend and closest discipline. Other than this, it's pretty conventional in its Christology and theology. There's a very moving scene in the movie, where Jesus says to Judas that he has to turn him in, to fulfill God's plan. Judas says he doesn't want to betray his best friend. Jesus says, "You have to. God gave you this task because you're stronger than I am. All I have to do is die on the Cross." This story also identifies Mary Magdalene with the woman taken in adultery. Jesus and Magdalene were close friends as small children. When they grew up, Magdalene fell in love with Jesus, Jesus rejected her sexual desire for him, and she reacted by becoming a prostitute.
I don't want to say anymore and spoil it for you in case you want to read the novel or watch the movie, both of which I highly recommend.
The last temptation of Christ is a fascinating novel and I really enjoyed it when I read it.
There's a scene while Jesus is on the cross, we get a reflection of what he's thinking, and it's pretty heartbreaking. Really good movie.
Wonderfully informative as usual….. I note that none of the supposed founders of the major religions were renowned for their sense of humour 😂
sweaters? it's getting to feel like fall
The segment is interesting though it is not clear to me how special this specific gospel is. There was a bit of trend to use "bad guys" as well as outsiders (such as Mary Magadalne/a woman) to show how the now orthodox interpretation was wrong. So Cainites.
The use of Judas alone in that sense was not totally shocking especially if you figure Jesus had to die which even some non-Gnostics talk about. BTW, since Paul doesn't even reference Judas, I don't know how much we can totally be sure about regarding his life.
I wonder what the world would be like if the gnostic traditions had won out in their view of the world?
Gnostic Christianity could easily have died out since it paid poor attention to the material world.
A lot better than it is now I think
Honestly, pretty weird. OK, Christian orthodoxy, and its establishment, have their problems (to say the least). But the Gnostic world-view is highly elitist, and radically disconnected from any natural relationship to the world we find ourselves in. Gnosticism, and indeed neo-Platonism, are just weird.
I really enjoy these intellectual discussions. They are important in themselves, but we should bear in mind that both Testaments, New and Old, are more fantasy than history, regardless of the historical origins of various scriptures.
If I remember correctly, it was in a safe deposit box in a Citibank in Hicksville, NY. I drive past it several times a week.
been aware of the Manichaean Heresy for years... and there has been presentation of Judas as a sympathetic character due to his necessary role in the story of the Passion. so this was a very interesting wrinkle on early christian faith...
Finally!
Regardless of its biblical accuracy, I think the story of Judas is interesting. He is the ultimate bad guy of the new testament, but we don't get to hear his side of the story. I'm anxious to hear future episodes about this gospel.
Pardon my asking, but how many different pairs of glasses does Megan have?
I'm so glad you guys stopped doing the small talk, and jumped straight into the podcast
Yeah god forbid they waste a second of your valuable time.
I rather enjoyed the small talk, so speak for yourself.
Thank you.
Apostle Peter took and said that king David......("seeing what was ahead,") (meaning being shown on in a "vision," or on in a "dream,") king David knew what was ahead on about his descendant being the messiah that would be ("resurrected,") apostle Peter in Acts 2:30 verse line calls king David a ("prophet,") that that's what apostle Peter considered king David to be
"The god of the old Testament is a bloodthirsty rebel..." Well in that respect i agree with gnosticism.
As soon as the Gospel of Judas appeared and was published by NatGeo I translated it into my native tongue of Norwegian. I wanted people to see and read. It was quite obvious that both the narrator and narrative deviated quite a lot from the four canonical Gospels and was far from the standard fare. Anyway, no doubt that Judas was a gnostic take and thus one of the earliest heresies in primitive church.
My take: About as exciting as looking for Christ’s family in old Parisian churches.
Are you guys using beauty filters on the videos? I noticed that there’s a slight Max Headroom vibe to your faces this time. 😊
A betrayal by one of Jesus' closest associates never made sense to me. What are you supposed to do with silver in paradise? Why jeopardize the great reward by betraying the messiah? I think the tale was reactionary propaganda against the Jews who rejected Jesus.
Fascinating. Thank you
Wasn’t Judas destined to betray Jesus. Surely god planned the whole ordeal, or at least saw it in the future, so Judas was going to betray Jesus to serve the plan. He was more like poor Job, used by god to accomplish some task and then called evil.
Oooooh, this is going to be GOOD!!!!!
The mental image of Jesus laughing scornfully is very unsettling
I assumed he was laughing in a kind manner at what they were doing.
If Jesus' death was predestined as the ultimate sacrifice to atone for humanity's sins, and Judas facilitated this divine plan-playing a critical role in what many Christians today view as the cornerstone of salvation-why is Judas vilified instead of venerated? Should he not be considered a saint of the highest order for enabling the fulfillment of God’s will? After all, didn’t the other disciples fail Jesus in accomplishing his primary mission, showing ignorance and a lack of understanding of his teachings? Furthermore, if you were present during Jesus' time, fully aware of his mission to die as a "human sacrifice" to save humanity, would you strive to save him, risking the derailment of salvation history, or allow his death to proceed, knowing its divine purpose?
Your final question is a fundamental one. And indeed, Judas was a betrayer, and betrayal was a fundamental element in the meaning of Jesus' death. For a believer, this is one of the points where simple, rational, calculus breaks down. And the resolution of that problem is very different, depending on what you believe about salvation and damnation. Not that, I think, resolution is possible.
@@michaelwright2986 Well said lol Error 404: Logic not found. Please reboot your expectations.🤣🤣
Wow interesting and thank you for discussing the story 😂
This first question reveals the Gnostic worldview. Ludwig Noack demostrates from Last Supper in GJohn that the beloved disciple can ONLY be Judas Iscariot. This because GJohn written in Sethian Gnostic milieu which knew Gospel of Thomas.
For me NDE's are reliable sources for information unlike organized religion. Consciousness does survive physical death, the only question I have is who are these entities in the astral realm.
Glad to see everyone got the gray sweater memo. 😏
Jesus on in Matthew says the opposite of what apostle Peter took and said about, ('the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet,') Jesus says that what king David took and said doesn't make him a descendant of king David.
Thank you!
And what do people think? Do people think that king David was told or had seen ahead of time what would happen to his own ("descendant,") according to what apostle Peter took and claimed on in Acts 2:31 verse about the resurrection of the messiah?
Nope.
Once again, I think Megan should have her own podcast already
She has digital hammarabi where she and her husband do all sorts of cool ancient languages stuff. Sumerian 😊😊😊😊😊
I have and love your book. So Ill skip this one. Spoiler: the story of finding the gospel is more interessting than the gospel itself...
Presumably, not if you're aware of the spirit within yourself & therefore (as with all the gospels) don't take what it says literally.
@@robertdargan1113 There is no spirit within myself and Bart Ehrman agrees with me.
The Laughing Jesus image was a secret Gnostic plant
Do you think they took the idea of a laughing leader from Buddhism? After all Buddhism had been around for approx. 500 years before Jesus.
I always wish that the Library of Alexandria would have been spared during the invasion???? Could you imagine humanity with that wealth of knowledge?????
Personally I wish Bart would just do indepth podcasts/videos on each of the noncanonical books. The canonical ones and Paul are covered so much it gets repetative.
Sounds like Eru Ilúvatar from The Silmarillion
One gray sweater with two head openings
What a horrifying story :(
In the book of Acts king David took and prophecied (according to what apostle Peter took and said) king David prophecied about ("Judas Iscariot,") betraying the messiah
Has this not been a topic already? I'm sure I've heard Dr. Bart talking about this before. Maybe it was on somebody else's channel...
It was with Alex from Cosmic Skeptic, he talked about it with him
Hi i just wanted to mention that the intermission segment music is a bit loud and strong since i usually listen to the podcast to relax
Wonder why the gospel of Judas is not included in the canonized of 27 books in New Testament.
I read that book! And I don't say that very often.
Is this a re-upload? 🤔
I wondered the same thing, but maybe I'm remembering Bart's discussion with Alex O'Connor, which was equally interesting. th-cam.com/video/d3AwvxzYuj0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=02rfejVyNOJnRwiB
@@WayWalker3yeah, it's the Alex O'Connor video that I was thinking about, lol. Cheers
Bart & Megan have briefly discussed it in other episodes, too, but this goes into much greater detail.
I always knew there had to be more lol. How can a guy see another person do incredible miracles and even give you power to do them and than you just betray him for money
I'm sure this is a repeat, or at least an update. But it was well worth hearing again.
{:o:O:}
I remember hearing this story from Bart Ehrmann. Is this a repeat of a previous video, be it from this channel or any other channel?
Judas is a Saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church precisely because Jesus entrusted him with the most difficult and important job of facilitating His martyrdom. As for the language Jesus would've spoken in Court, it would've been in Koine Greek.
All elite Romans, Jews and other Mediterranean peoples could read, write and speak Greek. The "Torah" was the Septuagint at this time and was also in Greek, "therefore" Jesus would've been debating the Rabbis at the Temple as a child in Greek(like all good Neo-Platonist at the time would have done, Jew and Gentile alike). Jesus is the also son who is called "out of (Alexandria) Egypt", where he was studying the Mysteries in Greek, and 100% of the New Testament is recorded in Greek, along with His entirely Greek title of "Christ", etc..., etc.....
Indeed, there is not a single original, or contemporary letter of the life, times and teaching of "Jesus Christ" that is NOT in Greek. Even Josephus was writing "The History of the Jews"......in Greek. Paul, a "rabbi", wrote his "Letters to the Hebrews".....in Greek. No one of note wrote in Aramaic at this time. So called "Biblical Hebrew" was a long dead language by this time that no "Jew" could even speak as a Mother Tongue and we have no "original" texts in anything other than Greek either. Not Latin. Not Aramaic. Not Hebrew. Not Demotic. Literally nothing.
While Jesus likely spoke the Edessan dialect of Syrio-Aramaic as a form of Lingua Franca, none of his official "Acts", or attestations, are recorded in anything except Greek. No one would've taken him "seriously" if he couldn't speak Greek either, in much the same way we don't take people "seriously" if they can't use proper Greek/Latin terminology when discussing Science today.
Greek has always meant "elite", "royal", "educated", "sophisticated", "philosophical", "spiritual", etc....from long before the time of Jesus and for many more centuries thereafter.
I love the Mušḫuššu :D
Just listened to the book, and it's a great listen, even to me, an agnostic.
Numbers 11:9 When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna🍄also came down.
hi, I'm going to be "that person" and talk about a technical issue, I hope you don't mind - it happened in the previous video and I thought it would be a one-time-thing but it's even worse today - Megan's microphone is picking up a lot of sibilation, it seems to be set too sensitive, and too much in the high/treble range as opposed to low/bass. I guess it shouldn't be too difficult to improve the settings - it's apparently set for picking up low ambient sounds, even the lowest whisper, so it's picking too much at close range. Even moving the mike further away can help. Mind you, I'm no techie, someone familiar with the art (or even the mike manual) may be a great help. LURV the content and you both, by the way!🥰
8:03 seems to be a problem with her mike
Sibilation eh?
@@nathanaelsmith3553 I had to look it up, thought I had a vague idea of what it meant. Definitions of sibilation. noun. a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval) synonyms: fizzle, hiss, hissing, hushing. noise.
They need to grab some Behringer Vocal channel strips and use hardware de-essers for that
@@510SPINESPLITTA8 oh wow!
Despite knowing that listening to Jesus would lead to horror Judas still listened to the lord. What a stud
Jesus asked the Jews who is the messiah suppose to be and they said, a (descendant of king David) but Jesus says and denies that however where apostle Peter took and said the opposite saying that Jesus Christ is a ("descendant of king David.")
Interesting topic. Why did all the innocent babies have to die and suffer? Because as powerful as God is, he/it/she wasn't able to pull off a common birth like the rest of us.
Defiantly not an inept accident or unfortunate occurrence to now have an incomplete text missing some very interesting section while keeping some very easily dismissible heretical portions…so it is first offered in 78, seen by professionals and not made publicly known to have been discovered for over 20 years? Why didn’t the coptologist ever talk about it or make it known? Like the Dead Sea scrolls it appears there are repeated consistent serious “accidents” and “issues” with manuscripts that are not canon…..no detailed photography just to preserve the text? Thats something I really find interesting to say the least.
I recommend to get acquainted with the scroll of Moses aka Shapira,no code law and there are blessings,blessed one who loves his neighbor,check mate for Christians and Jews
_Hey Jude, don't make it bad._
_Take a sad song and make it better._
_Remember to let her into your heart,_
_Then you can start to make it better._
_Hey Jude, don't be afraid._
_You were made to go out and get her._
_The minute you let her under your skin,__
_Then you begin to make it better._
Naaaa naa naa na na na naaaa na na na naaaa Hey Jude
And anytime you feel the pain, hey jude, refrain, don't carry the world on your shoulder.
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder
51:51 Hammer is made for a man not man for a hammer
Woah wait! 3.53 Arinais.. HOW could there be a "church father" in ONE AD? When Jesus was a baby? Let alone the question of how could he be writing about heresies? How could he be writing about the gospel of Judas? This needs an explanation. I'm not a believer, but it sounds off beat.
3:53.. 180 CE
is it possible that the real reason jesus was crucified was kuz he was taking big big stinky dumps that were so stinky it stank up the whole village?
He didn't have time to write anything.
He hung himself after betraying the Messiah.
With regard to contradictions in the Bible Bart Ehrman has presented on various occasions the case of Judas Iscariot. He considers the two different accounts, in Matthew 27 and in Acts 1 as incompatible. He is right I suppose, but he overlooks something important.
The two accounts indeed seem very weird, it is plausible to reject them as incompatible. So there must be something else going on rather than a hanging or another accident in which Judas burst open and his guts came out. To argue that Judas did not strangle himself, but is still alive when Jesus appeared to the twelve disciples, I would like to mention nine points.
This is also an attempt to rehabilitate Juda(s), the Jew. (for more information Dr. F de Graaff - Jezus de Verborgene, Kampen 1989)
1
John 20:24 says: now Thomas one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
Jesus appeared to eleven disciples, so including Judas, since he is only replaced after the Ascension. There is a problem with the grammar when you take 'the twelve' as a technical term. Please read carefully, the pronomen personel 'them' refers directly to ‘the twelve.’ The pronoun cannot refer to a situation in the past.
2
1 Corinthians 15:5 says: …and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
When Paul writes about the appearance of Jesus, he writes about the situation before the Ascension, so before the replacement of Judas by Matthias which happened after the Ascension. And then there were twelve disciples, Judas including. So it's not the question that Judas is replaced, but that he didn't hang himself.
3
The translation ’hanged himself’ is reasonable but disputable.
The Greek απάγχω, composition of από and άγχω means literally squeeze (esp. the throat), strangle, throttle and is also used in derivative or metaphorical meanings as choked with anger, of pressing creditors, of a guilty conscience etc.
In Matthew 27:5 απήγξατο appears as 3rd sg. Aoristus Medium and can therefore be translated as strangled or hanged himself. But as I said, a derivative meaning is obvious and more plausible. Therefore I propose the following translation: And hurling the pieces of silver in the sanctuary he left; and after he went off, he got very scared.
Interestingly, the Dutch Statenvertaling, which is considered one of the most accurate translations in existence, translates with 'verworgde zichzelf.' It places the reflexive pronoun 'zichzelf' in italics, meaning that this word is not in the text, but has been added as a clarification. This is a textbook example of precise translation. In fact, it then says that his throat was constricted. So it doesn't say that he squeezes his throat himself. A derivative or metaphorical meaning is more likely in that case. The only English translation I know that lists the reflexive pronoun in italics is the Disciples' Literal New Testament (DLNT): And having thrown the silver-coins into the temple, he departed. And having gone away, he hanged himself.
So again, this translation is not that literal as to get rid of the hanging.
4
After the Ascension the disciples assembled again to replace Judas. I consider the translation of Acts 1:18 to be very disputable.
Only if we assume that Judas has hanged himself and felt, the translation is conceivable.
First I would like to mention the passage in the King James Bible: Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out.
Let ‘s focus on the second part of verse 18: καί πρηνής γενόμενος έλάκησεν μέσος καί έξεχύθη πάντα τά σπλάχνα αύτού
The word translated as headlong, πρηνής can mean: with the head foremost, but the first meaning of πρηνής (nom. sg.) is: with the face downwards, bended or lying on ones stomach. By the way, the word 'prone' is still used in English in the meaning of 'prone position.' It means: to lie on the stomach. Derived meanings are: susceptible, amenable, receptive, open minded, open for suggestions and even vulnerable.
Nota bene: the word falling is not in the Greek text, γενόμενος (nom. sg. part. Aoristus of the verb γίγνομαι) means: come into being, take place.
People have in their mind, Judas has hanged, so he has to fall. That is what we call prejudice. If we look at the text with an open mind, we will translate differently. I propose: (being) with his face turned to the ground; or shortly: stooped or knelt.
To support my argument I mention the way in which the Vulgate reconciled the two reports. The Vulgate translates Acts 1:18 as following: …et hic quidem possedit agrum de mercede iniquitatis et suspensus crepuit medius et diffusa sunt omnia viscera eius (…. he hanged, burst in the midst and his viscera gushed out). The Wycliffe Bible remains the same. But these translations are plainly wrong. Does the Roman church want Judas to hang?
Subsequent (protestant) translations, as the King James Version, changed the text in the falling headlong.
The word translated as burst, έλακησεν (3rd. sg. Aoristus of the verb λάσκω, λακάω or ληκέω) means: ring, rattle, crack or burst (especially of things) and scream, shout or cry aloud (especially of animals or human beings). (1)
That his bowels gushed out is a way of saying, to express a deep sort of compassion or affection. In Hebrew it is referred to as rechamim. In particular it is used to mention God's mercy. The Dutch language has a great word for it, namely: barmhartigheid.
Σπλάχνα is been used at several places in the New Testament: 1 John 3:17; 2 Cor. 6:12, 7:15; Col. 3:12; Philemon: 7, 12, 20; Philippians 1:8, 2:1, Luke 1:78. To mention only Luke: Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. If it is metaphorically translated in those places, it is likely to do this here as well.
To conclude, I suggest the following translation: Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity, when he knelt down, he screamed with great compassion.
5
Acts 1:25 reads: to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.
The current opinion is that the death of Judas is mentioned here, but that can be disputed, again based on the Greek text. Let alone that his own place can be understood as one’s death.
The text says: είς τόν τόπον τόν ίδιον. It does not say: τόπον του άυτου, his (own) place, but τόπον τόν ίδιον, his own private place, in the sense of one’s own particular property.
How can it be if Judas is dead, he turned aside and went to his own property?
(see point 8)
So: ... to take the place in this ministery and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own property.
6
In many translations of the Bible Judas is mentioned as a traitor. This is generally disputed by scholars. The Greek term which is used throughout the gospels, παραδιδωμι can better be described as: to hand over or deliver. More than thirty times this term is mentioned, without exception. For betrayed or traitor, the Greek has one specifically different word.
Here we touch a deeper level of meaning in the gospels. What happens is that Judas hands Jesus over to the Romans, actually to overcome the Romans, that is to save them, not to destroy them. Jacob holds Esau, not to destroy him but to release him. In fact, the messiah is supposed to save his people from their enemies. (Luke 1:71) Obviously the enemy (the evil) in the gospels is Rome. So Israel delivers the best she has (her messiah) to enemy Rome. Nietzsche calls this act the hatred of the Jews, which is a spiritual revenge, but at the same time deepest love (Genealogie der Moral 7 and 8).
The way Judas is considered as a betrayer and thief who desperately commits suicide is telling about the willingness of the Christian church to consider and understand the person of Judas, as the model and personification as the Jew in general. In comparison with Petrus, who denied and therefore, I would say, ‘betrayed’ Jesus; Judas is seen as the bad bloke referred to hell, Peter however became the first bishop of the Roman church.
An obvious example of such a questionable mindset is Papias (2e century). He wrote: ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬‘’Judas was a terrible, walking example of ungodliness in this world, his flesh so bloated that he was not able to pass through a place where a wagon passes easily, not even his bloated head by itself. For his eyelids, they say, were so swollen that he could not see the light at all, and his eyes could not be seen, even by a doctor using an optical instrument, so far had they sunk below the outer surface. His genitals appeared more loathsome and larger than anyone else's, and when he relieved himself there passed through it pus and worms from every part of his body, much to his shame. After much agony and punishment, they say, he finally died in his own place, and because of the stench the area is deserted and uninhabitable even now; in fact, to this day one cannot pass that place without holding one's nose, so great was the discharge from his body, and so far did it spread over the ground."
Another pregnant example is a sermon of John McArthur (21e century) who knows oddly enough everything about de eternal destiny of the disciples in particular Judas. The sermon is called: A Tale of Two Sorrows. This caricature of Judas can be heard throughout the ages in sermons in all kind of churches. Between Papias and McArthur during Medieval and modern times Judas is depicted in all kind of stories and paintings as the Jew carrying the money bag. A revealing study in this respect is Judas of the British historian Peter Standford.
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Concerning the thief and the money box, I would like to make the following observation.
In John 12:6 the ISV reads: He said this, not because he cared about the destitute, but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the moneybag and would steal what was put into it.
All modern translations read the same way, including the KJV21. These translations are highly suggestive and I would say plainly wrong.
The KJV and the YLT are the most accurate: And he said this, not because he was caring for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and what things were put in he was carrying. The Dutch Statenvertaling reads in a similar way.
All translations agree that Judas was a thief. However the initial meaning of κλέπτης is someone who acted in a hidden way. Another weird thing is the use of the word γλωσσόκομον, derived from γλωσσα and κομέο, tongues and caring. The usual term for purse or money bag is βαλλαντιον (2). Gloossokomon means something as the case in which the tongues of flutes are stored.
I suggest the following translation: He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but he acted in secret, and having the box, he carried what was thrown into (it).
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Finally, I would like to mention a remarkable statement of Jesus that supports my position, namely Matthew 19:28. Jesus told them: I tell all of you with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel.
He says this to his disciples, in which Judas will have been present. He speaks explicitly of twelve thrones and twelve tribes, also emphasizing that the twelve disciples embody the twelve tribes of Israel.
According to Acts 1:25 that I mentioned earlier, Judas occupies a unique place during world history: the redemption of the world (cosmos) depends on Juda(s) being separate. This is actually what we can observe throughout the Bible and through the entire history of the world.
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All these eight points correspond to the picture we see in the Gospel of Judas. Judas is not portrayed as a traitor, but as someone who knows exactly what he is doing. The last sentence of this gospel is remarkable: and he received the money, and handed him over to them.
Skip forward to 23 minute mark if you are interested in the CONTENTS of the "Gospel of Judas".
Gnostic cosmology sounds like Taoist cosmology.
What about the idea that the number of the Beast is actually 616?
{:o:O:}
Dr James Tabor (among many others) continues to insist that the referent of "the god of this world" in 2 Cor 4:4 is Satan, after the complete absence of the topic of Satan in the pericope or the overall discourse is pointed out.
Does Dr Ehrman think Paul had Gnostic-parallel beliefs?
49:37