The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot Read online

  x. UNDER A FIG TREE: There is a Jewish tradition that a person reflecting on the Torah should do so under a fig tree. The Jewish texts are late, but probably refer to a widespread and early tradition of the learned men of the law sitting under a fig tree to study scripture.

  xi. THE SON OF GOD: Judas does not believe that Jesus is the ‘Son of God’, as is found in the Johannine tradition (AD 100), and as it was eventually understood and defined by the Church at Nicea (AD325) and Chalcedon (AD451): Jesus as the second person in the Trinity. Judas does believe in the messianic ‘son of God’, as expected in Israel on the basis of such texts as Ps 2:7 and 2 Sam 7:14.

  xii. SIN AND SICKNESS: The Hebrew Bible often links the punishment of sin with sickness and death (2 Sam 12:13–23; 24:1–25). Only God has authority over sickness and sin.

  xiii. CONFLICT STORIES: The description of the conflicts between Jesus and the Jewish leadership, found in The Gospel According to Judas 6:9–15, is based on Mark 2:1–12. Judas’ account suggests a mounting crisis. The initial response to Jesus’ miracles is surprise. By the time he has performed all of his miracles, the Jewish Elders have judged him to be a blasphemer, and only worthy of death.

  xiv. THE DECAPOLIS: This term refers to a group of Hellenistic towns located in Transjordania, the region to the north-east of the river Jordan. The word in Greek means ‘ten cities’, but it is difficult to trace the exact names of ten cities. The following nine have been identified: Abila, Canata, Dius, Gadara, Gerasa, Hippos, Pella, Phildelphia and Scythopolis. These cities were largely inhabited by Gentiles, who followed Greek customs and religion.

  xv. THE TWELVE: The list of the twelve disciples in The Gospel According to Judas 8:30 reflects the lists in the Christian Gospels. Judas Iscariot is always named last. The placing of Judas’ name at the end of the list and his delineation as the one who betrayed Jesus were all part of the early Christian determination to blacken Judas’ character.

  xvi. JESUS’ SERMON: The sermon of Jesus, beginning with the ‘beatitudes’, is loosely based on Jesus’ sermon on the plain as found in Luke (6:20–49), rather than the longer, better-known version of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5, 6 and 7).

  xvii. OUR FATHER: The version of the ‘Our Father’ found in The Gospel According to Judas 9:37 is based on the Lucan version of this prayer (Luke 11:2–4). It is very brief, and full of urgent promises that look to an imminent fulfilment. The version in the Gospel of Luke is likely to be closer to the words that Jesus actually taught the disciples than the elaborate and better-known form of the prayer, found in Matt 6:9–13, which is currently used in most Christian liturgies and prayer books.

  xviii. THE COMMUNITY AT KHIRBET QUMRAN: The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (circa 1947) led to the uncovering of a fortress-like building at Khirbet Qumran, close to the Dead Sea, which housed a community of pious Jews. The building stood from about 150BC until AD70, when it was destroyed by the Romans. It is widely accepted that a group of Jewish sectarians, known by other first-century witnesses as the Essenes, had gathered at Khirbet Qumran. They lived in community, and were hostile to a Jewish leadership that compromised the traditions of Israel in order to maintain good relations with foreign powers. Since 1947, many scrolls, some containing biblical texts and others containing texts that had been composed at Qumran, have been unearthed. The texts mentioned (Community Rule, Rule of the Congregation, The War Scroll) were written by the Essenes at Khirbet Qumran.

  xix. THE MESSIAH AND THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN: The link between the gift of the manna and the messianic era had already been made in Judaism during the first century. The citation from 2 Baruch in The Gospel According to Judas 10:26 comes from a document that can be dated from the end of first century AD.

  xx. CAESAREA PHILIPPI: The town is unknown before the time of Antiochus IV of Syria, but is identified around 200BC as Panion. This name already reflects the cult to Pan that was discovered there. In 20BC Augustus handed over the district to Herod the Great, and after his death it fell into the hands of his son, Philip, who renamed it ‘Caesarea’ in honour of the Roman Emperor. However, it was known as ‘Caesarea Philippi’ to distinguish Philip’s Caesarea from the beautiful Herodian seaport to the south, the seat of the Roman government at the time of Jesus. This is the name found in the Gospels, including The Gospel According To Judas 11. At a later date it reverted to Paneas, and this is the name that is still to be found in the contemporary Arabic word Banias.

  xxi. SON OF MAN: This expression, found throughout all four Gospels, is only ever used by Jesus to speak of himself. It is perhaps the clearest indication of Jesus’ own understanding of his person and mission. It is an expression that is widely used in Ezekiel to indicate the humble human status of the prophet. It is also found in Daniel 7:13–14. The meaning of the expression in Daniel is widely debated among biblical scholars, especially as Jesus seems to use it in a way that looks back to Dan 7:13–14. It clearly refers to a figure who will overcome all opposition and return in glory. In the Gospels, Jesus also associates the Son of Man with suffering (see Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:32–34), and some suggest that a suffering Son of Man is already implied by the experience of the people of Israel at the time Daniel was written.

  xxii. PETER THE STUMBLING BLOCK: In the Gospel of Matthew, this play upon words using Peter as the stumbling block is very clearly spelt out. The Evangelist reports Jesus’ blessing of Peter as ‘the rock’ (Greek: petros/petra) (Matt 16:18). But when Peter tries to prevent Jesus’ journey to the cross, Jesus calls him ‘Satan’ (Aramaic: satana) and goes on to explain that this means he is a ‘stumbling block’ (Greek: skandalon).

  xxiii. ABBA/FATHER: Jesus spoke Aramaic, and on one occasion in the Gospels (Mark 14:36) he uses the Aramaic word Abba, and the Evangelist translates it for his Greek readers as ‘father’. The term was used by children who thought of their father in a way that was respectful, obedient and loving.

  xxiv. MOUNT TABOR: This small mountain, reached by means of a very steep climb, is located south of Nazareth, on the road to Judea. It is difficult to be certain what actually happened during the strange encounter the disciples have with the transfigured Jesus. It is also impossible to be sure where it took place. The Orthodox traditions generally locate the transfiguration on the more spectacular Mount Hermon. The link and subsequent confusion were inspired by the juxtaposition of Hermon and Tabor in Psalm 89:12: ‘The north and the south – you created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.’

  xxv. JESUS’ PASSION PREDICTIONS: Jesus’ predictions of his passion during this journey to Jerusalem have developed in the telling. Jesus most likely spoke of his forthcoming death in words very close to: ‘The Son of Man will be given into the hands of men and they will kill him.’ He probably also spoke, in faith and hope, of his ultimate vindication by God. By the time the Gospels were written, this vindication is expressed in terms of what the early Church believed had actually taken place: resurrection on the third day.

  xxvi. THE STRANGER FROM GALILEE: At this point the dependence of The Gospel According to Judas on the traditions that formed the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) becomes evident. Jesus comes to Jerusalem for the first time. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is seen regularly in Jerusalem.

  xxvii. JESUS AS A PROPHET: Many historical-critical studies of the ‘pre-Easter Jesus’ have come to the conclusion that Jesus and his disciples understood him to be a prophet.

  xxviii. JESUS, SON OF DAVID: Early Christians regarded Jesus as the messianic Son of David (see, for example, Matt 1:1). But in The Gospel According to Judas, Jesus does not identify himself with the Son of David. The curing of Bartimaeus is the only occasion in this Gospel where Jesus does not reject the title. It is widely agreed among scholars that the solitary acceptance by Jesus of the term ‘Son of David’ in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 10:46–52) does not refer to the messianic use of this expression, but to the Jewish tradition that looked back to the historical ‘son of David’, King Solomon, as a healer. In The Gospel