Christianity began as an integral part of the Judaism of that time. Soon, however, very strict Jews like St Paul, or Saul, as he was then known, saw this new understanding of the Messiah as pushing the frontiers of Jewish tolerance too far. Saul set out to eradicate as many followers of 'The Way' as he could before their new teachings spread. But in vain: Saul himself was converted to 'The Way' (the story is in Acts, chapters 6 to 9), and, not too long afterwards, followers of 'The Way' came to be known as Christians and began to separate from Judaism (Acts 11).
Nevertheless, for most people Christianity and Judaism were still indistinguishable. In about 49AD there were disturbances in Rome between followers of the Christ (Christos) and other Jews (compare the riot in Ephesus mentioned in Acts 19). Suetonius, in his Life of Claudius, tells the story: "Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [the Emperor Claudius] expelled them from Rome..." Paul met two of these 'refugees' in Corinth where "he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome." (Acts 18). Priscilla and Aquila are followers of 'The Way', but are still simply described as Jews.
It soon became necessary to be clear about what really did separate the new 'Christians' from the rest of the Jews. This was not easy. Even after agreement had been reached at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), Paul had to oppose Peter 'to his face', because he was not sticking to that agreement (Galatians 2). Then, as the new movement began to grow, all sorts of weird religious groups tried to join in, from magicians like Simon (Acts 8) to groups interested in secret knowledge (later referred to as Gnostics - gnosis = knowledge). Such false teachers sought to lead the church away from 'The Way' (cf. 1 John 4, 2 John 7-11 & 2 Peter 2).
By the 2nd Century various Gnostic groups were providing competition for the Church. St Irenaeus, writing about 180 AD, tells of one such group (which scholars call the Cainites): "Others again declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury... They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas." (Adversus Haereses i, 31,1)
According to our modern press, an ancient copy of this Gospel of Judas has now been found and translated into English. A prime mover, and investor, in this has been the renowned National Geographic magazine. A great deal of money is at stake, which more than accounts for the interest the newspapers have been encouraged to show. But let us be clear: this is not a newly discovered alternative account to be put alongside the four Gospels, but (if it is authentic) a nearly full text of a 2nd Century re-writing of the Gospel story by one of the heretical groups at that time. It cannot really "challenge what is believed about the story of Judas and his betrayal", as we already know the substance of what it said from St Irenaeus (see above). Reading it is unlikely to bring you any enlightenment, or any pleasure, but if you do want to see for yourself, go to www9.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/about.html, where you can download a copy of the Gospel in English, or if you prefer, Coptic!
A much more interesting story concerns the dubious dealings and intrigues surrounding the 'discovery' of the Gospel. Have a look at the various website news reports available (e.g. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/gospel_of_judas/). These will not tell you much about ancient history or Biblical truth, but they will tell you a lot about human nature, and explain why people out to make money are claiming sensational discoveries. After all, a headline saying: "Incomplete copy of insignificant manuscript composed by 2nd Century religious nuts, translated into English", would be unlikely to attract much attention. And, if you don't believe me about how nutty they were, read it for yourself (available on the website above).
So why should we bother about it, and why am I writing about it? Simply because, if it is in the News, some people will believe it, and, more significantly, people will talk about it. Our task, as a post-Easter church, is to be witnesses that Jesus is the Son of God, that he did rise from the dead, and that this truth is vital for all in a sick world. Like the film version of The Da Vinci Code which comes out this month, and which I wrote about in the March magazine, this nonsense (providing of course that we know something of why it is nonsense) gives us the opportunity to proclaim the truth. As St Peter said: "Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you." (1 Peter 3.15)
Yours in Christ,
Richard Pamplin