Marvin Meyer Responds to DeConick on the Gospel of Judas Dec 12

In Letters to the editor on Dec 7 at the New York Times, Marvin Meyer who worked on the original Gospel of Judas responds to the editorial of April DeConick of Dec. 1. Here is what he says:

Re “Gospel Truth” (Op-Ed, Dec. 1), about the Gospel of Judas:

In Letters to the editor on Dec 7 at the New York Times, Marvin Meyer who worked on the original Gospel of Judas responds to the editorial of April DeConick of Dec. 1. Here is what he says:

Re “Gospel Truth” (Op-Ed, Dec. 1), about the Gospel of Judas:

April D. DeConick speaks too confidently when she talks about our mistakes in translation. She knows better. The issues of translation she highlights are almost all discussed in the notes in the popular edition and critical edition of the Gospel of Judas, and the observation that Judas is the “thirteenth daimon” in the text is open to discussion and debate.

Professor DeConick’s additional insinuations of ulterior motives by her fellow scholars in the establishment of the Coptic text and the development of an appropriate translation are extremely disappointing and disturbing. She knows how we struggled carefully and honestly with this difficult text preserved in fragments.

Professor DeConick comes up with her interpretation of the Gospel of Judas by virtually ignoring all the positive things said about Judas in the text. In the end, Professor DeConick’s Judas recalls Brando in “On the Waterfront.” He coulda been a contenda, he coulda been somebody — if he just were not so demonic.

When the positive things said about Judas in the Gospel of Judas are given fair consideration, it may be said: Judas is still a contenda. Marvin Meyer

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Another letter comes from a person on the National Geographic team. These pieces can be found at:

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April DeConick’s view of the discussion appears on her blog at:

http://forbiddengospels.blogspot.com/2007/12/responses-to-new-york-times-op-ed.html

This entry was written before the responses of Meyer and National Geographic. Many of the key issues are noted in blogs I posted here between Dec 1-3 and the comments of DeConick and my responses to her. I plan to come back to this as well.