New Take on Gospel of Judas Oct 27

April DeConick has released a book that has a new take on the Gospel of Judas. She argues that the National Geographic translation of the Coptic errs at certain key points. The result is a satire that has views Judas negatively (not positively as was claimed). She also shows how the cosmology is the key to the book. In other words, the gospel does the opposite of what many had claimed.

April DeConick has released a book that has a new take on the Gospel of Judas. She argues that the National Geographic translation of the Coptic errs at certain key points. The result is a satire that has views Judas negatively (not positively as was claimed). She also shows how the cosmology is the key to the book. In other words, the gospel does the opposite of what many had claimed. The book reveals the ambiguity that often is a part of Coptic translation. The gospel is a polemic against the apostolicly rooted wing of the church.

She still empahsizes the alternative nature of Christianity and denies there is such a thing as Gnosticism, although what she appears to mean is that the Gnostic groups were not linked to each other, not that they did not share certain core similarities. This book is well done. The summary on Gnosticism in chapter two is especially clear. She obviously respects the Gnostic take on things and understates the influence of more orthodox Chrsitianity in the earliest period, but the book perfoms a nice service to those curious about this gospel.

The Thirteenth Apostle, April DeConick: An Interesting Treatment of the Gospel of Judas