More Easter Hype

Every Easter the media seems obligated to release some "new and startling" discovery that supposedly challenges the traditional understanding of Christ. This year, the media hype is surrounding the Gospel of Judas--which, by the way, isn't new at all. I first heard about this writing in seminary, a few years back. It was even known by the church father Irenaeus. Far from being a "startling new discovery" it is actually an ancient writing known and rejected by the early church. It was recently reconstructed, but it's contents have been officially known about since the 70's.

Though no one knows who really wrote the Gospel of Judas, there are at least 3 facts that are not in dispute: (1) It was used primarily by the early gnostics (thus, it is NOT an early Christian writing, but a gnostic writing). (2) It was thoroughly rejected by the early church as being a work of fiction. And (3) was certainly not written by Judas or anyone even close to the original facts. Quite frankly, it is probably more on par with supermarket tabloids than it is with something with serious historical value. What is frustrating is how the mainstream media deals with these kinds of stories. There is little or no critical examination of what some of these fringe scholars are trying to suggest (example here).

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote an excellent article on the Gospel of Judas (Read Here). It was one of the better articles that I have read on the subject. Christians need to be prepared to defend against these kinds of stories. Many people just accept what they see in the media. But as Christians, we need to be a bit more discerning.