I just read it, and I think it's one of the more interesting and enlightened biblical texts I have ever read. I am spiritual, but I am not a Christian. I was one for 16 years. What bothers people so much about it?
2007-12-10 15:39:42 · 13 answers · asked by Aia S 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
When you go to College and get an advanced degree you have to write a thesis and present it to a board of scholars.
That is how the books of the Bible were selected. They were presented to a bunch of scholars who selected the books to be canonized.
A lot of people disagreed so they put together the most popular non-canonized books together into a third volume called the Apocrypha.
There were also a bunch of "dime novel", :Chariots of the Gods" type books floating around and some people really liked these, but, no one who really had an education on the subjects.
Then a bunch of people got together and translated the scripture into English. Originally they translated the non-canonized Apocrypha with the Old and New Testaments, but, then someone figured out the Apocrypha was not canonized so they removed it from the KJV.
There is nothing wrong with the book of Judas, or the Gospel of Thomas, or the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, etc, etc just as there is nothing wrong with the DaVinci Code.
Unless, that is, you think you found some deep spiritual message in the pages of the latest dime romance novel.
2007-12-10 15:56:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The main reason the book of Judas was rejected by the Counsel of Nicea was because it was written by gnostics, who were decided to be heretic, since they refused to go along with the counsel's political agenda. Before this counsel came along and put together what we know today as the Bible, there were several different sects of Christianity, all with very widely varying beliefs. It is very interesting though and presents a very different view of Judas. It states that Jesus knew full well what was going to happen and told Judas that in order to help Jesus fulfill his destiny, that he must turn him over to the authorities.
I know that other books of the other apostles state that Judas killed himself and that the gospel of Judas contradicts this. But something to think about. If Judas was truly chosen to help carry out God's will in this way, could they not have been a little jealous? Could they not have told the story a bit differently? To say that any of the apostles were incapable of lying would be foolish--they were human after all, and it is the Lord, not the apostles, that one worships.
Another possibility is that when the Counsel decided which books were to be included and which ones were to be burned, that they altered the ones going into the Bible so that any of the others found later would be contradictory and appear to be false.
(Also for anyone who believes the Bible states that nothing shall be added to or taken away from this book, it is actually referring to just that--the book it was written in, the Revelation of John. This statement does not refer to the entire Bible as many people suggest.)
2007-12-10 16:00:19 · answer #2 · answered by GhostHunterB 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are a lot of biblical books that were left out of the cannon, there is nothing wrong with the book of Judas.
2007-12-10 15:49:21 · answer #3 · answered by Miss 6 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It offers a very different image of Judas than the accepted text of the Bible. As I understand it really contradicts a lot of Biblical beliefs. It's also written far too recently to be authentic, so there are historical and theological reasons for rejecting it.
2007-12-10 15:43:35 · answer #4 · answered by Nightwind 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I had no idea that people had a problem with it. He mentions Enoch, and then he quotes the Book of Enoch. The Book of Enoch is not in the Bible, though I think that it should have been.
If you are curious about the Book of Enoch, check it out here:
http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/pseudepigrapha/enoch.htm
2007-12-10 15:47:27 · answer #5 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
So are the books of I and II Maccabees and others that are part of the Apocrypha. But these are added books in the Catholic bible not in the Protestant one. They have significant historic value, but not part on scriptural canon.
2007-12-10 15:47:58 · answer #6 · answered by Terry L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I saw it on national geographic nd they told that the book is acctually gospel of judas~
2007-12-10 16:44:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I have heard is that it gives a totally different, and possibly incriminating point of view on generally accepted Xian doctrine. Therefore, Xians are scared of it. I believe it is one of the Nag Hamadi texts.
2007-12-10 15:49:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have never read the book
2007-12-10 15:45:40 · answer #9 · answered by Rev.Michelle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
never heard of the book of judas, i suppose people tend to belittle judas as a disciple cos he sold him out i would have sold him for a whole heap less worthless pile of garbage
2007-12-10 15:43:23 · answer #10 · answered by bilbobagsend 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋