I Could Have Told You

The National Geographic has been pilloried recently in the press because of its apparent fibbing on the so-called “Gospel of Judas.” Remember the commercial exploitation of this topic two years ago, and the public debate by, probably, mostly liberal theologs about what it could mean? Now it appears (according to scholars in the field – I’m not one) that the “Gospel of Judas” is the Piltdown Man of biblical criticism. World Magazine reports (June 28/July 5, 2008) “National Geographic’s characterization of the text has proved grossly misleading.” and academic opinions indicate “…that the Gospel of Judas is nothing more than a Gnostic fantasy authored in the second century to legitimize a sectarian view of the life of Jesus.”

When defining Christian faith it is always best to stick with the scriptures, 66 books inspired by the Holy Spirit of God for the purposes of revealing God in Jesus Christ and bringing all who will believe to a saving relationship with Jesus. I’ll take John’s word (or Paul's, or Isaiah's) over Judas’ any time.