Gospel of Judas VI
Bill Long 5/10/06
Completing the Temple Vision and Final Words
After the disciples narrate this vision, Jesus interprets it. His interpretation is problematic because of the way he envisions the role of the twelve. Jesus says that the priests they saw were those who invoked his name. These priests "have planted trees without fruit, in my name, in a shameful manner" (39). This language is reminiscent of John 15, where Jesus says that he is the vine and the disciples are the branches, and if they stay connected with him they will bear much fruit (John 15:5). In the philosophy of the Gospel of Judas ("Judas"), however, the disciples have fallen short in their fruitbearing. Jesus says: "Those you have seen receiving the offerings at the alter--that is who you are" (39). The disciples, then, are actually seeing a vision of themselves as they lead people astray.
This is a rather shocking interpretation because it calls into question one of the basic and earliest acts of Jesus--the calling of the Twelve. If they were just hopeless representatives of the lower realms and were unable to extricate themselves from the clutches of immoral acts, why would he have chosen them in the first place? The canonical Gospels here have the advantage over "Judas" in any battle of ideas. It is far more likely, as a historical matter, that Jesus would have singled out some in whom he specially placed his trust than that he had singled out some, spent time with them, and nurtured them only to expose them as killers and immoral people.
Judas Tells Of His Own Vision
After hearing the interpretation, Judas alone presses for more information from Jesus. He wants to know about the "fruit" that this generation produces (43). Jesus says "It is impossible to sow seed on [rock] and harvest its fruit" (44). Then Judas recounts his own vision. Before telling his story, Judas is called the "thirteenth spirit" by Jesus (44), a reference no doubt to his being excluded from the twelve by his supposed act of betrayal. Judas' vision was as follows:
"In the vision I saw myself as the twelve disciples were stoning me and persecuting [me severely]" (45).
Judas also saw a house with a roof of greenery. In the middle of the house was a great multitude of people. Jesus stopped Judas and told him that he was mistaken. "No person of mortal birth is worthy to enter the house you have seen, for that place is reserved for the holy" (44). These words of Jesus then lead Judas to ask about his own fate. Though the next several lines are unclear to me, Jesus says to Judas:
"You will become the thirteenth, and you will be cursed by the other generations--and you will come to rule over them" (46).
This, then, is the message of "Judas" in a nutshell. Though cursed now, he will soon rise to a position of preeminence over all. The fate of Judas will be curiously like the fate of Jesus himself. Jesus was cursed by humans and then rose in triumph after his crucifixion. Thus, Judas will be imitating his Lord, and he will be the only one who faithfully understands the mission of Jesus in the world.
Concluding Remarks
After this passage "Judas" goes into a long discussion of the entities which populating the heavenly realms (discussed here). The end result is that Judas is blessed because he is the one, by his "betrayal" of Jesus, who allows Jesus to rid himself of the limitations of the flesh.
"Judas" is a fascinating text and one that reopens questions insistently presented by the 45 or so Nag Hammadi texts discovered in the Egyptian sands in the 1940s.
"What kind of Christianity is represented in these texts? Did someone actually believe this (i.e., did "Judas" for example, represent the charter document of a community or series of communities?)? And, what can be said, then, about the other 45 or so documents? How do these documents reflect the complex phenomenon of the early Christian movement? Were these texts all representative of various communities? If so, how did they relate to the emerging "orthodox" Church? Was there, indeed, a "sense of orthodoxy" by the middle of the second century? Among whom? And, even more pressing now, To what extent can we say that the thougts reflected in "Judas" might go back to the earliest days of Christianity?" Granted, the texts are from the 4th century, and they refer to texts from the 2nd century, but how much older are the ideas?
While the Gospel of Judas gives us no secure grounds for saying that it reflects ideas that are as old as those captured in the canonical Gospels, it at least forces the questions up on us listed above, questions that cannot simply be evaded or discarded. In other words, the gradual publication of the ancient Christian Gospels shows us how complex a phenomenon this early Christian movement was. Maybe even as complex and diverse as Christianity is today...
1849
Copyright © 2004-2007 William R. Long |