Christianity And Gnosticism: The Gospel Of Judas

This philosophy contains the true teachings of Jesus, who seems to have been highly influenced by Buddhist philosophy. The central book in the Gnostic canon seems to have been the Gospel of Thomas. The Gospel of Thomas was written somewhere between the years of 50-90 CE. Gnosticism teaches that God is only good, but that humans view Him as bad because of the delusions of error. Jesus claimed to be teaching God with these delusions removed, which show God in a much more loving and gentle light then the Jewish scriptures. Gnosticism in ancient times had Bishops just like Catholicism. These Bishops called themselves "One Holy Church", just like the Catholics. It would appear that the Church hijacked many things from the Gnostics and then sought to destroy them and their texts. Gnosticism has seen a revival since the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library. Gnosticism is growing within Christianity at any incredible

The term Gnosticism originates from the word gnosis, which means knowledge. It is a religious movement that became popular during the first and second centuries. The school of thought behind the Gnostic movement has not been able to be traced to its exact origin. However, some of the influences on this movement go as far back as the second and first centuries BCE. Among those influences would be the early treatises of the corpus Hermeticum and the Jewish Apocalyptic writings. The greatest source for the movement came through the Platonic philosophy and the Hebrew Scriptures (Moore). The movement is a controversial one with scholars being unable to put it in a definitive category. In one instance it is called “the label for an ill-defined category” that is “under heavy criticism” (Olsen). A major problem with Gnosticism lies in the fact that there are very few absolutes where questions and answers are concerned. This makes it problematic to have a dialogue that can bring everyone into agreement on the subject.

The Greek Alexander Romance describes the life of Alexander the Great, focusing primarily on his great military feats as a leader of Greece and highlighting why he is remembered as a great Greco-Roman leader. Similarly, the Gospel of Matthew explains the life of Jesus Christ through his teachings and miracles, which underline why he is known as the greatest figure from Judeo-Christian culture. Alexander and Jesus easily compare because they died in their early thirties, were known as kings, and are remembered for impressive triumphs while on earth. Alexander sought to build his empire and essentially rule the world through victories on the battlefield and the conquering of neighboring countries. Jesus sought to destroy evil on earth by establishing God’s Kingdom and teachings in the hearts of all. Comparing the lives of these great Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian leaders highlight the differences in cultural opinion on the highest good in life, how one obtains that good, and what that means in connection to an afterlife. Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman perspectives on elements of a meaningful life contrast in the sense that Judeo-Christian actions to pursue these elements are motivated by the desire for everlasting life in heaven, while Greco-Roman actions are motivated by the desire for perpetual fame on earth after one dies.

The Synoptic Gospels are composed of the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. These three gospels covered many of the same stories; yet, they disagree with each other on various details within certain stories. Also, numerous events that are in Mark, is not in Matthew or Luke and vice versa. Many historians have concluded that Mark was the first of the three gospels written and that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source to their own gospels. The Synoptic Gospels were first written in Greek, which would suggest to some ambiguity within Mark, Matthew, and Luke due to certain perceptions and translations within the Greek language. One ambiguity that is shown within the Synoptic Gospels dealt with Jesus’s view on marriage and divorce. Using

Apart from residing on pure faith of those who were Christians, the Gnostics based their knowledge on the goodness of thought, as a primary source for the belief of God, [p. 167] Through the use of Hellenic thought, Gnostics used language as a forefront of knowledge to convey the truth.

For example, the Gospel of Thomas includes salvation by secret knowledge, polytheism, disregard for the bodily appetites, and the thought of a blissful teaching Christ who is not necessarily human. It is likely related to Sethian Gnosticism. However, “Gnosticism” is largely an umbrella term for the beliefs of several movements in the post-Apostolic era that sought out special knowledge. Gnosticism is a term that is used for spiritual practices and religious beliefs. This term was very common for early Christians, as well as Zoroastrianism, Hellenistic Judaism, and Neoplatonism. The discovery of this Gospel, which was founded in 1945, along with the rest of the Nag-Hamaddi library is very revealing of certain gnostic groups that we previously had less knowledge of. We knew of Gnosticism from other texts and witnesses to them (Irenaeus) before. However, now there are many more source texts. There is also a difference between Gnostics and Orthodox Christianity. The Old Testament prophecies were described as fulfilled by Jesus. That is that Jesus was explained in the canonical Gospels as the Messiah. The Canonical Gospels are highly Jewish in their language and references. They were written by Hebrews. The Gnostic Gospels seem to be ignorant of the fact of the Jewish nature of Christ. They basically use His name but attach it

Once attributions with no basis in the works themselves are discounted, the number of Gnostic texts entitled "gospel" shrinks even further. The Valentinian entries, the Gospel of Truth and the Gospel of Philip, have no ties to the genre "gospel." Valentinian teachers interpret Gospels that are common property of the larger Christian community. In the remaining cases, both the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Judas have an incipit that employs a different literary designation. A later scribe took the apostle 's name from the incipit to create the title. The opening pages of the Gospel of Mary have been lost. Her prominence in the second half of the text may have provided a scribe with the name for a title. None of the Gnostic tractates entitled "gospel" initially had that designation.

Non-Christian scholars and laypeople alike have argued that we don't know or can't know who wrote the gospels. The gospels are written anonymously, they say, and the names attached to them as we find them in our English Bibles were given to them as a scheme to make their content more credible. After all, if the people writing these things were actually there, that boosts their credibility, doesn't it? The Non-Christian charge that Matthew didn't really write Matthew, that John didn't really write John, etc. These were written by people whose identities remain unknown and they attached the names to the gospels to make their claims about Jesus seem legit.

There were a handful of teachers who taught Gnosticism. They had many beliefs and teachings where they were seeking to address their ideas and problems. Some of these teachers included: Simon the Magician, Basilides, Valentinus, and Marcion.

This book starts with an interesting concept. Judas betrayed Jesus we all know that and the book describes the story, as we know it. If Jesus had to die for Christianity to grow and he knew he was dying?

Gnosticism can be traced to the beginning of the Christian Church. The word "Gnosticism" comes from the Greek word "gnosis" which means "knowledge." The word gnosis is generally used in reference to experience and the view of the world. In today’s contemporary culture, Gnostic thinking is at work and has evolved from the spiritual into the secular and scientific. Where human beings become the “deity” and therefore believed that they can improve the world with their own wisdom. It is believed that in humans there is a little divine presence that most humans fail to realize living inside of them. Although it is inside people are unable to tap into the powerful divinity that lives within them.

Around 2,000 years ago, the Christian faith began in Israel, and many people documented the historic uprising of Jesus of Nazareth and the growth of the religion. Before Jesus, the Hebraic Old Testament provided Jews with a guideline for one of the first monotheistic faiths, and Jews believed that God would send a Messiah to save His people. Once Jesus came, confusion surrounded Jesus, but amidst the doubt of the public Jesus taught the world about love and faith. Christian people documented His teachings and four biographies, the Gospels, began the process of the writings of the New Testament. Historians and scholars today question the reliability of the Gospels as many doubts about the reliability of manuscripts copied for 2,000 years.

This paper is an investigation of the Judas the Iscariot. He left behind his entire life to live nomadically with Jesus and the other eleven disciples. Judas is known to be the betrayer. He crafted a plan for Judas to be arrested in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. The Gospel authors and most people see Judas as the bad guys. But have we misinterpreted Judas? This paper will be a defense for Judas they Isocratic. I will be examining the accounts of Judas and Messianic prophecy. I will specifically look at a common argument against Judas, Judas’ friendship with Jesus, what the Gospel authors explicitly declared to be Judas’ motives to be, and how patriotism could’ve motivated Judas. Lastly, I will make my final defense of Judas based on my evidence and analysis.

In Paula Fredriksen’s introduction of her book, she states the issue of what the concept of who Jesus was is still unknown. The Gospels portrayed him as a teacher or a apocalyptic Messiah. From information received from different sources, they still portray a different image for each historian. Jesus’ death is one of the most accepted aspect of him. It still brings issues, as Pilate could have killed Jesus swiftly but his crucifixion meant it was for a political death.

The Gospels as Myths that Convey Moral Truths Rather than Record of Fact Statement Three – The Gospels should be regarded as myths that convey moral truths rather then record of fact. Question – Explain and assess this claim with reference to the different approaches to the New Testament and evaluate the consequences for Christians of holding such a position. Several of reasons have to be looked to see why was the Gospels written and what effect has it got on the Christian communities. When I have answered this question I can only then know whether the Gospels should be regarded as myths that convey truths then records of fact and what the outcomes has on Christians.