Does anyone know what the Watchtower thinks of the Gospel of Judas
Gospel of Judas
by Phil 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
zagor
I watched documentary last night, very interesting indeed. What did they say that there were, something like 30 or so, Gospels around in first century?
-
inquirer
I reckon the Gospel of Judas sucks. But don't think it's Satanic like my post count though! :D LOL
There is 3/4 missing. Been around since 1978 as I heard on the local radio station. Went on the gray market and got stolen and now it's only turned up recently like 5 years ago and it's taken that amount of time to translate it into English and Coptic.
It's only about 5-6 pages long and it's an offshot Gnostic group called the Cainites. It has a lot of that cosmology in it about Eons and different gods like yaldabaoth (sp?) And it's suppose to take the view that Judas actually help Jesus fulfill his prophecy. But if anyone read this would think Jesus was arrogant by his intimidating laugher and rude derogatory comments against his enemies.
http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/lostgospel/
On the news they make out it's something really special, but it's not too different to other weird "gospel" writings done by Gnostic heretics. :( -
Phil
In keeping with the recent language used to describe the Gospel of Judas, one could say the entire Bible "SUCKS". I understood that there was only a third of the text was lost. There were apparently a lot of Christians that were Gnostics at the time. But, what does the Watchtower think of the relatively newly appeared Gospel of Judas. Can we try again?
-
Narkissos
It's a bit too early to ask about the Gospel of Judas specifically, but this should give you an idea:
-
Leolaia
It's actually only 15%. It's mostly intact.
-
juni
You're right Leoleia.
For most people it's not going to make any difference. So what? is the general consensus at work.
Personally, I thought I had found the "truth" in the JW. Now I feel organized religion is a root of evil w/its own agenda. Maybe that's pretty strong for some of you and I don't mean to offend and I respect your choices and am happy that you're happy, but that's how I feel.
I do believe there's a God, but I really don't know what he plans for us.
Juni
-
inquirer
Leolaia
It's actually only 15%. It's mostly intact.According to Rodolphe Kasser, the codex originally contained 62 pages; but
when it came to the market in 1999, only 26 pages remained because individual
pages had been removed and put up for sale. From time to time, these missing
pages appear and are identified. -
inquirer
Phil
In keeping with the recent language used to describe the Gospel of Judas, one
could say the entire Bible "SUCKS".
__
Well, why would you be related to Christian-related works like the Gospel of
Judas?
The WTS would use their own jargon to say the Gospel of Judas would suck. I
think it's obvious they wouldn't like the Gospel of Judas... Look at what they
say about other Apocraphal(How much the society hates these books.)
Apocrypha -- Insight on the Scriptures
Tobit (Tobias). The account of a pious Jew of the tribe of Naphtali who is
deported to Nineveh and who becomes blinded by having bird’s dung fall in both
of his eyes. He sends his son, Tobias, to Media to collect a debt, and Tobias is
led by an angel, impersonating a human, to Ecbatana (Rages). En route he
acquires the heart, liver, and gall of a fish. He encounters a widow who, though
married seven times, remains a virgin because of each husband’s having been
killed on the marriage night by Asmodeus, the evil spirit. Encouraged by the
angel, Tobias marries the widowed virgin, and by burning the fish’s heart and
liver, he drives away the demon. Upon returning home he restores his father’s
sight by use of the gall of the fish.
The story was probably written originally in Aramaic and is estimated to be of
about the third century B.C.E. It is
obviously not inspired by God because of the superstition and error found in the
narrative. Among the inaccuracies it contains is this: The account states
that in his youth Tobit saw the revolt of the northern tribes, which occurred in
997 B.C.E. after Solomon’s death (Tobit 1:4, 5, JB), also that he was later
deported to Nineveh with the tribe of Naphtali, in 740 B.C.E. (Tobias 1:11-13,
Dy) That would mean that he lived more than 257 years. Yet Tobias 14:1-3 (Dy)
says he was 102 years old at the time of his death.
___
As the Catholic translation The
Jerusalem Bible comments in its Introduction to the Books of Tobit,
Judith and Esther: “The book of Judith
in particular shows a bland indifference to history and geography.” Among
the inconsistencies pointed out in that introduction is this: The events are
stated as occurring during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who is called the king
“who reigned over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh.” (Judith 1:1, 7
[1:5, 10, Dy]) The introduction and footnotes of this translation point out that
Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylonia and never reigned in Nineveh, since Nineveh
had been destroyed earlier by Nebuchadnezzar’s father Nabopolassar.
Concerning the traveling itinerary of
the army of Holofernes, this Introduction states that it is “a geographical
impossibility.” The Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, p. 76)
comments: “The story is frank fiction—otherwise its inexactitudes would be
incredible.”—Edited by J. D. Douglas, 1980.
____
Ecclesiasticus. This book, also called The Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach,
has the distinction of being the longest of the Apocryphal books and the only
one whose author is known, Jesus ben-Sirach of Jerusalem. The writer expounds
upon the nature of wisdom and its application for a successful life. Observance
of the Law is strongly emphasized. Counsel on many areas of social conduct and
daily life is given, including comments on table manners, dreams, and travel.
The concluding portion contains a review of important personages of Israel,
ending with the high priest Simon II.
Contradicting Paul’s statement at Romans
5:12-19, which places the responsibility for sin upon Adam,
Ecclesiasticus says: “From the woman came the beginning of sin, and by her we
all die.” (25:33, Dy) The writer also prefers “any wickedness, but the
wickedness of a woman.”—25:19, Dy.
___
Jerome, in his preface to the
book of Jeremiah, states: “I have not
thought it worth while to translate the book of Baruch.” The introduction
to the book in The Jerusalem Bible (p. 1128) suggests that sections of the
composition may have been written as late as the second or first century B.C.E.;
hence by an author (or authors) other than Baruch. The original language was
probably Hebrew.
___
The Destruction of Bel and the Dragon. This is a third addition to Daniel, some
versions placing it as a 14th chapter. In the account King Cyrus requires of
Daniel that he worship an idol of the god Bel. By sprinkling ashes on the floor
of the temple and thus detecting footprints, Daniel proves that the food
supposedly eaten by the idol is really consumed by the pagan priests and their
families. The priests are killed, and Daniel smashes the idol. Daniel is asked
by the king to worship a living dragon. Daniel destroys the dragon but is thrown
into the lions’ den by the enraged populace. During the seven days of his
confinement, an angel picks up Habakkuk by his hair and carries him and a bowl
of stew from Judea to Babylon to provide Daniel with food. Habakkuk is then
returned to Judea, Daniel is released from the den, and his opponents are thrown
in and devoured. This addition is also considered to be from the first century B.C.E.
These additions to Daniel are referred to in
The Illustrated Bible Dictionary
(Vol. 1, p. 76) as “pious legendary
embroidery.”
__
Later Apocryphal Works.
Particularly from the second century C.E. forward there has developed an immense
body of writings making claim to divine inspiration and canonicity and
pretending to relate to the Christian faith. Frequently referred to as the
“Apocryphal New Testament,” these writings represent efforts at imitating
the Gospels, Acts, letters, and the revelations contained in the
canonical books of the Christian Greek Scriptures. A large number of these are
known only through fragments extant or by quotations from them or allusions to
them by other writers.
These writings manifest
an attempt to provide information that the inspired writings deliberately omit,
such as the activities and events relating to Jesus’ life from his early
childhood on up to the time of his baptism, or an effort to manufacture support
for doctrines or traditions that find no basis in the Bible or are in
contradiction to it. Thus the so-called Gospel of Thomas and the Protevangelium
of James are filled with fanciful accounts of miracles supposedly wrought by
Jesus in his childhood. But the whole effect of the picture they draw of him is to cause
Jesus to appear as a capricious and petulant child endowed with impressive
powers. (Compare the genuine account at Lu 2:51, 52.) The
Apocryphal “Acts,” such as the “Acts of Paul” and the “Acts of Peter,” lay heavy
stress on complete abstinence from sexual relations and even depict the apostles
as urging women to separate from their husbands, thus contradicting Paul’s
authentic counsel at 1 Corinthians 7.
Commenting on such postapostolic Apocryphal writings, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible (Vol. 1,
p. 166) states: “Many of
them are trivial, some are highly theatrical, some are disgusting, even
loathsome.” (Edited by G. A. Buttrick, 1962) Funk and Wagnalls New
Standard Bible Dictionary (1936, p. 56) comments: “They have been the fruitful
source of sacred legends and ecclesiastical traditions. It is to these books
that we must look for the origin of some of the dogmas of the Roman Catholic
Church.”
___
Jerome said something about finding gold amongst mud... but I can't find the
quote the WT printed... -
Leolaia
inquirer.....About 15% of the Gospel of Judas is missing. The other figure pertains to the Codex Tchacos, which is the entire manuscript containing several other works. Moreover, according to Rodolphe Kasser, the codex "in its present dilapidated state" contains "parts of thirty-three folios, or sixty-six pages" (p. 49), so in fact the majority of the pages are restored to the codex. What happened according to Kasser is that when Bruce Ferrini returned the MS to Frieda Nussberger he kept some of the pages and which he "sold elsewhere"...