T(r)oy's Marbles

The Gospel of Judas begins with these words: “The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week three days before he celebrated Passover.”

My notes:
1. Ah, yes. Another “secret” account.

2. Note that Jesus spoke this only to Judas. The picture of Jesus pulling just one of the disciples aside and communicating to that person alone the “secret knowledge” is a common thread in much of the Christian Gnostic literature. The Sophia of Jesus Christ is an exception to the rule (i.e., Jesus is talking with all twelve in that account). The fact that Jesus picks only one disciple plays into the Gnostic hand; it’s what distinguished one Gnostic group from another.

And, by the way, this helps counter the “traditionalist” viewpoint that writings needed apostolic authority to be taken seriously in the early centuries A.D.. This is the Gnostic attempt to take that standard seriously, through the claim, “But we do have apostolic authority on our side! Look, here’s what Judas told us.”

The Gospel of Judas continues: “He began to speak to them about the mysteries beyond the world…”

My notes:
1. Note the common theme: Jesus imparts knowledge of the spiritual world. Jesus is the messenger of “mysteries beyond the world.”

The Gospel of Judas goes on: “One day he was with his disciples in Judea, and he found them gathered together and seated in pious observance. When he [approached] his disciples, gathered together and seated and offering a prayer of thanksgiving over the bread, [he] laughed. The disciples said to [him], ‘Master, why are you laughing at [our] prayer of thanksgiving? We have done what is right.’”

My notes:
1. Notice: the disciples were “seated in pious observance”. Huh? They weren’t arguing with each other for once?

2. In light of the fact that the disciples are really trying to apply themselves seriously to the spiritual exercise at hand, I think it’s most appropriate that Jesus comes in and starts laughing at them. Not with them, mind you, but at them. Yes, again with the laughing.

3. Note: in this text missing pieces are indicated either by [] brackets with the supposed missing word inserted, or in some instances with a simple note that phrases, sentences, paragraphs, and, yes, even whole pages and groups of pages are missing. I find it interesting that, in the media, The Gospel of Judas is presented as a possible reliable account of what actually may have happened when huge portions of the document are missing.

The Gospel of Judas goes on by describing a scene where Jesus asks the disciples why on earth they would get mad at him for laughing at them. Then, Jesus challenges them, presumably reasserting his authority, by stating: “ ‘[Let] any one of you who is [strong enough] among human beings bring out the perfect human and stand before my face.’ They all said, ‘We have the strength.’ But their spirits did not dare to stand before [him], except for Judas Iscariot. He was able to stand before him, but he could not look him in the eyes, and he turned his face away.”

My notes:
1. Noticing that Judas was the only one who had the strength to stand and look Jesus in the eye, the reader anticipates that Jesus will give him some special reward. This is, indeed, what happens.

Reading on, Judas then says something significant to Jesus. Here it is: “Judas [said] to him, ‘I know who you are and where you have come from. You are from the immortal realm of Barbelo. And I am not worthy to utter the name of the one who has sent you.’”

My notes:
1. Bet ya didn’t know that, did ya? Jesus is “from the immortal realm of Barbelo.” Oh, now I get it! Of course! It all makes sense! How could I have not seen this before?

Reading on: “Knowing that Judas was reflecting upon something that was exalted, Jesus said to him, ‘Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom. It is possible for you to reach it, but you will grieve a great deal. For someone else will replace you, in order that the twelve [disciples] may again come to completion with their god.’”

My notes:
1. “Step away from the others…” Psst. Come ‘ere, Judie. I gots sumpin’ I wanna tell ya. It’s a secret, just between you and me, bruthah.

2. “…you will grieve a great deal….someone else will replace you, in order that the twelve [disciples] may again come to completion…” The stuff I’m gonna share with you and the thing I’m gonna ask you to do will cause you to be ostracized from the group of 12, and, in fact, they’ll vote later to replace you with someone else. This is the down-side of the privilege of taking on the secret task and hearing the holy…uh…information. You’ll suffer a lot, but it’s okay, cuz you’ll be “in” and everyone else will be “out”.

3. Now, how on earth did Jesus know that later on the twelve would vote on a replacement for Judas as recorded in the book of Acts? Perhaps it’s because the person who wrote this actually recorded this after the fact. Yeah, it could be.

The Gospel of Judas continues: “Jesus said, ‘The souls of every human generation will die. When these people, however, have completed the time of the kingdom and the spirit leaves them, their bodies will die but their souls will be alive…”

My notes:
1. Note the Gnostic teaching that the body dies (presumably because it lacks value), while the soul lives (presumably because that is all that matters).

The Gospel of Judas continues: “Judas said, ‘Master, as you have listened to all of them, now also listen to me. For I have seen a great vision.’ When Jesus heard this, he laughed and said to him, ‘You thirteenth spirit, why do you try so hard? But speak up, I shall bear with you.’”

My notes:
1. Yes, Jesus often called the disciples by numbers. “You, Peter…uh, I mean Number 1. Come here.” And, “Yo, Bart! Wait, no, who are you again? Oh yeah. Number 8.” And, let’s not forget, “3.14. John, you complete my circle, friend. Have a piece of pi.”

2. If Jesus were Napoleon Dynamite, instead of saying, “Why do you try so hard?” he might have laughed and said, “IDIOT! GOSH!”

The Gospel of Judas continues: “Jesus said, ‘[Come], that I may teach you about [secrets] no person [has] ever seen.”

My notes:
1. Now, we’re getting into the meat of it…

The Gospel of Judas continues. Brace yourself now:

“Adamas was in the first luminous cloud that no angel has ever seen among all those called ‘God.’ He […] that […] the image […] and after the likeness of [this] angel. He made the incorruptible [generation] of Seth appear […] the twelve […] the twenty-four […]. He made seventy-two luminaries appear in the incorruptible generation…The seventy-two luminaries themselves made three hundred sixty luminaries appear in the incorruptible generation, in accordance with the will of the Spirit, that their number should be five for each.

“The twelve aeons of the twelve luminaries constitute their father, with six heavens for each aeon, so that there are seventy-two heavens for the seventy-two luminaries, and for each [of them five] firmaments, [for a total of] three hundred sixty [firmaments…]. They were given authority and a [great] host of angels [without number], for glory and adoration, [and after that also] virgin spirits…

“ ‘Let twelve angels come into being [to] rule over chaos and the [underworld].’ And look, from the cloud there appeared an [angel] whose face flashed with fire and whose appearance was defiled with blood. His name was Nebro...; others call him Yaldabaoth. Another angel, Saklas, also came from the cloud. So Nebro created six angels—as well as Saklas—to be assistants, and these produced twelve angels in the heavens, with each one receiving a portion in the heavens.”

My notes:
1. Yes, this is a quote. I did not make this up. It’s actually much longer than what you just read, but I edited it for the sake of space, believe it or not.

2. It’s good to know that, should Jesus have failed at his mission as a divine messenger, he could have been an accountant, a human resources manager, or a casting agent for extras in epic movies like Gladiator.

I would move on from material like this to other stuff, but I just have to share one other funny bit with you. Judas and Jesus go on talk, talk, talking like this, and, at one point this bit of narrative appears:

“After that Jesus [laughed].

“Judas said, ‘Master, [why are you laughing at us]?’

“[Jesus] answered [and said], ‘I am not laughing [at you] but at the error of the stars, because these six stars wander about with these five combatants, and they all will be destroyed along with their creatures.’”

My notes:
1. Ah, yes: “the error of the stars.” That makes me laugh all the time, too. And, yes, I love it when six stars wander about with five combatants. That’s quite a sight to behold.

And here’s another bit that makes me think I should be reconsidering this account as a viable alternative. Read:

“Judas said to Jesus, ‘Look, what will those who have been baptized in your name do?’

“Jesus said, ‘Truly I say [to you], this baptism […] my name [--about nine lines missing--] to me. Truly [I] say to you, Judas, [those who] offer sacrifices to Saklas […] God [--three lines missing--] everything that is evil.’”

My notes:
1. Yes, this is a reliable account, isn’t it? I wonder what Jesus said in those nine missing lines and in the other three missing lines? Pity we’ll never know. Especially since it concerns the ever-controversial sacrifices to Saklas.

Now, here’s the bit where Jesus basically tells Judas to turn him in to the authorities to be killed. At that point, Jesus hints at why it should be this way (the speaker here is Jesus and the “you” referred to is Judas; “them” refers to the other disciples): “But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”

My notes:
1. The last sentence there refers to how Judas will turn Jesus in to those who will crucify him. In that sense, Judas really will sacrifice Jesus.

2. Earlier in the document, Jesus points out the grief this will cause Judas as he will be ostracized from the disciples. This, Jesus tells us here, is necessary, because it is only through that that Judas will actually exceed them all.

3. Notice that the real Jesus is merely a spirit. What will be sacrificed is “the man that clothes me.” Again, this is a typical Gnostic view of our fleshly bodies.

The Gospel of Judas then concludes where the canonical Gospels pick up: with Judas going to the authorities and turning Jesus in. There is even the detail that the scribes were “watching carefully in order to arrest him”, but “they were afraid of the people, since he was regarded by all as a prophet.” Then…

“They approached Judas and said to him, ‘What are you doing here? You are Jesus’ disciple.’

“Judas answered them as they wished. And he received some money and handed him over to them.”

My notes:
1. See how the Gnostic Gospels take a scene recorded in the canonical Gospels and expand on the material? The Gospel of Judas begins with the Last Supper and ends with Judas receiving payment for his “betrayal” of Jesus, but, in between those two events we are made privy to some really important information.

Some general notes on The Gospel of Judas:
What? Nothing about the sacred masculine and the sacred feminine? What are we to do, now? And, wait a second, The Sophia said nothing about Barbelo, Saklas and Nebro! Which one are we supposed to believe? And, don’t you have anything to tell Judas about Ogdoad? That would be an important piece of information, don’t you think (seeing as he is the love child of Androgynous Man)?

See how the Gnostic Gospels work? One group says, “This is the secret, sacred deposit of truth” and the other group says, “No, ours is the truth.”

What I find most interesting, however, is the fact that the media actually takes it seriously that Jesus may have told Judas to betray him, but there is no mention of the fact that Jesus also told Judas a bunch of other stuff in that conversation: stuff about luminaries and stars committing errors and aeons and, oh I forgot to mention, Harmamoth, Galila and Yobel. What happened to that part of the story, I’d like to know? After all, this is the part, let us not forget, that would have mattered most to the Gnostic Judas and the Gnostic Jesus. Indeed, this is the bit that would have been considered most important to them all. This is the part that, to Judas, made “taking the fall” worth it, after all. This was salvation, let us not forget.

Tomorrow, we'll conclude this whole discussion by tying all the pieces together.

To read the conclusion of "The Alternate Account" click here.