The text supposedly "details a secret interaction between Judas Iscariot and Jesus in which Jesus singles Judas out for special status and asks him for help in escaping his physical body to liberate his spiritual soul." The ancient translation thus claims that Judas was "simply doing his master's bidding when he betrayed Jesus."

Apostate liberal modern scholars seem almost mesmerized by its contents, believing that the tattered document contains potential credible evidence that should make professing Christendom ponder anew its search for the so-called "real historical Jesus." The F.D. editor's comments will be simple and relatively brief. This purported "gospel" should be rejected for the following three simple reasons.

1. The Gospel of Judas is EXTRA-SCRIPTURAL. It was written around 150 A.D., after the genuine canon of Scripture had been completed. The last book of divinely composed Scripture was the book of Revelation. In Rev. 22:18-19, God pronounces a curse upon anyone who tampers with His inspired revelation by adding or taking away from its inspired contents.

2. The Gospel of Judas is ANTI-SCRIPTURAL as it contradicts the genuine gospel records and is a denial of verbal inspiration. The four gospels and the book of Acts all accurately portray Judas as an apostate, prophetically (Ps. 41:9, John 13:18-19) and voluntarily eternally condemned to hell (Acts 1:25, by his despicable betrayal of Christ. It is no divine accident that in John 17:12, Christ called Judas "the son of perdition."

Furthermore, the Scripture plainly declares that it was Satan, not Christ (Luke 22:3, John 13:2), who offered Judas the opportunity to betray Christ, not Jesus himself. The account in The Gospel of Judas¸ if accepted as authentic, would require a complete re-write of the four gospel's historical record!

3. The Gospel of Judas is UNSCRIPTURAL. This manuscript fragment is admittedly a "Gnostic" gospel document. The Gnostics were soundly condemned by Paul in the book of Colossians. In fact, this entire book is both an expose and an antidote to the Gnostic heresy. The Gnostics believed in a pseudo-supernaturalism that superseded the authentic supernatural in Scripture.

In his excellent Basic Handbook of Theological Terms, Crown College professor Bob Dalton defines Gnosticism as follows: "An ancient heresy contemporary with the early church. This complex movement sought to incorporate Christianity into its attempt to synthesize all religions into a great one-world system. It [Gnosticism] claimed a secret knowledge that was redemptive. Viewing physical matter as evil, it denied the humanity of Christ." (p. 18).

It would not be surprising if the New Age advocates enthusiastically endorse The Gospel of Judas. In professor Dalton's handbook he states that "The New Age spirituality is in some respect a revival of this pagan heresy." (Ibid) More than ever, believers need to be fervently busy, spreading the good news of the genuine gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16) to an unconverted world, with a burning passion to win the lost (II Cor. 5:14).