Cover of The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed

The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed

The recent National Geographic special on the Gospel of Judas was a major media event, introducing to millions of viewers one of the most important biblical discoveries of modern times. Now, a leading historian of the early church, Bart Ehrman, offers a comprehensive account of the newly discovered Gospel of Judas, revealing what this legendary lost gospel contains and why it's so important for our understanding of Christianity.

Read more

Ehrman, a featured commentator in the National Geographic special, describes how he first saw the Gospel of Judas—surprisingly, in a small room above a pizza parlor in a Swiss town near Lake Geneva—and he recounts the fascinating story of where and how this ancient papyrus document was discovered, how it moved around among antiquities dealers in Egypt, the USA, & Switzerland, and how it came to be restored & translated.

More important, Ehrman gives a complete and clear account of what the book teaches and he shows how it relates to other Gospel texts—both those inside the New Testament & those outside of it, most notably, the Gnostic texts of early Christianity. Finally, he describes what we now can say about the historical Judas himself as well as his relationship with Jesus, suggesting that one needs to read between the lines of the early Gospels to see exactly what Judas did & why he did it.

The Gospel of Judas presents an entirely new view of Jesus, his disciples and the man who allegedly betrayed him. It raises many questions and Ehrman provides illuminating and authoritative answers, in a book that will interest anyone curious about the New Testament, the life of Jesus and the history of Christianity after his death.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 208 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. The Gospel of Judas Shares religion, nonfiction, christianity
  2. Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity Shares religion, nonfiction, christianity
  3. The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans and Heretics Shares religion, nonfiction, christianity
  4. Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation Shares religion, nonfiction, christianity

“People who read The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Gnostic Bible
  2. From Jesus to Christianity: How Four Generations of Visionaries and Storytellers Created the New Testament and Christian Faith
  3. The Secrets of Judas: The Story of the Misunderstood Disciple & His Lost Gospel
  4. When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome

“If you want more of the same (history about religion), start with these.”

  1. The Bible: A Very Short Introduction
  2. Luther on Vocation
  3. The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man: How Reliable is the Gospel Tradition?
  4. The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus

“If it was the religion that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas
  2. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity
  3. The Nativity: History and Legend
  4. World Religions

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ
  2. The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
  3. The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus
  4. The Four Witnesses : The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic -- Why the Gospels Present Strikingly Different Visions of Jesus?