Hi,
I wrote an article back in 2013 arguing that Christianity was created and defined by men in closed-door meetings in which I summarized the major Church meetings in chronological order. Please read The Many Councils of Christ: How Christianity was Created in Closed-door Meetings.
I now want to write about the many gospels that were circulating during the early years of Christianity. These gospels were rejected by the early Christians who eventually amassed enough power to create a Church whose primary purpose was create a version of the Christ what we all can agree on. Anyone that disagreed was killed. Any documents that contradicted the official version of events were wiped from history.
Thanks to an incredible discoveries in the last 100 or so years, we can now read all these suppressed versions Christianity for ourselves. Let’s dive in!
The Gospel According to Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas is attributed to the disciple Thomas — or more accurately, Judas Thomas, who in this work is identified as the “twin” brother of Jesus: “These are the secret words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down.” Didymus in Greek means “twin”, as does Thomas in Aramaic. Bud Judas Thomas must be understood as the spiritual, not physical, twin of Jesus.
Of all the ancient Christian texts which have been (re)discovered over the past two centuries, The Gospel According to Thomas is by far the most importatnt. What makes Thomas stand out above all other works if the fact that it contains a number of formerly “lost” sayings of the historical Jesus which are not found in any of the canonical Gospels. Secondly, Thomas contains sayings of Jesus that have parallels in the canonical Gospels, but the Thomansian version of these sayings have been shown to be the more original versions.
Three fragments from The Gospel of Thomas — written in Greek — were discovered at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, during the 19th century. But the entire text of Thomas — written in Coptic — was discovered at Nag Hammadi, Egyp, in 1945 — and is part of the famous Nag Hammadi Library. The Oxyrhynchus papyruses have been dated to the 3rd century C.E., while the Nag Hammadi papyrus dates to the 5th century. The original text of Thomas, however, was written during the 1st century C.E.
Thomas’ 114 logia, or sayings of Jesus, were compiled in two stages. The first layer of Thomas was written around 50 C.E., making it one of the earliest known compilations of Jesus’ teachings. A second, and clearly Gnostic, layer was added to Thomas sometime around the end of the first century. The Gospel is attributed to the disciple, Thomas, but like all early gospels, was composed anonymously.
Key verses from the Gospel of Thomas are:
“Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty.” [Verse 3]
“His disciples said to Him, ‘When will the Kingdom come?’
Jesus said, ‘It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying ‘Here it is’ or ‘There it is.’ Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it.‘” [Verse 113]
“Simon Peter said to them, ‘Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life.‘
Jesus said, ‘Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven.'” [Verse 114]
The Book of Thomas the Contender
Also discovered at Nag Hammadi, The Book of Thomas the Contender (or “spiritual athlete”) is a revelation dialogue between the Christ-in a “revealed,” non-physical, form — and his “twin,” Judas Thomas. This document, along with The Gospel of Thomas and The Acts of Thomas, can be attributed to a Thomasian tradition which was primarily Gnostic-Christian. The work was probably composed sometime during the second half of the second century.
The Gospel According to Mary (Magdalene)
The only Gospel attributed to a female disciple of Jesus, The Gospel of Mary was discovered in 1896 — in the possession of an Egyptian antiquities dealer, and is part of a compilation of texts known as Codex Berolinensis 8502, or the Berlin Codex. This codex also contained three other works: The Act of Peter, The Apocryphon of John, and The Sophia (Wisdom) of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of Mary is thought to have been produced in final form around 125 C.E., and is particularly important because it provides evidence of a struggle between matriarchal and patriarchal apostolic traditions in the early Church. Mary Magdalene’s right to speak in Jesus’ name in this text is challenged by Simon Peter and his brother, Andrew, who together represent the patriarchal viewpoint of orthodox Christianity.
The Church, founded on the patriarchal traditions of Peter and Paul, found it necessary to suppress the tradition of Mary Magdalene, and deny her-and all women-the right to preach and teach in the Church. Ten pages of The Gospel According to Mary-roughly half of the original work-are still missing.
Key verses from the Gospel According to Mary are:
“Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.” [Chapter 5, verses 6-5]
“But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, Say what you wish to say about what she has said. I at least do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are strange ideas. Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things. He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?” [Chapter 9, verses 2-5]
The Acts of John
Even though it was considered heretical by the orthodox Church, The Acts of John has been handed down from ancient times through copying and recopying. Acts has some connection to Johannine literature in general, and may not have been in written before the third or fourth century. Many scholars, however, believe that the Hymn of Jesus — known also as the Round Dance of the Cross, and by other names — part of a very early Christian ritual.
“Now before he was taken by the lawless Jews, who also were governed by (had their law from) the lawless serpent, he gathered all of us together and said: Before I am delivered up unto them let us sing an hymn to the Father, and so go forth to that which lieth before us. He bade us therefore make as it were a ring, holding one another’s hands, and himself standing in the midst he said: Answer Amen unto me. He began, then, to sing an hymn and to say:” [Verse 94]
— Full Text of the Hymn to the Father
The Apocryphon of John
A copy of the Secret Book of John was discovered at Nag Hammadi, but two other versions of John are also extant. This work, most likely written during the second half of the second century is clearly a Gnostic-Christian text, and has little relationship with other works attributed to the disciple, John.
Key verse from The Apocryphon of John:
“And his thought performed a deed and she came forth, namely she who had appeared before him in the shine of his light. This is the first power which was before all of them (and) which came forth from his mind, She is the forethought of the All – her light shines like his light – the perfect power which is the image of the invisible, virginal Spirit who is perfect. The first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in the aeons, the glory of the revelation, she glorified the virginal Spirit and it was she who praised him, because thanks to him she had come forth. This is the first thought, his image; she became the womb of everything, for it is she who is prior to them all, the Mother-Father, the first man, the holy Spirit, the thrice-male, the thrice-powerful, the thrice-named androgynous one, and the eternal aeon among the invisible ones, and the first to come forth.“
The Book of John the Evangelist
Unknown prior to the 12th century, this text was probably written prior to the 4th century since it is clearly a Gnostic-Christian treatise that attributes creation to Satan, rather than to the Hebrew God, Yahweh. Its theology about the Christ is also docetic: Jesus was not human, but was of heavenly origin.
Key verses from The Book of John the Evangelist
“And he [Satan] asked the Father saying: Have patience with me and I will pay thee all. And the Father had mercy on him and gave him rest and them that were with him, as much as they would even unto seven days.
And so sat he in the firmament and commanded the angel that was over the air and him that was over the waters, and they raised the earth up and it appeared dry: and he took the crown of the angel that was over the waters, and of the half thereof he made the light of the moon and of the half the light of the stars: and of the precious stones he made all the hosts of the stars.
And thereafter he made the angels his ministers according to the order of the form of the Most High, and by the commandment of the invisible Father he made thunder, rain, hail, and snow.
And he sent forth angels to be ministers over them. And he commanded the earth to bring forth every beast for food (fatling), and every creeping thing, and trees and herbs: and he commanded the sea to bring forth fishes, and the fowls of the heaven.
And he devised furthermore and made man in his likeness, and commanded the (or an) angel of the third heaven to enter into the body of clay. And he took thereof and made another body in the form of a woman, and commanded the (or an) angel of the second heaven to enter into the body of the woman. But the angel lamented when they beheld a mortal shape upon them and that they were unlike in shape. And he commanded them to do the deed of the flesh in the bodies of clay, and they knew not how to commit sin.“
The Kerygmata Petrou
The Kerygmata Petrou, or “teachings of Peter,” are actually part of a much larger work known as the Pseudo-Clementines (works “falsely” attributed to Clement of Rome, the early 2nd century bishop of the Catholic Church.) The Pseudo-Clementines have not come down through history in their original form, but derive from a basic document thought to have been written during the middle of the 3rd century. The text of the Kerygmata, like much of the Pseudo-Clementines, is largely Gnostic in origin, yet goes back to the core of Jewish-Christianity. Among other elements, it includes a very revealing polemic against the self proclaimed apostle, Paul.
Key verse from The Kerygmata Petrou:
“If, then, our Jesus appeared to you in a vision, made Himself known to you, and spoke to you, it was as one who is enraged with an adversary; and this is the reason why it was through visions and dreams, or through revelations that were from without, that He spoke to you. But can any one be rendered fit for instruction through apparitions? And if you will say, `It is possible,’ then I ask, `Why did our teacher abide and discourse a whole year to those who were awake?’ And how are we to believe your word, when you tell us that He appeared to you? And how did He appear to you, when you entertain opinions contrary to His teaching? But if you were seen and taught by Him, and became His apostle for a single hour, proclaim His utterances, interpret His sayings, love His apostles, contend not with me who companied with Him. For in direct opposition to me, who am a firm rock, the foundation of the Church, you now stand.” [H XVII 19]
The Gospel According to Philip
The Gospel of Philip was discovered at Nag Hammadi and is not a gospel in any true sense of the term. It contains only a few sayings attributed to Jesus, and is otherwise a theological exposition of the Valentinian school of Gnostic Christianity. It was written as late as the second half of the 3rd century.
Key verses from The Gospel of Philip:
“There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary.
As for the Wisdom who is called “the barren,” she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the […] Mary Magdalene. […] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of the disciples […]. They said to him “Why do you love her more than all of us?” The Savior answered and said to them,”Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness.”
The Lord did everything in a mystery, a baptism and a chrism and a eucharist and a redemption and a bridal chamber.
A bridal chamber is not for the animals, nor is it for the slaves, nor for defiled women; but it is for free men and virgins.“
The Apocalypse of Peter
The Apocalypse of Peter is another text that was discovered at Nag Hammadi, and was also written during the 3rd century. It is a revelation dialogue between the “living” Jesus and Peter. The Apocalypse deals at some length with the persecution of Jesus, and the Gnostic-Christian under-standing of his suffering. The anonymous author accuses the Church of being the true persecutor of the living Jesus.
Key verse from The Apocalypse of Peter:
“And there shall be others of those who are outside our number who name themselves bishop and also deacons, as if they have received their authority from God. They bend themselves under the judgment of the leaders. Those people are dry canals.“
The Apocryphon of James
The Apocryphon, or Secret Book of James, was discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945. It takes the form of oral instructions given to Jesus’ brother, James, and to Simon Peter, by the risen Christ during the 550 days that preceded his ascension. Probably written during the early part of the 2nd century, Secret James shows Gnostic elements, but includes other early Christian material as well.
Key verse from The Apocryphon of James:
“Now, the twelve students were all sitting together, recalling what the savior had said to each of them, whether in a hidden or an open manner, and organizing it in books. I was writing what is in my book. Look, the savior appeared, after he had left us, while we were watching for him.
Five hundred fifty days after he rose from the dead, we said to him, ‘Did you depart and leave us?’
Jesus said, ‘No, but I shall return to the place from which I came. If you want to come with me, come.'”
The (First) and (Second) Apocalypses of James
As with the Apocryphon of James, this text is attributed to James the Just. James was a Nazarite priest, the physical brother of Jesus, and leader of the early Jesus movement. Here, however, it is James’ spiritual kinship with Jesus that is stressed. Both the first and second Apocalypses attributed to James were discovered at Nag Hammadi, thus both texts have Gnostic tendencies, while at the same time showing the influence of Jewish-Christianity. Both Apocalypses attributed to James complement one another in stressing different aspects of the James tradition.
Key verses from the First Apocalypse of James:
“James said, ‘Rabbi, behold then, I have received their number. There are seventy-two measures!’ The Lord said, ‘These are the seventy-two heavens, which are their subordinates.
And the Lord appeared to him. Then he stopped (his) prayer and embraced him. He kissed him, saying, ‘Rabbi, I have found you! I have heard of your sufferings, which you endured. And I have been much distressed. My compassion you know.
Therefore your name is ‘James the Just‘. You see how you will become sober when you see me. And you stopped this prayer. Now since you are a just man of God, you have embraced me and kissed me.”
Key verses from the Second Apocalypse of James:
“And he kissed my mouth. He took hold of me, saying, ‘My beloved! Behold, I shall reveal to you those things that (neither) the heavens nor their archons have known. Behold, I shall reveal to you those things that he did not know, he who boasted, ‘[…] there is no other except me. Am I not alive? Because I am a father, do I not have power for everything?’ Behold, I shall reveal to you everything, my beloved. Understand and know them, that you may come forth just as I am. Behold, I shall reveal to you him who is hidden. But now, stretch out your hand. Now, take hold of me.”
“And then I stretched out my hands and I did not find him as I thought (he would be). But afterward I heard him saying, ‘Understand and take hold of me.’ Then I understood, and I was afraid. And I was exceedingly joyful.“
The Gospel of the Hebrews; The Gospel of the Nazoreans and The Gospel of the Ebionites
These three Gospels no longer exist, even in fragmentary form. They are known only through the testimony of early Church fathers who quoted from them. The names of the Gospels in those writings are often interchangeable, but scholars have determined that the quotes come from three different Gospels. Because the Church patriarchs who quoted from these lost texts were the enemies of the Christians who used them, we cannot be sure that their quotes are accurate.
Each of these lost Gospels-like the canonicals-were narrative in style, and were probably written sometime during the 1st century. Jewish-Christianity, the earliest form of this faith, was eventually condemned as heresy by the orthodox Church.
The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)
Mentioned in the writings of Clement of Alexandria, a single manuscript of The Didache, dated 1056, was discovered in 1873. The text itself was probably written during the second half of the 1st century. The Didache is an instruction manual for converts of an early Jewish-Christian community.
Key verses from The Didache
“Do not pray like the hypocrites, but rather as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, like this:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Thine is the power and the glory for ever.
Pray this three times each day.“
Dialogue of the Savior
The single extant manuscript of Dialogue was discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945. The dialogue is between the risen Christ and several of his disciples. Dialogue was probably composed during the first half of the second century, although parts of it may be earlier. Generally considered a “Gnostic” Gospel, Dialogue shares some similarities and comparisons with the Gospel of Thomas, the canonical Gospels of John and Matthew, and The Apocryphon of James.
The Gospel of Eve
The only Gospel under the name of an Old Testament figure, this lost Gospel of Gnostic character is mentioned only in the writings of Epiphanius, and the quote which appears in this work is the only known reference.
The Gospel of the Savior
This formerly lost Gospel was discovered in 1967 among the possessions of a Dutch antiquities dealer, and now resides in the Berlin Egyptian Museum. After many years of study by scholars, the text was published in 1997. The remains of this Gospel are extremely fragmentary, but enough of the text remains for scholars to be able to state that it is probably of Gnostic-Christian origin. While no date of composition has yet been determined, the manuscript was probably written no later than the beginning of the 4th century C. E.
The Epistula Apostolorum
Discovered in Cairo in 1895, and composed during the middle of the 2nd century, the Letter of the Apostles is addressed to churches of “the four regions of the world.” Its content is primarily orthodox — even anti-Gnostic at time — but still contains some Gnostic motifs. The Epistula can be credited to a form of Hellenized Egyptian Jewish Christianity.
Key verses from The Epistula Apostolorum:
“Then said we to him: Lord, that which thou hast revealed unto us (revealest, Eth.) is great. Wilt thou come in the power of any creature or in an appearance of any kind? (In what power or form wilt thou come? Eth.) He answered and said unto us: Verily I say unto you, I shall come like the sun when it is risen, and my brightness will be seven times the brightness thereof! The wings of the clouds shall bear me in brightness, and the sign of the cross shall go before me, and I shall come upon earth to judge the quick and the dead.
We said unto him: Lord, after how many years shall this come to pass? He said unto us: When the hundredth part and the twentieth part is fulfilled, between the Pentecost and the feast of unleavened bread, then shall the coming of my Father be (so Copt.: When an hundred and fifty years are past, in the days of the feast of Passover and Pentecost, &c., Eth.: . . . (imperfect word) year is fulfilled, between the unleavened bread and Pentecost shall be the coming of my Father, Lat.)” [Sections 16-17]
The (Living) Gospel of Mani, The Manichean Psalms (Coptic Psalm Book), and The Book of Mysteries
These three works come from the third century school of Manichaeism founded by the prophet, Mani, and Mani himself may have written both the Gospel attributed to him, as well as The Book of Mysteries. A Persian mystic, the “arch-heretic” Mani fused Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and elements of Christianity to establish a new religion that was so popular, and so widespread, that it rivaled Catholic Christianity. Manichaeism may be considered a major world religion, having existed in the East for centuries after it was suppressed in the West by the Church of Rome.
The Sophia (Wisdom) of Jesus Christ
Manuscripts of The Sophia were discovered both as part of the Berlin Codex, and again as part of The Nag Hammadi Library. A Gnostic revelation dialogue between the risen Christ and several of his disciples, the Sophia is a Christian reworking of a pagan text known as Eugnostos the Blessed, and may have been written as early as the second half of the first century.
The Pistis of Sophia (Faith Wisdom)
A very lengthy revelation dialogue, the Pistis Sophia (Codex Askewianus) was discovered in a London bookstore in 1773. It consists of four sections or books. One section of the work is dated to the first half of the 3rd century, while the other sections were composed later.
The Two Books of Jeu
As part of the Codex Brucianus (Bruce Codex), The Two Books of Jeu (Jesus) was rediscovered in 1769, in Thebes, Egypt. It has much in common with Codex Askewianus and is mentioned twice in the Pistis Sophia. Composed during the first half of the 3rd century, this work is another Gnostic-Christian revelation dialogue between the “living” Jesus and his disciples.
The Book of the Great Logos According to the Mystery
This title is the general heading for the manuscripts within the Bruce Codex — which contain The Two Books of Jeu.
The Gospel of Truth
The product of Valentinian Gnosticism, The Gospel of Truth was discovered at Nag Hammadi in 1945, and was referenced by the orthodox heresiologist, lrenaeus, in his Adversus Haereses. Composed during the middle of the 2nd century, this work may have been written by Valentinus himself.
The Naassene Psalm of the Soul
The Naassenes were an early Gnostic-Christian “heretical” sect which the Church attacked through the writings of lrenaeus and Hippolytus. These heresiologists quoted from Naassene texts which are no longer extant. Our single quote comes from the writings of Hippolytus.
Mandaean Liturgy – from the Ginza
The Mandaeans, also known as Sabians, were generally thought to have founded their Gnostic sect prior to the formation of Christianity. Adherents claimed to be disciples of John the Baptist, and the sect itself has survived to the present day in Iran.
The Second Treatise of the Great Seth
Another revelation dialogue, this Gnostic-Christian work was discovered at Nag Hammadi. Purporting to give the true history of Jesus, and concentrating on his torture and crucifixion, this text maintains the docetic nature of Jesus’ appearance on Earth.
Key verses from The Second Treatise of the Great Seth:
“I [Jesus] visited a bodily dwelling. I cast out the one who was in it first, and I went in. And the whole multitude of the rulers became troubled.
For my death, which they think happened, happened to them in their error and blindness, since they nailed their man unto their death. Their thoughts did not see me, for they were deaf and blind. But in doing these things, they condemn themselves. Yes, they saw me; they punished me. It was another, their father, who drank the gall and the vinegar; it was not I. They struck me with the reed; it was another, Simon, who bore the cross on his shoulder. It was another upon whom they placed the crown of thorns. But I was rejoicing in the height over all the wealth of the rulers and the offspring of their error, of their empty glory. And I was laughing at their ignorance.
For Adam was a laughingstock, since he was made a counterfeit type of man by the realm of seven, as if he had become stronger than my brothers and me. We are innocent with respect to him, since we have not sinned. And Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were a laughingstock, since they, the counterfeit fathers, were given a name by the realm of seven, as if he had become stronger than my brothers and me. We are innocent with respect to him, since we have not sinned. David was a laughingstock in that his son was named the human son, having been influenced by the realm of seven, as if he had become stronger than the fellow members of my race and me. But we are innocent with respect to him; we have not sinned. Solomon was a laughingstock, since he thought that he was Christ, having become vain through the realm of seven, as if he had become stronger than my brothers and me. But we are innocent with respect to him. I have not sinned. The twelve prophets were laughingstocks, since they have come forth as imitations of the true prophets. They came into being as counterfeits through the realm of seven, as if he had become stronger than my brothers and me. But we are innocent with respect to it, since we have not sinned. Moses, a faithful servant, was a laughingstock, having been named the friend, since they perversely bore witness concerning him, who never knew me. Neither he nor those before him, from Adam to Moses and John the baptizer, none of them knew me or my brothers.
For the ruler was a laughingstock because he said, “I am god, and there is none greater than I. I alone am the father, the lord, and there is no other god but me. I am a jealous god, who brings the sins of the fathers upon the children for three and four generations.” As if he had become stronger than my brothers and me! But we are innocent with respect to him, in that we have not sinned, since we mastered his teaching. Thus he is in an empty glory and does not agree with our father. And so through our fellowship we overcame his teaching, since he was vain in an empty glory. And he does not agree with our father, for he was a laughingstock with judgment and false prophecy.“
The Tripartite Tractate
From Codex I of The Nag Hammadi Library, this tractate is a text from the Valentinian school of Gnosticism, and was probably written sometime during the early part of the 3rd century C.E. Rather than promoting the usual Valentinian Godhead composed of a masculine/feminine dyad, this text argues for a monadic first principle.
The Thunder: Perfect Mind
This unique document from The Nag Hammadi Library (but one that cannot be called Gnostic), was most likely used as a hymn. Its first person style is feminine in nature. “Thunder” (feminine) is Perfect Mind, which suggests that the divine extends into the world. Thunder’s self-proclamation is in the “I am” style, and the verses are often antithetical or paradoxical. As such, it bears a close similarity to the “Hymn of Christ” from the Acts of John, parts of the Mandaean Ginza, and the Gospel of Eve.
The Trimorphic Protennoia
Also found at Nag Hammadi, this text is also written in the feminine person, and also uses “I am” statements. The Trimorphic Protennoia (“first thought”) consists of the Light that descends into darkness, the speech of Thought and the Word or Logos of the Thought, which descends to earth and assumes human appearance. In its descriptions of the descent of the Logos, the text bears a striking resemblance to Johannine literature: namely The Gospel of John and The Apocryphon of John. The first part of this text was not originally Christian, but underwent several stages of development. The last, and most Christian, revision was written no later than the middle of the 2nd century.
The Gospel of the Egyptians
The apocryphal Gospel of the Egyptians is an altogether different work from The Gospel of the Egyptians, which is part of The Nag Hammadi Library. Almost nothing of it remains other than quotations found in Clement of Alexandria’s work, Stromateis III. A number of early Church fathers mentioned this Gospel in their writings. Origen knew of it, Hippolytus wrote that it was used by the heretical Naassenes, and Epiphanius mentions that the Sabellians used it as well. The Gospel of the Egyptians was probably written during the first half of the 2nd century.
I saved the best for last 🙂
The Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel whose content consists of conversations between Jesus and Judas Iscariot. It is thought to have been composed in the second century by Gnostic Christians, not by the antagonist Judas, since it contains late-2nd-century theology. The only copy of it known to exist is a Coptic language text that has been carbon dated to AD 280, plus or minus 60 years.
In contrast to the canonical gospels, which paint Judas as a betrayer who delivered Jesus to the authorities for crucifixion in exchange for money, the Gospel of Judas portrays Judas’s actions as done in obedience to instructions given to him by Jesus of Nazareth. It does not claim that the other disciples knew about Jesus’s true teachings. On the contrary, it asserts that they had not learned the true Gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot, the sole follower belonging to the “holy generation” among the disciples.
Key verses from The Gospel of Judas
“The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week three days before he celebrated Passover.
Jesus said to them, “How do you know me? Truly [I] say to you, no generation of the people that are among you will know me.”
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.
Judas said, “Master, could it be that my seed is under the control of the rulers?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Come, that I [—two lines missing—], but that you will grieve much when you see the kingdom and all its generation.” When he heard this, Judas said to him, “What good is it that I have received it? For you have set me apart for that generation.” Jesus answered and said, “You will become the thirteenth, and you will be cursed by the other generations—and you will come to rule over them. In the last days they will curse your ascent to the holy [generation].”
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. But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.
Look, you have been told everything. Lift up your eyes and look at the cloud and the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The star that leads the way is your star.
And he [Judas] received some money and handed him [Jesus] over to them.“
And there you have it. Thanks for reading,
Notes,
You can read all these gospels online. I used earlychristianwritings.com and gnosis.org.
I also used the following book as reference:
Hooper, Richard; “Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings (The Common Teachings of Four World Religions)”, Sanctuary Publications, 2007