Translating and Understanding the Gospel of Judas
A Paper by Shoeless Wanderer
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The Gospel of Judas is the most recently discovered Gnostic text. Since its release, the document has created a flurry of controversy, ranging from debates about the gospel’s place in the time it was written to arguments about research ethics due to the involvement of the National Geographic Society. One pervasive debate has been whether certain passages relating to Judas were translated incorrectly, affecting the understanding of Judas’ role in the story. Arguments over understanding the role of Judas in the codex are a key part of understanding the gospel, but it is also important to examine how the text gives insight into how Gnostics saw themselves in relation to other Christians, an aspect of the text that has been ignored by major scholars.
The English translation of the Gospel of Judas was released in April 2006, close to Easter and coinciding with the release of the film The DaVinci Code. A gospel according to the man who betrayed Jesus captured the attention of the public sphere as well as the scholarly community, generating a flurry of media interest. The translation released by the National Geographic Society showed that the text “is an early gospel that provides an alternative understanding of Jesus…In this account Judas is the consummate insider…the one faithful disciple…the one who receives salvation. The other disciples…are rooted in ignorance.” [1] This translation was affirmed by many of the people involved in the project, such as noted biblical scholars Bart Ehrman and Marvin Meyer. However, after the text’s initial release some within the religious scholarship community began to question the National Geographic Society’s translation of the work after they themselves read the original Coptic.
The most outspoken critic of the original translation of the text has been April DeConick. In her book The Thirteenth Apostle she argues that a number of translation errors occurred and that the text does not reveal that Judas was “the one faithful disciple” [2] as portrayed in the initial translation of the text but rather “a successful apostate who carries out [the] most evil of deeds.” [3] She bases her argument on several specific points in the text that are crucial to understanding Judas’ role within the gospel. The first passage of the document that she says is victim to faulty translation is 44: 20-23. National Geographic translates the lines as, “…When Jesus heard this, he laughed and said to him, ‘You thirteenth spirit, why do you try so hard? But speak up, and I shall bear with you.” [4] In her own translation, DeConick renders the lines, “Why do you compete (with them) O Thirteenth Demon? But speak up for yourself and I shall bear with you.” [5] The use of spirit versus demon has a profound impact upon understanding how the Gnostics understood Judas and his role in the death of Jesus. If he is simply a spirit, as the National Geographic edition suggests, then his role is positive; however, if he is a demon, as DeConick understands the Coptic text to say, then the entire understanding of the text is wrong and suggests that Judas is under the influence of the evil powers in the Gnostic world view. The Coptic itself reads “daimon,” something that both parties agree on. A footnote on page 31 of the National Geographic edition reads, “Or thirteenth demon,” and goes on to suggests that he is a demon because “his true identity is spiritual. Compare to tales of Socrates and his daimon in Plato Symposium 202e-203a.” [6] Other scholars, such as Bart Ehrman, agree with this rendering of the word daimon. In his book The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed, he remarks that “A daimon is a spiritual being that is superior to mere mortals…Judas is the thirteenth…but he has (or is) a daimon, a ruling spirit.” [7] DeConick highly disagrees with viewing the word in such a positive light. She argues that by the time that the Gospel of Judas was written, the understanding of the word daimon had changed greatly and had a different meaning to Jews and Christians. It clearly meant devil to both groups. Moreover, she notes that “‘Spirit’ is standardly chosen to translate the word pneuma when it occurs in a manuscript original. By the way, pneuma is used regularly throughout the Gospel of Judas but not here.” [8] If DeConick is correct in translating the word daimon in a negative light, there is a ripple effect that impacts several other passages within the gospel.
The most noteworthy of the other effected passages is 46:16-18. Here, Judas questions Jesus about being under control of the archons in charge of the material world. What follows is Jesus’ reply with two lines missing, but based on Jesus’ remark, “…you will grieve much when you see the kingdom and all its generation,” [9] it appears to be secret knowledge. Judas responds to this secret knowledge with, “What good is it that I have received it? For you have set me apart for that generation.”[10] DeConick translates this as, “What is the advantage I received, since you have separated me from that generation?” [11] This difference in translation continues the theme DeConick bases her book on: Judas is not a good spirit, but a demon. In her translation notes she states that “it is grammatically impossible to translate the Coptic expression ‘porj e’ in the way the National Geographic team has done,” and goes on to explain that the words porj e combined mean “separate from” not “set apart for” as the National Geographic renders it. [12] This difference continues to portray Judas in a less than positive light then the National Geographic version suggests. Not only is he a demon, he is ostracized from the holy generation and under the control of the archons and demiurge despite having gnosis that the other apostles in the text do not have.
The National Geographic Society and the translators who worked on their behalf have taken issue with DeConick’s criticisms of the gospel’s translation and have done so in the public sphere. In an open letter in the New York Times op-ed section, translator Marvin Meyer wrote that “The issues of translation she highlights are almost all discussed in the notes in the popular edition and critical edition of the Gospel of Judas, and the observation that Judas is the ‘thirteenth daimon’ in the text is open to discussion and debate,” and that “Professor DeConick comes up with her interpretation of the Gospel of Judas by virtually ignoring all the positive things said about Judas in the text.” [13] This letter and DeConick’s response on her blog indicates that the translation debate over the Gospel of Judas will not be going away any time soon.
All of the debates concerning the
Gospel of Judas have been focused around the issue of translating and understanding
the role of Judas within the text.
However, Judas’ role in the text is only half of the document. Major scholars are ignoring the first half of
the Gospel of Judas. This better
preserved portion of the document relates several discourses between Jesus and
the twelve and demonstrates the Gnostic understanding of fellow
Christians. The apostles’ vision of the
The apostles are not only responsible for making false sacrifices in the Gospel of Judas, but they are also ignorant of the dualistic cosmic scheme in Gnosticism. When they call Jesus “the son of our god,” [17] Jesus remarks that, “no generation of the people that are among you will know me.”[18] According to the document the disciples become disgruntled, leading Jesus to rebuke them, saying “[Let] any one of you who is [strong enough] among human begins bring out the perfect human and stand before my face.” [19] However, the apostles, excluding Judas, do not, despite the fact they claim that “[They] have the strength.” [20] Judas confesses that he knows Jesus is from the realm of Barbelo, making him the only person who even has an inkling of gnosis in the entire group. Making the figure who is continually maligned the one figure to have a greater understanding of the immortal realm, while the other apostles have no understanding at all, is a strong statement against Christians who focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus as the defining point of salvation. It implies that they simply did not understand who Jesus was and what his teachings truly meant despite being close to him and listening to his teachings. Moreover, this attack suggests that the same holds true for those who follow in the tradition of apostolic Christianity and that they too remain just as ignorant as the disciples.
As it is the newest Gnostic text to be discovered, the Gospel of Judas will continue to generate waves of debate amongst the scholarly community. Understanding the role of Judas in the Gnostic world view will most likely be the centre of these debates, although it may be fruitless as the parts of the document that pertain to Judas are the most damaged. However, Judas’ role should not overpower the other aspects of the text and how Gnostics saw themselves in relation to fellow Christians.
Works Cited
DeConick, April
D. The Thirteenth Apostle: What the
Gospel of Judas Really Says.
Ehrman, Bart D. The
Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at the Betrayer and the Betrayed.
Krosney,
Herbert. The Lost Gospel: The Quest
for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot.
The Gospel of
Judas.
Trans. Rodlphe Kasser,
Marvin Meyer, Gregor Wurst, Francois Gaudard,
Ed. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor Wurst.
“The Gospel of Judas: A Word from the Translators.” The New York Times. 7 December 2007. 23 February 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/opinion/l07gospel.html?_r=3&ref=opinion &oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin>.
[1] Krosney, The Lost Gospel:
The Quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot
xxii
[2], Krosney, The Lost Gospel: The Quest for the Gospel of Judas
Iscariot xxii
[3] DeConick, The
Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says 125
[4] The
Gospel of Judas trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard 31
[5] DeConick, The
Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says 77
[6] The Gospel of Judas
trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard 31
[7] Ehrman, The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscaroit: A New Look at Betrayer and the Betrayed 92
[8] DeConick, The
Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says 48
[9] The Gospel of
Judas, trans. Rodlphe Kasser,
Marvin Meyer, Gregor Wurst, Francois Gaudard 32
[10] The Gospel of Judas trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor Wurst, Francois Gaudard 32
[11] DeConick, The
Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says 79
[12] DeConick, The
Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says 51-52
[13] “The Gospel of Judas:
A Word from the Translators,” The New York Times 7 December 2007
[14] The Gospel of Judas trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard) 26
[17] The Gospel of Judas
trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard 21
[18] The Gospel of Judas
trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard 21
[19] The Gospel of Judas
trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard 22
[20] The Gospel of Judas
trans. Rodlphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, Gregor
Wurst, Francois Gaudard 22