The Gospel of Judas

by Marvin W Meyer

Overview

The Gospel of Judas: On a Night with Judas Iscariot presents a fresh translation of the Gospel of Judas, with introduction, commentary, and notes. Originally published with considerable international fanfare in 2006, the Gospel of Judas has prompted a vibrant discussion among scholars and other interested readers about the meaning of the text and the place of Judas Iscariot in the story of Jesus and the history of the church. Meyer, a member of the original research team assembled by the National Geographic Society to edit, translate, and publish the Gospel of Judas and the remaining texts in what is now called Codex Tchacos, here offers an up-to-date and thoroughly accessible translation of the Gospel of Judas, expanded with new fragments of the text and informed by the latest scholarship. He adds reminiscences of the work on the Coptic text when it first was coming to light in 2005 and 2006. This book also includes reflections on the extensive literature, beyond the Gospel of Judas, on the figure of Judas Iscariot, with suggestions for a literary interpretation of Judas--an interpretation that may have a dramatic impact upon our understanding of the role of Judas Iscariot in the story of Jesus's passion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610973717
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	11/01/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	108
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Marvin W. Meyer is Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies at Chapman University and Director of the Chapman University Albert Schweitzer Institute. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Greco-Roman and Christian religions in antiquity and late antiquity, and on Albert Schweitzer's ethic of reverence for life. Among his recent books are Judas: The Definitive Collection of Gospels and Legends about the Infamous Apostle of Jesus (2007), The Gnostic Discoveries (2005), and The Gnostic Gospels of Jesus (2005), and he has edited or co-edited Essential Gnostic Scriptures (2010), The Nag Hammadi Scriptures: The International Edition (2007), and The Gospel of Judas (2006).

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Marvin Meyer can justly be considered the premier translator of ancient Gnostic writings in North America and one of the world's leading experts on the Gospel of Judas. Now he provides a vivid and compelling translation of this most important text along with an insightful introduction and copious notes. Most intriguing of all, he narrates a theatrical engagement with issues that emerge from recent reflections on the world's most infamous and intriguing 'villain,' Judas Iscariot. This is intense scholarship and creative imagination at the highest level."
-Bart D. Ehrman
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Marvin Meyer has a track record of a series of serious academic publications that are both readable and reliable, which distinguished tradition The Gospel of Judas continues on the same high plane."
-James M. Robinson
Claremont Graduate University

"Beginning with the Nag Hammadi library, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Gospel of Judas, we have a trinity of essential holy scriptures that radically enrich and alter our knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism. Now with his definitive version of Judas and its latest fragments, Marvin Meyer bequeaths the world a benevolent Judas. Meyer provides a crisp literary translation and introduction to the fully annotated Judas text—as well as a surprise: 'A Night with Judas Iscariot.' In his profoundly funny and thoughtful mystery play, Judas stars as the redemptive figure. Hurrah for this revolutionary book with its poetic enlightenment!"
-Willis Barnstone author of The Restored New Testament and The Other Bible

"In this book Professor Marvin Meyer shares in a very readable way his thoughtful insights into the Coptic Gospel of Judas—a second-century text essential for our understanding of the first steps of Christianity and the gnostic movements—while providing the key to unveil the symbolic contents of this apocryphal gospel. The epilogue—'A Night with Judas Iscariot'—shows well how ancient texts can be communicated meaningfully to a contemporary audience. This is a strong, powerful book that captivates the reader from the first page to the last."
-Madeleine Scopello
Correspondant de l'Institut de France

"No other recent discovery from Christian antiquity has stirred so much debate as the Gospel of Judas. Does it really rehabilitate Judas, or does it place him in the same role of a villain as the gospels in the New Testament? Does this gospel contain 'good news,' and if so, to whom, or does it only proclaim bad news to Judas and to all of humankind? So much has been written about this text since its publication in 2006 that one might wonder if something substantially new can be added to the discussion any longer. Marvin Meyer's important new book shows that the answer is 'yes.' Not only does he offer here an erudite account of how the new fragments change the way this perplexing gospel should be interpreted, but he also forcefully responds to alternative readings of the Gospel of Judas, hereby bringing his long-standing expertise on gnostic texts and theologies into fruition. Meyer's translation of Judas is a bliss to read: it is both accurate and accessible, in the same way as the best translations of the Bible are. The concluding, more imaginative piece on Judas effectively brings home the point that, just as the Gospel of Judas predicts, he really became the subject of ever increasing hatred and contempt among subsequent generations of Christians."
-Ismo Dunderberg
University of Helsinki

Editorial Reviews

"Marvin Meyer can justly be considered the premier translator of ancient Gnostic writings in North America and one of the world's leading experts on the Gospel of Judas. Now he provides a vivid and compelling translation of this most important text along with an insightful introduction and copious notes. Most intriguing of all, he narrates a theatrical engagement with issues that emerge from recent reflections on the world's most infamous and intriguing 'villain,' Judas Iscariot. This is intense scholarship and creative imagination at the highest level."
-Bart D. Ehrman
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Marvin Meyer has a track record of a series of serious academic publications that are both readable and reliable, which distinguished tradition The Gospel of Judas continues on the same high plane."
-James M. Robinson
Claremont Graduate University

"Beginning with the Nag Hammadi library, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Gospel of Judas, we have a trinity of essential holy scriptures that radically enrich and alter our knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, and Gnosticism. Now with his definitive version of Judas and its latest fragments, Marvin Meyer bequeaths the world a benevolent Judas. Meyer provides a crisp literary translation and introduction to the fully annotated Judas text—as well as a surprise: 'A Night with Judas Iscariot.' In his profoundly funny and thoughtful mystery play, Judas stars as the redemptive figure. Hurrah for this revolutionary book with its poetic enlightenment!"
-Willis Barnstone author of The Restored New Testament and The Other Bible

"In this book Professor Marvin Meyer shares in a very readable way his thoughtful insights into the Coptic Gospel of Judas—a second-century text essential for our understanding of the first steps of Christianity and the gnostic movements—while providing the key to unveil the symbolic contents of this apocryphal gospel. The epilogue—'A Night with Judas Iscariot'—shows well how ancient texts can be communicated meaningfully to a contemporary audience. This is a strong, powerful book that captivates the reader from the first page to the last."
-Madeleine Scopello
Correspondant de l'Institut de France

"No other recent discovery from Christian antiquity has stirred so much debate as the Gospel of Judas. Does it really rehabilitate Judas, or does it place him in the same role of a villain as the gospels in the New Testament? Does this gospel contain 'good news,' and if so, to whom, or does it only proclaim bad news to Judas and to all of humankind? So much has been written about this text since its publication in 2006 that one might wonder if something substantially new can be added to the discussion any longer. Marvin Meyer's important new book shows that the answer is 'yes.' Not only does he offer here an erudite account of how the new fragments change the way this perplexing gospel should be interpreted, but he also forcefully responds to alternative readings of the Gospel of Judas, hereby bringing his long-standing expertise on gnostic texts and theologies into fruition. Meyer's translation of Judas is a bliss to read: it is both accurate and accessible, in the same way as the best translations of the Bible are. The concluding, more imaginative piece on Judas effectively brings home the point that, just as the Gospel of Judas predicts, he really became the subject of ever increasing hatred and contempt among subsequent generations of Christians."
-Ismo Dunderberg
University of Helsinki

From the Publisher