Is the Gospel According to Judas Rewriting Christian History?

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A Swiss foundation is translating the Gospel according to Judas, a controversial text that surfaced in Egypt decades ago, which may challenge traditional Christian narratives about Judas Iscariot. The discussion touches on the implications of this text for modern Christianity, especially in light of recent events, including the death of Pope John Paul II and the obituary of prominent evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr. Participants debate the compatibility of Darwinian evolution with Catholic doctrine, noting that the Catholic Church has evolved to accept evolutionary theory, unlike some Protestant denominations. The conversation also explores interpretations of biblical texts, the role of symbolism in scripture, and the historical context of religious teachings. There is a recognition of the need for religions to adapt to maintain relevance, alongside a critique of how popular media portrays religious topics. The portrayal of Judas in recent documentaries is discussed, suggesting a re-evaluation of his role in the biblical narrative. Overall, the thread reflects a complex interplay between faith, science, and evolving interpretations of religious texts.
  • #31
Yes I actually saw it. I'm not sure whom to believe - John Allegro or Discovery Science Channel..

hmm :rolleyes:
 
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  • #32
Evo said:
I was raised Roman Catholic, and I never even saw a bible in church or in Saturday catechism class. We didn't own a bible and my mother was a very devout Catholic. I had my Roman Missal and my little book for my first communion. Catholics say Mass and recite from missals. Back when I still went to church the mass was still said in Latin.

The stories from "the Bible" were spoken about as nothing more than "old tales made up to try to explain things" but were not to be taken literally, at least that's how it was in my church.

And that is how it still is to this day in the Catholic church(well, mass is done in the local vernacular now, but other than that, the rest is true.)
 
  • #33
cronxeh said:
Yes I actually saw it. I'm not sure whom to believe - John Allegro or Discovery Science Channel..

hmm :rolleyes:
You mean The Discovery Channel might air a program that wasn't 100% based in fact? :biggrin:
 
  • #34
Evo said:
You mean The Discovery Channel might air a program that wasn't 100% based in fact? :biggrin:

The discovery channel needs to renamed the autoshop channel. Its really annoying now. I don't like it anymore, and never watch it. Luckily the history channel is still mostly uncorrupted by the plebes and their pasttimes.
 
  • #35
Well on a few occasions I would watch that channel and then be like :bugeye:

I did not bother checking out the sources they used in Jesus story but the usual suspects include the big thinktanks, which would cite even such sources as 'the bible' :smile:

So if I had to choose, I'd go with John Allegro. He did extensive research on Dead Sea Scrolls and wrote several books on the subject.
 
  • #36
franznietzsche said:
The discovery channel needs to renamed the autoshop channel. Its really annoying now.
Yes! Are there not enough interesting scientific topics? I read somewhere that they were doing the car/biker stuff to lure in people that otherwise wouldn't watch and hopefully expose them to science, but I think if that ever was true, it isn't anymore.

And what's with all the poker shows on the Travel Channel?? The only thing more boring than watching someone play poker is watching someone play golf. I mean I like playing poker, but I don't want to watch someone else playing.

(runs and hides from all the poker playing golfers)
 
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  • #37
Evo said:
Yes! Are there not enough interesting scientific topics? I read somewhere that they were doing the car/biker stuff to lure in people that otherwise wouldn't watch and hopefully expose them to science, but I think if that ever was true, it isn't anymore.
I can't believe that's anything but BS; people who like cars and motorcycle hotrodding are just a bigger and more rewarding market to play to than people interested in real science I guess.
 
  • #38
By the way I'm talking about The Discovery Science channel (renamed to just The Science Channel). I haven't watched a regular Discovery Channel in a very long time and not planning to.
 
  • #39
Evo said:
We're all getting a little too much into religion (myself included) let's stick to the topic.

There was an interesting view of Judas in the story of Jesus on the Discovery Channel (or TLC?) last year. It had a very convincing portrayal of Judas not as a betrayor, but as one of the closest of the apostles to Jesus and that the "betrayal" was Jesus' idea. It really made a lot of things make sense. Did anyone else watch the show? It was repeated just before Easter.

Jesus did call it ahead of time. He might have been in on it. Even if he wasn't, it was all part of God's plan, and Jesus is just an incarnation of God.
 
  • #40
cronxeh said:
By the way I'm talking about The Discovery Science channel (renamed to just The Science Channel). I haven't watched a regular Discovery Channel in a very long time and not planning to.

Its not worth watching anymore. The only thing left is shark week in august, and that's barely worthwhile.
 
  • #41
russ_watters said:
That's really all there is to it. Its actually a pretty common thing for a creationist to unwittingly stumble into when cornered. If they make any serious attempt at argument, sooner or later they have to deal with the fact that there is a mountain of evidence out there and that that evidence contradicts what is literally said in the Bible. The only way to reconcile those two facts is if that evidence was fabricated 4,000 years ago by a God who, for some reason, doesn't want us to know the truth.
Thanks Russ, and to everyone for explaining this -- good and interesting.
Evo said:
There was an interesting view of Judas in the story of Jesus on the Discovery Channel (or TLC?) last year. It had a very convincing portrayal of Judas not as a betrayor, but as one of the closest of the apostles to Jesus and that the "betrayal" was Jesus' idea. It really made a lot of things make sense. Did anyone else watch the show? It was repeated just before Easter.
Yes, I saw this, and the History Channel has done many good programs on such topics.
franznietzsche said:
The discovery channel needs to renamed the autoshop channel. Its really annoying now. I don't like it anymore, and never watch it. Luckily the history channel is still mostly uncorrupted by the plebes and their pasttimes.
True, and TLC needs to be renamed "Home and Fashion Make-Overs." I still check PBS for Nova, etc., and am willing to pay extra for the Science Channel.