Limelight: Desert mysteries By Lubna Abdel-Aziz We thought we knew him! Did he not, for 30 pieces of silver, lead Christ to his enemies and his crucifixion? Since then, almost 2,000 years ago, his name has been synonymous with greed and betrayal. Yet this very act of treason, resulted in the Resurrection of the Christ, the most sacred of Christian events. At the time the Christian world was celebrating Easter its holiest rite, questions arose as to the nature and motive of Judas, which were never in doubt, until now. The National Geographic Society (NGS) saw fit to announce a stunning revelation that would, if not shake the very roots of Christianity, at least cause a stir among scholars and spark the interest of the public. Would it redeem the reputation of the fallen disciple, Judas Iscariot? The timing of such a document, in their possession for the last five years, is, to say the least, suspect. Buried deep beneath the golden desert sands of Egypt lay an ancient secret of Time, hidden from human eyes, for almost two millennia. Uncovered by a gust of desert wind, a limestone box was found containing 13 sheets of papyrus leaf, written on both sides, recounting an amazing tale of a special relationship between Jesus Christ, and his betrayer, Judas Iscariot. The NGS released the first modern translation, called "The Gospel of Judas", which sheds new light on his evil act of deception. Far from being nefarious, the new gospel describes it as an act of supreme devotion and total obedience. At the risk of being condemned by all Christians for eternity, Judas does his master's bidding: "You will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me." In other words, according to Gnostic teachings, by bringing about Jesus' death, he will release his spirit from its prison, and help accomplish his mission. Judas obeys. Who are the Gnostics, and why have they been condemned by the Catholic Church? The Gnostics (Gk. gnosis : knowledge) were early Christians who used both male and female images for the Supreme God, and believed that Mary Magdalene was second only to Jesus. The movement died in the fifth century, but is experiencing a revival of sorts with Gnostic churches now existing in Syria, Holland, France, Brazil, California, and Texas. While history has always viewed Judas as a villain, the new manuscript now claims he was the hero of all time. For centuries scholars have been aware of the manuscript's existence, since it was denounced as heresy by Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon in 178 AD, but its location and contents had always remained a mystery. Will this new discovery urge a re-evaluation by the church, or by its followers, of the ancient concept of Judas? While the Four Gospels of the New Testament, see Judas as less than a hero, they nonetheless acknowledge the Crucifixion as part of God's plan. If it is part of God's plan, then Judas's betrayal was also part of God's plan. Does not Jesus, according to the Book of John, ask Judas at the Last Supper to "do quickly what you have to do."! Both the gospel of John and Mark contain passages suggesting that Jesus not only picked Judas to betray him, but actually encouraged Judas to hand him over to those he knew would crucify him; in which case these new revelations are not so new, and not so revealing. The sensational explosion of this discovery and its timing must have other reasons that also remain a secret, but we can speculate. The discovery in the Egyptian desert near Minyeh of the Gospel of Judas occurred in 1978. After being smuggled and bandied around from dealer to dealer and country to country, it ended up in Switzerland where it was restored, authenticated, and translated in an international effort headed by the NGS, which partially funded the research, and has just released two books on the subject: The Gospel of Judas, and The Lost Gospel: The Quest for the Gospel of Judas Iscariot. The Gospel... will also generate a magazine cover article, as well as a television documentary, and a special exhibit on the NGS website. After receipt of all these profits, which will cover their investment and then some, the NGS plans to donate the manuscript to the Coptic Museum of Egypt. Was the NGS timing an exploitation of the Easter celebrations and the recent vindication of Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code in the court of the US and UK in two highly publicised forgery charges? Lest we have forgotten, the film version of the Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks will soon be released worldwide following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival 17 May. All this buzz was surely not overlooked by the NGS. The question that no one is asking is how can such precious documents be so easily smuggled out of their home country, and so brazenly traded around the world in cultural and academic circles that should know better. Should they not have been returned promptly by the first man of conscience who came across them? Should not an organisation such as the NGS have contacted the Egyptian authorities and informed them of this find, should they not have asked for authorisation, permission or cooperation on the fate of this gospel? Whatever happened to adherence to the international law established in 1954 at The Hague, for the protection and prohibition of exporting cultural property? How can such august scholars and institutions deal so boldly with stolen property? As for this astounding revelation of the century will it change the course of History, Christianity, or Mankind? The desert sands have tried to preserve and protect the many secrets of Time hidden below its burning dunes, but is it losing the battle against the gods of greed, not to mention deception and ambition! Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, And knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. -- Samuel Johnson (1809-1884)
