The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot

An authentic ancient text from the point of view of the infamous disciple who betrayed Christ with a kiss is fascinating. I just wish there were more to it. Sadly, the work is fragmentary, but the surviving text is worth hearing. Dennis Boutsikaris does his usual expert job reading the text. That little trick he does--turning the words up at certain points, almost like a question--serves him well in a book full of questions. Author Bart Ehrman, a respected Bible scholar, pads the work with details of the manuscript's discovery and authentication. Listeners must wait until Chapter 6 to actually start hearing what is in the Judas Gospel. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from August 28, 2006
In typically brilliant fashion, Ehrman (Misquoting Jesus
) tells the lively tale of the modern discovery of the Gospel of Judas and its significance for us today. In order to differentiate the Judas of the newly discovered text from the character in the canonical gospels, he examines the portrayal of Judas in Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, as well as in other early Christian gospels such as the Gospel of Nicodemus. He chronicles the events surrounding the discovery of the text and its transmission since its discovery (which involves rumors of black market trading in looted documents). Ehrman also provides a helpful overview of the content of this once lost gospel, which depicts Jesus teaching Judas about a divine realm that no one has ever seen and to which Jesus must return. Ehrman concludes that the discovery of the Gospel of Judas is significant not only because it adds to our knowledge of the diversity of early Christianity but also because it portrays a Judas who is not a traitor to the cause but one who is instrumental in fulfilling Jesus' divine mission. Ehrman's fast-paced study introduces us engagingly to the Gospel of Judas.