Judasevankeliumin

The Judasevankeliumin, often referred to as the Gospel of Judas, is an ancient Christian text that presents a unique perspective on Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus's twelve apostles. Discovered in the 1970s near the Egyptian town of el-Minya, this Coptic manuscript dates back to the 3rd century CE, though it is believed to be a translation of an earlier Greek original.

Unlike the canonical Gospels, which portray Judas as a traitor who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, the Judasevankeliumin depicts him as Jesus's most trusted disciple. According to the text, Jesus revealed secret knowledge to Judas, and Judas's act of betrayal was actually a fulfillment of Jesus's will, intended to release Jesus's spiritual essence from his physical body. The text suggests that Judas was spiritually superior to the other disciples, who failed to understand Jesus's true teachings.

The Judasevankeliumin is believed to be part of the Gnostic tradition, a diverse set of early Christian movements that emphasized personal spiritual knowledge (gnosis) as the path to salvation. Gnostic texts often reinterpreted biblical figures and narratives to align with their own theological doctrines. The discovery and translation of the Judasevankeliumin provided valuable insights into the diversity of early Christian beliefs and the complex understanding of figures like Judas within different theological frameworks.