The document was not intended, nor was it understood, to reflect a literal description of historical events in the life of Jesus. The authors make clear that the text was NOT authored by Judas Iscariot, but rather was written around 150 CE following a tradition in which it was common practice to write under the name of a prophet, disciple or other notable figure as an indication of a school of thought. Suffice it to say that, once again, Pagels, this time with King, helps the modern reader gain some insight into a puzzling, even alienating, early Christian text and the context in which it was written. I will not repeat my general comments on Elaine Pagels' work which can be found in my review of her book on Revelations. Presented with the elegance, insight, and accessibility that has made Pagels and King the leading voices in this field, this is a book for academics and popular audiences alike.Įlaine Pagels, a chaired Professor of Religion at Princeton, joined by Karen King, a chaired Professor at the the Harvard Divinity School, share their insights on "The Gospel of Judas," a 2nd century Christian document, part of the Tchacos Codex discovered in middle Egypt in the 1970s, and subsequently irresponsibly stored for several decades, rediscovered in 2001, and finally made available for general study in 2006. Reading Judas illuminates the intellectual assumptions behind Jesus' teaching to Judas and shows how conflict among the disciples was a tool frequently used by early Christian authors to explore matters of doubt and disagreement. Most contemporary readers will find passages in the ancient Gospel of Judas difficult to comprehend outside of its context in the ancient world. In Reading Judas, the two celebrated scholars illustrate how the newly discovered text provides a window into understanding how Jesus' followers understood his death, why Judas betrayed Jesus, and why God allowed it. Elaine Pagels and Karen King are the first to reflect on this newfound text and its ramifications for the story of early Christianity. When the Gospel of Judas was published by the National Geographic Society in April 2006, it received extraordinary media attention and was immediately heralded as a major biblical discovery that rocked the world of scholars and laypeople alike. That back story is told well and concisely by Elaine Pagels in her new book, Revelations.Two leading, best-selling experts on the Gnostic gospels weigh in on the meaning of the controversial, newly discovered Gospel of Judas. Calming and broad-minded here, as in her earlier works, she applies a sympathetic and humane eye to texts that are neither subtle nor sympathetically humane but lit instead by fury." – Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker "Any book in the Bible that can be cited simultaneously by deeply conservative end-of-times Christians who see the Apocalypse around the corner and by Marxist-friendly Christians looking forward to justice at the End of History must have a compelling back story. – The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "Pagels is an absorbing, intelligent, and eye-opening companion. Another is that we all should be vigilant to keep some of us from using the vision for violence against others." The meaning of the Apocalypse is ever malleable and ready to hand for whatever crisis one confronts.
– The New York Times "One of the significant benefits of Pagels's book is its demonstration of the unpredictability of apocalyptic politics. One of great gifts is much in abundance: her ability to ask, and answer, the plainest questions about her material without speaking down to her audience. " Revelations is a slim book that packs in dense layers of scholarship and meaning.