Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
25 used & new from £3.45
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Reading Judas: The Controversial Message of the Ancient Gospel of Judas
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Reading Judas: The Controversial Message of the Ancient Gospel of Judas (Paperback)

by Elaine Pagels (Author), Karen L. King (Author) "FOR MORE THAN A DECADE we had heard rumors that a fabled gospel ascribed to Judas Iscariot had been discovered ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £8.09 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £0.90 (10%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
20 new from £3.45 5 used from £4.50
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £16.99 £14.44 15 used & new from £2.14

Frequently Bought Together

Reading Judas: The Controversial Message of the Ancient Gospel of Judas + Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas + Gnostic Gospels
Price For All Three: £21.07

Show availability and shipping details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas

by Elaine Pagels
4.3 out of 5 stars (9)  £6.99
Gnostic Gospels

Gnostic Gospels

by Elaine Pagels
4.3 out of 5 stars (18)  £5.99
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed

The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed

by Bart D. Ehrman
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £11.69
The Nag Hammadi Library in English

The Nag Hammadi Library in English

by James Robinson
4.9 out of 5 stars (8)  £12.34
Adam, Eve, and the Serpent

Adam, Eve, and the Serpent

by Elaine H Pagels
5.0 out of 5 stars (3) 
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (27 Mar 2008)
  • ISBN-10: 0141030135
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141030135
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.2 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 375,392 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
The Gospel Judas
   www.Ask.com    Find the Best Results for The Gospel Judas. 
  
 

Product Description

Product Description
Discover the true meaning of the lost Gospel of Judas … Lost for 1,600 years, the Gospel of Judas has only now had its meaning unlocked for readers today. Its startling text included the claim that not only was Judas the favoured disciple of Jesus, but also that Judas was killed by the other disciples. Was Judas a betrayer or a loyal disciple? Did he write this shocking document? And what does it mean for us today? In Reading Judas Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King, world-renowned experts in religious texts, explore the meanings of this contentious gospel in detail. Here they reveal a gospel that, far from seeing Jesus’ death as a sacrifice for humanity’s sins, opposes the idea that God desires martyrdom and instead points towards a faith that is based on inner spiritual life. Containing a new translation of the Gospel of Judas from the original Coptic, Reading Judas radically challenges our notions of the Christian faith.

About the Author
Karen L. King is the Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University in the Divinity School. Trained in comparative religion and historical studies, her teaching and research specialities in the history of Christianity lie in women’s studies, orthodoxy and heresy, and the Coptic Gnostic literature. Her publications include The Secret Revelation of John and The Gospel of Mary Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman. She is the recipient of awards for excellence in teaching and research, and has received grants from numerous organizations including the Ford Foundation. Her professional associations include membership in the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, the International Association for Coptic Studies and Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas. Elaine Pagels is Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of six previous books, including The Gnostic Gospels (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award) and the New York Times bestseller Beyond Belief. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
FOR MORE THAN A DECADE we had heard rumors that a fabled gospel ascribed to Judas Iscariot had been discovered. Read the first page
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Reading Judas: The Controversial Message of the Ancient Gospel of Judas
70% buy the item featured on this page:
Reading Judas: The Controversial Message of the Ancient Gospel of Judas 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£8.09
The Nag Hammadi Library in English
10% buy
The Nag Hammadi Library in English 4.9 out of 5 stars (8)
£12.34
Gnostic Gospels
7% buy
Gnostic Gospels 4.3 out of 5 stars (18)
£5.99
The Gnostic Gospels
7% buy
The Gnostic Gospels 4.7 out of 5 stars (3)
£5.49
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Modifying monotheism, 19 May 2007
By Stephen A. Haines (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Reading Judas: The Truth Behind the Notorious Gospel of Judas Iscariot (Hardcover)
Mind-bending drugs should be taken in small doses - which perhaps explains the brevity of this study. It's certainly challenging, yet surprisingly unfulfilling. The authors examine the recently discovered and painstakingly translated gospel, written about the middle of the 2nd Century CE. They include the entire available text plus commentary on the translation as part of this volume. They suggest it provides a fresh image of early Christianity - things not revealed by the other texts such as that from Nag Hammadi - the so-called "Gnostic Gospels". It demonstrates the many conflicts besetting the movement prior to the imposition of Constantine's "orthodoxy" on Christian society. The Gospel of Judas is most significant for its redefinition of the deity. It's an insightful and compelling account, but raises nearly as many questions as it provides answers.

We [should] all know of the "Judas kiss" purportedly betraying the teacher of a new relationship to the Judaic divinity. According to the four Synoptic Gospels, Judas supposedly sold out his teacher for a few coins, later regretting the act and taking his own life in consequence. This gospel demolishes that old story, replacing it with one in which Judas was directed to perform his act by the victim himself. The reasons for this overthrow many commonly accepted ideas of who the deity was and what was desired of its followers. Judas is portrayed as outside the original group of twelve, and given special recognition by his teacher. So detached was his role, that he's shown to be in serious conflict with his colleagues. The strife was intense enough that Judas, instead of a suicide, becomes the victim of murder by his colleagues.

The themes underlying this gospel are the role of martyrdom and the act of sacrifice. What kind of god demands the ultimate sacrifice? The author of The Gospel of Judas is particularly disparaging of those Christians who accepted, indeed willingly embraced, the martyr's role. He viewed this as a violation of a loving deity, the novel idea Jesus had taught. As a short-cut to Paradise, the author of the Gospel of Judas found martyrdom unacceptable. Innumerable questions arose over what kind of martyrdom Jesus had really suffered, resulting in extensive debate about his human aspects. That debate, of course, hasn't ceased, the Trinitarian concept being but a stopgap. The authors see The Gospel of Judas as depicting Jesus as a special entity, capable of reaching beyond the human body even while living. At one point, he's said to leave the group of disciples to enter Paradise directly, and enabling Judas to do the same. Martyrdom need not be endured if the proper faith is exercised. If Judas could achieve it, so could anybody who understood what Jesus' message conveyed.

If martyrdom was a misleading idea, what of the role of sacrifice? Jesus own death, often depicted as a sacrifice, was anathema to many, often blocking potential conversions. Human sacrifice was becoming seen as deplorable even in pagan societies. Animal sacrifice was a substitute, but did the deity view it that way? In their discussion of this and other offering practices, the authors show that the monotheism we consider essential to Jesus' teaching wasn't truly in place in that era. The Great Invisible Spirit referred to in the Judas Gospel was merely the highest in a confusing hierarchy of deities, angels and other spirits. The world wasn't created by Elohim, as the Jews generally taught, but by Saklas, a lesser deity. Another god was in charge of the sun, while yet others guided the planets and stars. The monotheism of Genesis is overturned in this Gospel. Instead of one creator, an array of over 360 "luminaries", each taking a particular role is depicted. Jesus own death is decreed by one of these, a "false god", to which the disciples, excepting Judas, make sacrifices. Jesus' taught Judas to bypass these unreliable spirits to reach the Great Invisible Spirit.

While the authors successfully demonstrate that Christianity was a hotch-potch of beliefs and practices, particularly as the author of The Gospel of Judas recognised, their own statement of how the text should now be considered is little short of staggering. They contend that elevating the text from its historical value to one of theological teaching "is not useful - and beside the point". The long history of the Synoptic Gospels being used in many faiths as the "standard" overrides whatever contribution either the Judas Gospel or the spectrum of "Gnostic" writings might make. Given that each of these has its own version of both Jesus and the deity who supposedly spawned him, this seems bizarre. We are left, after all these centuries of still wondering which deity should command our attention and worship. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

›Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

  

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

›Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (74)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (462)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (80)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates