Joining many other recently found and publicized "gospels," the gospel of Judas has found its way into the limelight as the subject of some recently published books and some recent television programming. The ancient manuscript appears to be genuine — so what are we to make of the claims therein?

The gospel of Judas has created quite a stir among Christians and non-Christians, and has left many wondering if the view we have held of Jesus for centuries is incorrect. Claims such as Judas was doing what Jesus asked him to do when he betrayed him; Jesus came to offer secret knowledge of how to escape this earthly world, rather than to usher in God's kingdom on earth; Jesus felt no pain on the cross, and more. The gospel of Judas was discovered three decades ago, but was only made public in 2006. The media made much of it, and it tied in nicely with the film release of the Da Vinci Code. Both were over-hyped and cast aspersions on the canonical gospels and the real Jesus. And both fed into conspiratorial claims about church cover-ups and the need to reinvent Christianity. The document in question, a Gnostic gospel, is authentic, from third or fourth century Egypt. Like other Gnostic writings, this document presents an unbiblical dualism: this world is evil and needs to be escaped from, and a secret knowledge ('gnosis') will help one to achieve that. Jesus and the early disciples, by contrast, taught that God's kingdom was breaking into this world. While this material world is in need of restoration, it is not evil in itself.

The canonical gospels are early (written within a generation of the lifetime of Jesus) while the Gnostic gospels are late (second and third centuries). The canonical gospels are sustained narratives, while the Gnostic writings are usually loose collections of teaching. While the Gospel of Judas is a bit different, it still is closer to the latter than to the former.

In orthodox Christianity, the goal of salvation is the redemption of this world, along with the resurrection of our bodies. In Gnosticism, the aim is to escape this evil material world. Thus the biblical gospels are this-worldly, while the Gnostic gospels deny this world. The message of the two are worlds apart. The gospel of Judas, like the other Gnostic writings, is incompatible with the New Testament gospels. They differ in genre, theology and time of writing. If the claims of the former are true, then Christianity (and Judaism) cannot be true. Conversely, if the biblical version of events is correct, then the Gnostic perspective must be wrong.

Judas and the Gospel of Jesus: Have We Missed the Truth about Christianity? In his book Judas and the Gospel of Jesus: Have We Missed the Truth about Christianity?, N T Wright exposes the agenda of a "quest for an alternative Jesus," and shows how the gospel of Judas, while a spectacularly interesting archeological find, tells us nothing about the real Jesus. Find out how Gnosticism impacts contemporary society and how the gospel of Jesus leads to the truth. This timely response to the Gospel of Judas is the authoritative, orthodox word on what the Gospel of Judas really tells us — and does not tell us — about Jesus, Judas, early Christianity, and Gnosticism. Tom Wright, as both a bishop and a historian, is uniquely qualified to speak on the subject. In Judas and the Gospel of Jesus, he clearly and fairly answers your questions about this "new gospel." USA UK Canada

The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities The Da Vinci Code has spawned a thriving cottage industry of both supporters and critics. One of Brown's more controversial assertions is that the emergence of Christian orthodoxy was based not on its merit but on the politics of the winning side. Here, Bock sums up the evangelical perspective as he challenges the idea that orthodoxy "emerged" at all. Rather, he argues, it survived its many challenges in the early centuries of the Christian church because it best reflected the thoughts and teachings of Jesus and the apostles. The author, who teaches New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, considers the idea that Christianity needs to be "reimagined "— reformed in the image of recent archeological and literary discoveries — to be an ill-advised attempt to rewrite history. He takes on those scholars who want to reinterpret Christianity in light of early Gnostic teachings that denied the oneness of the Father and the Son and spiritualized the gospel stories into myths. USA UK Canada

The Truth About Jesus and the "Lost Gospels": A Reasoned Look at Thomas, Judas, and the Gnostic Gospels In this helpful book, world religions scholar David Marshall examines the popular claims being made about the Gnostic "Gospels," and reveals how, in actuality, they fall far short of the true Gospels in the New Testament. This is an eye-opening resource that will equip Christians to take a well-informed and well-reasoned stand against the so-called "Lost Gospels" that have become so popular today. Reading Thomas, Philip, Mary, or Judas, one may reasonably respond, ‘So this is what a made–up Gospel looks like. This is what Jesus would look like if He were the product of theological spin.’ These conveniently clever texts reveal the startling, unique, and saving character of the Good News according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In a sense, these four Gospels carry a unique ‘genetic’ signature: fruitful and far more deeply startling qualities that mark the story as true. USA UK Canada

In his new book Guy Harrison details such reasons for god-belief as the obviousness of God, "playing it safe," the fear of hell, that belief in gods brings genuine happiness and comforts, and the fact that so many people are religious. 50 Reasons People Give For Believing In A God

The Christian apologetic of "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic," made famous by C S Lewis, has gained recent skepticism. Many modern critics of Christianity believe the biblical portrait of Jesus Christ is based on myth. Lord or Legend? puts skeptics' claims to the test to uncover the historical Jesus. Lord or Legend? Wrestling with the Jesus Dilemma

Modern historical study of the Gospels seems to give us a new portrait of Jesus every few weeks. Why are scholars so prone to fabricate a new Jesus? Why is the public so eager to accept such claims without question? What methods and assumptions predispose scholars to distort the record? Fabricating Jesus

Is the Bible we have today trustworthy? Why were certain books included and others left out? What is the reliability of the missing gospels — such as the gospel of Thomas and the gospel of Judas — mentioned in The Da Vinci Code but not included in scripture. The Missing Gospels

Like many Jews and Christians, David Plotz long assumed he knew what was in the Bible. But it wasn't until he picked up a Bible at a cousin's bat mitzvah — and became engrossed and horrified by a lesser-known story in Genesis — that he couldn't put it down. The Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible