The Gospel of Judas, a second-century Gnostic text, presents a provocative reimagining of the relationship between Jesus and his disciples.
This text, lost for centuries and rediscovered in modern times, challenges the traditional narrative by portraying Judas Iscariot as the favored disciple, entrusted with a divine mission rather than as a traitor.
Now, before you start to yell, “HERESY!”, let’s take a step back and talk about what this author is doing.
He’s NOT trying to trick you into thinking that his Gospel is a factual account of anything Jesus said or did.
See, beneath this radical revisioning of history lies a deeper, more scathing critique of the emerging Christian orthodoxy of the late Second Century.
In other words, the author of the Gospel of Judas uses Jesus and his disciples as an extended metaphor to expose how the Christian bishops of the late second century had, in truth, betrayed Jesus by distorting his teachings to establish hierarchical power structures that served their own ambitions.
The Political and Religious Context of the Late Second Century
By the late second century, Christianity was no longer a loosely connected movement of diverse interpretations but was beginning to coalesce around a structured orthodoxy. Bishops and church leaders were consolidating authority, establishing doctrines, and defining what it meant to be a ‘true’ Christian.
Those who deviated from this emerging orthodoxy—particularly Gnostic and Valentinian Christians—were labeled as heretics and condemned.
The Gospel of Judas emerges from this theological battlefield, offering a radical counterpoint as a commentary on the dominant church hierarchy.
The Role of the Disciples as Metaphorical Figures
In the Gospel of Judas, the Twelve disciples are not the noble followers of Christ as depicted in the canonical Gospels. Instead, they are ignorant, misguided men who misunderstand Jesus’ true teachings.
In this Gospel, they represent the Second Century Proto-Orthodox Christians who [in the view of the author] worship a lesser god, a false deity who is not the true Father of Jesus. Their ignorance and spiritual blindness serve as a damning metaphor for the bishops of the second-century church—men who claimed to represent Christ but, in truth, were leading people astray.
This characterization suggests that the Disciples, like the orthodox bishops, were obsessed with worldly authority and material concerns rather than the deeper, hidden wisdom that Jesus sought to impart. Their misunderstanding of Jesus’ mission mirrors the way the Second Century bishops had, according to the Gnostic author, twisted Jesus’ teachings into a rigid, dogmatic system designed to control rather than to enlighten.
Judas as the True Disciple and the Betrayal of Christ
Unlike the other disciples, Judas Iscariot is portrayed here as the only one who truly understands Jesus’ divine nature. Rather than betraying Jesus out of greed, as in the canonical accounts, Judas is fulfilling a sacred duty by handing Jesus over, allowing him to escape the physical realm and return to the divine Pleroma [Fullness].
This reframing serves a dual purpose. First, it exonerates Judas and aligns him with a deeper, hidden truth. Second, and more importantly, it presents a stark contrast between Judas and the Second Century bishops.
Whereas Judas is depicted as an enlightened follower who acts according to Jesus’ true wishes, the bishops—like the other Disciples—are blind to the deeper truths of Christ’s message. They cling to an earthly, corrupted interpretation of his teachings, using them to justify their own authority.
In this sense, the true betrayal of Jesus doesn’t take place when Judas hands him over to the Romans, but when the Second Century bishops institutionalized his teachings into a rigid framework that served their own power and placed obstacles between God and His children.
A Call to Reject Earthly Power
The Gospel of Judas thus presents a powerful argument against the developing structures of the Second Century church.
It aligns with broader Gnostic themes that reject the material world and its institutions as corrupt and ultimately meaningless.
By framing the orthodox bishops as the ignorant disciples who worship a false god, the Gospel of Judas argues that the true followers of Christ are those who seek spiritual enlightenment from Jesus directly.
The Gospel of Judas functions as a scathing critique of the second-century Christian establishment. By reimagining the Disciples as blind and corrupt, the text calls into question the legitimacy of the bishops who were shaping Christianity into a hierarchical institution. In doing so, it presents a powerful alternative vision—one that emphasizes individual enlightenment, and a rejection of worldly power.
The Gospel of Judas, in essence, accuses the early church leaders of being the real betrayers of Christ.
This message was dangerous in its time, as it directly challenged the authority of the growing ecclesiastical order, and that’s most likely why it was suppressed for so long. The Gospel of Judas implicitly accuses the bishops of being the real traitors—those who, in their pursuit of control, had corrupted the essence of Jesus’ message.
But, we could say the same thing about today’s Church leaders in America. They have corrupted the actual teachings of Jesus to twist his words into a religion that craves political power, opposes the immigrant and the refugee, pledges allegiance to the State, degrades women, and considers empathy to be a sin.
Maybe we need a new Gospel of Judas for today’s American Church?
I’m seriously planning to write one.
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The newest book from Keith Giles, “The Quantum Sayings of Jesus: Decoding the Lost Gospel of Thomas” is available now on Amazon. Order HERE>
Keith Giles is the best-selling author of the Jesus Un series. He has been interviewed on CNN with Anderson Cooper, Coast to Coast Radio with George Noory, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything.”
He co-hosts The Heretic Happy Hour Podcast and his solo podcast, Second Cup With Keith which are both available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Podbean or wherever you find great podcasts.
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