I have a question about the whole Judas/betrayal story--?
448282
There's a difference between God determining somebody's choices for them, and knowing what choices that person is going to make.\n\nJesus knew that Judas would betray him, just as Jesus knew that Peter would deny him three times.  Ultimately, it was still a choice of Judas to betray Jesus- even if Jesus knew beforehand that he was going to do it.
564021
According to the newly discovered gosple of Judas, that's exactly what happened.  According to that book, Judas did not betray Jesus as all, but merely did what Jesus told him to do.\n\nOf course, it's important to keep in mind that Judas and Jesus are both fictional characters.
468223
Some historians and scriptural experts suggest that Judas knew Jesus had to be betrayed and then put his own neck in the noose for the rest of the world.   He is such a hated person, and yet it is because of him that one of the largest religions in the world has taken power.  In my opinion, Christians should revere his name, not scorn it.  If you want more info, go to a library and check out a copy of the Gnostic Gospels (also called the Nag Hammadi), or more specifically the Gospel of Judas.
875004
If you are thinking of trying to spot a contradiction, then you will be disappointed. The Bible did not say that Judas committed suicide in two different ways. It clearly says in Matthew that he hung himself. Acts simply recorded that he fell headfirst and his stomach was cut opened by the fall. You only call it a contradiction when the two accounts are impossible to reconcile. But it is perfectly plausible that he hung himself from a tree near a cliff or ravine and the branch upon which he was hanging later broke off. Unless you are saying that this scenario is impossible you do not have a contradiction to rave about.
339520
When I read in my bible in John 6:70 "Jesus answered them, have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him being one of the twelve." Judas was hand picked just like the other twelve. There will always be a devil or somebody similar who will go the opposite of what thus saith the Lord all the time. Judas tried to stop Jesus in doing what was right. John 12:3-8 "Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. Then saith Judas Iscariot Simon's son which should betray him, why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus Let her alone: against the day of my burring hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."\n\nWhenever you want to do the will of God the devil will always be there to stop you. Moses in crossing the Red Sea the devil was right there not only Pharaoh was right there with his men and army to stop him but the people who didn't have any faith after what God had showed them in Egypt. Jesus said in Matthew 13 about the tares and the whet. There will always be tares in whet all the time because the devil doesn’t want anybody to believe the word the bible. Luke 10:38-42. Again another example how one (Mary) was at the feet of Jesus and listening to his word, (Just like I am today in the bible the feet of Jesus listening to his word doing what the bible says) and Mary tried to stop her sister Martha and was upset about the worldly things of setting the table etc. Jesus told Martha Luke 10:41 "And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." I read all over the bible that when Holy man of God from Adam and Eve and until today where doing the will of God the devil is always there to stop them. Jesus was tempted and was always facing rebuke from the serpent the devil. Jesus never listened to the devil he knew his bible as he was God's word in the flesh and he knew the writings of the Old Testament he didn't at all listened to the devil he just went on no matter what rebuking the devil. \n\nI face the same thing today with soph called Christians who claim they can't stop sinning, and they claim they can't be holy, (but they believe in holiness but they claim they can't be holy) and they claim they can't be perfect, (blameless doing what the bible says) and they claim they can't be righteous, they claim they can't be sanctified. The reason why they claim such stuff is because they have been seduced (bewitched) by the serpent that was talking to Eve and that came into Judas Iscariot and try to entice me in their false teachings. Paul said in 2nd Timothy 3:12 "yea, and all those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." John said this in 1st John 2:26 "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (The word) The bible was also written for those people who seduce me to their funny gospel. Christians today don't read their bible and they have been seduced and bewitched for centuries and are going to the lake of fire and brimstone because they deny what the bible says and go against the bible. We are told to come out from among those liars called church. Revelation 18:4-5 "And I heard another voice from hea
997823
Sorry, I'm gonna pull a Mainworry but this answers your question better than I could have hoped for\n\nParable of the Two Sons:\n\nJesus told a story of two sons.  A father asked his first son to work in the fields, and he replied, "of course I will!"  He then went outside and changed his mind and did not work\n\nThe father asked his second son to help with the fields, and his son relied, "No!"  but later felt guilty and worked in the fields.\n\nJesus asked, "Now, which son did what was right?" and the crowd replied, "The second one!"  Jesus said, "Ah, surely prostitutes and tax collecters will enter heaven before you do".\n\nAthiests are the ones who say "No" to God, but often do what is right of their own choice.  Christians are the ones who say "Yes" to God, but then act in the opposite manner as they should.
381429
It's baloney! (Bologna for you German members :) They can say Jesus walked on Ice, rather than Water. They can say that Jesus asked Judas to betray him. They can say anything they want and even back it up with their scientific propaganda but what they can never change is faith and Christianity. It states in the Bible that nothing should be taken away or added to His Word, I'm stickin' to that.
684848
People who have absolutely no idea will scream, "LIES" without even reading the book or investigating the history behind it. From what I was able to find, here is what's true and what's not:\n\n- Gnostic Gospels: True, except the text in the Gospel of Mary Magdaline where is says, "Jesus kissed Mary on the lips" is actually, "Jesus kissed Mary on the (hole in parchment)". Brown took a liberty here. Also, there are several references in the Gnostic gospels as well as the bible itself that refer to Jesus "favoring" Mary Mag but they don't go into detail...leaving room for speculation.\n\n- Priory of Sion: A real org., however every bit of information about links it to one of 3 men in the 1950s, and there's no information or reference of the org before that. It's thought to be a hoax.\n\n- Myth of Jesus's Family: The book is correct that Mary Mag was not a prostitute. The bible makes absolutely no reference to that at all. As for the legend of Mary Mag fleeing to France, the only evidence that I know of is a reference in a 15th century book, and an old French myth. Supposedly she had a daughter named Sara, which in Hebrew means Princess. So, the conclusion could be reached that she was the child of Jesus, but its a bit of a stretch.\n\nDa Vinci: Some agree 100% that Mary Mag is in the painting of the last supper. Several art historians claim that during the Rennesaunce (spelling) John was often painted feminine.\n\nConstantine: This was about 80% true from my research. Yes, Constantine formed the Christian religon as it is now (more or less). History is a little fuzzy though as to how much involvement he had choosing which books to include in the bible (some say it was him alone, some say it was several people over several years). However, he DID remove all other religions claiming to follow another messiah, and shape the Christian religion the way he wanted it and make it mainstream. Whether that's following God's influence or a personal agenda, you decide.\n\nOver all, as for the history and theory part of the book I'd say its about 50% fact, 40% legend-theory-assumption, and 10% false. Dan Brown even admits that, "the opinions in the book are conclusions drawn by the characters". He is himself a Christian.\n\nNow...isn't that better than an angry Christian screaming "LIES" when they don't have a clue what they're talking about?
159900
Well, I see it like this: God's will was already established both the good and the bad. But we are floating around with a choice to become either Judas Iscariot or Peter. Both were choosen to be Apostles, both sinned against God, however, only one of them chose to repent with godly sorrow and not just because he got caught like Judas did. People always say, was Judas predestined to go to hell? No, I don't think so, I believe God's will is predestined not the people that will choose themselves what part they want to play. So, predestination for those who don't want to receive Jesus because they think it will just fall on them are wrong. Proof of what I just said can be found in Deut 28, where he set before us both blessings and cursings, see the plan is set, but what part of the plan you'll be in is entirely up to you,thus, your freedom to choose! God bless you girl!
1002694
Luk 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. \nLuk 6:13  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;\nLuk 6:14  Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, \nLuk 6:15  Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,\nLuk 6:16  And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.\n\nMar 3:19  And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house. \n\nfrom the passages you can see that Judas Iscariot, is different from all other Judas. The name Judas is not meant for only one person, and because there are other persons called Judas around Jesus, hence Judas Iscariot was identified by "one of the twelve who betrayed Jesus, or Judas the betrayer etc.
1033171
Okay, this is my understanding of it from all I've read here on Y!A and elsewhere... Please correct me if I've made any mistakes...\n\nIn the beginning, God made a bunch of rules. Those who followed them went to heaven and those who broke them went to hell.\n\nBut they were really difficult rules, so God decided to send Jesus to the world. Jesus was God's son, but he was God Himself, too. Plus the Holy Spirit. And the "Word made Flesh". And many other things too.\n\nJesus's mission was to spread the word of God, his Father (i.e. Himself), but he was also our Saviour. This he accomplished by dying. You see, everyone is a sinner, and no-one can live up to God's rules. God seems to have realised that in due course. He could have, say, changed the rules or just absolved us all by fiat, but this whole kill-My-son (i.e. Myself) thing seemed easier.\n\nJesus was predestined to die for our sins. It was his calling. This is why he hid from the Romans like a fugitive, and why Pilate, Judas and the Jews are all condemned for their complicity - because they wanted to kill a man who wanted to die and was preordained to die. Their crucial role in carrying out God's plan to redeem us all is why we should hate them today.\n\nWhen Jesus, who willingly died and could have prevented it if he had wanted, was on the cross, he called out 'Father, why have you betrayed me?' This means, 'Father (i.e. myself), why have You (i.e. I) abandoned me (i.e. Yourself) when I'm carrying out the mission that you (i.e. I) decided to undertake in the first place?' This is because God, who is omnipotent, could not bear to look sin in the face, and Jesus (i.e. God) had become sin at that moment. Then Jesus died.\n\nExcept he didn't die. He spent a long weekend somewhere and then he was resurrected. So Jesus died for our sins, but he didn't die. He was raised again and now sits at the right hand of God. Except that he is God. But anyway, we can all go to heaven now, where we couldn't before Jesus died/didn't die for us.\n\nOf course, we can still go to hell. Jesus died for our sins, but it doesn't count unless you accept him as your Saviour. Plus, if you're Catholic, you also have to confess and repent and atone. And if you're Protestant, it doesn't much matter anyway, because God decided where you were going before you were born. Plus there's something about wine and thin little wafers.\n\nSo then... what have we learnt? Well, God's law is eternal, but God's law is really harsh so He gave us a hand by sending His son/Himself to die. Except that he didn't die. Because he died/didn't die, people can go to heaven. But they still have to follow God's law, or else they'll go to hell. Just like it was before God sent His son/Himself to die/not die on the cross in order to absolve/not absolve us of our sins.\n\nI hope this clears up any misunderstandings... It's all very clear and logical when you approach it the right way.
1019817
Which story?\n\n* The story of Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu?  They're fictional characters, the invention of the author.\n\n* The story that Jesus and Mary of Magdala were married and had children?  It seems unlikely -- although the Bible doesn't specifically say that Jesus was *not* married, (1) it would be a strange thing to omit considering that even Simon Peter's mother-in-law gets a mention, (2) none of the early church historians say anything about it in their writings, and (3) the Gnostic books that imply the possibility of romantic relationships between Jesus and MM were all written, at the earliest, 120 years after the fact.\n\n* The story of the Priory of Sion?  I think it's been fairly well established that, at the very least, Dan Brown (as well as the authors of /Holy Blood, Holy Grail/, one of his major sources ) was duped by the hoax -- see Wikipedia's entry on Pierre Plantard for more details.  Based on Brown's own statements and writings, however, I get the impression he's trying to talk out of both sides of his mouth on this one, so I'm having a hard time imagining him as an innocent victim of Plantard's ruse.
401241
I found the presentation on NGC interesting. While the jury is out on the authenticity of the document, it does present a different perspective held by Christians of the time. Diversity in beliefs and expressions is nothing new to the Church, and we should be open to new ideas based upon new information coming to light.\n\nThe idea of Judas acting on behalf of Jesus is also nothing new, and has been present throughout Christian history.\n\nNew ideas do not threaten my beliefs or weaken my faith.
519225
I don't like the fact that some people are reading it as fact when it is fiction. The man who wrote it(Dan Brown) was charged with plagiarism. I haven't cracked the book but know someone who is reading it but aren't taken in by it's lies. I find it just as abusurd as the supposed "book of judas."  \n\nHere is one of the lies of this book and the truthfull answers to it.\n\nThe Da Vince Code says...\nIn 325 the council of Nicea decided by vote to make Jesus divine. "Until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet." It was a close vote at that.  P.233\n\nFACT:\nThe council, of which we have the historical writings and decisions, had mothing to do with the divinity of Jesus. They were didscssuin Arius, who had begun teaching that Jesus was not eternally co-existent with the father but was divine, The discussion was around whether Jesus was eternally co-existant with the father not wherether Jesus was divine. The close vote.... was almost 300  to  2. WE WOULD call that a landslide in today's English. Consider these Verses.\n\nMatt 16:16  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son fo the living God" NKJV\n\nMark 15:39  So when the centurion, who stood oppostie Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said,"Truly this Man was the Son of God!"\n\nLuke 4:41   And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying. "You are the Christ, the Son of God!?\n\nJohn 10:33  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."\n\nJohn 20:28  And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"\n\nThe Da Vinci Code says...\nThe church demonized the sacred feminine and the goddess by reaching teh concept of original sin, "whereby Eve tasted the apple and caused the downfall of the human race." P238\n\nFACT:\nThe Bible actually blames Adam much more that Eve and nowhere does the Bible mention an apple, merely fruit.\n\n! Cor 15:21-22  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.  22.  For as in Adam all\ndie, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.\n\nRom 5:12 Therefore, just through one man sin intered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-\n\nSo if they read the Bible they will see that the Da Vince Code is a joke. The fact that it is a novel: n. a fictious prose narritive of considerable length... fictious: adj. \n1. created or assumed for the sake of concealment; false.\n2. of or consisting of fiction; created by the imagination.\n\nThese definitons came from Websters Dictionary not something I made up.
355886
I watched the Discovery Channel show all about it, and all I can say is God help us. It is NOT right by any means. Jesus would NEVER say that Judas would surpass the rest of the apostles and enter Heaven that "no angel has ever set eyes on" (which is what is said in this Gospel). This Gospel scares me, nothing good has surrounded it's finding (after finding it, it has been stolen and sought after greedily, and twisted peoples morals in a bad way), and nothing good will come from it. That is my opinion.\nTake care and God Bless
354507
The "gospel of Judas" is an oxymoron. Gospel means "good news". What is so great about the man who was possessed by Satan, betrayed Jesus Christ for 30 pieces of silver, then hung himself when it was all over????
383534
I would have to go with, Judas was'nt only a devoted apprentice but Jesus's friend! And he only followed Jesus's instruccions to hand him over!As for the Gospel According to judas it has remained hidden for more than 1800 yrs for a reason, and as for the bible oh!Remember those times when the catholics persued the christians and took away their bibles?they burned them; now ask yourself why do we still have them?(they made their own similar to the original)They changed lots of stuff in there, and that is what we read now to guide us!As for Jusdas's gospel it has remained untouched and unchanged.Its authentic!!