The Thirteenth Apostle: What the Gospel of Judas Really Says
"April DeConick makes a brilliant contribution to the conversation about this puzzling gospel, whose Sethian "bitter voice" she hears as a sophisticated, ironic parody of apostolic Christianity's atonement-by-sacrifice theology and cultic activity. Engagement with the gospel of Mark and with movie versions of Judas bring first and second century sectarian conflicts into contemporary focus. I highly recommend this work for all scholars and students of the apocryphal and canonical gospels."Jane D. Schaberg, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Detroit, Mercy, USA. (Jane Schaberg)"'Yet you will do worse than all of them. For the man that clothes me, you will sacrifice him.' Thus speaks Jesus to Judas Iscariot, according to April DeConick's new translation of the Gospel of Judas. But far from being a demand addressed by Jesus to his favorite disciple, as the first editors of the Gospel of Judas claimed, this sentence is both a prediction of Judas' betrayal of Jesus, and a condemnation of it. In her discussions of this passage and many others, April DeConick's new book provides solutions to major issues raised by this fascinating but frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted text."Louis Painchaud, Ph.D., Universit&#233; Laval, Canada (Louis Painchaud, Ph.D., Université Laval, Canada)"Turning upside down the most accepted understanding of the Gospel of Judas (Codex Tchacos), April DeConick gives a radically new reading of this Coptic apocryphon, based on her fresh, personal translation. She unveils the techniques of an ancient author, a Sethian Gnostic of the 2nd century CE, who used mockery and sarcasm to define Judas' role in relation to Jesus on one side and the Apostles on the other. A deep original sight is offered on the intense and troubled story of early Christianity with its rival, opponent streams. Those who are interested in the Gnostic adventure cannot missThe Thirteenth Apostle."Professor Madeleine Scopello, Director of Research at the National Centre of Scientific Research Sorbonne, Paris (Professor Madeleine Scopello)Introductory article and Q&A session on www.thesheepdip.co.ukMention-Chronicle of Higher Education, January 18, 2008