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Judas Iscariot Was The New Testament Villain, But A Gnostic Gospel Claims He Was A Hero
The Gospel of Judas claims he was Jesus’ favorite disciple and asked him “to help send him to heaven.”
Christians around the world know the story of Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Christ with a kiss and sold him out for 30 pieces of silver. For centuries, calling someone “a Judas” has meant they’re a traitor, and Dante even condemned Judas to the worst punishment in Hell for his actions.
But what if Judas wasn’t a villain at all? What if he was actually helping Jesus? The secret Gospel of Judas (one of 52 secret gnostic gospels) reveals an entirely different side of the vilified apostle. According to the text, Jesus asked Judas to betray him.
The Gospel of Judas, one of the Gnostic gospels, was discovered in the 1970s but not translated until 2006. National Geographic determined the authenticity of the papyrus codex found hidden in the Egyptian desert, and the revelations in the Gospel of Judas contradict nearly 2,000 years of Christians condemning Judas.
The Gospel reveals a secret meeting between Jesus and Judas — just days before the Last Supper — where Jesus revealed his true nature to Judas and asked his closest disciple to help him ascend to Heaven.
