In the 1970's, a deteriorating papyrus document appeared at an antiquities shop in Egypt. Written in Coptic and dating to around AD 280 (according to radiocarbon testing), the document, known as the Gospel of Judas, told the story of Jesus and his disciple Judas from a very different perspective. As the story goes, instead of betraying Jesus for money, Judas was asked by Jesus to let leaders know of his whereabouts so his destiny of dying would be fulfilled.
The whole idea that Jesus asked Judas to betray him goes against pretty much every Christian philosophy believed in the present day. Yes, it was supposed to happen, but Jesus didn't make it happen. Judas was just a bad guy for performing such a dastardly deed and will burn in the pits of hell forever. That, of course, fits into the whole good/bad, right/wrong philosophy we are taught is the basis of our existence, otherwise known as duality. We're all supposed to be standing for good and fighting evil, right?
What if there is another way? What if the Gospel of Judas is trying to reveal something more about the divine nature of man? In my way of thinking, the Gospel of Judas imparts some extremely profound teachings about the nature of Oneness.
Going back to the cannonized Bible, there are several places where believers are instructed to give thanks in all things, which I have to believe includes the "bad" things right along with the "good". If you live your life from a right/wrong, good/bad belief system, the idea seems pretty counterintuitive.
The first time I was able to visit Oneness, one very powerful thing stood out to me. Everything I had ever known was in this place--people, plants, the Earth, cars, buildings, songs, paintings, money, emotions, etc. Many of these things were what I had always considered to be "bad", yet there they were in this place of Oneness where everything melded together in blissful perfection. In Oneness, there was no bad. In Oneness, it made perfect sense to be thankful for all things!
The Gospel of Judas portrays a belief system where there is no judgment. A circumstance that appears bad or negative (Jesus death) was necessary for the eventual salvation of man (the resurrection). Jesus, through Judas, made sure it happened. No duality. Just everything working together for the benefit of the whole. Oneness.
I can't say whether or not the Gospel of Judas is history or mythology. I can't even tell you for sure Jesus had a near death experience. What I can say is this: the Book of Judas allows us to see an alternative to duality. When we can appreciate the concept that all things work together for good, we will have traded duality for Oneness.
~CSE
The whole idea that Jesus asked Judas to betray him goes against pretty much every Christian philosophy believed in the present day. Yes, it was supposed to happen, but Jesus didn't make it happen. Judas was just a bad guy for performing such a dastardly deed and will burn in the pits of hell forever. That, of course, fits into the whole good/bad, right/wrong philosophy we are taught is the basis of our existence, otherwise known as duality. We're all supposed to be standing for good and fighting evil, right?
What if there is another way? What if the Gospel of Judas is trying to reveal something more about the divine nature of man? In my way of thinking, the Gospel of Judas imparts some extremely profound teachings about the nature of Oneness.
Going back to the cannonized Bible, there are several places where believers are instructed to give thanks in all things, which I have to believe includes the "bad" things right along with the "good". If you live your life from a right/wrong, good/bad belief system, the idea seems pretty counterintuitive.
The first time I was able to visit Oneness, one very powerful thing stood out to me. Everything I had ever known was in this place--people, plants, the Earth, cars, buildings, songs, paintings, money, emotions, etc. Many of these things were what I had always considered to be "bad", yet there they were in this place of Oneness where everything melded together in blissful perfection. In Oneness, there was no bad. In Oneness, it made perfect sense to be thankful for all things!
The Gospel of Judas portrays a belief system where there is no judgment. A circumstance that appears bad or negative (Jesus death) was necessary for the eventual salvation of man (the resurrection). Jesus, through Judas, made sure it happened. No duality. Just everything working together for the benefit of the whole. Oneness.
I can't say whether or not the Gospel of Judas is history or mythology. I can't even tell you for sure Jesus had a near death experience. What I can say is this: the Book of Judas allows us to see an alternative to duality. When we can appreciate the concept that all things work together for good, we will have traded duality for Oneness.
~CSE
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