The Gospel of Judas: Part I
To provide a context to this account, the author(s) wrote: “This is the hidden word of the pronouncement, containing the account about when Jesus spoke with Judas Iscariot for eight days, three days before he observed Passover.” And three days before Jesus entered Jerusalem.
…So twelve disciples were called, he began to speak to them about the mysteries which are beyond the world…
And he dwelt in Judea with his disciples“.
Scene #1: as described by the author (s) of the Judas gospel.
One day he found the disciples gathered together, sitting and offering a prayer of thanksgiving over the bread. Finding them thus, Jesus laughed. One of them asked Jesus, “Teacher why do you laugh at our offering thanks? What did we do? This is what is right.”
Jesus replied that he was not laughing at them, but rather he was laughing because this prayer was for “your God”. From one of the twelve came the acknowledgment that Jesus was the Son of our God. Then Jesus continued with, “Do you really think you know me–how? Truly I say to you, no race from the people among you will ever know me.”
At this the disciples became angry and disrespectful of him. Jesus then challenged them to bring forth the perfect human and stand up to face him. Although the group expressed that they were strong, none took up the opportunity. Except for Judas Iscariot. He stood up to face, but then turned his face aside. Judas said, “I know who you are and which place you came from. You came from the realm of the immortal Barbelo, but I am not worthy to proclaim the name of the one who sent you.”
Upon hearing Judas say this, he implored Judas to separate from the other eleven and come to him to learn “the mysteries of the kingdom.” “It is possible for you to reach that place, but you will suffer much grief. For another will take your place, so that the twelve might again be complete with their God”.
Notes:
A paragraph about Barbelo appears in the Comments on the Translation section of the book Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and The Shaping of Christianity by Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King.
The figure of Barbelo appears in other ancient texts discovered in Egypt, such as the Nag Hamadi scriptures, since the late nineteenth century. According to scholars of early Christianity, these texts have been grouped together under the title of Sethianism. Seth was Adam’s third son. In these works, a spiritual race of humanity was descended from Barbelo. The “realm of Barbelo” refers to the whole divine space above, or to the divine-heavenly realm.