DVD | The Gospel of Judas

Rating: E – Exempt from Classification.
Duration: 90 mins
Genre : Documentary
Actors: N/A
Release Date: Available now.

What if an ancient gospel was rediscovered that offered a radically different perspective on a man that history has painted as the ultimate villain? What if this account turned Jesus' betrayal on its head, and in it the villain became a hero?

Such is the premise for National Geographic’s look at the Gnostic document known as the Gospel of Judas. The document was found, apparently by a farmer in 1978, stolen, recovered and essentially abandoned for almost 20 years in a bank vault. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that an antiques dealer who believes that she was ‘chosen by Judas’ tracks it down and purchases it for US$300,000.

‘Chosen by Judas’? The documentary certainly starts off on shaky ground, with out a sliver of ascertainable fact. And it continues down this road with much speculation, and little in the way of grounded facts.

Whilst the arguments are portrayed as balanced the overall feel is one that wants desperately to give credence to this Gospel over any other, using any means possible. It plays the anti-sematic card in a effort to portray Judas as a person persecuted by Christians in an effort to out perform the Jewish religion.

In the end, the clear difference seems to be that this is a gospel written more about how great Judas was – “You will be greater than them all.” Jesus apparently tells Judas. Modesty isn’t a tool often used here.

Production wise, the documentary veers towards the cheesy. It attempts to legitimise it’s self through using selected experts. As far as entertainment value, it depends on what you want to hear. For many Christians there will be nothing new here – the history of the four Gospels is explained – but as a whole, The Gospel Of Judas does seem somewhat drawn out.

The special features revolve around extended interviews with the experts which ads more interest to the DVD. Allowing us to see Christianity as a diverse and far reaching religion with as many questions as answers.

Food for thought
Why do you believe what you believe?
Would the inclusion of the Gospel of Judas in the Bible adversely affect what you believe?