Apocryphal collection · Gnostics and Nag Hammadi · 2 min read
Gospel of Judas
The disciple who understood, the aeons of light and the 360 firmaments
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
Mentioned by Irenaeus of Lyon around AD 180 and lost for more than 1,600 years, the Gospel of Judas reappeared in a Coptic codex found in Egypt in the 1970s, which spent decades on the antiquities market until it was published in 2006. In it, Jesus laughs at the disciples who give thanks to the wrong god and reveals only to Judas the “mysteries of the kingdom”: a universe of light above the creator of this world, with aeons, luminaries and countless heavens, including 360 firmaments. The text ends with Judas handing Jesus over.
Key points
- Manuscript: Codex Tchacos (3rd–4th centuries), found near El Minya, Egypt, in the 1970s.
- Published by the National Geographic Society in 2006; carbon-14 dating between AD 220 and 340.
- Irenaeus (Against Heresies 1.31.1) cites a “Gospel of Judas” used by the Cainites.
- Linked to the Sethian Gnostic current.
- It describes 12 aeons, 72 luminaries and 360 firmaments.
What scholars say
Scholars agree that the text offers no historical information about the 1st-century Judas: it is a 2nd-century Gnostic theological work that uses Judas to criticize the church that was taking shape. The interpretation of Judas as a hero is disputed.
Keep investigating
- Apocryphon of John The blind creator, the seven heavens and the 365 angels who shaped Adam
- Gospel of the Egyptians (Coptic) The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit
- Gospel of Mary (Magdalene) The disciple who comforts the apostles and the soul's ascent past the powers
Other languages: Português · Español
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