The Gospel of Judas... reviewed

Andrew Sullivan's The Daily Dish pointed me at a fascinating review of The Gospel of Judas, the new book that contains both the text of this recently translated 1600 year old gospel and information about the early history of the Christian church to place it in context.

As most anyone with whom I have discussed religion has heard me say, the Bible can either be a spiritual guide to the mysteries of what it is to be human, or it can simply be a list of whom to throw stones at. These days far too many people let it simply be the latter. The authors of this review are clearly in the former camp. From the review:

The understanding that this gospel gives its readers of themselves is complex. Its theology of good and evil is far from a simple, world-hating dualism; one could argue, for example, that it presents a more nuanced universe than the New Testament Gospel of John, with its stark images of darkness and light, divinity versus the devil. The Gospel of Judas teaches its readers that they were created by inferior angels, yet in the divine image of perfect humanity; that they have the potential to reclaim their authentic heavenly identity, and also the potential to die without ever realizing who they really are. Salvation in this text is certainly related to knowledge and revelation, but it is also a matter of ethics.