More Debate on Christianity . . . Will Christianity Miss This Opportunity to Benefit?

The Book of Judas, a gospel that has been lost for nearly 2,000 years, was discovered in the 1970s and has been in hiding since it was unlawfully removed frm Egypt. Now it has resurfaced for expert analysis.

The document appears to date to roughly 300 ce (common era, formerly AD). It is a copy of an earlier manuscript that was referred to as early as 180 ce.

Of course, only four gospels were selected for inclusion into the Bible although many more existed. "Eventually, one point of view prevailed and the others were declared heresy," Bart Ehrman, chairman of religious studies at the University of North Carolina said, "including the Gnostics who believed that salvation depended on secret knowledge that Jesus imparted, particularly to Judas."

"The text ends with Judas turning Jesus over to the high priests and does not include any mention of the crucifixion or resurrection. " Just as the other four gospels included in the Bible, this one makes little acknowledgement and includes no details or specifics on the crucifixion.

This appears to be a document that legitimately dates back to the same time as the other gospels and, realistically, should initiate a complex and analytical debate about its authenticity and the effect it may have on the authenticity of the other gospels.

Will Christianity take advantage of the debate and advance the religion or will it pigeonhole itself into the doctrine it presently accepts without giving fair consideration of evidence that is at least as valid as any evidence supporting extant ideological perspectives?

I never quite understood why religion hesitated to occasionally say, "you know, we just aren't 100% sure what happened, only God knows." Yet, I've never heard this from the church. It seems they fear that if they cannot offer answers to all who ask, they fear the loss of credibility. To me, acknowledging uncertainty would add credence.