the trial of judas iscariot mary magdalene

The discovery and publication of three astonishing gospels, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the Gospel of Judas, with strikingly different depictions of Thomas, Mary, and Judas, provides a fitting occasion for reexamining the careers of these three followers of Jesus, as their lives are portrayed in the New Testament gospels, the Gospels of Thomas, Mary, and Judas, and other early Christian texts. Through scholarly research and discussions with colleagues and students, it has become apparent to me that these three prominent characters in the Jesus drama have been interpreted in ways they do not deserve, in the interests of telling a memorable story or making a theological point or finding someone to blame for the horrible death of Jesus. Uncovering the truth behind the fiction of Thomas the doubting disciple, Mary Magdalene the repentant prostitute, and Judas Iscariot the vile betrayer of Jesus in the gospel stories is the task I undertake. Meyer adds a 'Gospel of the Redeemed' as a vivid illustration of how the gospel story of Jesus might read with Jesus as a Jewish teacher of wisdom and Thomas, Mary, and Judas restored as loyal followers of the teacher from Nazareth. His striking analysis suggests that Thomas was no doubter, that Mary Magdalene was a beloved disciple in the inner circles of disciples around Jesus, and that the tale of Judas Iscariot as betrayer of Jesus is a piece of fiction. In this book Marvin Meyer, one of the most prominent of the scholars of gnostic texts and other early Christian literature, offers fresh and accurate translations of the Gospels of Thomas, Mary, and Judas, with their proclamation of the good news of the wisdom of Jesus, and he uses these gospels as the occasion to reexamine the place of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Judas Iscariot in the Jesus movement. The Gospels of the Marginalized provides an exciting new study of three of the most maligned figures in the New Testament story of Jesus: Thomas, usually considered the quintessential doubter among the disciples Mary Magdalene, characterized as a repentant prostitute during much of the history of the church and Judas Iscariot, presented as the despicable disciple of Jesus who betrayed his master for money.

The trial of judas iscariot mary magdalene