The text was likely written in the fourth century and was then lost until the 20th century. The Gospel of Judas is the single most controversial gospel to have been discovered. Photo credit: Jose Ferraz de Almeida Junior The text was likely quite popular in the ancient world, but only fragments exist today. Considering that many Christian denominations have issues with women preaching, finding a gospel that says otherwise would change the way a lot of people understand the origins of Christianity. This suggests that in early Christianity, women played a more significant role than people knew. Rather than depicting her as a simple, repentant woman, she’s presented as a philosopher and a leader. However, instead of focusing on the 12 disciples most Christians know, it places Mary Magdalene at the center of the story. Like many gospels, it narrates the story of Jesus’s life, but this one also focuses on His closest followers. The reason this gospel is such an important discovery has to do with its contents. A German scholar purchased it in Cairo in the 19th century from an antique collector. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene was one of the most important and controversial gospels to be discovered. For the curious, the text is available in almost its entirety. It was criticized by most ancient Christian writers for its discrepancies, and it was quickly labeled heretical. Most of it is difficult to comprehend, but what comes through is a message very different than the canonical Gospels. This gospel was rejected because of its content. Instead, it reads like a sermon or a theological text. It does not contain the life of Jesus or detail His deeds. However, like the Gospel of Philip, this book is not a true gospel. The odd name of the book suggests it was written to correct ideas in other gospels. The Gospel of Truth was likely written in the second century, possibly by an ancient Christian philosopher named Valentinus. Fortunately for the curious, most of the text remains intact and can be read and studied to this day. Parts of it don’t even sound like Christianity but rather other religions from the ancient world (like Manichaeism). The first is that its philosophy is very different from what other Christians were used to. This book was likely rejected for several reasons. All in all, this is one of the most complex and difficult to understand gospels on this list. Many of the concepts and Christian rituals raised in the book are familiar (such as baptism), but the author refers to them as allegories rather than actual rituals. Most gospels focus on the narrative of Jesus’s life, but this one is more like a sermon or treatise.
Where it differs is in its style and content. Like the four Gospels in the Bible, the Gospel of Philip claims to have been authored by one of Jesus’s followers.
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