Jesus said, "You (Judas) will do worse than all of them (the disciples). For the man that clothes me, you will sacrifice him. Already your horn has been raised, and your wrath kindled, and your star ascended, and your heart [become strong]."Gospel of Judas 56.17-24 (trans. by DeConick)
10 comments:
Pr. April, en mi opinión, yo no descartaría una relación literaria entre PenGP y EvJ. Es difícil, como dice Ud., que todas las escuelas gnósticas estén haciendo una misma lectura sobre Judas, claro, aunque no habría que desechar lo que pensaban al respecto, v. Gr., los valentinianos.
En relación ahora con la cita del "sacrificarás al hombre que me reviste (phoréo)": ¿No se ha tenido en cuenta lo que se dice más arriba, sobre "los bautizados en tu nombre"?( 55, 21 ss.) Porque quizás la idea del revestir (phoreo) vinculada al bautismo, como en el ParSem o EvE, esté presente en esta cita (¿E. Pagels dijo algo sobre esto en el Congreso?)
Por último, a propósito del "cuerno": ¿ha visto el cuadro del "beso de Judas" de Giotto? en el extremo derecho aparece un soldado sonando un olifante. Creo que puede ser un dato curioso, dado que generalmente se dice que la aparición de un cuerno, en el fresco de Giotto, es un dato anacrónico.
Gracias por su respuesta.
Cordialmente,
Juan Bautista
Pd: Soy un estudiante avanzado de filosofía y estoy comenzando mis estudios en copto.
Dear Professor Bautista,
I generally do not make an argument for direct literary dependence unless this is absolutely clear, which I don't think is the case here. The reference to baptism is completely gone at the moment. I desperately hope that we will find the missing page. For now I note that the phraseology: baptism "in my name" parallels earlier in the gospel when the apostles are sacrificing "in my name." It appears to me that the Gospel of Judas is going on to criticize the way that baptism is performed in the apostolic church "in Jesus' name" as it is criticizing eucharist taken "in Jesus' name."
What do you make of phoreo?
I did not notice the horn in Giotto picture. Now I must go and look. It cannot be coincidence, but must represent a story about Judas that was common knowledge. Yes?
¡Qué facinante observación la del “cuerno” en EvJ y el olifante en el cuadro de Giotto! No me imagino que sea más que una interesante coincidencia sin que se vea quizás a otro nivel. Pero posiblemente el simbolismo se tralade en alguna forma sobre los siglos. ¿Qué significará?
I’m looking for commentary on the GJ dream of the great temple with the altar on it and the twelve priests. Some are “sacrificing their own children. Others [were sacrificing] their wives as a gift, [and] they were humiliating each other. Some were sleeping with men. Some were [committing murder]. Yet others were committing a number of sins and lawless acts.”
In the GJ Jesus provides the answer by saying that they who are asking about the dream are themselves those priests in the dream. Somehow I can’t help but see much of this symbolism relating to certain churches and their priests today. It would appear that the morality of the Gospel of Judas is identical to that of the New Testament since the practices mentioned—“some sleeping with men”—are in no way being condoned. “On the last day they will be guilty.”
Estimada Profesora April:
Ciertamente no contamos con las páginas que justamente hablan del bautismo. Igualmente
pienso en las tradiciones bautismales de los apócrifos del AT, o en el judeocristianismo, acerca del doble sentido del revestir. Por ejemplo las Odas de Salomón: « Me he revestido de incorruptibilidad gracias a su nombre y he abandonado la corrupcción gracias a su gracia», o bien, «He sido cubierto por el vestido de tu espíritu y me has despojado de las túnicas de piel» (XV, 8;XXV, 8). La Paráfrasis de Sem (38, 30)y los vestidos de Luz de Derdekeas, o Jesús revestido del Gran Set, en el Libro sagrado del gran Espíritu Invisible (63, 20 ss.). Estas serían algunas de las referencias que podrían abonar la perspectiva docética del sacrificio (thisía) efectuado por Judas. A lo que le podemos sumar el hecho de que, probablemente, se estuviera haciendo una exégesis, en estos pasajes, del Evangelio de Juan 13 -en EvJ- a propósito del lavatorio de pies de Pedro (y hoy que es Jueves Santo...).
Saludos y felices Pascuas.
Does anyone know why Judas is said to have a raised horn and an ascended star? This imagery, traditionally, is Davidic and associated with the awaited Davidic Messiah/Christ.
The star imagery comes from Numbers 24:17, "A star shall come forth out of Jacob." Also see Testament of Judah 24:1. "And after these things a star shall arise to you from Jacob in peace."
The horn imagery is found in a number of places. I am particularly struck by these two distichs from a Hebrew text of Eccl li. 12-13 found in the Cairo Geniza and thusly rendered by Dennis C. Duling in "The Promises to David and Their Entrance into Christianity--Nailing Down a Likely Hypothesis (NTS, 19, p.63)":
Give thanks unto him that *maketh a horn to shoot up for the house of David*,
For His mercy endureth for ever.
Give thanks to him who chooses the sons of Sadoq to act as priests,
For his mercy endureth for ever."
In view of the Gospel of Judas not only having a raised horn imagery, but giving the priesthood a major role, I wonder if these two distiches influenced the author(s) of it. Does anyone have any ideas on this?
In the last post I mentioned this Hebrew variant to Eccl li. 12-13:
Give thanks unto him that *maketh a horn to shoot up for the house of David*,
For His mercy endureth for ever.
Give thanks to him who chooses the sons of Sadoq to act as priests,
For his mercy endureth for ever."
I raised the question of whether the author(s) of Judas knew of this passage.
To be more specific, I wonder if the subject of this passage was interpreted to be Saklas and if "the house of David" was interpreted to be Judas. In this case, this passage was interpreted to mean that Saklas raised up a horn for Judas and appointed the priests to sacrifice to himself. In this case, further the influence of this passage is strong in two parts of 56: (1) the reference to the raising of the horn of Judas and (2) the reference to those (priests?) who sacrifice to Saklas.
Phoréo
“For the man that clothes me, you will sacrifice him.”
This could either be docetic Gnostic imagery or it could refer to God Himself who is the one that “clothes” Jesus and who will be sacrificed. I would presume the latter meaning that only the body of Jesus could be sacrificed. It would seem too orthodox to presume the former, which would mean that God in Jesus would be sacrificed.
Here are some NT sections where the verb phoréo is used. Perhaps these contexts may help shed light on the use of this word. To bear, to carry, to wear.
Mt 11:8 -
"But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings' palaces!
Joh 19:5 -
Jesus then came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold, the Man !"
Ro 13:4 -
But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
1Co 15:49 -
Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.
Jas 2:3 -
and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
As for the “horn has been raised,” that sounds like an announcement of what Judas must do. There is no turning back. It’s a fait accompli. That Judas’ “wrath” has been “kindled” sounds like he’s a very angry man.
The horn blown in the Giotto painting is related to Elijah’s blowing of the great shofar that herald’s the day of judgment. The kiss of Judas coincides with the blowing of the horn that herald’s the crucifixion and hence the resurrection of Christ. (It has been noted that the horn blower resembles Judas about to kiss Jesus.)
Just reflections. Thanks for the exercise.
Some great comments.
Another reference. In the Psalms, the blowing of the horn is an idiom referencing military victory. When the conquerer has been victorious in battle, he signals this by blowing his horn triumphantly in the wake of his enemies' defeat. 89:24; 92:10; 112:9
I could be misreading this but I don’t think so.
“The Apocalypse of Peter is significant in several respects. It contains important source material for a gnostic Christology that understands Jesus as a docetic redeemer.”
Translator James Brashler’s introduction to the Apocalypse of Peter, Nag Hammadi Library.
Brashler is hardly a Church Father. Between Church Fathers and contemporary scholars my perspective is quite well supported.
The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, a favorite resource of mine, describes a variety of docetic perspectives.
Felices Pascuas.
Opps! I slipped the above comment on the wrong thread. It should be in the Good Friday thread where it is now.
Sorry. Can it be deleted?
Thank you.
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