Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity » (Reprint)

Elaine Pagels is Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of six books, including The Gnostic Gospels and Beyond Belief.
Karen L. King is Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Harvard University and the author of four books, including The Gospel of Mary of Magdala.

The instant New York Times bestseller interpreting the controversial long-lost gospel

The recently unearthed Gospel of Judas is a source of fascination for biblical scholars and lay Christians alike. Now two leading experts on the Gnostic gospels tackle the important questions posed by its discovery, including: How could any Christian imagine Judas to be Jesus' favorite? And what kind of vision of God does the author offer? Working from Karen L. King's brilliant new translation, Elaine Pagels and King provide the context necessary for considering its meaning. Reading Judas plunges into the heart of Christianity itself and will stand as the definitive look at the gospel for years to come.

The Washington Post - John Dominic Crossan

In their slim but excellent Reading Judas, Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King rightly focus on the text's ancient and provocative theology rather than on the codex's modern and tortured history, with King also providing a new and very well annotated translation of this early Christian document.

Introduction     xi
Reading Judas   Elaine Pagels   Karen L. King
Judas: Betrayer or Favored Disciple?     3
Judas and the Twelve     33
Sacrifice and the Life of the Spirit     59
The Mysteries of the Kingdom     77
A Final Note     99
The Gospel of Judas   Karen L. King
English Translation of the Gospel of Judas     109
Comments on the Translation     123
Index of Cross-References     167
Notes     169
Acknowledgments     191
Index     193