For centuries, he has been regarded by millions as one of history's greatest villains; but something discovered in the 1970's and just made available in translation through the sponsorship of a well-known publication takes rather a different view. Who was he, and what is the ancient document?

Czolgolz

I believe you are talking about Judas Iscariot, and the Gospel of Judas. Turns out he was just following orders! http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/gospel_of_judas/ Apr 07 06, 6:28 PM

lanfranco

Yay, Czolgolz. This particular example of the Gnostic Gospels (there are more) has just been made available, in part through the funding of "The National Geographic". For those who might be interested, I recommend the work of Elaine Pagels, a professor of Religious Studies at Princeton University and a specialist on the Gnostic writings. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Pagels Apr 07 06, 6:44 PM

mementoflash

However, while this ancient document disagrees with Scripture it in no way disproves it. Apr 07 06, 10:43 PM

GenghisKhan89

In no way, does scriture disprove this though. Apr 11 06, 5:39 PM

Baloo55th

I've always (from an outsider's point of view) wondered why Judas Iscariot is so bad-mouthed by the Christians. According to the four gospels, Jesus knew he was going to do what he did, and it was an integral part of the procedure leading to the crucifixion. The implication I read into the gospels is that what Judas did was part of God's will and that without it things wouldn't have worked the way they were planned. Imagine - all those prophesies and then he says 'No, I'm not doing it!' and exits rapidly to Egypt or somewhere. I hadn't seen this Gospel of Judas before, but it's not the only 'lost' document from those days. And it's probably less edited than the four gospels in the Bible. Until the days of widespread literacy and printing and especially the Internet, new rulers (or high priests, popes, whatever) tended to revise the histories - even photographs in the case of the Soviets. Apr 12 06, 5:25 AM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

He forcibly resided in several places, wearing an item reportedly made of velvet but said, in a fictional account, to have been made of something else altogether. His real name is unknown, but he has been identified as a French Marshal, an Italian minister, three different royal bastards, a mere valet, and even the inspiration for quite another work by the author of the fictional account. Who was he? (Or, at least, by what description do we know him?) This work of literature has been translated from Latin and was written almost half a century after the main storyteller's death. Although rather sketchy, it holds accounts of a famous adventure, which some believe the sea-dweller discovered a well known place nearly a thousand years before a well known explorer. Involving a big fish and a crystal tower, what was the name of this publication, and who was the main protagonist? What is the greatest depth at which a living sea creature has been discovered? Though he is widely regarded as one of the great artists of history and was much admired and imitated, this individual's style and works, known largely through descriptions and the efforts of other artists, remain something of a mystery. On the other hand, just last year, a museum acquired what some have claimed could be the only extant original piece from his hand. Who was the artist, and what is the work?

1 He's Not Just Ashley! Leslie Howard was much more than just Ashley Wilkes. Here are some questions about him to help you learn more about the career of this multi-talented man. H - People Themed Tough 10 Q ginger911 Feb 20 01 267 plays 2 He's Just Not That Into You Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long, Bradley Cooper and Scarlett Johansson were among those who starred in this cute movie from 2009. Ha - Hm Movies Average 10 Q Polaris101 Jun 11 09 396 plays 3 Is He, or Isn't He? Some animals have deceptive names- for example, a prairie dog is not a dog. See if you can figure out if these animals are really what they seem to be! Specific Topic Animal Trivia Average 15 Q crisw Oct 08 03 10680 plays