‘Gospel of Judas’ to be published in April

The first translation of an ancient, self-proclaimed “Gospel of Judas” will be published in late April, bringing to light what some scholars believe are the writings of an early Christian sect suppressed for supporting Jesus Christ’s infamous betrayer.

If authentic, the manuscript could add to the understanding of Gnosticism, an unorthodox Christian theology denounced by the early church.

The Roman Catholic Church is aware of the manuscript, which a Vatican historian calls “religious fantasy.”

Brushed onto 31 pages of papyrus in Coptic, an Egyptian script, the manuscript has become tattered after spending centuries buried beneath the sands of middle Egypt and decades on the gray market.

According to scholars who have seen photographs of the brittle document, it argues that Judas Iscariot was carrying out God’s will when he handed Christ over to his executioners.

Many scholars believe Judas – whose name literally means “Jewish man” – was a victim of anti-Jewish slander that pervaded early Christianity in its struggle to break away from Judaism.

The manuscript’s owner says he has cut a deal with the National Geographic Society to release the English translation with a multimedia splash after Easter.