The gospel, according to National Geographic

To the editor: It is tragic how much attention the “discovery” of the “Gospel of Judas” just before Easter has received from the media. Yes, it seems to be an authentic historical document. Yet its writers have only one aim - to recast many characters presented negatively in the Bible, starting with Cain, in a heroic light. To do so, they had to create an alternative rendering of the story of Jesus. The writers of this text, and those who promote it today, offer nothing that can lift humankind’s burden of sin and suffering. For them salvation is achieved through knowledge. On the contrary, all four Gospels offer, through repentance, the gift of forgiveness and new life. This is the “Good News.” We all have a choice. Either we believe the Gospel of John, which describes how Satan entered the heart of Judas, and the prophet Zechariah, who hundreds of years before Jesus lived accurately foretold his betrayal, right down to the minutest detail. Or we believe National Geographic, which makes Judas out to be Jesus’ closest disciple. Either we believe in the Son of God who became flesh, lived among us, was crucified, and rose from the dead so that we all may be saved. Or we believe we can save ourselves, and continue to suffer the consequences. Johann Christoph Arnold Pastor, Bruderhof Communities Rifton