by Fr Martin Sirju

" The time is sure to come when people will not accept sound teaching, but their ears will be itching for anything new and they will collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then they will shut their ears to the truth and will turn to myths. " (2 Timothy 4: 3-4).

In sharp reaction to all the blitz surrounding the Gospel of Judas, Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household and professor of Patristics at the University of Milan, reminded us of a comment made by the American scripture scholar, Raymond Brown, perhaps the world's greatest expert on the passion narratives: "It is an embarrassing insight into human nature that the more fantastic the scenario, the more sensational is the promotion it receives and the more intense the faddish interest it attracts.

"People who would never bother reading a responsible analysis of the traditions about how Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and rose from the dead are fascinated by the report of some 'new insight' to the effect that he was not crucified or did not die, especially if the subsequent career involved running off with Mary Magdalene to India … These theories demonstrate that in relation to the passion of Jesus, despite the popular maxim, fiction is stranger than fact, and often, intentionally or not, more profitable."

If that was true back in 1998 when Brown first uttered those words, how much truer it is today. The Da Vinci Code has made Dan Brown richer while at the same time making many Catholics poorer in their commitment to Catholic faith and orthodoxy.

I will not join some of the world's bishops in discouraging people from reading the book or seeing the movie (soon to be released) since book/movie bans only fuel people's curiosity, but I would encourage Catholics to get cracking with a sober defence. And a sober defence is possible; we don't have to become paranoid or obnoxious.

Neither must we think we have to be scripture scholars or theology professors to defend our faith. All it takes is some extra reading and struggling with some basic concepts. Remember Paul did not address these words to scholars and professors: “Always have an answer ready for those who ask you the reason for the hope that you have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience.” (1 Pet 3:15)

Is there anything we can learn from the Gospel of Judas? Yes. Scholars admit to a dearth of information on Christianity in the second century. Here the controversial text can possibly add new light since it is reputedly a translation of a late second century document. Secondly, it affords us the opportunity to revisit Judas and, from our perspective, to understand what were the factors that led to his betrayal of Jesus.

Fr Charles in the Guardian (May 1) gave us one such perspective through the opinion of British scripture scholar Richard Holloway. Apart from this, the bulk of the document is weighted on the negative side.

Firstly, the Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic document and Cantalamessa in his Good Friday homily gives a good summary of the essential tenets of Gnosticism: “The gnostic vision - a mixture of Platonic dualism and Eastern doctrines, cloaked in biblical ideas - holds that the material world is an illusion, the work of the God of the Old Testament, who is an evil god, or at least inferior; Christ did not die on the cross, because he never assumed, except in appearance, a human body, the latter being unworthy of God. [Docetism, from the Latin dokeo meaning “to appear” or “seem”]

Notice that on every point Gnostic doctrine disagrees with Christian tradition which in virtue of the Incarnation (God becoming flesh in Christ) sees the world as good, teaches that the God of the Old Testament is the same one Jesus calls “Father” and who empowers him (Jesus) to do good, that Jesus did in fact die on the cross and rose again with a new and glorified body.

Fr Stepehn Pisano of Rome 's prestigious Pontifical Biblical Institute says it is common for Gnostic teaching to invert the biblical story on its head. Hence biblical villains like the Serpent in the Garden and Judas are invariably portrayed in good light ( National Catholic Reporter , April 21, 2006 ).

Secondly, there is nothing new about Gnostic gospels. The Protestant historian Adolf Harnack (died 1930) claimed there were as many as 50 even though only 20 have been recovered so far. The Church has hidden nothing; scholars of Christian antiquity have known about them for years.

Thirdly, the Gospel of Judas alludes to “secret knowledge” (Greek gnosis meaning knowledge) which is at the root of that popular movement within early Christianity.

In that fragmentary text filled with gaps we read: "Knowing that Judas was reflecting upon something that was exalted, Jesus said to him: ‘Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom.

It is possible for you to reach it, but you will grieve a great deal.'” The Gospel of Judas also states that Jesus told Judas, "You shall be cursed for generations" and then adds, "You will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me."

Here we see two common errors of gnosticism – that Jesus came to impart secret knowledge and that Jesus did not die in the flesh. To these errors also present in first century Christianity Paul responds that the mystery that has been hidden for centuries has now been revealed in Christ.

There is no need for secret knowledge; in Christ the mystery of God has become public (Eph 1: 1-14). Furthermore, Paul insists in his letter to the Corinthinians, “ We preach a crucified Christ ” (1 Cor 1:23).

We need to ask ourselves why people are so fascinated by these new finds. One reason, say scripture scholars is that it is very difficult to convey results of the historical-critical method of scripture studies to the average person in the pews.

Furthermore, the average person in the pew is so uninformed about his or her faith that he or she easily falls prey to sensationalist writing and outlandish claims. Immaculate Heart of Mary Sr Sandra Schneiders, IHM, a biblical scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, identifies other factors underlying this trend, including “general public scepticism about ‘official' accounts” as well as “the impact of the sexual abuse scandals in undercutting the credibility of the institutional Church …People who have been disappointed by the religion and religious establishment they believe in … hope against hope that something will come along to widen the boundaries, to create a little more breathing room, to suggest some alternative possibilities.” ( NCR above)

The sensationalism surrounding the Gospel of Judas and The Da Vinci Code therefore presents a ripe moment for Church leaders to become more credible as well as to embark on a solid programme of adult catechesis.

In our own archdiocese we are already seeing signs of well-planned programmes in adult catechesis. For it to work it has to become decentralised i.e. more parish-based, as is already happening.

If we keep up this small but important effort then the faithful, young and old, would not be too disturbed by sensationalist claims of National Geographic or any other organisation who would seek to disturb our Holy Week pilgrimage with outlandish claims that have little to do with faith and much more with what Vittorio Messori, a widely respected Italian Catholic writer, calls a “strong odour of money”.