How would historians of the American Revolution respond if a new document were found? Let's say the document was written by someone loyal to Great Britain, and let's say that it suggested that George Washington asked Benedict Arnold to betray the American cause. Given that the facts are well established, and given that the sympathies of the author of this document are clear for everyone to see, would this document change our understanding of American history?
I think not, and I think the same is true of the Gospel of Judas. The finding of the manuscript is important because we now have a manuscript that we didn't have for 1700 years, but this manuscript will not change what Christians believe. I have two volumes of "New Testament Apocrypha" on my shelf that we have had for a long time now, and the fact is that only scholars read this stuff. The canon has long been decided, and the discovery of a gnostic book is not going to re-open the question.
Yesterday I spoke with a reporter from the Houston Chronicle, and he was kind enough to quote something I said here.
May the discovery of the Gospel of Judas cause all of us to praise God for preserving the books of the Bible he wanted us to have, and may we exult in the sufficiency of the Scripture–God has given us everything we need for salvation and a life that is pleasing to him. To him be the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
Amen! I just finished watching the show on National Geographic Channew.