You just can't trust them. Looks like the National Geographic has been taking... liberties... with their scholars' translation of the so-called Gospel of Judas. Tut-tut. [wags finger]
Several of the translation choices made by the society’s scholars fall
well outside the commonly accepted practices in the field. For example,
in one instance the National Geographic transcription refers to Judas
as a “daimon,” which the society’s experts have translated as “spirit.”
Actually, the universally accepted word for “spirit” is “pneuma ” — in
Gnostic literature “daimon” is always taken to mean “demon.”
2 comments:
I read DeConick's excellent article on the Judas fiasco yesterday in the New York Times. I was particularly interested in what she said about the Dead Sea Scrolls:
"The situation reminds me of the deadlock that held scholarship back on the Dead Sea Scrolls decades ago. When manuscripts are hoarded by a few, it results in errors and monopoly interpretations that are very hard to overturn even after they are proved wrong."
From what I understand, the consequences of the Scrolls monopoly are indeed still continuing today, in a misleading exhibit taking place in a "natural history" museum in San Diego. See this article for details:
http://www.nowpublic.com/culture/did-christian-agenda-lead-biased-dead-sea-scrolls-exhibit-san-diego
Thus, I would suggest that an important question confronting us today is whether liberal Christian scholars -- by which I mean scholars of Christian faith who, like April DeConick, proceed in accordance with fundamental scientific principles rather than any religious agenda -- will part company with their Evangelical-minded colleagues and frankly condemn what is going on with the Dead Sea Scrolls in one museum exhibit after another.
I agree that to dilute, if not totally eliminate bias, the sources should be made available to all scholars no matter what their affiliations are. Their differing interpretations could then be openly debated.
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