Pact of Judas: 1308-11, Tempera on wood, 50 x 53 cm
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena
The Lost Gospel of Judas, its Esoteric Meanings
and the Condemnation upon not only Judas but the Children of God
By William C. House
Editor, Reverse SpinsJesus to Judas from "The Gospel of Judas":
"Jesus said, "[Come], that I may teach you about [secrets] no person [has] ever seen. For there exists a great and boundless realm, whose extent no generation of angels has seen, [in which] there is [a] great invisible [Spirit], which no eye of an angel has ever seen, no thought of the heart has ever comprehended, and it was never called by any name."
Much controversy has been stirred up regarding Judas since The Lost Gospel of Judas' was released on the world scene several years ago. Most of it centers around the notion that Judas was one of the best disciples and was perhaps directed by Jesus to betray him. Judging from the above quote, it does seem Jesus held Judas in very high esteem. But how does one reconcile that with the fact that Judas betrayed Jesus? Alternative explanations for Judas' actions attempt to explain one statement by Jesus from John 13:27: “That which thou doest, do quickly.” In an effort to decipher this enigmatic command, the original gnostic author(s) of the Judas Gospel and the current authors of the book come up with a plausible explanation, that Jesus had told Judas to betray him. But this is mere guess work and very unlikely. There are too many indicators that Judas did betray him on his own. These authors were hampered in their deductions by their own incomplete understanding of Jesus' teaching on karma. There were mysteries taught to Judas and there were mysteries taught in the upper room to all the disciples. One of these mysteries is the law of reincarnation. (e.g. "But I say unto you, That E-li'as [Elijah] is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." Mat. 17:10-13) The true meaning of the three quotes above is as follows. Jesus knew and could see the karma of Judas. He had seeds of betrayal coming up for transmutation, in fact, it is even possible that he had betrayed Jesus in another life. Judas had a chance to balance that karma by not letting it get by the mental and emotional planes of consciouness. Once Jesus saw that the karma had passed these stages and was now hovering around the physical plane, his concern and compassion was for the soul of Judas. The faster he did the deed, the faster the karma would return and he could move on with his spiritual path. So when he saw the darkness envelope Judas (or as it says in the Bible, 'Satan entered him.') he told him “That which thou doest, do quickly.” Also, if that darkness was entertained by Judas for a longer period of time, other aspects of Judas' carnal mind could have been activated.
But that is not the end of the story, maybe the original author(s) of The Gospel of Judas had unknowingly swerved into some hidden truths, a gnosis if you will. They were gnostic writers after all and believed that Judas knew the gospels and gnosis better that any other disciple.
The present day authors of the book The Lost Gospel of Judas give a very good synopsis of the gnostic teachings of Jesus in this lost Gospel:
"The Gnostics of Alexandria and Egypt did not triumph, nor did the Gospel of Judas, in the theological wars that raged during the second, third, and fourth centuries, and consequently texts like the Gospel of Judas, with their different perspectives, contain ideas that sound unusual today.
Nonetheless, the revelation that Jesus imparts to Judas in the Gospel of Judas illustrates a theology and cosmology that are still quite sophisticated. The revelation itself contains few Christian elements, and, if scholars are correct in their understanding of the development of Gnostic traditions, the roots of these ideas may go back to the first century or even before, within Jewish philosophical and gnostic circles that were open to Greco-Roman ideals. Jesus tells Judas that in the beginning there was an infinite, utterly transcendent deity, and through a complex series of emanations and creations, the heavens became filled with divine light and glory. This infinite deity is so exalted that no finite term can adequately describe the deity; even the word God, it is intimated, is insufficient and inappropriate for the deity. The world below, however, is the domain of a lower ruler, a creator God named Nepro ("Rebel") or Yaldabaoth, who is malevolent and mean-spirited—hence the problems in our world, and hence the need to listen to words of wisdom and become aware of the divine light within. For these believers, the most profound mystery of the universe is that within some human beings is the spirit of the divine. Although we live in a flawed world that too often is the domain of darkness and death, we can transcend darkness and embrace life. We are better than this world, Jesus explains to Judas, for we belong to the world of the divine. If Jesus is the son of the divine, so also are all of us children of the divine. All we need to do is live out of that knowledge of the divine, and we shall be enlightened." pp. 8-9.
Remarkable words aren't they. There is no need to comment, they speak volumes.
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From Wikipedia: "The Gospel of Judas was also referred to by Origen in the year 230 in his book Stromateis, which indirectly attacked Gnosticism. The existing manuscript was radiocarbon dated "between the third and fourth century", according to Timothy Jull, a carbon-dating expert at the University of Arizona's physics centre. Only sections of papyrus with no text were carbon dated. Irenaeus mentions a Gospel of Judas in his anti-Gnostic work Adversus Haereses (Against Heresies), written in about 180. He writes there are some who:
Illustration: P. 58 from The Lost Gospel of Judas (National Geographic). |
Here is another example of what was taught Judas in the Lost Gospel:
JESUS SPEAKS TO JUDAS PRIVATELY
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. [36] For someone else will replace you, in order that the twelve [disciples] may again come to completion with their god."
Judas said to him, "When will you tell me these things, and [when] will the great day of light dawn for the generation?"
But when he said this, Jesus left him.Jesus left him because Judas was in a high spiritual place one moment but then fell into human questioning the next. The Master was disappointed in his chela. He was about to explain how to reach the highest goal, the ascension ("It is possible for you to reach it"). Mark Prophet in communion with the akashic record and Jesus, learned that Judas made his ascension in his very next life. He did so partly because he was so grieved ("you will grieve a great deal") over his betrayal in his life with Jesus that he worked very hard to balance the karma of that life. He became an extraordinary devotee of God. However, to overcome that one single act and then make his ascension must have meant he already had a great deal of karma already balanced. In other words, he was already a very advanced soul when he was Judas, perhaps more advanced then nearly every other disciple. If you read the entire Lost Gospel of Judas, you get the sense that Jesus recognized this. But he also knew that Judas would very likely betray him yet have the final victory in the next life. Why the dichotomy? The divine is within and we can reach those mysteries as Jesus told Judas, but the condemation from our not-self and from the world constantly plays havoc with our connection with what is true and good. It is possible to be the best of disciples and fail your test. Jesus was constantly attacked by astral entities. He warned the disciples of these malevolent forces and what to do about them. Judas was forewarned but he forgot and succumbed to his own karma. Here's El Morya from Agni Yoga:
Urusvati knows that the Great Pilgrim [Jesus] was frequently attacked by the forces of darkness. These incidents were mentioned in the Scriptures, and one might question how occurrences that no one had witnessed could have been recorded. It was the Teacher Himself who wanted to prepare His disciples for that battle and therefore, rather than conceal the struggle that was taking place, He recounted His own experiences to illustrate it. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 161.
Urusvati remembers the Great Pilgrim. In the Arabian desert He was in solitude, but in a sheik's tent He found friends and helpers. He often remained alone, and one should not think that His journeys were always with wealthy caravans. Remember that everyone, when clad in an earthly sheath, is subject to the conditions of the physical world. It is usually supposed that when Our Brothers go into the world they will be placed in special conditions that are unnatural to them, but nature is a state conditioned by law. Every one of Us knows this and selects His path consciously. It was to be expected that the Pilgrim would meet the dark ones on His path. The story about the meeting of the Great Pilgrim with the Prince of Darkness should not be thought of as imaginary, or symbolic. Urusvati can affirm that she saw various dark entities more than once, including even the Hierophant of Evil himself. One may wonder what difference there is between such attacks and the usual pressure of darkness. The difference is great, but Our Brothers do not fear them and therefore cannot be hurt. The Great Pilgrim often saw such dreadful images, but He was never afraid of them. Some may wonder why such a Great Spirit had to face the imperfections of dark entities. But the power of the Magnet attracts even the dark ones, who long to confuse and injure wherever they can. For example, even the slightest doubt will make it impossible to walk on water or fire, or to levitate. I mention this because the Great Pilgrim could perform these acts easily. His great power was in His absolute fearlessness, and He proceeded unwaveringly, for in His heart He had chosen the life of great deeds. Supermundane - The Inner Life - Book 1 (1938) - 149.
Satan was merely the facilitator of Judas' karma. Judas did not have to identify with the energy, but he did and has paid the price ever since. It is said there is no injustice in the world. This may be an exception. By making his ascension, Judas did balance his karma. People's condemnation continues to rain upon him affecting him to this very day.
The irony is that some of the disciples that the Catholic Church have built their edifices upon have not ascended even now. I'm thinking of one in particular. Let me put it this way, you all know those Christian Pearly Gate jokes, well, he's not waiting for you at those gates, he's still got some major issues he's dealing with down here. He's still reincarnating with the rest of us. You just might get to heaven before he does. If and when he finally does arrive I think we should all be waiting at those Gates with a few jokes of our own.
"Jesus says to Judas:
"Lift up your eyes and look at the cloud and the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The star that leads the way is your star."
Jesus to the disciples:
'Jesus said [to them], "Stop struggling with me. Each of you has his own star, and every[body—about 17 lines missing—] [43] in [ ...] who has come [ .. spring] for the tree [ ...] of this aeon [ ...] for a time [ ...] but he has come to water God's paradise, and the [generation] that will last, because [he] will not defile the [walk of life of] that generation, but [ ...] for all eternity.
Judas lifted up his eyes and saw the luminous cloud, and he entered it. Those standing on the ground heard a voice coming from the cloud, saying [58] [ ...] great generation [ ...] ... image [ ...] [—about 17 lines missing—]."Could the Mighty I AM Presence above as represented by this chart, be the star, the clouds and the tree that Jesus is talking about? Those upper colored circles represent a cross section of a white sphere with a white core. It is known as the I AM Presence and for those with spiritual vision or partial vision, it could very well appear as a star, clouds or a tree. When Jesus healed the blind man (in the New Testament), the first thing the man said was, "I see men as trees walking." Jesus touched him one more time restoring his normal sight but taking away the sight of his third eye. He no longer saw walking trees. To me, there are more important mysteries in The Lost Gospel than whether Jesus bade Judas to betray him.
The Empty Seat at the Table Round
Illustration from The Rosicrucians: Their Rites and Mysteries
by Hargrave Jennings [first published 1870]Who was to replace Judas and why? Twelve is a cosmic number. There are 12 lines on the zodiac. Each line symbolizes a God quality and a testing to be overcome. Each disciple held a place on one line in the astrology for the Piscean Age. This concept purportedly found its way to the Round Table of King Arthur. Each disciple was assigned a line or seat. Look at this table (and astrology) as a clock. At 12 O'clock is the beginning of cycles in the etheric plane, starting with Capricorn. Worldly astrology starts in Aries at the 3 o'clock line. This line is the beginning of the mental quadrant hence it is the first time unenlightened minds tune into astrological cycles. The beginning of all cycles is at 12—Capricorn. As mentioned in one of the four gospels, Judas was the keeper of supply for the disciples. Hence he would be found on the 10 O'clock line of Scorpio (the line of vision and also supply), which is where his empty seat sits at the table round below. The 10 O'clock line is also known as God-Vision and it's negative or karmic qualities are: selfishness, self-love and idolatry. So what was Judas' motive? Money or lack of vision?
Taylor Caldwell in I, Judas gives a very plausible account of Judas' background. As you will see, he did not need 30 pieces of silver. This is from the forward of the book:
When the Christian Roman Emperor Justinian destroyed the great and famous library in Alexandria—which contained much of the wisdom of the world—in A.D. 500, very few of the mighty books survived, and very few of the priceless parchments written by sages. Thus humanity has been forever denied access to the gathered learning, erudition, knowledge, science, literature, poetry, and enlightenment of ages previous to Christ—and all in the name of "preserving the purity of Christianity from the corruption of pagan writings." So said the new Christian convert, Justinian, with edifying virtue.
However, a small portion was saved from the fire, either by accident or by the action of a few quiet men who loved wisdom. Among these men was one Christian Egyptian monk, Iberias, a very learned man of an ancient Alexandrian family. He had found a partly charred manuscript, on durable Egyptian parchment, among the ruins of the awesome library, and he concealed it under his robes and took it back to his cave in the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of the Pharaohs. There, by concealed candlelight or by the light of a smoking oil lamp, he read the manuscript, which was written in highly polished Greek with some extrapolations in erudite Latin, and he understood that this book had not been written by some crude, partly literate scribe, but by a gentleman of education.
He discovered that the manuscript was really a long diary of a man's agonized hegira through life, and that the man's name was Judas Iscariot, and it was explained by the writer that Judas was the son of a rich and powerful Pharisee Jew family who lived in Jerusalem but who also possessed a small palace in Alexandria and another in Cairo. (His actual name was Judah-bar-Simon. He was also the son of Leah-bas-Ezekiel, daughter of Ezekiel-bar-Jacob, whose uncle was a member of the Jewish Supreme Court in Jerusalem—the Sanhedrin.) The monk Iberias was astounded as he read the manuscript to discover that Judas Iscariot was not the impoverished thief depicted by tradition and by revolted writers, but a rich young man in his own right who had abandoned his devoted family and his wealth to espouse voluntary poverty—in order to follow one he truly believed was the Messiah of the ages, Joshua-bar-Joseph, a Nazarene born in Bethlehem of a virgin named Miriam-bas-Jochan, whose mother was one humble Hannah of Nazareth. (Later, Joshua was called Jesus by the Romans and Christos by the Greeks.) Because Iberias was a prudent man, fearful of denunciation as a heretic, and a man of learning himself who feared the ignorant, he hid the manuscript carefully, for he was fascinated by the terrible story written on the parchment. He often found himself in tears when meditating on it. He knew he dared not reveal the manuscript to his brethren, who firmly believed that Judas was a thief and a betrayer who had sought thirty pieces of silver in his greed. (Acceptance of thirty pieces of silver was mandatory under the laws of the Sanhedrin, for it indicated that the betrayer had revealed his knowledge in good faith—a refusal of the silver assured the judges that the betrayer had lied.) So the puzzling fact in the Bible, that Judas threw away the thirty pieces of silver a little later he who was supposed to have rendered up his Lord for gain—was explained in the manuscript.
There were a few intellectuals among Iberias' brethren, men he trusted, and so he let them read the manuscript in secret. On his deathbed he conveyed the document to a beloved younger monk, and for centuries it was kept hidden in monasteries, to be read by other trusted men. It was taken all over Asia, and Europe and Africa, to be studied with reverence by a very few who were also terrified of the new arrogant and ruthless ecclesiastics rising from recently pagan societies who believed that all past wisdom and learning and writing were accursed by God (whose authors were doubtlessly in hell with all the countless multitudes born before the Christ). The truly Christian and enlightened lived in fear of these new ecclesiastics who interpreted Christianity individually and in accordance with their own bias, even if often they engaged in conflict with the Holy Father, the Pope. (The history of the Church teems with accounts of these conflicts.)
The manuscript finally came into the hands of a notable German family, lateral descendants of a bishop, and they kept the manuscript hidden for fear of confiscation and destruction. When the German family fell under the suspicious scrutiny of the Nazis, they were forced to flee to Portugal, leaving all their possessions behind, including the manuscript. These were seized by the Nazis. But a German officer who secretly loathed Hitler and feared for his country stole the manuscript and hid it himself, knowing that if the Nazis found it it would be destroyed as "the work of a Jew" which therefore had no verity and no value.
The manuscript has just been revealed by a member of that German family to whom it was returned. It has been carefully translated. And the reader may judge its quality for himself. But that Judas Iscariot was the son of a rich and famous Pharisee family, and himself heir to a fortune, is clearly beyond dispute.
Judas failure was on the line of Scorpio. Judas probably didn't do it for the money since he didn't need it, rather, he fell into idolatry and lost the vision of the true mission of Christ. He possibly thought that Jesus would overcome the powers that be. But Jesus' mission was not a wordly kingship but a spiritual one. The confusion over his motive stems from Scorpio, for it contains both qualities of money (or supply) and vision. After the deed was done, the Light dispelled the darkness he had succumbed to, he saw his mistake and then hanged himself in remorse.
When Jesus told Judas to act quickly, he gave him some bread at the same time after which, Judas left promptly. Because each disciple fulfilled a quality and mission on each line of the clock or zodiac, a replacement was needed for the vacant seat or office. Maybe Baigent, Leigh and Dan Brown were on to something. Maybe there was an empty seat at the Last Supper and rather than leaving it empty as they did at Camelot, Jesus asked another to sit and occupy the line at 10 O'clock. Jesus calls Judas the 13th disciple in this lost Gospel. My candidate for the 12th would be Mary Magadalene, the first to see Jesus resurrected (God-Vision) and one whom many consider to be the best disciple of all—better than even Judas. None of the disciples understood why Judas had left in such a hurry, and why is 'she' taking his place? If that is Mary Magdalene to Jesus' right, wouldn't this explain the consternation on some of the disciples faces, especially on Peter's, to Mary's right?
The following interview is the principle reason I've written this article. It's from an interview that Tom Miller and I did of Evelyn Dykman who has since passed away. When she told this story of Judas, Tom and I were behind two cameras, we were both so blessed to be there and hear this re-telling. We looked at one another in amazement as we felt the infinite mercy of God descend:
"After our church was established, there was a time when I also taught children's vacation Bible school for two or three summers, in addition to our regular Sunday school. They were two-week-long classes and I had about twenty-five boys and girls. Two women offered to help.
The summer classes were made up of children from the whole community, not just from our church. One woman who volunteered to help was from a Christian Science church, but her daughter had friends in my church and wanted to come. I guess she wanted to see what we did there. Our music teacher offered to help me with the music part of it. We had a wonderful two weeks of studying the life of Jesus.
When the two weeks were nearly up—we had just another day or two of class—I said to the boys and girls, "You know, every time we study the Bible, we must obey something that God has told us to do. Can you remember anything that God told us to do?"
They thought and thought and they couldn't seem to come up with anything right away. So I said, "Do any of you have an enemy?" And they said yes, they had enemies. They put up their hands and told me about some neighbor who wasn't good to them or some child who is mean to them and they didn't like them anymore.
I said, "Oh, that's not an enemy. Can we think of an enemy from a Bible studies? Did Jesus have an enemy?"
They said, "Oh, yes, Jesus had an enemy. His enemy was Judas."
I said, "Well, what did Jesus say to do about our enemies?"
They answered me that Jesus said to love your enemies and do good to them that mistreat you.
I said, "I'll right, then let's do for Jesus' enemy what we do for our enemy. Let's send Judas our love and forgiveness, because Jesus forgave him. Let's tell Judas that we love him and that we know he's very sorry for what he did." So they thought that was a good idea.
We started around the room and each one began, "Judas, Jesus forgave you. You were his enemy, but he forgave you and now we forgive you."
Then the next one said, "Jesus loves you and we love you, because we're supposed to love our enemies." And it went on and on. Everyone of them sent their words and love to Judas.
Just as we finished the last one, something wonderful happened. A power swept into that room that shook us all. All the children's little chins were shaking, their hands were shaking, and I couldn't even move. A mother of one of the children, who is standing at the door, began to cry and sob out loud. The children weren't crying; they were just shaking.
This lasted for a little while, until it was time for us to dismiss. I couldn't even speak. I looked around and then said a silent prayer, "O God, can this be the Holy Spirit? I don't see any tongues of fire on anyone, but this must be the coming of the Holy Spirit." I motioned to the children to stand and go out.
Those children never said one word. They walked quietly out. They didn't push or shove or anything, like they sometimes did. I saw them leave the grounds, walking quietly home, every one. I just stood watching, rather dazed.
A went home and I said, "O God, what happened? Can you tell me what has happened?"
I didn't know for a long time what happened. In order to finish the story about Judas, I have to jump ahead a couple years to a time when I no longer lived in that community. My husband had retired from the work that he loved and we were returning from a different job that he had taken in South America. We came back to New York state and got an apartment and soon I received an introductory letter from Mark Prophet of the Summit Lighthouse. ...
So I went to my first Summit Lighthouse conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and met Mark Prophet there for the first time. As we were eating at a table together, Mark was asking everyone about their experiences in life. I think there were about twelve people at each table and Mark happened to be sitting next to me at one of the tables. God certainly moves in wonderful ways!
So he looked at me and said, "Evelyn, what have you got?" I said, "Well, this happened a couple years ago, but I've never known why. Would you explain to me what happened to my group of young people during the last vacation Bible school that I taught in my church?"
I told him the story and a strange look came over his face and he sat silently for a minute or two. Then he said, "Evelyn, this is amazing. You know that Judas was so repentant for what he did that he reembodied and gave his whole life to Jesus, spreading the word. He just couldn't do enough. He was so devoted that he made his ascension at the end of his next life. After his ascension he wanted to stay near earth and serve earth where all of this had happened. But the cosmic council told him that he would have to go far away because people knew him as Jesus' enemy, since he was responsible for Jesus being put to death. So they told him that he couldn't work with the earth, even from spiritual realms, and advised him to take a place in another galaxy far away from here and work with evolutions where this connection was not known. So that is what he did."
Then Mark said, "Evelyn, when your group of children started sending him love, love has no boundaries. Love goes straight to the mark. Their love went to that other galaxy and hit his heart. He was so overcome with the love of these children, who were from a church that had considered him the devil ever since the death of Jesus, that he sent his love right back to you and those children. He opened his heart and poured out his love."
So that was the power that hit us that day—love from the heart of Judas. This was quite a thing for me, I must tell you.
I said to Mark, "Love is that powerful?"
And Mark said, "Evelyn, divine love is all-powerful, all-powerful."
I never had a chance to tell my young people what had actually happened, but I know somewhere, sometime they will know. God will see that they understand what happened that day."*
Both of us were astonished by this story. As fantastic as it sounds, we believed it. Why? The source was unassailable and—most importantly—we felt the radiation almost as if a mini-reenactment had occurred. Judas in a galaxy far, far away? Who knew? We certainly didn't. And yet, it made perfect sense. What I was most touched by, was the ability of a small group of children to reach a soul light-years away. But as in all miracles there are Cosmic Laws that are demonstrable (if we had the spiritual sight or Holy Spirit), failing that, they are explainable. First, as Mark said, 'Divine Love will hit its mark." Secondly, there is the law that 'wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there'll I'll [Jesus] be." So there was Jesus or his angels sending this prayer to Judas. But this prayer also had extra retro-booster-rockets to travel the vastness of space. Children do not have the layers of sophistication and the years of condemnation that prevents older folks from entering their hearts instantaneously. The little childen's prayers given in that little prayer circle in Binghampton, N.Y., were given in such purity and without guile that they were compelled to reach their mark—Judas. I must admit, I teared up contemplating this.
Now, as to Judas making his ascension, the aftermath and the consequences, the following quote from The Lost Gospel of Judas confirms Evelyn's story and Mark's explanation:
JUDAS ASKS ABOUT HIS OWN FATE
Judas said: "Master, could it be that my seed is under control of the ruler?"
Jesus answered and said to him, "Come, that I [—two lines missing—], but that you will grieve much when you see the kingdom and all its generation.."
When he heard this, Judas said to him, "What good is it that I have received it? For you have set me apart for that generation."
Jesus answered and said, "You will become the thirteenth, and you will be cursed by the other generations—and you will come to rule over them. In the last days they will curse your ascent [47] the holy [generation]."Do you see? And what about the tremendous irony here. Those that condemn him to this day are still on earth, denied entrance into the kingdom of heaven until they balance their karma. The very one they condemn is an ascended master, in effect, able "to rule over them." The "last days" refers to the present day when the fallen angels will be judged. When they find out that they cannot ascend but Judas already has long ago, "they will curse [his] ascent."
The condemnation of the world
The other thing I took away from Evelyn's story was the damage and power condemnation has. Judas had ascended, just as countless others have done. He did so by balancing all of his karma, fulfilling his divine plan and filling his temple—all of his chakras—with Light. He was no longer subject to the pull and laws of time and space. But there was one thing he was not free of, even in his present state—the condemnation of ordinary people—nearly all of them "Christians."
In one sense, Judas' story is a metaphor for us all. Everyone receives tests from the temptor. Jesus had many and left a track record of overcoming for us to follow. Judas was not the only one to betray Christ. Many did including disciples such as Peter. But as it says in the next quote below, the light dwells within us and many of us might be angels.
"[...] light [—nearly two lines missing—] around [...] let [...] spirit [that is] within you dwell in this [flesh] among the generations of angels. But God caused knowledge to be [given] to Adam and those with him, so that the kings of chaos and the underworld might not lord it over them."
Jesus' mysteries included the teaching that the Christ dwells within each one. Jesus sufffered the condemnation of the world but never betrayed the Light within, he stayed the course even up against the deadliest force imaginable—Satan. On the spiritual path there were will be different levels of opposition to each of us as well. But God will give us the tools and knowledge to deal with them just as he did to Adam, so that "the kings of chaos and the underworld might not lord it over them." But all we'll be for naught if we betray the Christ within and believe the naysayers and condemners. Imagine, if condemnation can reach across the universe, what does it do in our own backyard? The wagging tongues, the gossip and the pure unadulterated condemnation all take its toll. And the higher you rise up on the Path the greater the opposition. Look at Judas, not only was he a high initiate but he was a disciple of Jesus. The close disciple of the guru risks the enmity of the highest of fallen ones. Satan himself attacked Judas. Sometimes the level of opposition you face detemines the correctness of your Path. That is why "The Secret" falls short in its message. If things come easily then maybe you're with a false teacher or not on the Express to Heaven but rather on a local train making stops here and there, one life after the next, enjoying a pleasant, social, watered down religion. Judas was told by Jesus to get on the bullet train.
Judas did not survive that initial close encounter but he had the devotion and determination to win the next battle. To make one's ascension takes exactly that—strong, fiery Will, using as many of the spiritual disciplines God and the mystery schools have given us.
By William House
Editor, Reverse Spins
Kiss of Judas, Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337)El Morya and Helena Roerich from Agni Yoga on Judas:
You understand what each apostate inflicts upon the Teacher. If a special ray is assigned to each disciple, the severing of this thread must have a reaction. It is not without reason that the Teacher insistently questions the knocking ones, “Art thou not a traitor?” The severing of the thread between the Teacher and the disciple can be achieved only by a slow process, but impetuous betrayal is usually very painful to the Teacher and to the traitor. Verily, the traitor's reason becomes obscured, and through the wound caused by the broken thread obsession occurs most easily. One should consider this process of betrayal as a physical danger, not to speak of the spiritual consequence. One should ponder how cautiously one must select disciples in order not to contribute to cosmic harm. Hence, each Teaching gives strong examples of betrayal. For betrayal there is no need to be precisely a Devadatta or a Judas. Even without these prototypes space is filled with fractured rays. Hierarchy, 157. 1931
Similarly injurious is each betrayal. It should not be forgotten that an obvious betrayal is sometimes easier than a concealed one. Often the traitor does not confess even to himself the betrayal committed. The evaluation of such a subtle betrayal is highly complex! Through the admission of the betrayal, the traitor at least partially discharges the tension evoked by him. Still it would have been far more heinous had Judas not confessed. Heart, 342. 1932
Urusvati knows that persecution pursues a Great Teacher like dust after a horseman. One should observe not only the followers of the Teacher, but also the persecutors, among whom can be discerned certain individuals who, in the course of many lives, tried persistently to undermine the Goodness that was brought by His Teachings. One might ask why these evil beings, while in the Subtle World, do not learn that their dark attempts are fruitless. The fact is that their protectors are vigilant! Remember the ancient legend about the demons who concealed the Light from the sight of the disciples with their wings, and know that in the lowest strata of the astral spheres such obscuring of Light is indeed possible. This happens on Earth as well. The persecutors of the Teachings of Light inflict harm consciously as well as unconsciously, and grow increasingly furious as, against their will, they are magnetically drawn to the Teaching. Examples of this madness can be observed in various eras, and when these persecutors are asked what causes their fury and makes them attack the Teaching that they hate so persistently, the answer is almost always the same—they are unable to stop their attacks. Such lack of self-control indicates obsession. It is customary to apply the name Judas to betrayers as a symbol of the grossest unfaithfulness. Let us ponder upon this. Was not Judas in his previous lives also connected with crimes? Remember that in the greatest periods of Greek history there were cases of venomous betrayal. We could mention names, but it is not wise to pronounce names that indicate only evil. It is enough simply to remember that every great Teaching has had its betrayers, with demonic wings on their backs. Urusvati recently glimpsed a dark hierophant who attempted to approach her, but Our fiery arrows threw him off, and his hand was stayed by lightning. Supermundane I, 167. 1938
You ask how to understand the appalling example of betrayal by Judas. We know the occult law that Light attracts darkness; therefore, the stronger the light, the denser the darkness. Thus, on all paths, the encounter with the servants of darkness and with betrayers of varying degrees is inevitable. They follow the Source of Light like shadows. Indeed, the very hatred of the dark ones binds them to the object of their hatred. The potentialities of such betrayal definitely were hidden in Judas himself. That is why the dark forces used him, as well as the priests' and Pharisees' hatred, as a tool for accomplishing their criminal purpose. Therefore, Judas can be regarded as the representative of a collective betrayal. Letters Of Helena Roerich II, 8 June 1936.
It is futile to think that Christ, when bringing Judas closer to him, did not know where the free will of this disciple would bring him. Definitely, He did know. He also knew His end, because it was not the first time that Judas had come near Him. Christ knew who was hiding behind the image of Judas. Judas was a traitor of long standing, and not just once did he betray Christ. Yet it was said long ago that precisely the Jinn build temples. Through the crucifixion of Christ Judas gave to the world a new God. Letters Of Helena Roerich II, 5 July 1938.
The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by Anne Catherine Emmerich Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (German: Anna Katharina Emmerick, born September 8, 1774 - died February 9, 1824) was a Roman Catholic Augustinian nun, stigmatic, mystic, visionary and ecstatic. ... Her visions allegedly led to the discovery of the House of the Virgin Mary traditionally supposed to be the home of Jesus' mother until she was assumed into heaven, located on a hill near Ephesus, Turkey. source
CHAPTER II. Judas and his Band:
Judas had not expected that his treason would have produced such fatal results. He had been anxious to obtain the promised reward, and to please the Pharisees by delivering up Jesus into their hands, but he had never calculated on things going so far, or thought that the enemies of his Master would actually bring him to judgment and crucify him; his mind was engrossed with the love of gain alone, and some astute Pharisees and Sadducees, with whom he had established an intercourse, had constantly urged him on to treason by flattering him. He was sick of the fatiguing, wandering, and persecuted life which the Apostles led. For several months past he had continually stolen from the alms which were consigned to his care, and his avarice, grudging the expenses incurred by Magdalen when she poured the precious ointment on the feet of our Lord, incited him to the commission of the greatest of crimes. He had always hoped that Jesus would establish a temporal kingdom, and bestow upon him some brilliant and lucrative post in it, but finding himself disappointed, he turned his thoughts to amassing a fortune. He saw that sufferings and persecutions were on the increase for our Lord and his followers, and he sought to make friends with the powerful enemies of our Saviour before the time of danger, for he saw that Jesus did not become a king, whereas the actual dignity and power of the High Priest, and of all who were attached to his service, made a very strong impression upon his mind. ... p. 122Wikipedia:The Gospel of Judas belongs to a school of Gnosticism called Sethianism, a group who looked to Adam's son Seth as their spiritual ancestor. As in other Sethian documents, Jesus is equated with Seth: "The first is Seth, who is called Christ" although this is in part of an emanationist mythology describing both positive and negative aeons.
* This excerpt comes from her book. Sweet Mystery of Life, [ pp. 69-74], but is essentially the same as our video interview.
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| The Gospel of Judas, by National Geographic Society (Author), Bart D. Ehrman (Commentary), Rodolphe Kasser (Editor), Marvin Meyer (Editor), Gregor Wurst (Editor) | Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity, by Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King | The Secrets of Judas: The Story of the Misunderstood Disciple and His Lost Gospel, by James M. Robinson | Sweet Mystery of Life, by Evelyn Dykman | I, Judas; by Taylor Caldwell and Jess Stearn |
The Lost Gospel of Judas at National Geographic. You can download just the Gospel itself in PDF here (It's very short).Lost Gospel of Judas Wikipedia