New Gnostic gospel found - scholars believe it says Jesus instructed Judas to betray

Like any other "Lost Gospel" it didn't fall into what the Church wanted to portray. As you pointed out, only things that "fit" were included.

 

Well, it's not exactly flattering to Jesus Christ. Other than that, why wouldn't it be?

 

Fit with the rest of the text, not with someone's personal agenda.

Not exactly flattering?

If this was true, then Jesus as a kid was offing other kids who didn't even know who He really was, for no other reason than they pissed Him off. To say that's a totally unjust and unrighteous use of power would be an understatement of, dare I say, Biblical proportion. For that to be true, it would totally undermine the character of Christ, and negate who the 66 books of the Bible claim Him to be.

And, BTW, how did "Thomas" get this tidbit of information? None of the apostles new Jesus as a child, and of those who did, only his half-brother James wrote anything worthy of the Bible, that we know of.

 

Did you ever read that scifi story about that kid that takes over a town? The one where he gets mad at people and sends them to the cornfield? That is how a child with god like powers would act. Jesus was fully human.

Thomas probably got his info the same way all the other writers of the bible got theirs. Oral tradition and church writings. James being the half brother of Jesus is debatable. The catholic church doesn't believe Jesus had a brother.

 

You take it as an article of faith. When the NT was put together there were several agendas in place. You can attribute it all to divine inspiration. Can't debate that.

Using that line of reasoning, none of the Gospel depictions of Jesus' birth are trustworthy.

 

No, I didn't. Sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone or maybe Stephen King, though.

He was also fully God, including His character, and that character doesn't abuse power like that.

Matthew, John, Peter, Jude, and James were all eyewitnesses who spent years with Jesus. Paul was a Pharisee, true, but claimed to have a post-resurrection encounter with Jesus, and his abrupt and severe change of allegiance would support his claim.

The Catholic church also believes infants are damned if they die before they're baptized.

That being said, yes -- there is some debate as to whether the NT book of James was written by Jesus' half-brother. But that seems the most likely conclusion according to Biblical scholars.

 

Protestant churches also believe infants are damned.

I'm sure you have heard of "Q" or "Quelle" the source of the Gospels.

 

I have no doubt there were agendas in place. My faith in its integrity was won through studying the texts themselves, and seeing for myself how they all varied, but all agreed -- not only with each other, but with the OT as well. I find that quite remarkable.

And let me refine what I believe about the divine inspiration factor. The New Testament was written by men who actually knew Jesus. Walked all over Israel with Him. Ate with Him. Talked with Him. Listened to Him. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I think most of the inspiration was in the area of just remembering and articulating what they had seen and heard and experienced themselves. I'm talking mainly about the Gospels here. Paul's letters are basically interpretations and application of Jesus' teachings through the eyes of an expert on Judaism -- probably the foremost expert of his day, in fact. The man walked into downtown Athens and took on the world's most renown philosophers. You don't even get a chance to do that unless you've got not only the skills, but the reputation to back you up.

Revelation is just that -- divine revelation. It pretends to be nothing else. So no, there isn't much to back that up. Of course it's all prophecy, so it's impossible to back up predictions about the future with anything material in the present or past, other than the integrity of the author himself.

It would've had to come second hand, yes. By Jesus, the Holy Spirit, or Mary, we don't really know. It's important because it fulfilled OT prophecy about Him, but no -- there's not much evidence to prove the virgin birth, other than Joseph's reaction and the way he handled the situation within the context of his culture.

 

It's possible for infants to be damned, but not automatic. Anyone who has read Romans 2 and believes it should know that.

I've heard of it, yes.

 

It's a Good Life by Jerome Bixby****Spoiler Warning****


In the story, Anthony Fremont is only three and is only vaguely described as having a "wet purple gaze". He lives in the town of Peaksville, Ohio. The rest of the world does not exist; it was ripped away when Anthony was born, and outside the borders of Peaksville is nothingness. Nobody knows whether Anthony transported Peaksville somewhere or whether the rest of the world (or for that matter, the universe) was destroyed and only Peaksville remains.
There is no electricity, and the people of the town have to make their own things and grow their own food, which is difficult because Anthony controls the weather. They also have to satisfy Anthony's every whim or risk displeasing him and being turned into some horrible monstrosity. Nobody is safe from Anthony, including his own family, although they can sometimes influence him slightly; after a "cheerful" suggestion from his father, Anthony begins teleporting his victims into the cornfield behind the family's home after he has finished with them.
Even when Anthony tries to help other people, he has no understanding of what will actually help and usually causes things to be worse than before. Therefore no one wants to give Anthony a reason to change anything, and everyone pretends to be happy and content at all times, no matter how bad things are. Anthony thus passes his time manipulating animals with his mind, making a rat eat itself from the tail up, or building up a pleasant shady grove designed to suit the simple desires of animals, since he likes their happy and uncomplicated thoughts of satisfaction.
The story mostly takes place during a surprise birthday party for the Fremont's neighbor, Dan Hollis. In Peaksville, residents take turns passing around certain objects like books, music, or furniture since they cannot acquire it from the outside world anymore. Dan receives a Perry Como record for his birthday and wants to play it, but Anthony does not allow singing. Dan gets drunk and starts singing "You Are My Sunshine". Anthony turns Dan into some sort of horrific mutation before "thinking" him away to the cornfield. The next morning he makes it snow, which kills half of the crops.
But it is still a good day.