Many wonder what might be missing from the book we were raised to believe was both sacred & perfect, the Bible. As a kid, & even after my ordination in 2009, I was confused by a number of aspects. For example, why do men hog most of the Bible's key roles? We make up only half the population & have caused virtually all wars!
There is another truth the current Bible wrongly excluded. Where is the humor? Did Jesus lack laughter, a trait common to every great leader?
Wit is basic to humility so Jesus must have had it.
The answer may have been hidden by the exclusive, men-only group who assembled the books of the New Testament more than three centuries after Jesus' crucifixion.
At the command of Emperor Constantine, these men met at The Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. They picked every book of the Testament simultaneously excluding several other gospels & texts for various reasons. Constantine then endorsed the decision, ordered those in his empire to become Christian & to use the new Bible as their "field guide."
Expanding our understanding of Jesus' humanity requires consulting gnostic writings including the Gospel of Judas. (fragment circa 220 A.D.)
Do not be put off by Judas' name. Many believe he got a bad rap. That he betrayed Jesus because he was commanded by Jesus to do so in order to fulfill prophesies about the Messiah.*
Judas had eyewitness credibility. The gospel that bears his name contains this revelation in Verse 36 (decontextualized):
"His disciples said to him, 'Lord, what great generation is better and holier than us, that's not in these realms?'"
"Now when Jesus heard this, he laughed. He said to them, 'Why are you wondering in your hearts about the strong and holy generation?'"
My point is not to engage an academic argument but to offer proof of an essential quality of, arguably, the greatest leader in history: That he laughed. This excluded gospel is the only text verifying that.
Jesus laughed. Thank God.
-Reverend Erie Chapman
*Across 2007 & 2008 under the name Dane Dakota, I wrote a short story & play (performed in two cities) & then an award-winning feature film called "Who Loves Judas?" available via Amazon
** Cf Journal of Sacred Work, March 27, 2017
