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Carole Mikita Reporting The story that has Christians of many denominations talking today focuses on an ancient manuscript now called "The Gospel of Judas". It says the apostle who betrayed Jesus in the New Testament Gospels actually did what Jesus asked him to do.
Buried in the sands of Egypt for more than 1700 years, an ancient manuscript that's being called 'The Gospel of Judas' tells a different story than those in the Bible's New Testament.
Marvin Meyer, Translator, Gospel of Judas: "He was the closest one to Jesus. He truly understood Jesus, and when he turned Jesus in, he just followed the wishes of his good friend Jesus, because that allowed Jesus to get rid of his attachments to the physical body and to realize the true spiritual being within."
Found in the 1970s, the manuscript was stored in a safe deposit box until scholars got it. Professor Gene Ward of BYU's imaging lab enhances ancient texts so experts can read them. National Geographic asked him to travel to Geneva, Switzerland to image a manuscript, but didn't tell him what it was.
Gene Ware, Ph.D., BYU Imaging Lab: "At the time I was involved in the project, I did not know it was the gospel of Judas. I was just given the name Codex Tchacos. Since I do not read copy, I did not know the content of the document."
On his computer screen is seen a fading that allows the experts to see through the paper and discover any writing over the original.
Gene Ware, Ph.D., BYU Imaging Lab: "This indicates that we may have some carbon content still in this metallic ink, which makes it an unusual ink and some sort of a transitional ink."
Radio carbon dating proves it comes from the third century. Scholars believe Gnostics, a Christian group whose members believed the physical world was evil, wrote it.
Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Ph.D.: "This group produced them around A.D. 250, 300, 350. So, the gospels that are preserved in the New Testament are much older and I think they're closer to the real story."
What should church leaders tell their congregants? Perhaps, says Rev. Lee Shaw, all this news attention will make many want to re-read the New Testament.
Rev. Lee Shaw, Episcopal Diocese of Utah: "So, in a very ironic turn of events, Judas may be bringing people to Jesus 2,000 years after the fact."
The Gospel of Judas, for scholars an exciting find; for people of faith, another opportunity to examine what they believe.
The National Geographic Channel will air a two-hour documentary, on "The Gospel of Judas" Sunday night.
