Link to Amazon:
Misreading Judas: How Biblical Scholars Missed the Biggest Story of All Time
        by Robert Wahler

NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award winner for nonfiction 2018

_________________________
U. S. Review of Books

     reviewed by Donna Ford

"Please, everyone, read the Gospel of Judas as the Gnostic text that it is. Stop importing a New Testament bias into it." 

Lost for 1,700 years, the Gospel of  Judas has an approximate origin in the 2nd century and was found  preserved in an Egyptian cave. The Coptic language text was written by  Gnostic Christians and elevates Judas from traitor to teacher of sacred  mysteries. While this find has been touted as a great revelation, early  Christians labeled it heresy.
Wahler defines self-sacrifice as  the goal of Gnosticism. According to the book, when Jesus and Judas  spoke together before the handover to Jewish leaders, their conversation  concerned the personal sacrifice of Judas to become one with the  Master. This would occur through the mystic practice of the Name (Logos,  the presence of the divine). There is no mention of betrayal in this  history. The author goes on to explain that a Gnostic Master is  succeeded by the installation of another. Using New Testament text, he  establishes the claim that the Apostle James became the Master following  Jesus’ death.
With the popularity of Dan Brown’s pulse-racing books, including The Da Vinci Code,  some who question the Christian interpretation of the New Testament  gospels are now accepting the Gnostic viewpoint. Even the Jewish scholar  Hyam Maccoby concurs in rejecting the idea of Judas as a traitor with  Jewish involvement. This 103-page book is the author’s call to fellow  researchers of Biblical texts to join him in validating the Gospel of  Judas’ place in history. His own thorough research results are  meticulously presented, comparing Nag Hammadi Library codes in Gnostic  text to chapter and verse of Christian works to prove controversial  points. Also included is a substantial bibliography. 

Kirkus Reviews 

A revelatory interpretation of the Gospel of Judas.

In this book,  Wahler (The Bible Says "Saviors," 2009) surveys the existing literature  on an early gnostic Gospel that features Judas Iscariot as its main  character, and he finds it lacking. He maintains that the Gospel's  underlying narrative has been misread by biblical scholars, and he  ascribes their errors to two main factors: a nearly unthinking deference  to the orthodox New Testament texts (great chunks of which he dismisses  as "Pauline propaganda"), and a scholarly ignorance of mystic gnostic  traditions and their relationship to the canonical Gospels: "Is there no  awareness in the ivy-covered academic halls of the long and storied  tradition of the Eastern mystics?" he asks. Wahler provides an  invaluable verse-by-verse close-reading of the Gospel of Judas and then  widens his view to include other key works from the Nag Hammadi library  of gnostic texts and, eventually, the canonical Gospels themselves.  Along the way, he asks key questions, such as "who is this character,  Judas? Is he the man that Paul never mentioned, the one he never knew,  just like the Jesus he never knew?" Some of his answers to these  questions are revolutionary ; for instance, he contends that the bulk of  the New Testament amounts to a conscious coverup of the incendiary  contents of the Judas Gospel, in which, he says, Judas essentially  spiritually transforms from man to Messiah, supplanting Jesus. This is a  comparatively short but densely packed exposition of a breadth of  material that the Christian church has deemed apocryphal. Wahler offers  readers very little in the way of introductory context, and many readers  may wish that he'd slowed down at times to provide more explanatory  information. However, his fellow experts will find thrilling, deep  thought in these pages.

A tightly argued presentation of an explosive, Judas-centered counter-narrative.

Blueink Review

Is it possible that orthodox Christianity is based on a lie? For  Robert Wahler, the answer is an unequivocal yes, an argument he pursues  in his new book.

The evidence for this radical idea, the  author notes, can be found in the Gospel of Judas. This recently  rediscovered manuscript paints Judas, not as a betrayer, but as an  heroic figure.

Wahler believes there's even  more to this story: that this text needs to be read, not in light of  modern Christian scholarship, but through the lens of Gnosticism (in  which it was written) with a focus on Western and Eastern mysticism  traditions. The author argues that the obscure manuscript provides  evidence of bait and switch, namely that Judas was a stand-in, or alias,  for James the Just, whom the author believes is the true successor of  Christ (which undermines St. Paul's role in the development of the  Church). Moreover, the text reveals hidden truths about the metaphysical  nature of sacrifice and inner work that needs to be done to reach  higher levels of consciousness.

This is all heady stuff, and for those not well  versed in Gnostic thought, the author's exegesis of the text can be  challenging. Yet, Wahler makes a valiant attempt to unpack the text,  acting like a semiotics detective, exploring symbolism, and sometimes  offering line-by-line commentary of ancient texts.

In his  exuberance, however, Wahler's prose can turn dense and awkward, making  his meaning hard to discern (e.g. : "The disciples ask that they be  granted not to be tempted at 4:30, the same as Jesus tells them to  'watch and pray that you enter not into temptation.'").

As  Wahler admits here, most scholars will balk at his claims. Still, the  author's ideas are well-argued with citations, and while Misreading  Judas sits outside the mainstream, it does provide an thought-provoking,  if challenging, alternative look at Christianity.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.

Post  by Eva Darrington » 01 Aug 2018

4 out of 4 stars  

What  if someone provided proof that our long-held beliefs about Jesus of  Nazareth were incorrect? Author Robert Wahler is attempting to do just  that with his 2016 non-fiction book, Misreading Judas: How Biblical Scholars Missed the Biggest Story of All Time.  The author’s thesis offers a new interpretation of the relationship  between Jesus and Judas. Wahler asserts the story of Judas was not a  betrayal and sacrifice of Jesus at all but rather a self-sacrifice by  Judas as part of the Gnostic tradition called mastership succession. The  author’s research holds both Jesus and Judas in a very different light  from that of orthodox religious teachings. Could Jesus really have been  merely one in a succession of many spiritual Masters?
 

The Gnostic Gospel of Judas was likely composed by second-century  Gnostic Christians. The surprisingly intact papyrus containing the text  first surfaced publicly in 1970. It reveals conversations between Jesus  and Judas Iscariot. Wahler claims no one has correctly translated the  Gospel of Judas until his research emerged. He faults the Christian  scholars who initially interpreted the text, saying they were ignorant  to the Gnostic orientation necessary to adequately understand the  ancient writings. In Eastern spiritual traditions, mysticism is the  practice of spiritual knowing (gnosis) through meditation and other  vehicles for merging with Spirit. A longtime student of Eastern  mysticism, Wahler insists the story of Judas and all of the Gnostic  Gospels must be interpreted through the lens of mysticism.
 

In addition to Gnostic texts and the New Testament, Wahler’s comparative  analysis draws from the work of Eastern spiritual teacher Maharaj  Charan Singh. From this viewpoint, Wahler contends when Jesus tells  Judas to “sacrifice the man who bears me,” he is referring to a mystical  sacrifice, not the physical sacrifice of Jesus. In the mystical  interpretation, Jesus is telling Judas that he (Judas) will sacrifice  his individual self to become one with his spiritual Master. This form  of self-sacrifice is a traditional practice by the Gnostics of that  time. In addition, the author asserts that Judas is the same person as  the lesser-known apostle, James the Just. If they are one in the same,  according to Wahler, then the Judas-as-betrayer story was a cover for  what really happened: James (Judas) succeeded Jesus as Master.
 

Robert Wahler maintains that the mystical self-sacrifice by Judas, and  his subsequent mastership, was misinterpreted and “inverted” by biblical  scholars to hide the uncomfortable truth that other great Masters  preceded and succeeded Jesus. The simple existence of a succession of  Masters through self-sacrifice challenges the conventional knowledge of  Jesus’ role in history. Wahler is not saying that Jesus wasn’t a prophet  and great spiritual Master. He is saying Jesus wasn’t the only one and  that he didn’t die for anyone’s sins. Wahler challenges, “There is no  reason to think that the New Testament canon is the original text of the  story of the first-century Master, Jesus Christ.”
 

For a relatively short book, 102 pages, Misreading Judas  delivers volumes worth of sound comparative analysis. It is packed with  quotations and line-by-line examination. I thought I might tire of the  density but found I was fascinated by Wahler’s methods and conclusions. Misreading Judas is not an easy read but is worth the effort. Some of the logic is complicated but at the same time convincing.
 

Wahler’s writing is clear and easy to follow. The book’s organization  facilitates the reader’s understanding of the material. Divided into  four sections, the book traverses The Gospel of Judas, The Nag Hammadi  Library, The New Testament, and resources on mystic readings of  scriptures. Considering the complex punctuation required for the dense  quotations, parenthetical and bracketed insertions, I was surprised that  there were so few errors. The editor gave impeccable attention to  precision in grammar and punctuation. A summary at the end of the book  reviews the passages of text that directly support the thesis. Both the  summary and Wahler’s concluding remarks help to connect the dots. Note:  In deference to Eastern mysticism, Robert Wahler capitalizes the word  “Master” in his book. I have done the same for consistency.
 

Wahler is not entirely alone in his progressive positions. Some cursory  research on my part revealed that there is growing consensus among  religious scholars for Wahler’s view of Judas as beloved and obedient  disciple, rather than betrayer. The author’s belief in the succession of  Masters is, however, another story. This is where he is out on a limb.  Save non-Christians and very progressive theologians, support for this  conclusion is less enthusiastic, to be sure.
 

I rate Misreading Judas: How Biblical Scholars Missed the Biggest Story of All Time 4 out of 4 stars.  If you are open-minded and are interested in biblical history or  Eastern mysticism, I think you will be fast captivated by this book. If  you are outraged by Wahler’s conclusions, you might enjoy being engaged  in what can only be described as the debate of the millennia. 

The author is a life-long seeker and spiritual practitioner.  A devoted Evangelical Christian for two years in the early '70's, the discovery of mystic Masters of the East changed everything. Now the mysticism that is the biblical Way became clear. Since 1975, the author has been a Satsangi with the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, of Beas, India. (www.rssb.org)             

________________________________

The main finding of this research is that the climax passage of the Gospel of Judas "you will exceed them all, for you will sacrifice the man who bears me" is Judas sacrificing himself, not Jesus sacrificed, and that he is really a cover for the successor Master as shown in the Apocalypses of James. This pivotal line of the Gospel of Judas is 56,20, in answer to, "What will those who have been baptized in your Name do?" (The 'Name' is Word.)  Next line: "Tomorrow they will torment the one who bears me," followed by "you will exceed them all, for you will sacrifice the man who bears me" -- no change in subject! Jesus is answering the question Judas has asked him by telling him that he will sacrifice himself spiritually, not Jesus sacrificed bodily.

  The gnostic tradition preceded the canon.  There is no Matthias in the Gospel of Judas where he should be in it if the canon preceded the Gospel of Judas (36.1). Instead, "Someone else" will replace Judas. This is the origin of the "Betrayal" myth. Judas is the spiritual sacrifice, and Jesus is never betrayed. Judas 'delivers' himself, he does not 'betray' anyone. "Hail, BROTHER!" in the gnostic First Apocalypse of James in place of the canonical "Hail, Master!" shows that a later virgin-birth theology influenced the canon and primacy for the gnostic version of the story, which was originally one of mastership installation of James the Just, not betrayal of Christ by Judas. The nascent Pauline Church was trying (successfully) to hide that there was a successor. There normally is, even today.

The Acts 1 replacement of Judas has 'Judas' in place of James, falling "headlong" (James falls from the Temple wall in the Pseudoclementine Recognitions 1.70,  thrown by "Saul" or Paul).  The "vision" that Judas experiences in the Gospel of Judas (44.15-45.2) is of himself stoned by "the Twelve" (other disciples). The only character stoned by fellow disciples in the first century that we know of was James the Just. After being thrown from the wall, he is not killed, but is beaten to death by Saul and his followers. See Dr. Robert Eisenman, James the Brother of Jesus.  Paul is the Spouter of Lying in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and in the Pseudoclementine Recognitions 1.70 he kills James. Not a pretty picture. But this is the right way to read the story. This is what really happened.

Joseph Barsabbas Justus covers James the Just as the 'defeated' candidate in Acts 1:23. 

The election (by 'lots' from Acts 1) is for "episcopate of Jerusalem" (from the Church Fathers); Acts 1:20 says "his office let another take" (Psalm 109:8), but an Apostle is not an "office": episcopate is.

Not only this about Judas covering James, but 'Stephen' -- yet another fictional Gospel character -- covers for James. Dr. Eisenman relates all the amazing details of Paul and his attack on and murder of James in this Acts 7 story of the prototypical 'Christian,' Stephen, in chapter sixteen of his book just mentioned above.

James is given "the bread" by a risen Jesus in the Gospel of the Hebrews, noted by a number of early Church fathers -- not Judas, as in the Betrayal story.

That Judas is fictional and covers James, a known prominent religious  figure of his time-- preeminent actually- casts doubt on the historicity of Jesus as well, since neither one is known to either history (Josephus) or to Paul (both these sources are suspected of later Christian interpolation).  The fact that the central train of events in the Gospel story is set in motion BY A LITERARY INVENTION and that the most prominent citizen of the day is minimized out of existence means that this is an early Church or "proto-orthodox" coverup of monumental proportions. James was A MASTER. HE was the savior of his day, not Jesus. John the Baptist, James the Just, Simeon Cleophus (Simon Peter) were the line, Masters all. 

It is not possible to overstate the impact of these discoveries. Quite simply, this the greatest revelation in all history. In just one cache of documents we can now see that the two greatest religions of history are embellishment of mysticism. This impacts everyone in the world personally, and the world and societies in general, so pervasive are the influences of Islam and Christianity. When you have garbage in you get garbage out. I don't mean to insult anyone, but the teachings of these two religions are simply not true. They are remakes and overlays of the truth of mystic teaching.

By the way, I said that the true origin of the Christian message and its nullification of mystic Truth can now be fully told, not that I had done it. What I have done is point the way. I believe I am correct in all I say about it, but there always seems to be more to learn.  This is a call to scholars and amateurs alike to join me in finishing the story. I don't know Coptic! or even Greek! Help me out. I would love to be part of a translation team to do the Gospel of Judas the justice it deserves. Then we can tackle the rest of the Nag Hammadi collection. And what a treasure trove it is!

_____________________________

SBL Annual Meeting abstract submission (2/15/18, paper later rejected for admission)

 The recovery of the Nag Hammadi/Al Minya gnostic texts is the most important discovery in history.  We now have period documents proving that the gnostic story of  mastership succession and the sacrifice of James --- as 'Judas' -- is  the origin of the canonical 'Betrayal of Christ' narrative.  Comparing  the gnostic Apocalypses of Nag Hammadi to the Four Gospels reveals the  monumental revelation that James the Just was inverted as 'Judas,' the  Pauline proto-orthodoxy contriving the device of "Judas the traitor" as a  way to hide James's personal self-sacrifice and mastership.  In the  Gospel of Judas, Judas has his vision of being stoned by fellow  disciples, an event known to have befallen only James in period sources.   A new page 55 fragment shows, "Israel will come ..." leading believers  out of worldly bondage, in a likely allusion to Jacob, Greek for  "James" -- not the Genesis Patriarch, but a redeemer James who "will  come."  

All of the following gnostic passages about James's mastership  installation have been installed into the canon, usually reversed  tendentiously from their mystic original reading, but roughly in order,  to apply to the Judas betrayal of Christ: "I have given you a sign;"  "walking on a mountain;" "prayer on a rock;" "three times you have told  us to become full;" "I know whom I have chosen;" "he who ate my bread;"  "the flesh is weak;" the kiss (inverted from a kiss of life to a kiss of  death);  "stripped and rising naked;" "a multitude will arm themselves  against you;" "in particular three of them will seize you;" the three  denials of Peter, and more.  Second Apocalypse of James, "Hail my  brother, my brother, hail," became, "Hail, Master!" in Matthew, proving  that the gnostic version came first, since virgin-birth theology came  late in the development of the canon.   

The New Testament canon was a successful attempt by the proto-orthodoxy  to hide that there was a successor Master -- James -- who had come to,  most likely, take on the ministry of John the Baptist.  Judas, and very  possibly Jesus, were fictional inventions by Gospel authors to hide that  there was a succession of saviors coming to offer a living salvation --  like it says in red-letter quotations of John 6:35-40 and 9:1-5 (Codex  Sinaiticus, "sent US") -- not the cult of the dead as taught by Paul in  Romans 10:9-13.  Famous John 3:16 isn't even about Jesus at all, but the  Son as Spirit 'given,' in past tense, to John the Baptist and others.    Mark 10:45 is the granting of 'Life' (Gr.,"psuchen") as a ransom to the  archons, not a human body sacrifice to a vengeful God.  A death ransom  of the Master would have been offered to 'all,' not 'to many' -- whether  accepted or not.   A careful study of modern mystic sources, many  written by recently living Masters, some English speaking, is the  spiritual Rosetta Stone to unlocking the real story of salvation.   

Post  by EvaDar » 24 Feb 2019, 18:32

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Bible says Saviors -- Obadiah 1:21" by Robert Wahler.]
4 out of 4 stars
“The  Bible is not the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is” (p 13). This  assertion is the basis of Robert Wahler’s bold interpretation of  Christian religious history. Wahler, a life-long follower of the  teachings of Jesus Christ, examines the Bible, using newly discovered  ancient documents to uncover significant untruths in the holy talisman. The Bible says “Saviors” – Obadiah 1:21 offers evidence that Jesus was not the one and only Lord and Savior.  Wahler guides the reader through an extensive analysis revealing that  John the Baptist and James the Just were also saviors, as part of a  traditional succession of many masters.
 

Recent discoveries of ancient Gnostic texts such as the Dead Sea  Scrolls, the Gospel of Judas, and the Nag Hammadi Library provide Wahler  with ample evidence of mistranslation, misinterpretation, and an early  Pauline church with cause to conceal the truth, in favor of Jesus as  sole Lord and Savior. The author’s analysis of three versions of the  Holy Bible reveals the existence of dozens of additional masters, one  even more prominent in history than Jesus.
 

Wahler’s research reiterates the fact that The Bible, taken as absolute  truth by many, is often distilled from “translations of translations of  copies” (p13) of recollections of original oral versions, sometimes  recounted years after they were spoken. The material is meant to be  understood non-literally, through the context of mysticism. An  incorrectly translated tense, word, or even letter, can affect the  meaning of an entire verse. The Bible says “Saviors” succeeds at assembling evidence of a Bible several times removed from  the truth, and flawed, due to both misinterpretation and intentional  obfuscation. It was, in fact, some of the very authors of the scriptures  who deceived through their writings. Wahler’s book reveals why the  important role of Jesus’ brother James was completely omitted from the  Bible and who played the villain who benefitted from erasing James’  existence.
 

I was riveted by much of this book. It felt important that Wahler  dissected the Bible with allegiance to the language of the original  period, noting inconsistencies born of careless reliance on contemporary  overlays. I think readers will find the analysis of John 3:16 and  countless other verses to reflect some fascinating departures from  conventional understanding. I appreciate that Wahler draws from seasoned  Biblical scholars to build his case for textual inaccuracies. Robert  Eisenman’s and Bart Ehrman’s scholarly New Testament work, as well as  James Tabor’s analysis of the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, provide some  scaffolding for the book, but Wahler adeptly connects the elements to  reach his conclusions.
 

I brushed up on reference punctuation to review this book. I detected  only a couple of minor errors. It proved to be somewhat challenging to  identify small errors amid the density of punctuation elements required  for Wahler’s complex in-text referencing style, but I am confident that  the book is professionally edited for grammar and punctuation.
 

The Introduction and Conclusion outline the book’s primary assertions  with great clarity, helping the reader stay oriented to the complex  material. The book might benefit from a bit more content editing. The  author introduces labyrinthine concepts that sometimes want for context.  Important takeaways may be revealed miles from the evidence presented,  so the thread between the two can get lost. But don’t be discouraged.  The book is well worth a couple of evenings of attention, to gain an  understanding of the material.
 

I award The Bible says “Saviors” – Obadiah 1:21 with a rating of 4 out of 4 stars for its impeccable research, analytical excellence, and revolutionary  conclusions. While the content was dense at times, I know this was  necessary for the author’s comprehensive argument.
 

Openminded followers of any religion or wisdom tradition, as well as  students of comparative religion, will enjoy this book. Jewish readers  and those familiar with the Gnostic Gospels will recognize some of the  conclusions and appreciate the explorations. I think Christians open to a  mystical interpretation of the Bible will appreciate the material.  Orthodox thinkers will likely be challenged by Wahler’s entire position,  but I don't discourage these readers. I was raised with very  traditional Christian teachings, and I find Wahler’s perspectives  enlightening, even if provocative. What I recall from my study of  neuropsychology is that exposure to information that challenges our  preconceptions enhances our intelligence and bolsters our personal  wisdom. The Bible says “Saviors” will not only surprise you - it may make you smarter.