Dear y'all, On Apr. 11 we will continue our series on early Christian texts that didn't make it into the New Testament. We'll start the Gospel of Judas. If you haven't heard of it, not to worry. It's a recently discovered manuscript that was only published for the first time in 2006. (see attachment) This is not your father's (or mother's, or even you crazy uncle's) story of Jesus. Expect the unexpected. It's tough reading because: A. It's fragmentary and only about 80% is here, so there are gaps; B. It is shaped by a gnostic understanding of life and of the world. It begins 3 days before Jesus is arrested. Each day he has mysterious discussions with disciples. During the last day, he reveals the "true" story of the creation of the world to Judas. If you get a chance to read it over, ask yourself: * What kind of image of Jesus is this? Do I agree with it? * Is Judas a hero or a villain in this text? Steve ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The pesticides are not a risk to honey sold to consumers, federal officials say. And the pollen that people eat is probably safe because it is usually from remote areas where pesticides are not used, Pettis said. But the PLOS study found 121 different types of pesticides within 887 wax, pollen, bee and hive samples." Why am I not reassured? http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/bees-in-more-trouble-than-ever-after-ba d-434910.html