Irenaeus and the Cainites

Just one more comment about the Gospel of Judas.

Kudos to those news organizations who have researched the early patristic witness of the Gospel of Judas and the heresy of Gnosticism. One of the best witnesses is 2nd century bishop, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, who devoted much of his writing to exposing the early Gnostic sects. In Book I, Chapter 31 of his work Against Heresies, Irenaeus explicitly discusses the Gnostic Cainites and specifically mentions their fictional Gospel of Judas:

1. Others again declare that Cain derived his being from the Power above, and acknowledge that Esau, Korah, the Sodomites, and all such persons, are related to themselves. On this account, they add, they have been assailed by the Creator, yet no one of them has suffered injury... They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas.

So it's old news. Perhaps it's not for those modern day Gnostics looking for some hidden, secret knowledge to believe in, which might explain the success of The DaVinci Code, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, etc...

For more information on Gnosticism, you could check out the Wikipedia article.

Gnostic Gospel of Judas

*giggle* Does the mainstream media really expect us to believe that a Gnostic text written over a century or more after the death of Christ is an authentic witness to the life of Judas, Christ, or anyone? *knocking on media's head* Hello, anybody home? Anybody remember the Gnostic heresy and its plethora of spurious documents that we've already known about for ages of ages??? In other words, it would benefit the media to learn a little about the history of the Scriptures and the early church! The only thing being suppressed here is foolishness, folks...

This is my favorite line showing the ridiculousness of the Gnostic "Gospel" of Thomas, a text which the media loves to rave about now and then as somehow threatening the teaching of the Church:

Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."

Hello, McFly!! We should be grateful we have the New Testament Canon we have and the authority of the Church that recognized its inspiration.

That is all.

The Myth of Hitler's Pope


Pope Pius XII

The Myth of Hitler?s Pope: An Interview with Rabbi David G. Dalin, courtesy of the new Society That Thinks Pope Pius XII Rules blog.

(Photo courtesy of Sr. Margherita Marchione)

Wednesday: Day of Prayer and Fasting for Immigration Reform

Cardinal Mahony Designates Wednesday, April 5, As Special Day Of Prayer & Fasting For Just And Humane Immigration Reform

I encourage all Catholics to attend Mass this Wednesday to pray for just and humane immigration reform legislation. I will celebrate the 12:10 PM Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on that day, and will also observe a special fast. Even if you cannot attend Mass in your parish, I invite you to spend some time in prayer for our legislators, for the achievement of just and human immigration reform, and for those among us who will be most affected by it.

I think that this is a cause worth praying about, whether you fully agree with Cardinal Mahony's thinking on this issue or not. I've seen people act as though the Cardinal is nuts for "making such a big deal" over this. Unlike other parts of the country, Southern California is a home for many, many, many immigrants, both documented and undocumented. It is right that the Cardinal should be concerned for their welfare and dignity. To assert, as some Catholics have (!!), that the Cardinal's interest is merely to secure support and a "few extra pesos in the collection basket" is, in my opinion, ridiculous and insulting.