The Gospel of Judas (Iscariot, not Thomas)- said to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of modern times - is about to be published amid explosive controversy, Britain's The Mail on Sunday newspaper revealed yesterday. The 62-page papyrus manuscript of the text was uncovered in Egypt during the 1950s or 1960s, Scholars have translated 26 pages of a crumbling ancient text that purports to tell the story of Jesus's last days from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, a man reviled for almost 2000 years. Sensationally, the manuscript portrays him not as a villain but as a hero and Christ's favoured disciple. The papyrus document dates back to the 4th Century, but is believed to be a translation of a Greek text written in AD 187.
The existence of a Gospel of Judas, which was originally written in Greek, was outlined by a bishop, Saint Irenee, when he denounced the text as heretical during the second century.