From the first time I heard Dylan's "With God on Our Side" as a young man, I was intrigued with the nature of Judas Iscariot. As Dylan says:

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

I have often wondered about this paradox. If Jesus' mission was to redeem humanity and he needed to die on the cross to do this, didn't Judas help Jesus achieve his martyrdom? Shouldn't Judas be regaled as a Christian hero rather than one of the greatest villians of history?

Needless to say, I was captivated by the news then that a papyrus text from the 3rd Century A.D. had been restored and is allegedly a Gnostic text, the Gospel of Judas. In this text, Judas is revealed to be Jesus' favorite disciple. In fact, Jesus admits his own doubt about completing his mission on earth and asks Judas to betray him so that the Messiah may be found in the man.

The National Geographic Channel is broadcasting a 2-hour documentary on the restoration of this text as well as the religious and social significance of this potential "bombshell." Should be an interesting show. Of course, lots of mainstream religion is having a conniption fit about it.

While we're on the subject of religious uproar, let me also say that I don't get the acclaim and controversy that The DaVinci Code has garnered. Don't get me wrong, it's an entertaining enough book (though not great literature). The whole Mary Magdalene as the bride of Jesus theory has been around for centuries. Hell, I heard that theory decades ago! All the riddles are interesting enough, but come on! I don't get why the religious mainstream feels so threatened by a work of fiction. If your faith is so thin that you're threatened by what if, maybe you should reexamine what you base your faith upon.

Note: Obviously a Dylan song, there are some other great versions out there too. The Neville Brothers version is particularly good, for instance.