Gospel of Judas

Gospel of Judas

Credit: Joseph Barabe, McCrone Associates, Inc

The Gospel of Judas, a text dated to about A.D. 280, tells the story of Judas as a collaborator with Jesus instead of a betrayer.

Gospel of Judas Fragment

Gospel of Judas Fragment

Credit: Joseph Barabe, McCrone Associates, Inc

A fragment of the Gospel of Judas with writing.

Gospel of Judas Investigation

Gospel of Judas Investigation

Credit: Joseph Barabe, McCrone Associates, Inc

Microscopist Joseph Barabe and conservator Florence D'Arbre sample the Gospel of Judas as part of a 2006 investigation into the document's authenticity.

Gospel Close-Up

Gospel Close-Up

Credit: Joseph Barabe, McCrone Associates, Inc

A close-up of the Gospel of Judas with a tungston needle used for sampling.

Gospel of Jesus' Wife

Gospel of Jesus' Wife

Credit: Karen L. King 2012

The Gospel of Judas appears to be authentically 3rd-century. This fragment of another papyrus, known as the Gospel of Jesus' Wife for its mention of Jesus referring to his wife, appears to be a 2nd-century document, though the Vatican contests the payprus' authenticity.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Dead Sea Scrolls

Credit: Library of Congress

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Torah Precepts scroll, provides religious instructions to members of the Jewish faith, and includes a Hebrew calendar, religious laws (called halakhot) and information about the Temple and its rituals.

Dead Sea Scroll

Dead Sea Scroll

Credit: Israel Museum

The Temple Scroll consists of 18 sheets of parchment, each of which has three or four columns of text; the lengthy scroll, spanning 26.74 feet (8.15 meters) and considered the largest scroll ever discovered in the Qumran caves, is now digitized online with English translations.