When the Gospel of Judas first surfaced in Geneva in 1983, scholars wondered if the mysterious text could trigger a reappraisal of history’s most infamous traitor. They never found out, however, because they couldn’t afford the $3 million price tag on this second-century gnostic tale. Instead, the fragile pages vanished into private hands and set off on a 23-year, intercontinental journey through fist-pounding negotiations and even periods, reportedly, stuffed inside a Greek beauty’s purse. Now, at long last, the world is about to see the contents. The National Geographic Society last week reported it will publish a translation this spring, when “The Da Vinci Code” film is sure to rekindle interest in gnostic artifacts. But the saga may be just beginning. That’s because thieves apparently lifted the manuscript from the Egyptian desert, kicking off decades of illicit trafficking – and an ethical dilemma: Is it right to pay for and publish stolen documents for the purpose of spreading knowledge? “The present owners can’t sell it because they don’t have, in international law, a legal title to something that was stolen,” says James Robinson, one of the world’s foremost experts on gnostic texts and author of a […]