Background of the Study
Who was Judas Iscariot?
Like other names we have studied, Judas was a common name in the day. Judas is a form of “Judah,” one of the 12 sons of Jacob and one of the 12 tribes of Israel.
There were a few Judases in Jesus’ life. He had a brother named Judas. He had another disciple also named Judas, likely the brother of James. And then there was Judas Iscariot. Why is he called “Iscariot”? Last week we saw that Mary Magdalene meant Mary from the town of Magdala. That was easy. Iscariot is more challenging.
It may mean he was from the town of Kerioth, but that is unlikely. It may mean he was part of the secret resistance group sicarii, which means “dagger-bearer.” They were a kind of underground resistance group against the Romans.
Sicarrii sounds like Iscariot, but nobody knows, so it is merely speculation. Here’s what we do know – very few new parents are choosing to name their son Judas. What is much known is the character of the man. His reputation is defined by his betrayal of Jesus.
• Every list of disciples lists Judas last
• The one list in which he is not last is the one where he is not mentioned at all (Acts 1:13)
• When Judas is named, typically it is also stated what he did to Jesus “Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (Matthew 10:4) “…and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” (Mark 3:19) “…and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.” (Luke 6:16)n
Literature Review :
JESUS TEACHES JUDAS ABOUT COSMOLOGY: THE SPIRIT AND THE SELF-GENERATED
Jesus said, “[Come], that I may teach you about [secrets] no person [has] ever seen. For there exists a great and boundless realm, whose extent no generation of angels has seen, [in which] there is [a] great invisible [Spirit], which no eye of an angel has ever seen, no thought of the heart has ever comprehended, and it was never called by any name. “And a luminous cloud appeared there. He said, ‘Let an angel come into being as my attendant.’ “A great angel, the enlightened divine Self-Generated, emerged from the cloud. Because of him, four other angels came into being from another cloud, and they became attendants for the angelic Self-Generated. The Self-Generated said,
[48] ‘Let […] come into being […],’ and it came into being […]. And he [created] the first luminary to reign over him. He said, ‘Let angels come into being to serve [him],’ and myriads without number came into being. He said, ‘[Let] an enlightened aeon come into being,’ and he came into being. He created the second luminary [to] reign over him, together with myriads of angels without number, to offer service. That is how he created the rest of the enlightened aeons. He made them reign over them, and he created for them myriads of angels without number, to assist them.
ADAMAS AND THE LUMINARIES
“Adamas was in the first luminous cloud that no angel has ever seen among all those called ‘God.’ He [49] […] that […] the image […] and after the likeness of [this] angel. He made the incorruptible [generation] of Seth appear […] the twelve […] the twenty four […]. He made seventy-two luminaries appear in the incorruptible generation, in accordance with the will of the Spirit. The seventy-two luminaries themselves made three hundred sixty luminaries appear in the incorruptible generation, in accordance with the will of the Spirit, that their number should be five for each. “The twelve aeons of the twelve luminaries constitute their father, with six heavens for each aeon, so that there are seventy-two heavens for the seventy-two luminaries, and for each [50] [of them five] firmaments, [for a total of] three hundred sixty [firmaments …]. They were given authority and a [great] host of angels [without number], for glory and adoration, [and after that also] virgin spirits, for glory and [adoration] of all the aeons and the heavens and their firmaments.
THE COSMOS, CHAOS, AND THE UNDERWORLD
“The multitude of those immortals is called the cosmos— that is, perdition—by the Father and the seventy-two luminaries who are with the Self-Generated and his seventy two aeons. In him the first human appeared with his incorruptible powers. And the aeon that appeared with his generation, the aeon in whom are the cloud of knowledge and the angel, is called [51] El. […] aeon […] after that […] said, ‘Let twelve angels come into being [to] rule over chaos and the [underworld].’ And look, from the cloud there appeared an [angel] whose face flashed with fire and whose appearance was defiled with blood. His name was Nebro, which means ‘rebel’; others call him Yaldabaoth. Another angel, Saklas, also came from the cloud. So Nebro created six angels—as well as Saklas—to be assistants, and these produced twelve angels in the heavens, with each one receiving a portion in the heavens.
THE RULERS AND ANGELS
“The twelve rulers spoke with the twelve angels: ‘Let each of you [52] […] and let them […] generation [—one line lost—] angels’: The first is [S]eth, who is called Christ. The [second] is Harmathoth, who is […]. The [third] is Galila. The fourth is Yobel. The fifth [is] Adonaios. These are the five who ruled over the underworld, and first of all over chaos. THE CREATION OF HUMANITY “Then Saklas said to his angels, ‘Let us create a human being after the likeness and after the image.’ They fashioned Adam and his wife Eve, who is called, in the cloud, Zoe. For by this name all the generations seek the man, and each of them calls the woman by these names. Now, Sakla did not [53] com[mand …] except […] the gene[rations …] this […]. And the [ruler] said to Adam, ‘You shall live long, with your children.’”
Who was Seth?
“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.” – Genesis 4:25
Supporting Texts:
Genesis 5:3-8, 1 Chronicles 1:1, Luke 3:38, Hebrews 11:6
INTRODUCTION:
Seth was the third recorded son of Adam and Eve, born after the tragic murder of Abel by Cain. His birth was seen as God’s provision of another righteous seed to continue the godly lineage that Abel would have carried forward. Unlike Cain, who walked in rebellion, Seth became the foundation of a lineage that sought after God.
His life was significant because through his descendants came Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and ultimately, Jesus Christ. Seth represents a divine replacement, a second chance, and a continuation of God’s redemptive plan. The Bible records that during his lifetime, men began to call upon the name of the Lord, showing his spiritual impact.
This study explores Seth’s role in biblical history, his godly legacy, and the lessons believers can learn from his life.
1. SETH WAS A DIVINELY APPOINTED SON
Seth’s birth was a sign of God’s mercy and restoration.
a) His name means “appointed” or “compensation”
Eve recognised that Seth was given by God as a replacement for Abel (Genesis 4:25).
b) He was a continuation of the godly lineage
While Cain’s descendants followed the path of sin, Seth’s line preserved faith in God (Genesis 5:3-4).
c) His birth was a sign of hope for humanity
After the fall and Abel’s murder, Seth’s arrival brought renewal (Genesis 3:15).
d) He was a chosen vessel in God’s divine plan
Through Seth’s lineage, God preserved the promise of redemption (Luke 3:38).
e) Biblical Example: Other Divinely Appointed Sons
Isaac was divinely appointed as Abraham’s promised child (Genesis 21:1-3).
2. SETH CONTINUED THE GODLY LINEAGE
Unlike Cain’s descendants, Seth’s family honoured God.
a) He fathered Enos, who initiated public worship
The Bible states that during Enos’ time, men began to call upon the Lord (Genesis 4:26).
b) His lineage included righteous men
From Seth’s line came men of faith like Enoch, Noah, and Abraham (Genesis 5:6-32).
c) His descendants preserved the knowledge of God
While the world became corrupt, Seth’s line upheld God’s ways (Genesis 6:9).
d) He lived in contrast to Cain’s descendants
While Cain’s family embraced wickedness, Seth’s family pursued righteousness (Genesis 4:16-24).
e) Biblical Example: Other Godly Lineages in Scripture
The lineage of David led to Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-16).
3. SETH LIVED A LONG AND FRUITFUL LIFE
His life reflected God’s blessing upon the righteous.
a) He lived for 912 years
Seth’s long life symbolised divine preservation (Genesis 5:8).
b) He had many sons and daughters
His children expanded the godly lineage on earth (Genesis 5:7).
c) His longevity signified God’s grace
Before sin fully corrupted humanity, men lived long lives (Genesis 6:3).
d) He contributed to the population of the earth
Seth’s descendants played a key role in human expansion (Genesis 5:4-5).
e) Biblical Example: Other Men Who Lived Long Lives
Methuselah, the longest-living man, reached 969 years (Genesis 5:27).
4. SETH’S DESCENDANTS WERE MEN OF FAITH
His family line produced men who walked closely with God.
a) Enoch walked with God and was taken to heaven
Enoch was Seth’s great-great-grandson and never saw death (Genesis 5:24).
b) Noah was righteous in a corrupt world
Noah found grace in God’s eyes and was chosen to build the ark (Genesis 6:8-9).
c) The lineage led to the Messiah
Jesus Christ was born from Seth’s bloodline (Luke 3:38).
d) His descendants stood against the corruption of the world
They maintained faith while Cain’s descendants drifted further into sin (Genesis 6:1-2).
e) Biblical Example: Other Generations That Preserved God’s Promise
The lineage of Judah led to King David and Jesus (Genesis 49:10).
5. SETH REPRESENTS GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION
His life foreshadows God’s restoration plan through Christ.
a) He was a type of Christ as a righteous seed
Just as Seth replaced Abel, Christ came as the second Adam (Romans 5:19).
b) His family preserved true worship
Through Seth’s line, people continued calling on God (Genesis 4:26).
c) His descendants overcame the corruption of the world
Despite widespread sin, Seth’s lineage remained faithful (Genesis 6:9).
d) He represents God’s mercy in the midst of judgment
Even after sin entered the world, God continued His plan of redemption (Genesis 3:15).
e) Biblical Example: Other Foreshadows of Redemption
Joseph’s life symbolised Jesus’ future suffering and exaltation (Genesis 50:20).
6. STRENGTHS OF SETH
Seth exhibited godly qualities that made his lineage unique.
a) He was divinely appointed by God
His birth was a sign of God’s sovereignty (Genesis 4:25).
b) He established a heritage of faith
Seth’s son named Enosh, and several generations later a descendant named Enoch. Enoch is described as living 365 years, and that “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). This seems to be saying that Enoch didn’t physically die, that like the prophet Elijah, God simply took him directly to heaven. Enoch’s son Methuselah lived 969 years, which makes him the oldest man mentioned in the Bible (possibly the oldest man ever). Genesis 5:28 establishes that Noah was Methuselah’s grandson, which makes him a direct descendant of Seth. Seth’s ancestry is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 1:3, which starts by mentioned Seth and the several ancestors leading to Noah, then describes the family branches created by Noah’s three sons.
Since Noah’s family was the only one that survived the flood, this means that Seth’s direct family line survived God’s punishment, whereas Cain’s family line did not. Given that the Bible cites Cain’s family having some dysfunction—Cain murdering a brother, Lamech being a polygamist, and killing a stranger—this may suggest Seth’s family followed God more closely.
Significance of Study
The “foundation” of a new line was through Seth. HE was the continuity. And the line of Seth was not cut off as happened with the death of Abel, but Enosh was born to Seth. Therein lies the continuity of the messianic line that follows thereafter to others in that line: Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, and Noah’s son – Shem, all a part of the messianic line leading ultimately to the Messiah.
Thus, fulfilling the promise of Genesis 3:15, Jesus shows up in Eve’s promised offspring who will crush the serpent’s head.
Judas Isacriot Practiced:
The Sethians were an early Christian sect who equated Adam’s son Seth with Christ (which the Gospel of Judas explicitly does on manuscript page 52). The Sethians had a very dualistic view of spirit as good and matter, including the physical body, as evil. In fact, that’s why Judas is seen as good – Jesus tells him “you will sacrifice the man that clothes me,” i.e., his physical body (manuscript page 56).
Those of us who believe in the traditional Christian view of the incarnation do not view Jesus’ body as evil, nor do we view our own bodies as evil. Our bodies are the temple of God, not the prison of the soul as the Sethian Gnostics believed. Our bodies, like all of God’s creation, are holy.
Gnostics accorded Seth a mythological status. He was a pre-existent divine being. Along with the Great Invisible Spirit (the Father) and Barbelo (the Mother), the Son— the Self-Created One— ruled the aeons of the Pleroma. The Pleroma refers to the spiritual universe where God dwells in accordance with all the other divine powers and emanations. The Father of this triad was responsible for the inbreathing of the divine Spirit into Adam. The Mother was Eve (a Sophia/wisdom figure), and the Son (Seth) was the Logos (the Christ). This would be the essence of their sacred history.
Together, the written documents reveal at their core five basic points. (1) They are drawn from Hellenistic-Jewish understandings of Sophia, which is divine wisdom in its elemental, fallen, and restored states. (2) They have a unique exegesis of Genesis 1-6, which sees a sacred history in Seth’s seed. (3) They include the practice of baptism as a removal from the material world and a transporting into the realm of light. (4) They include an emerging Christology wherein Christ is related to Seth. (5) They reflect the influence of Pythagorean and Platonic metaphysical concepts that define the world of the divine and the means of integrating with it.
It is believed that Sethianism existed before the first century of the Common Era. As a non-Christian sect, they believed they had the primeval knowledge about Adam and Seth, and they anticipated Seth’s messianic return. The Apocalypse of Adam might have been written at this time. In this Gnostic text, Adam explains to Seth that he learned about the Eternal God from Eve. After the fall, he and Eve were separated, but three mysterious strangers brought about Seth’s birth in an attempt to preserve this knowledge. Adam prophesies at length about how the sub-god will attempt to destroy mankind, but eventually a great illuminator (Seth) will return. This illuminator will know the eternal truth and will confer a saving baptism.
During the latter part of the first century, Sethians came into contact with Christian baptismal groups. It wasn’t too difficult to make the connection between Seth and the pre-existent Christ. Seth is now thought of as a supernatural being. The Apocryphon of John was probably written during this time. It describes the resurrected Jesus returning to give secret knowledge to the apostle John. This knowledge includes a lengthy vision about the history and realm of the spiritual world.
The next hundred years, however, resulted in an increasingly estranged relationship between Sethanismand Christianity, which was becoming more codified and orthodox. The Coptic Gospel of the Egyptians (otherwise known as The Holy Book of the Great Invisible Spirit) was probably written during this time. This book explains how Seth is incarnated as Jesus, who was sent to release people from the prison of this earthly world.
By the third century CE, Christians had pretty much rejected Sethianism. Yet, it was still very popular with those interested in the metaphysical aspects of Platonic thought. The representative text would be Allogenes, whose author was given revelations about overcoming fear and ignorance.
By the latter part of the third century, Sethianism was breaking apart. No longer embraced by orthodox Platonists and rejected by Christians, Sethianism became fragmented into many sectarian gnostic groups, some of which lasted well into the Middle Ages. In later decades, Sethians proclaimed a slightly more positive view about the material world, but continued to elaborate and expand upon the various planes of existence, including all the sub-spiritual realms.
Sethians, then, were a very important Gnostic sect. They believed themselves to be direct descendants of Adam and Eve through Seth. Since Seth was the keeper of secret knowledge, his followers (Sethian Gnostics) were the only ones who had the true knowledge. Seth was seen as a savior-figure who was incarnated as Christ.
However, the higher Gods didn’t leave humans in complete servitude to Yaldabaoth. The angel Gabriel gave an additional spirit or the spark of divinity to the saved people (i.e. the Gnostics). In the Gospel of Judas Jesus notes: “God caused knowledge to be brought to Adam and those with him so that the kings of Chaos and Hades might not rule over them.
In a different Sethian text called the Secret Book of John, “the appearance of the Child is portrayed in such a way as to suggest an act of spiritual intercourse between the transcendent Father and Barbelo the Mother” (p. 147). Nowhere is the Virgin Mary mentioned. Seth is the child of Adam and Eve; at the same time, Seth is Jesus, the child of two eternal, all-powerful beings, the Father and Barbelo.
Instead, The Gospel of Judas begins just before Jesus’ last Passover in Jerusalem as the disciples are offering a prayer to God over the dinner table. Watching them do this, Jesus laughs at them. Interestingly enough, in none of the canonical Gospels does Jesus ever laugh. But in The Gospel of Judas he laughs often, usually a sardonic how-little-you-know kind of laugh. The disciples become furious with Jesus for laughing at them; all except Judas, who says to Jesus, “I know who you are and where you have come from. You are from the immortal realm of Barbelo.” Who is Barbelo, you may ask? In ancient Gnostic texts, Barbelo is the Divine Mother of all and the Forethought of the Infinite One. Confused? If you are at all familiar with the story of Jesus, you should be. But things only get more obscure and confusing as you continue reading the text.
Because of Judas’ “knowledge” that Jesus comes from “the immortal realm of Barbelo,” he is promised a revelation “about secrets no person has ever seen.” Cutting to the chase, here is the last part of the “revelation” that the Gnostic “Jesus” gives to Judas.