ABSTRACT
Interpretation of the Gospel of Judas was initially framed almost solely as a problem of classification, of placing the Gospel of Judas historically and ideologically. First of all, interpreters acknowledge that problems are raised in classifying the Gospel of Judas as Gnostic. Not only is the Gospel of Judas considered to be generically Gnostic, it is also said to belong to a sectarian sub-group called the "Sethians", in large part because it mentions "the immortal aeon of Barbelo", a figure well known from other texts classified as Sethian. Once the Gospel of Judas was added to this category, other aspects of Sethian mythology within it were identified. Indeed, it was considered legitimate to read into the Gospel of Judas those aspects of the myth that were deemed to be missing or not fully developed. The Gospel of Judas does not advise avoiding martyrdom and even calls it sacrifice.
