UNL prof an expert on Sethian gospels, wants more access

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By BOB REEVES / Lincoln Journal Star

John Turner, professor of classics and religion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is a scholar of the Coptic language and one of the leading experts on Sethian Gnosticism.  That’s why he’s so eager to study the original documents contained in Codex Tchacos, the 1,700-year-old manuscript that contains the recently released Gospel of Judas and three other ancient religious works. 

But he’s frustrated that he’s not able to examine the materials.

So far, the material is controlled by the Macaenas Foundation for Ancient Art, which sold publication rights to the National Geographic Society.  Both the society and the foundation will reap profits from publications, exhibitions and other media rights for the codex until it’s donated to Egypt’s Coptic Museum in 2009. 

Just before Easter, the society published two books: “The Gospel of Judas,” with translation and commentaries by scholars Rodolphe Kasser, Gregor Wurst, Marvin Meyer and Bart D. Ehrman,  and  “The Lost Gospel,” by journalist Herbert Krosney, tracing the document’s discovery, mistreatment and painstaking reconstruction.

A transcription and translation are posted on the Web at www.nationalgeographic.com. The site also has some photos of the crumbling manuscripts for on-screen scrutiny, but only a few of the 26 pages of the gospel have been posted so far.  Four pages of the manuscript are on display at National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Turner is examining the available material but wants to see more.  He’d like to have photographs of each page of the manuscript, so he could analyze the Coptic characters and make his own judgment about whether the transcription by scholars Rodolphe Kasser and Gregor Wurst is accurate.

He has identified some places where he believes they may have misread one or more letters in the Coptic script, leading to possible mis-transcriptions.

“I need the photographs,” he said.  “I can’t suggest an alternative reading because I can’t see the photographs.”

Later this year the National Geographic Society plans to publish a complete edition of the Gospel of Judas, along with other texts included in the entire codex. That book will include full-size color photos of all the pages, plus reproductions of all existing fragments. Until then,  scholars such as himself who are eager to study the entire codex will just have to wait, Turner said.

Mary Jeanne Jacobsen, vice president of communications for National Geographic, defended the way the materials have been handled so far.  “The entire codex has not been translated yet,” she said.  “They’re still working on piecing it together.  But some pages have been placed on public viewing (in Washington) and scholars are welcome to come there to study them.”

Meanwhile, anyone can go to the Web site and click on “explore the document” to view the pages that are posted, including a feature that allows users to zoom in to see greater detail.  “We feel we’ve made it quite available,” Jacobsen said.

Demand by scholars to see the actual pages has not been high, she added. “Only a handful of people in the world can read Coptic.”

“The number is growing because we’re teaching people all the time,” Turner responded.  “Probably 100 people can read Coptic, and probably 10 are real experts.”

Turner has been trying to piece together his own translation of the Gospel of Judas from the materials on the Web, but he’s most anxious to study the Book of Allogenes. He has a transcription of a couple of pages of that book, which seem to present the temptation of Christ in the context of Sethian beliefs.  But he’ll have to wait until photos are published. “We’re hamstrung by the lack of photos,” he said.

Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or at breeves@journalstar.com.