December 17, 2025 • 10 mins
In this thought-provoking episode, Tony dives into the banned and excluded gospels—ancient texts that didn’t make it into the Bible but continue to challenge how we understand early Christianity. Why were these writings left out? Who decided what was considered “truth”?
Tony explores the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Judas, unpacking what these texts reveal about spirituality, power, knowledge, and the early Church. From Mary Magdalene’s suppressed voice, to Thomas’s mystical sayings of Jesus, to Judas’s controversial role as more than just a traitor—these gospels raise uncomfortable questions about authority, control, and the shaping of belief.
This episode isn’t about tearing down faith—it’s about expanding the conversation. What happens when history, theology, and forbidden knowledge collide? And how might these lost teachings change the way we view Christianity today?
🔔 Like, subscribe, share, and join the conversation—because some truths were never meant to stay buried.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-be-told-paranormal--3589860/support.
Tony explores the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Gospel of Judas, unpacking what these texts reveal about spirituality, power, knowledge, and the early Church. From Mary Magdalene’s suppressed voice, to Thomas’s mystical sayings of Jesus, to Judas’s controversial role as more than just a traitor—these gospels raise uncomfortable questions about authority, control, and the shaping of belief.
This episode isn’t about tearing down faith—it’s about expanding the conversation. What happens when history, theology, and forbidden knowledge collide? And how might these lost teachings change the way we view Christianity today?
🔔 Like, subscribe, share, and join the conversation—because some truths were never meant to stay buried.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/truth-be-told-paranormal--3589860/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Tonight's episode may be uncomfortable for some listeners, and I
want to say that right up front. This is not
an episode about attacking Christianity. It's not about tearing down faith,
and it's definitely not about saying the Bible is fake.
What we are doing tonight is something much older than
(00:40):
the modern church itself. We're asking questions because long before
Christianity became a single, unified belief system, it was a movement,
and within that movement where many voices, many interpretations, and
many teachings attributed to Jesus, far more than the four
(01:04):
Gospels most of us grew up with. Tonight, we're going
to explore three gospels that didn't make it into the Bible,
the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Judas, the
Gospel of Thomas, and we're going to ask three questions
about each. Why didn't these gospels make the final cut,
(01:26):
what do they actually teach? And if they had been included,
how might that have changed the meaning of Christianity itself.
Because here's the key idea I want you to sit
with tonight. The Bible didn't fall from the sky fully formed.
It was assembled carefully, intentionally by human beings living in
(01:52):
specific historical, political, and cultural moments, and sometimes what gets
left out tells us just as much as what gets
left in how the Bible was formed three point thirty
and nine. To understand why certain gospels were excluded, we
(02:14):
have to clear up one major misconception. There was no
official New Testament during the lifetime of Jesus. There wasn't
one in the decades immediately after his death either. In fact,
for nearly three hundred years, early Christians were reading, sharing, copying,
and debating dozens of different texts. Some communities emphasized Jesus
(02:36):
as a divine sacrifice, others emphasized Jesus as a wisdom teacher.
Some focused on obedience, others focused on inner transformation and knowledge.
Christianity in its earliest form was diverse, decentralized, and messy.
(02:56):
It wasn't until the fourth century, after Christianity became entangled
with Roman political power, that leaders began aggressively enforcing orthodoxy.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And when church.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Leaders began deciding which texts were scripture and which were dangerous,
they weren't just asking is this spiritually meaningful? They were
also asking does this support church authority? Does this support hierarchy.
Does this support a unified doctrine? Does this help control
(03:34):
belief across an empire? Because once Christianity became institutionalized, unity
became survival. And that's the backdrop against which these gospels
were excluded. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Let's start with
the most controversial one, the Gospel of Mary. This text
(03:56):
was discovered in fragments in the late nineteen eighth century
and later in the Naghamadi Library in Egypt. What immediately
stands out is this Mary Magdalene is not portrayed as
a repentant sinner. She is portrayed as a primary disciple
(04:17):
In this gospel. After jesus death, the disciples are fearful
and confused. Mary steps forward, not emotionally, but intellectually and spiritually,
and shares teachings she received directly from Jesus, teachings the
other disciples did not receive. Peter challenges her authority. He
(04:39):
questions whether Jesus would really teach a woman privately, and
Levi or another disciple, defends her, saying that Jesus loved
her more than the others and trusted her. Understanding that
moment alone tells us everything. This gospel presents a Christianity
(05:00):
where spiritual authority is not gendered. Even more radical is
what Mary teaches in this gospel. Sin is not an
inherited stain. Evil is not a cosmic enemy. The soul's
problem is ignorance, not disobedience. Salvation comes through inner knowledge
(05:21):
and awakening, not external judgment. That's a completely different spiritual framework.
So why didn't it make the Bible? Because if Mary
Magdalene is a legitimate spiritual authority, the all male priesthood collapses,
Apostolic succession becomes questionable, institutional gatekeeping us is legitimacy. This
(05:43):
gospel suggests that the threat wasn't Mary's gender alone, it
was her authority. And if this gospel had been included,
Christianity might look less like a hierarchy and more like
a shared spear ritual journey. The Gospel of Judas. Now,
(06:04):
let's talk about the gospel that truly shattered expectations when
it was revealed, The Gospel of Judas. For nearly two
thousand years, Judas is Scariot has been Christianity's ultimate villain,
the betrayer, the traitor, the cautionary tale. But in this
gospel Judas is the only disciple who understands Jesus. Jesus
(06:29):
laughs at the other disciples for misunderstanding his message. He
pulls Judas aside privately and explains that the betrayal is
not a failure, it is a necessary act. In this gospel,
Jesus wants to be freed from the physical body. The
material world is flawed, the divine realm is beyond it,
(06:51):
and Judas's role is to help facilitate that release. This
is deeply unsettling to traditional theology. Judas wasn't evil, then
who carries the blame? What is sacrifice really about? Is
salvation dependent on violence? That The Gospel of Judas doesn't
erase responsibility, but it reframes it. Evil isn't wilful rebellion.
(07:17):
It's misunderstanding, and that's dangerous because religions built on fear
need villains, They need clear lines between good and evil.
This gospel blurs those lines, and if it had been included,
Christianity might focus less on punishment.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
And more.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
On comprehension, consciousness, and compassion. The Gospel of Thomas. Finally,
we come to the most quietly radical text of all,
the Gospel of Thomas. No birth narrative, no crucifixion story,
(08:05):
no resurrection account. Just one hundred and fourteen sayings attributed
to Jesus. Some are familiar, others are deeply strange. But
one theme repeats again and again. The Kingdom of God
is within you. Salvation is not something that happens after death.
(08:26):
It's something realized through awareness. Jesus is not portrayed primarily
as a sacrifice, but as a teacher of consciousness. He
doesn't say believe in me, he says, know yourself, understand reality,
Wake up. This gospel eliminates the need for mediation. No
(08:49):
priest required, no institution required, just insight. So why didn't
it make the Bible? Because if the Kingdom is within you,
the church loses its monopoly on access to God, and
that is the ultimate threat why these gospels were excluded.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
When you step back, patterns emerge.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
All three gospels share themes that made early church leaders
deeply uncomfortable. Inner authority over external control, knowledge over obedience,
equality over hierarchy, experience over doctrine.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
These techts don't remove God, they.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Remove gatekeepers, and institutions rarely survive that closing.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
So here's the question. I'll leave you with tonight. What
if these gospels.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Weren't excluded because they were false, but because they were powerful?
And what if faith lost something when they were silenced.
You don't have to reject the Bible to ask these questions,
you don't have to abandon and belief, but you do
have to be willing to sit with complexity because truth
(10:06):
has never been afraid of inquiry, and maybe neither was
Jesus
Tonight's episode may be uncomfortable for some listeners, and I
want to say that right up front. This is not
an episode about attacking Christianity. It's not about tearing down faith,
and it's definitely not about saying the Bible is fake.
What we are doing tonight is something much older than
(00:40):
the modern church itself. We're asking questions because long before
Christianity became a single, unified belief system, it was a movement,
and within that movement where many voices, many interpretations, and
many teachings attributed to Jesus, far more than the four
(01:04):
Gospels most of us grew up with. Tonight, we're going
to explore three gospels that didn't make it into the Bible,
the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, the Gospel of Judas, the
Gospel of Thomas, and we're going to ask three questions
about each. Why didn't these gospels make the final cut,
(01:26):
what do they actually teach? And if they had been included,
how might that have changed the meaning of Christianity itself.
Because here's the key idea I want you to sit
with tonight. The Bible didn't fall from the sky fully formed.
It was assembled carefully, intentionally by human beings living in
(01:52):
specific historical, political, and cultural moments, and sometimes what gets
left out tells us just as much as what gets
left in how the Bible was formed three point thirty
and nine. To understand why certain gospels were excluded, we
(02:14):
have to clear up one major misconception. There was no
official New Testament during the lifetime of Jesus. There wasn't
one in the decades immediately after his death either. In fact,
for nearly three hundred years, early Christians were reading, sharing, copying,
and debating dozens of different texts. Some communities emphasized Jesus
(02:36):
as a divine sacrifice, others emphasized Jesus as a wisdom teacher.
Some focused on obedience, others focused on inner transformation and knowledge.
Christianity in its earliest form was diverse, decentralized, and messy.
(02:56):
It wasn't until the fourth century, after Christianity became entangled
with Roman political power, that leaders began aggressively enforcing orthodoxy.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And when church.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Leaders began deciding which texts were scripture and which were dangerous,
they weren't just asking is this spiritually meaningful? They were
also asking does this support church authority? Does this support hierarchy.
Does this support a unified doctrine? Does this help control
(03:34):
belief across an empire? Because once Christianity became institutionalized, unity
became survival. And that's the backdrop against which these gospels
were excluded. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Let's start with
the most controversial one, the Gospel of Mary. This text
(03:56):
was discovered in fragments in the late nineteen eighth century
and later in the Naghamadi Library in Egypt. What immediately
stands out is this Mary Magdalene is not portrayed as
a repentant sinner. She is portrayed as a primary disciple
(04:17):
In this gospel. After jesus death, the disciples are fearful
and confused. Mary steps forward, not emotionally, but intellectually and spiritually,
and shares teachings she received directly from Jesus, teachings the
other disciples did not receive. Peter challenges her authority. He
(04:39):
questions whether Jesus would really teach a woman privately, and
Levi or another disciple, defends her, saying that Jesus loved
her more than the others and trusted her. Understanding that
moment alone tells us everything. This gospel presents a Christianity
(05:00):
where spiritual authority is not gendered. Even more radical is
what Mary teaches in this gospel. Sin is not an
inherited stain. Evil is not a cosmic enemy. The soul's
problem is ignorance, not disobedience. Salvation comes through inner knowledge
(05:21):
and awakening, not external judgment. That's a completely different spiritual framework.
So why didn't it make the Bible? Because if Mary
Magdalene is a legitimate spiritual authority, the all male priesthood collapses,
Apostolic succession becomes questionable, institutional gatekeeping us is legitimacy. This
(05:43):
gospel suggests that the threat wasn't Mary's gender alone, it
was her authority. And if this gospel had been included,
Christianity might look less like a hierarchy and more like
a shared spear ritual journey. The Gospel of Judas. Now,
(06:04):
let's talk about the gospel that truly shattered expectations when
it was revealed, The Gospel of Judas. For nearly two
thousand years, Judas is Scariot has been Christianity's ultimate villain,
the betrayer, the traitor, the cautionary tale. But in this
gospel Judas is the only disciple who understands Jesus. Jesus
(06:29):
laughs at the other disciples for misunderstanding his message. He
pulls Judas aside privately and explains that the betrayal is
not a failure, it is a necessary act. In this gospel,
Jesus wants to be freed from the physical body. The
material world is flawed, the divine realm is beyond it,
(06:51):
and Judas's role is to help facilitate that release. This
is deeply unsettling to traditional theology. Judas wasn't evil, then
who carries the blame? What is sacrifice really about? Is
salvation dependent on violence? That The Gospel of Judas doesn't
erase responsibility, but it reframes it. Evil isn't wilful rebellion.
(07:17):
It's misunderstanding, and that's dangerous because religions built on fear
need villains, They need clear lines between good and evil.
This gospel blurs those lines, and if it had been included,
Christianity might focus less on punishment.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
And more.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
On comprehension, consciousness, and compassion. The Gospel of Thomas. Finally,
we come to the most quietly radical text of all,
the Gospel of Thomas. No birth narrative, no crucifixion story,
(08:05):
no resurrection account. Just one hundred and fourteen sayings attributed
to Jesus. Some are familiar, others are deeply strange. But
one theme repeats again and again. The Kingdom of God
is within you. Salvation is not something that happens after death.
(08:26):
It's something realized through awareness. Jesus is not portrayed primarily
as a sacrifice, but as a teacher of consciousness. He
doesn't say believe in me, he says, know yourself, understand reality,
Wake up. This gospel eliminates the need for mediation. No
(08:49):
priest required, no institution required, just insight. So why didn't
it make the Bible? Because if the Kingdom is within you,
the church loses its monopoly on access to God, and
that is the ultimate threat why these gospels were excluded.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
When you step back, patterns emerge.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
All three gospels share themes that made early church leaders
deeply uncomfortable. Inner authority over external control, knowledge over obedience,
equality over hierarchy, experience over doctrine.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
These techts don't remove God, they.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Remove gatekeepers, and institutions rarely survive that closing.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
So here's the question. I'll leave you with tonight. What
if these gospels.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Weren't excluded because they were false, but because they were powerful?
And what if faith lost something when they were silenced.
You don't have to reject the Bible to ask these questions,
you don't have to abandon and belief, but you do
have to be willing to sit with complexity because truth
(10:06):
has never been afraid of inquiry, and maybe neither was
Jesus
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