When Marvin Meyer was asked by the National Geographic Society to translate the most-sought after religious texts in recent history, the Gospel of Judas, he discovered a startling portrait of Judas Iscariot. Judas was not the reviled traitor who betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Judas was the trusted disciple, the close confidant, the friend. When his translation of the Gospel of Judas was unveiled at a news conference in April 2006, it made headlines around the world--with nearly all of those articles touting the new and improved Judas. Almost immediately, other scholars began to take issue with the interpretation of Meyer and the rest of the National Geographic team. They didn't see a good Judas at all. In fact, this Judas seemed more evil than ever. Those early voices of dissent have since grown into a chorus, some of whom argue that National Geographic's handling of the project amounts to scholarly malpractice. It's a perfect example, critics argue, of what can happen when commercial considerations are allowed to ride roughshod over careful research. What's more, the controversy has strained friendships in this small community of religion scholars--causing some on both sides of the argument to feel, in a word, betrayed. This article presents a timeline of events tracing the history of the discovery of the Gospel of Judas. The author also takes a look at the bitter debate that transpired over its translation.