Secrets of Judas
Page 13
Similarly Roger Thiede picked up the trail of Hedrick, and indeed identified the fact that Hedrick himself had discovered and edited one of the noncanonical gospels that has appeared in recent times:16
Then rumors circulate in uni[versity] circles about the true content of the most voluminous part of the codex. Charles W. Hedrick, Professor at Southwest Missouri State University, goes public. Together with his colleague Paul Mirecki, he had become world famous in 1997 by making known “Papyrus Berolinensis 22220.”17 In the archives of the Egyptian Museum of the German capital the pair had dredged up remains of a Coptic Gospel fragment (see FOCUS, fascicle 14 of 1997), in Hedrick’s numeration “E 34.” Now the same scholar gave in evidence, in the scholarly journal Bible Review, that he had seen fotos of pages of a further, very important writing. “E 35” is for the first time spoken about publicly.
ROBERTY’S MEMORANDUM: DECEMBER 15, 2000
The contract signed by Ferrini and Tchacos was not implemented, because on December 15, 2000, Roberty, as a Swiss attorney, wrote a memorandum to a New York attorney, Eric R. Kaufman, who had been their host at a recent meeting of the two lawyers with “Frieda” and “Bruce,” presumably their respective clients.18 The memorandum itemizes the agreements reached by “Frieda” and “Bruce” “under somewhat tensed circumstances” at that meeting. It begins by stating that the agreements of September 9, 2000, “have become obsolete.”
Since, according to the memorandum, Bruce had “already disposed of” the Mathematical Treatise and Letters of Paul, he would pay Frieda $300,000 for them by February 1, 2001. With regard to the rest of the manuscripts, a foundation would be created to carry out the “project”:
The entity which shall realize the Project shouldn’t be a commercial entity but the Logos Foundation as officially recognized charitable trust of public utility to be established under Swiss Law soon.
11…. Moreover, the actual owner of the manuscripts [Frieda] intends to make a partial donation of the manuscripts to the Foundation whereby all rights to the manuscripts as well as deriving from the manuscripts shall be transferred to the Logos Foundation against assignment of totally 80 % of the Foundation’s future revenues from the commercialization of the manuscripts (i.e. from the exploitation of the deriving publishing rights etc. and ultimately—if legally admissible—from their sale).
Bruce and Frieda are going to exchange the composite volume of at least three Coptic texts (First Apocalypse of James, Epistle of Peter to Philip and Gospel of Judas) as well as the Book of Exodus and the not expressly mentioned further fragments with two checks emitted by Bruce of USD 1,250,000—each, the first due on January 15, 2001 and the second due on February 15, 2001.
Immediately after the above described exchange has taken place, Frieda will set up the Logos Foundation in agreement with you and in accordance with the above described principles. She will then transfer the manuscripts to the Foundation entering into an agreement as described sub par. 11. above.
Frieda will grant Bruce the option of acquiring half the rights assigned to her by the Foundation to the future revenues from the commercialization of the manuscripts against payment to her of USD 1,100,000… (i.e. USD 750,000—corresponding to half the value of the composite volume plus USD 350,000—corresponding to half the value of the Book of Exodus) and against donation to the Foundation of the same amounts she will have donated herself by then. This option shall be valid and exercisable until June 30, 2001.
The purpose of the proposed Logos Foundation was stated as follows:
The Logos Project intends to save and publish The Gospel of Judas and other related manuscripts for the benefit of historical truth and to generate the funds necessary for this task as well as for the compensation of the expenses and efforts incurred by the promoters, leaving them with a decent profit.
The agreement reached in New York also imposed the strictest secrecy, which seems to have been handed down at each stage of the project until now.
It is clearly understood by all persons involved that nobody, not even Bruce and Frieda, but only the Foundation, will have the right to promulgate and commercialize any knowledge regarding, concerning or deriving from the manuscripts. Moreover, for the time being and until all legal aspects are clarified, it is in the best interest of the Project to maintain utmost secrecy about its existence.
This leaves only Roberty the freedom to discuss whatever he wants with whomever he wants, and he has apparently made great use of this freedom.
Apparently Ferrini did not accept the offer to share in the income from the commercialization of the manuscripts to be owned by a new Foundation. Subsequently, his name nowhere figures in connection with the Foundation.
It is presumably the projected Logos Foundation that came into existence under the name of the Maecenas Foundation, the current owner of The Gospel of Judas.
BREAKING NEWS… “BRUCE ON THE LOOSE”
Michel van Rijn reports on what happened following the meeting in New York.19 Van Rijn and Roberty had worked together cordially in earlier connections, and therefore Van Rijn had notified Roberty of the news on The Gospel of Judas he was about to publish on his Web site. Van Rijn then published what was apparently Roberty’s revised draft of what Van Rijn had e-mailed him for approval, since it begins: “Michel, what do you think about the following text?”
Crime against Humanity… Priceless and not replaceable Gospel of Judas embezzled by manuscript dealer Bruce P. Ferrini (http://www.ferrini.com)
The mechanics:
Last fall, Zurich based antiques dealer Frieda Chakos entrusts priceless papyrus manuscripts which had been in a Bank vault in New York for almost 20 years to the “safe” facilities of Akron/Ohio-based manuscript dealer Bruce P. Ferrini. She is approached by Ferrini through a middleman and doesn’t have a clue that by this time Ferrini is already in deep financial troubles. The news had not hit the papers yet. Ferrini takes advantage of the secrecy of the art-market and offers to help Frieda ‘in preserving these manuscripts for the benefit of mankind’…
The papyrus manuscripts consist of
· a Gnostic codex in Sahidic dialect containing the lost Gospel of Judas known from history only through Saint Irenaeus (c. 140–202 AD), Bishop of Lyon, The First Apocalypse of James and The Epistle of Peter to Philip
·
· the Book of Exodus in Greek
·
· Letters of Paul in Sahidic dialect and a
·
· Mathematical Treatise in Greek.
·
All these manuscripts are priceless historical documents, only comparable to major finds like the Nag Hammadi Library or the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran. They belong to mankind and shall be publicly preserved and studied. For this purpose, Frieda has set up a public foundation to which these manuscripts have been donated. But Ferrini wants to turn them into money for the satisfaction of his greedy ambitions and has therefore spirited the manuscripts away, to Japan.
Legal proceedings and criminal persecution are under way. This will take some time. As things develop, you will see how much more efficient I am with my DEVASTATING ART NEWS. Crimes against the most basic cultural interests of mankind must be persecuted by adequate means. Buyers beware, a maniac dealer is selling parts of our history. You buy? You touch? You will be prosecuted!
On February 5, 2001, Roberty again e-mailed van Rijn:
Let me quickly tell you what really has happened: Basically nothing. Last Monday night (Jan 29) Eric K[aufman] called several times and repeatedly confirmed he didn’t know what this fuss was all about because his client was perfectly willing to return the manuscripts (exception for “The Mathematical Treatise” and “The Letters of Paul” which he has already sold and for which he should have paid $300 on Feb 1) as soon as [he] would be returning to Akron on Feb 14, back from the Palm Beach Antiques Fair (or from Japan?). Since these phone calls I (or Frieda) have received no further communication either from Eric or from the Italo-Sioux [Ferrini] himself.
Tomorrow, we can check the bank for the arrival of $300 as promised!? Of course, I know Eric had been absent Tue and Wed and he knew I was going to Paris until Fri night.
The point is, I would like to keep the pressure on B.F. until he really fulfills his (lawyer’s) promise. Therefore, probably the best and only possible update on “Bruce on the Loose” is the naked truth: Thanks to “Devastating Art News” promising contacts have been established between the lawyers of the parties involved and hopefully B.F. will keep his (lawyer’s) word and have the manuscripts returned by February 14/15, 2001.
Then on February 7, 2001, Roberty e-mailed van Rijn still another time:
Now I know you don’t only have a third ear but also a third eye: Yesterday, just before leaving for the meeting with Eric, I checked my mailbox and got your prophetical message about what Eric would be saying and proposing. You were right to the dot!
I still don’t quite get what Bruce really wants—besides trying to make the business of his life, i.e. selling manuscripts (letters of Paul and Mathematical Treatise) as well as some objects of art and exploiting and possibly selling the important manuscripts without ever having to pay for them. It’s the precise attitude of a professional embezzler and thief…
During our meeting, there were three major issues:
· who is passing information on to you
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· the overdue payment of USD 300” for the manu[script]s already sold
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· the refusal to return the other manu[script]s.
·
1. In order to figure out where the leak is, Eric suggested Bruce to feed three different, false infos to three different possible leaks. Watch out!
2. The overdue payment has been done because of a confusion with dealings Bruce has with Bill Veres. Bill claims Bruce [is] owing him money and pretends having paid Frieda on behalf on Bruce USD 90” (which is not true!) and Bruce claims Bill [is] owing him lots of money. Bill had introduced Bruce to Frieda and pretends to be his partner. At the same time he pretends feeling responsible towards Frieda for the mess she is in. For reasons completely independent of Bruce, Bill owes Frieda about USD 150”. All this confusion is basically bullshit and is being used by Bruce just to avoid payment. By the way, he pretends that the sales price obtained by Sam Fogg is not of USD 900” and that the sale was not to Thompson.
3. Because in your latest update you claim having been asked for assistance by the Egyptian authorities, Eric pretends Bruce being no longer able to return the manu[script]s without risking persecution under US law! This is pure bullshit again and he would have brought this same argument even if you had not mentioned the Egyptian authorities. From what I have learned and seen documented, I can affirm that following legal terms (the applicable Egyptian law being No. 215 of October 31, 1951) there is no possibility for a claim from that country. Of course, this does not foreclose some action out of purely political motives…
We are now considering the remaining options. Possibly, there will be another meeting on Friday afternoon with Bruce present.
I’ll keep you posted.
Apparently the Maecenas Foundation, whose only purpose is to commercialize The Gospel of Judas and the other less sensational texts, had a rough start, if it could not get hold of the manuscripts themselves. What actually transpired (Japan? legal proceedings?) is not clear, but the manuscripts did finally come into the possession of the newly created Maecenas Foundation.
How long it all took is not clear. There is a comment by Thiede, suggesting that it dragged on into 2002:20
In 2002 she plans again to dismember the codex. For twice $750,000 it is to go to the US dealer Bruce Ferrini of Akron, Ohio. Nothing comes of this. Instead, Maecenas is soon to be recognized as the new owner of the badly handled ruin of a book.
The only thing this odd comment by Thiede seems to have in common with the agreement reached in New York is the evaluation of the Gnostic composite codex at twice $750,000, i.e., a total value of $1,500,000. It may be that part of the legal pressure on Ferrini took the form that he was either to pay cash for buying the manuscripts or return them to Roberty. Since he was in financial straits, he finally returned them.
“BAD PROVENANCE”: ILLEGAL EXCAVATION AND SMUGGLING
Michel van Rijn claims credit for exposing the illegal exportation of The Gospel of Judas from Egypt, which hence necessitated the agreement by the Maecenas Foundation to return it to Egypt after publication. But this did not take place automatically, as Van Rijn explains with grim satisfaction:21
Zürich based dealer Frieda (Nussberger) Chakos, owner of the prestigious Gallery Nefer, is up to her old tricks again. Although she solemnly promised, after being exposed on my website, to return the illegally acquired, historically invaluable Gospel of Judas to Egypt, she is presently negotiating a possible sale to a US manuscript dealer. We are on the job as usual and will keep you posted. If Frieda will go forward, we will also dive into her past sales and rip the last bits of her already miserable reputation to pieces.
Later, Van Rijn follows up with his success story:22
In 2001 this portal first revealed the existence and the contents of the looted Judas Gospel as well as enough of the skullduggery in its recent history to make it unmarketable. The action on this portal forced the culprits who owned the long lost smuggled Gospel to restore it to its true country of origin, Egypt, and to look for other venues to capitalize on their illegally acquired treasure. This portal is used to not being credited in the media for the good work we do… and we take consolation and soulage in the fact that as a result of our actions this historically important document will be returned to Egypt safe for posterity.
Van Rijn prides himself on his art-world scoops, and it was on his website that news of the existence of an extraordinary document first broke—at least beyond the cabals of dealers, and the cloistered confines of the scholarly community. In 2001, he revealed that the long-lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot—not seen for at least 1,800 years—was being hawked around antiquities dealers on two, maybe three, continents. It wasn’t quite the Dead Sea Scrolls, but not far off. Would this testament of Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, turn Christianity on its head? Van Rijn says it asserts that Judas worked in league with Jesus to betray him, thereby to ensure his crucifixion, martyrdom (and, for believers, his resurrection), and thus to lay the foundation for—and ensure the success of— Christianity. “Forget The Da Vinci Code, says Van Rijn. This is the real deal.”
The outcome, of course, has been a rupture in the good relations that had prevailed between Van Rijn and Roberty (who had even functioned as his Van Rijn’s representative), according to Malcolm Macalister Hall’s report in the British newspaper The Independent:23
But few allegiances last long in the quicksand of the antiquities market, and the two now have daggers drawn. “Van Rijn and Roberty—it’s like Holmes and Moriarty; they’re mortal enemies,” says one major London dealer. In this feud, Van Rijn has done all he can to discredit the provenance of The Gospel of Judas—all part of his plan, he says, to make it unsellable. He’s now cock-a-hoop that the Maecenas Foundation has pledged to return the manuscript to Egypt—to the Coptic Museum in Cairo—after unsuccessful attempts to sell it and other papyri in the United States for some $2.5m. Van Rijn claims that his website postings over the last few years destroyed any possible deal.
Roberty’s memorandum of December 15, 2000, did name the original owner in a clause questioning the legal title:
In order to be able to pursue the Project responsibly, we first must ascertain that Mr. Hana A. Airian had obtained good legal and beneficial title to the manuscripts and that he had the right to sell these documents to Frieda.
Since no such legal title was forthcoming, this could have been used by Ferrini as a reason/excuse for not going forward, as Dutch journalist Henk Schutten has reported:24
The big question is why this manuscript remained hidden for such a long time after it was discovered. Almost no one wanted
to get their fingers burned, according to Bruce Ferrini, an art dealer of Akron, Ohio. He himself was offered the documents in 2000 by Frieda Tchakos, a gallery owner in Geneva who bought the materials the year prior to that….
The problem was the “bad provenance,” its obscure origin. Tchakos and Roberty told Ferrini that farmers discovered the books in the mid-seventies in a stone box in Megaga, Upper-Egypt….
Ferrini: “Frieda told me that the documents were obtained by a Greek trader, Nikolas Koutoulakis who had supposedly stolen them from Hannah, an Egyptian jeweler. Koutoulakis smuggled them into Geneva. Frieda alleges that Hannah followed him by traveling to Geneva to reclaim the documents. A Coptic priest would have accompanied Hannah afterwards to New York where the documents were held in a safe in Hicksville’s Citibank. They remained there until the end of the nineties when they were purchased by Frieda.”
The “bad provenance” may well have been one reason that had prevented the agreement of September 19, 2000, from being implemented, since that agreement had stipulated that the title was clear.
The problem of smuggling may also help explain a cryptic comment by Thiede:25