André Gagné
Encyclopedia
André Gagné is an Associate Professor of Early Christian History and Literature at Concordia University in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
.
Prior to his arrival at Concordia, Gagné taught from 2005-2008 at the Joint Department of Religious Studies
at Laurentian University
in Sudbury, Ontario
, Canada. He has a B.Th. (2001) and Master of Arts
(2003) from l'Université de Montréal
, and a conjoint Ph.D.
from l'Université catholique de Louvain
and l'Université de Montréal (2008).
His areas of expertise are New Testament Gospels, Gospel of Thomas
, Gospel of Judas
, Nag Hammadi Library
, Gnosticism
, and methods of biblical interpretation. He has written a number of articles and book chapters on New Testament exegesis
and on the Apocryphal Gospels, and he is currently working on a commentary of the Gospel of Thomas funded by the Fonds québecois de recherche sur la société et la culture. As a collaborator on la bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi (BCNH) project at l'Université Laval
, Gagné is responsible for the publication of the critical edition, translation and commentary of the Gospel of Thomas in the BCNH collection.
His research on the Gospel of Judas has led him to question the way experts of the National Geographic Society
(NGS) understand the character and role of Judas Iscariot
in the Gospel of Judas. Gagné's main argument rests on his translation of the Greco-Coptic term apophasis as denial. According to him, the opening lines of the Judas Gospel should not be translated as "the secret word of declaration by which Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot" but rather as "the secret word of the denial by which Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot" (Gospel of Judas 33:1). Gagné also noticed other translation problems in the Gospel of Judas and pointed out by scholars such as April DeConick
of Rice University
and Louis Painchaud of l'Université Laval
. Gagné's conclusion is that the Judas Gospel is the story of the denial of true salvation
for Judas.
Gagné is a member of several learned societies such as the Society of Biblical Literature
, the European Association of Biblical Studies and l'Association catholique des études bibliques au Canada. He has also been awarded the 2010 CCSL Outstanding Contribution Award for excellency in teaching and student mentorship. The same year, Gagné was awarded the New Scholar Award at Concordia University. The award recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement by a tenure-track faculty member.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Prior to his arrival at Concordia, Gagné taught from 2005-2008 at the Joint Department of Religious Studies
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
at Laurentian University
Laurentian University
Laurentian University , was incorporated on March 28, 1960, is a mid-sized bilingual university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada....
in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada. He has a B.Th. (2001) and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(2003) from l'Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, and a conjoint Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from l'Université catholique de Louvain
Université catholique de Louvain
The Université catholique de Louvain, sometimes known, especially in Belgium, as UCL, is Belgium's largest French-speaking university. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Brussels...
and l'Université de Montréal (2008).
His areas of expertise are New Testament Gospels, Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
, Gospel of Judas
Gospel of Judas
The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel that purportedly documents conversations between the Disciple Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ.It is believed to have been written by Gnostic followers of Jesus, rather than by Judas himself, and probably dates from no earlier than the 2nd century, since it...
, Nag Hammadi Library
Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. That year, twelve leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by a local peasant named Mohammed Ali Samman...
, Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
, and methods of biblical interpretation. He has written a number of articles and book chapters on New Testament exegesis
Exegesis
Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. Traditionally the term was used primarily for exegesis of the Bible; however, in contemporary usage it has broadened to mean a critical explanation of any text, and the term "Biblical exegesis" is used...
and on the Apocryphal Gospels, and he is currently working on a commentary of the Gospel of Thomas funded by the Fonds québecois de recherche sur la société et la culture. As a collaborator on la bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi (BCNH) project at l'Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
, Gagné is responsible for the publication of the critical edition, translation and commentary of the Gospel of Thomas in the BCNH collection.
His research on the Gospel of Judas has led him to question the way experts of the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
(NGS) understand the character and role of Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
in the Gospel of Judas. Gagné's main argument rests on his translation of the Greco-Coptic term apophasis as denial. According to him, the opening lines of the Judas Gospel should not be translated as "the secret word of declaration by which Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot" but rather as "the secret word of the denial by which Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot" (Gospel of Judas 33:1). Gagné also noticed other translation problems in the Gospel of Judas and pointed out by scholars such as April DeConick
April DeConick
April D. DeConick is the Isla Carroll and Percy E. Turner Professor of Biblical Studies at Rice University, Texas and is a historian of early Jewish and Christian thought.DeConick received her PhD in Near Eastern Studies at The University of Michigan in 1994...
of Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
and Louis Painchaud of l'Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
. Gagné's conclusion is that the Judas Gospel is the story of the denial of true salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
for Judas.
Gagné is a member of several learned societies such as the Society of Biblical Literature
Society of Biblical Literature
The Society of Biblical Literature, founded 1880, is a constituent society of the American Council of Learned Societies , with the stated mission to "Foster Biblical Scholarship"...
, the European Association of Biblical Studies and l'Association catholique des études bibliques au Canada. He has also been awarded the 2010 CCSL Outstanding Contribution Award for excellency in teaching and student mentorship. The same year, Gagné was awarded the New Scholar Award at Concordia University. The award recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement by a tenure-track faculty member.
Publications
Selected Publications:- André Gagné, Alain Gignac, Sylvie Paquette Lessard, eds. Vivant qui fait vivre. Esprit, éthique et résurrection dans le Nouveau Testament. Mélanges offerts à la professeure Odette Mainville. (Sciences bibliques, études 22), Montreal, Médiaspaul, 2011.
- André Gagné, "Connaissance, identité et androgynéité. Conditions du salut dans l'Évangile selon Thomas." Pages 131-147 in Pratiques et constructions du corps en christianisme. (Héritage et Projet 75). Edited by M. Allard, D. Couture and J.-G. Nadeau. Montreal: Fides, 2009.
- André Gagné, "Pourquoi Judas est-il un personnage maudit?" Pages 83–6 in La Bible: le Nouveau Testament. (Collection 25 questions). Montreal: Novalis, 2008.
- André Gagné, "Quels sont les textes originaux ou les plus vieux exemplaires disponibles des évangiles?" Pages 37–40, in La Bible: le Nouveau Testament. (Collection 25 questions). Montreal: Novalis, 2008.
- André Gagné, "Comment les quatre évangiles que nous connaissons ont-ils été choisis?" Pages 32–7, in La Bible: le Nouveau Testament. (Collection 25 questions). Montreal: Novalis, 2008.
- André Gagné, "La Visite de Dieu dans l'Instruction sur les Deux Esprits (1QS 3:13-4:26): Caractérisation de la communauté de Qumrân et de ses ennemis." Pages 205-16 in Defining Identities: We, You, and the Other in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Proceedings of the Fifth Meeting of the IOQS in Groningen. (Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 70). Edited by F. García Martínez and M. Popović. Leiden: Brill, 2008.
- André Gagné, "A Critical Note on the Meaning of APOPHASIS in Gospel of Judas 33:1." Laval théologique et philosophique 63 (2007): 377-83.
- André Gagné, "De l'intentio operis à l'intentio lectoris. Essai herméneutique à partir de l'épisode du démoniaque de Gérasa (Mc 5,1-20)." Théologiques 12/1-2 (2004): 213-31.
- Alain Gignac and André Gagné, "N'est pas fort qui croyait l'être, et sa foi n'est pas celle qu'il convenait d'avoir! Ambiguïté discursive et programmation de lecture en Rm 14." Théoforum 35 (2004): 21-46.
- André Gagné, "Caractérisation des figures de Satan et de Judas dans le IVe évangile: stratégie narrative et déploiement des intrigues de conflit." Science et Esprit 55 (2003): 263-84.
- André Gagné, "L'apôtre Pierre: fondement de l'Église ou adversaire de Jésus?" Scriptura: Nouvelle Série 4/2 (2002): 27-37.
- André Gagné, "La libération de la femme courbée (Lc 13,10-17): une illustration du programme de théologique de l'évangile de Luc" Scriptura: Nouvelle Série 4/1 (2002): 13-25.
- André Gagné, "Le démoniaque de Gérasa (Mc 5,1-20): propagande missionnaire et dénonciation sociopolitique de la communauté de Marc." Scriptura: Nouvelle Série 3/1 (2001): 104-20.