André Gagné

André Gagné is an Associate Professor 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).

Contents

• The gospel of thomas an interview with prof andr gagn
• Andr gagn napierville 29 sept 2013
• Publications
• References

Gagné's current research focuses on issues related to religion and violence, radicalization, identity formation, the interpretation of religious texts, and on countering violent extremism through education. He has also worked on the New Testament Gospels, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, the Nag Hammadi Library, and Gnosticism. As a collaborator on la bibliothèque copte de Nag Hammadi (BCNH) project at l'Université Laval, Gagné is preparing a critical edition, translation and commentary of the Gospel of Thomas for 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 and the European Association of Biblical Studies. In 2016, he received the Opinion Leader of the Year Award for his involvement with the media in connection with radicalization, global terrorism, and religious violence. 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.