Judas Iscariot - Evil or misunderstood?

[casilda]

Hi peeps....just wondered what your opinions were on Judas??

He has been villified in The Bible as the ultimate Traitor, but is that the case?

Was he tricked into what he did?

Has his story ever really been told?

I saw Lord Archer on Heaven and Earth (UK Sunday morning TV show) and his latest novel is based upon Judas, and an alternative story....it sounds an interesting concept.

I have never believed that Judas was truly evil, I always thought that he was deceived into what he did, and that it had to happen, if it wasn't Judas, it would have been someone else....

your thoughts???

[Summer]

I believe that Christ new exactly what Judas was going to do, and I also believe that someone else would have had to have turned Christ in if Judas wouldn't have done it. Christ wanted to make the sacrifice that he made, period. He knew it was coming, he could have run, but he didn't. Instead he accepted it, and turned it into the great ritual that it became where he took upon himself the bad karma of all who believe in him. So Judas was doing his part to make this great thing come about.

I haven't studied Judas' story enough to have more of an opinion on this though, although I am interested in the subject. It is too bad that Judas felt so bad about what he did that he committed suicide though. I can only imagine how bad he must have felt, even though he played an important part in Christ's plan.

[Thorn]

fairlady said:

Hi peeps....just wondered what your opinions were on Judas??

My understanding of Judas is pretty much based on Jesus Christ Superstar. So um, while I wouldn't want to hang out with the guy, yeah, I think he got a bum rap.

But if you accept the idea of an omnipotent/omniscient/omnipresent diety, you've got to accept that s/he pretty much knows everything we're going to do before we do it. Does that make it predestined? And should we be held accountable?

Eh. Omnis make my brain hurt.

Give me good old-fashioned polytheism any day.

Omni

[Summer]

I don't believe that Jesus was a God incarnate though. That's where my thoughts differ from a lot of other Christians. I believe he was a mortal who achieved enlightenment. I believe that he was incarnated upon this Earth far more than once, and that Jesus was his last incarnation. Sort of like Buddha. Just my personal beliefs though.

[jimmyRRpage]

The Gospel of Judas presents a very different idea to Judas's story. namely that he was a hero because Jesus told Judas to betray (different from saying, at the last supper, "you will betray me"... he basically asks Judas to betray him long before-hand). Basically, in this gospel, Judas knew about Jesus's death long before any of the other disciples, and knew he couldn't do anything about it but play his part. The gospel also claims Jesus shared many, many secrets with Judas, much of the same secrets that the gospel of Mary Magdelene claims Jesus shared with her.

[Summer]

I am going to have to watch the Gospel of Judas. The part about the Gospel of Mary Magdalene really intrigues me. I have never thought it was any sort of coincidence at all that Jesus chose her to appear to first after he was resurrected. I personally believe that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married. I think that I need to read the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and see if it supports my theory in any way.

[Thorn]

I saw this at the book store this weekend and almost bought it.

I've got way too many books already, though. I wonder if my library has a copy...