The 1,700-year-old copy of the Gospel of Judas was unveiled in Washington last April, unleashing a controversy regarding its authenticity since it states that Judas acted on Jesus’ request and as part of the divine plan when he turned him over to the authorities. While the original author of the Judas gospel is unknown, it is believed to be part of a document mentioned in a treatise by Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, in the year 180 A.D. This in turn resulted in the writing of The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot, a collaborate effort between Jeffrey Archer and Francis J. Moloney, that successfully bridges the gap between the first-century Christian or Jew, by authenticating the research using canonical texts, and twenty-first-century readers. According to Pope Benedict XVI, this work not only tells the story of Jesus through the eyes of Judas but also sheds new light on his motives for the betrayal and tells the reader what happened to him after the crucifixion. Being aware that the name Judas brings a negative connotation to the mind of most Christians the authors following the narrative style of the gospels provide a compelling and controversial concept for modern day readers, with Desmond Tutu going as far as calling the gospel, “riveting and plausible.”

According to the author, Jeffrey Archer, the Gospel According to Judas Iscariot throws a new light on one of Christendom’s most vile antagonists as he and co-author Francis Moloney argue that Judas was unremorseful and motivated, not by greed, but by disillusionment over Jesus’ refusal to secure the Jewish homeland and rid it of the Romans. Further praise from Desmond Tutu states that, “It sounds just like the kind of thing someone’s son would do to try to rehabilitate their father’s name.” However, since this work will not be released to the public until March 22, 2007, Archer tantalizes the public with statements that include Judas “Unquestionably wanting the Messiah to ride into Jerusalem in front of a triumphant army and defeat the Romans. When He chooses to arrive on a donkey instead, Judas believes that that is proof positive that Jesus isn’t the Messiah.” However, Christians believe that the other gospels clearly teach that Christ made it clear that this was never His purpose. While Moloney will argue that Judas, a hard line Jew believed Jesus should restore the throne of David by military means,” and that it is more plausible that Judas did not betray Jesus for money but due to his disillusionment with the cause. The authors also believe that it is unlikely that Judas killed himself, since Moloney says, “There is no motivation for suicide and it was against Old Testament cannon for a Jew to take his own life.” It should also be noted; that while Archer’s book attempts to revise Judas’s reputation the discovery of a number of ancient texts has already caused views to change to ones more favorable of Judas.

At just over 22,000 words, this controversial work is roughly the same length as the four New Testament Gospels, and as such likely to be taken seriously by the Pope who is aware of the project and is a good friend of Professor Moloney’s, having sat with him on the Biblicum for 18 years. The Gospel According to Judas is a highly readable and gripping account of the stories of Jesus and Judas, which will open a whole new debate among secular and religious readers. Given that I cannot wait to obtain a copy of this anticipated work and would recommend it to open-minded individuals, as well as, to scholars and intellectuals.

[tags]The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot, Jesus, Judas, Jeffrey Archer, Francis Moloney, Desmond Tutu, Pope Benedict XVI, Controversary, debate, Christian, Jew, betrayal[/tags]