jjares reviewed Judas: The Controversial Life of the Apostle Who Betrayed Jesus on + 3299 more book reviews
Before reading this, I didn't know (or forgot) that Judas was notorious for being shifty with the money the Apostles had. There is virtually nothing known about Judas except what is in the Bible. There are several theories posed about Judas' betrayal. In one, Judas was a strong patriot hoping that Jesus would liberate the Jews from the Roman yoke. When Jesus failed to do so, Judas betrayed him. This is the first time I've heard that theory, which is interesting. However, the author shoots that one down.Â
The author also downplays the theory that Judas was preordained to betray Jesus; this would remove the idea of free will, and the Bible and early church fathers did not believe this theory. Instead, the third theory is that Judas gradually concluded that he might as well make a profit by delivering a revolutionary figure into the hands of his enemies.
Then, this short book turns to the "Gospel of Judas." This was a Gnostic book written in the third or fourth century. The author explains the long search to validate the document. However, I want to mention one aspect. The value of this document is that it shows some of the different beliefs floating around in the early Church. It was not part of the Bible because it espoused ideas counter to the other Apostles' books.
In summary, I thought the discussion to be fascinating. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
The author also downplays the theory that Judas was preordained to betray Jesus; this would remove the idea of free will, and the Bible and early church fathers did not believe this theory. Instead, the third theory is that Judas gradually concluded that he might as well make a profit by delivering a revolutionary figure into the hands of his enemies.
Then, this short book turns to the "Gospel of Judas." This was a Gnostic book written in the third or fourth century. The author explains the long search to validate the document. However, I want to mention one aspect. The value of this document is that it shows some of the different beliefs floating around in the early Church. It was not part of the Bible because it espoused ideas counter to the other Apostles' books.
In summary, I thought the discussion to be fascinating. Overall score = 4.5 stars.
