RELIGION / CHRISTIAN STUDIESThe familiar story of Judas, betrayer
of Jesus, is striking because of its incomprehensibility. Why would
one of Christ's disciples and companions of the heart deliver him
up to his enemies and a barbarous, ignominious, and certain death
for thirty pieces of silver? Jean-Yves Leloup's careful
investigation of the gospels, various apocryphal texts, and most
importantly the Coptic codex known as the Gospel of Judas leads him
to conclude that there is more to the familiar story of Judas than
a simple demonstration, viewed through one man, of humanity's
inherent failings.In this reconstruction, based on these classic
texts, Leloup offers an alternative explanation for Judas's
actions, complete with illustrative dialogue. The betrayal of Jesus
to the Romans was Jesus's idea, explains Leloup. Jesus persuaded
Judas to play the role of "evil" in humankind by telling him that
this enactment was crucial to God's plan and would set Judas by
Jesus's side in eternity: "There where I am," spoke Jesus to Judas,
"is where I wish you, too, to be."But to get there, Judas--a
metaphorical representation of the darker side present in all human
beings and the "shadow" counterpart to his Messiah dying on the
cross--must first shed all his human qualities. His failings of
greed, deceit, and cowardice--and even his faith and hope--are
washed away in the despair that engulfs him. A parallel moment
occurs for Jesus on the cross, when he comes to know the despair of
separation from God. The moment Judas "loses" his life and all that
gave it meaning--his God, his law, his justice, his Messiah--is the
very moment he finds that which cannot be discarded--life eternal.
Thus, in the momentof his ultimate extremity, Judas receives
Jesus's true message and his intended gift.JEAN-YVES LELOUP is a
theologian and founder of the Institute of Other Civilization
Studies and the International College of Therapists. His other
books include The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary, The Gospel of
Mary Magdalene, The Gospel of Philip, and The Gospel of Thomas. He
lives in France.
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