In Jesus, Judas believes he has found the One-- the promised Messiah and future king of the Jews, destined to overthrow Roman rule. Galvanized, he joins the Nazarene's followers, ready to enact the change he has waited for all his life. But soon Judas's vision of a nation free from Rome is crushed by the inexplicable actions of the Nazarene himself, who will not bow to social or religious convention. Judas must confront the fact that the master he loves is not the liberator he hoped for, but a man bent on a drastically different agenda.
The biblical scholar recounts the events surrounding the discovery and handling of the Gospel of Judas, and provides an overview of its content, in which Judas is portrayed as a faithful disciple.
Set in a time-bending, seriocomically imagined world between Heaven and Hell, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a philosophical meditation on the conflict between divine mercy and human free will that takes a close look at the eternal damnation of the Bible's most notorious sinner.--[book cover].
Describes how the Gospel of Judas was discovered, why it was historically denounced as heresy, and what it says about the disciple's role in the plan for salvation.
Maccoby returns to the sources of Christianity to show how Judas was invented by successive gospel writers, thereby ingraining in the minds of Christian Europeans a perverted image of the Jew as a malevolent betrayer. He goes on to show how this idea helped to justify 2,000 years of genocidal persecution.
For 1,600 years its message lay hidden. When the bound papyrus pages of this lost gospel finally reached scholars who could unlock its meaning, they were astounded. Here was a gospel that had not been seen since the early days of Christianity, and which few experts had even thought existed–a gospel told from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, history’s ultimate traitor. And far from being a villain, the Judas that emerges in its pages is a hero. In this radical reinterpretation, Jesus asks Judas to betray him. In contrast to the New Testament Gospels, Judas Iscariot is presented as a role model for all those who wish to be disciples of Jesus and is the one apostle who truly understands Jesus. Discovered by farmers in the 1970s in Middle Egypt, the codex containing the gospel was bought and sold by antiquities traders, secreted away, and carried across three continents, all the while suffering damage that reduced much of it to fragments. In 2001, it finally found its way into the hands of a team of experts who would painstakingly reassemble and restore it. The Gospel of Judas has been translated from its original Coptic to clear prose, and is accompanied by commentary that explains its fascinating history in the context of the early Church, offering a whole new way of understanding the message of Jesus Christ.
Written in an easy-to-present format, this captivating five-part series takes place in a courtroom, as attorneys present evidence based upon the Bible and tradition. Witnesses who are ""subpoenaed"" to testify include Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene. The People vs. Judas Iscariot is a captivating five-part series for Lenten worship or group discussion. Detailed worship bulletins with an order of service are provided for each of the five presentations. The People vs. Judas Iscariot is written in an easy-to-present format (no memorization required) and includes scripture readings that follow carefully defined themes. The homily takes the shape of a court hearing in which Judas undergoes his punishment phase. Prosecution and defense attorneys attempt to sway the judge and congregation with evidence based upon the Bible and tradition. Various witnesses are ""subpoenaed"" to testify, including Peter, John, Mary Magdalene, and others. ""It is not only well done for communication to the congregation, it is thoughtfully formatted for the busy pastor who will appreciate it ... carefully selected scripture readings, and even fully detailed service bulletins for the five weeks of Lent. Here you have a masterful blending of gospel proclamation with powerful drama."" H.C. Krause, Professor Emeritus Wartburg Theological Seminary Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest Wm. Clayton McCord is a summa cum laude graduate of St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas, with a degree in English and Theater Arts. He interned as a playwright in college. In 1989 he graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, with an M.Div. degree. McCord is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Greenville, Texas, and Chair of the Office of Communications for the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod of the ELCA.
