Can We Learn Anything From Judas?
16th February 2006
Recently, I highlighted a reported move by Roman Catholic scholars to rethink the image of Judas Iscariot, but apparently the Vatican has denied there is any such initiatives. But actually, if there were any such movement, it might not have been initiated by Vatican scholars, but it certainly has been entertained by others over the years, according to this Beliefnet article. Many have asked questions in relation to Judas, his act and his motivation.
What was Judas Iscariot really up to? Is it possible that he was motivated not by greed or betrayal, but by love? Was his suicide an admission of guilt, or perhaps, a sign of his loyalty to his fallen Messiah? “I’m not saying Judas is a saint, but we owe him an enormous debt for having helped Jesus to accomplish God’s will,” argues William Klassen, a retired professor of New Testament at the University of Waterloo in southern Ontario and author of “Judas: Betrayer or Friend of Jesus.” “Why the church has turned against him so terribly badly is a mystery to me, and it also means that the church still hasn’t understood the meaning of Christ’s death.”
My guess one reason that the church turned against Judas is due to the peculiar quirk of human nature that Read the rest of this entry »
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