An odd query

[bktheirregular]

I'm not as familiar with the Bible as some, though I have read through a good portion of it. But an odd "spin" on the Last Supper, the Passion, the Crucifixion, and all that, has wormed its way into my skull, and may someday wish to be written.

I was struck by the Bible's assertion that the spirit of Satan entered Judas when Jesus handed him the bread at the Last Supper, marking Judas as the one who would betray him. Judas Iscariot is, of course, the archetype of traitors, reviled, condemned. But before, if I remember, he had been considered the closest of Jesus' apostles, and it was at that moment - not before - the moment when Jesus said "the one I hand this bread to will betray me" and handed the bread to Judas - that Judas became one with the enemy.

But what if ...

...what if Judas' response to Jesus had been "I will not betray you; I refuse to betray you?"

And if the betrayal of Jesus was a necessary part of the death and resurrection of Jesus, what then? Would it have taken an appeal from Jesus to convince Judas to carry out the betrayal?

Bible scholars on the friends list, I ask: is it blasphemy to question the motives of Judas Iscariot?

I suppose it's a plot bunny. Even has its own name: I've filed it under "Iscariot the Loyal".

Comments

[lizbetann]

I don't think I qualify as a Biblical scholar, but there is a theory I've heard that I put a lot of stock in.

Basically, Judas was all about Jesus as the Son of God, and couldn't understand why Jesus was trying to convert people by teaching rather than by burning some bushes or something. In the end, he betrayed Jesus not for the money, but to force Jesus into showing his God-like powers. Which Jesus, of course, didn't, and died on the cross.

So it is not blashphemy to question Judas' motives. Your Biblical Plot Bunny (complete with period robes and a leedle Grail cup) will not be struck by lightning.

[butterflykiki.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure that Judas only shows up in one of the four Gospels, and the Satan-blaming portion is a kinda late addition.

No, wait I'm wrong. They all mention him. But it's way after the fact, and some of the stuff doesn't jibe.

It's the suicide after that's only mentioned in Matthew, and in the Acts, Judas dies by accident. Some Bible scholars regard Judas as a fabrication to make the history more black-and-white, with a betrayer built in. And there's other parts where it looks like Judas was included with the Twelve after Jesus's death, and then "turned away to go to his own place", who knows why.

So yeah, it's *all* open to interpretation. One of the scholars asks why did anyone have to betray him? It's not like Jesus wasn't well-known in Jerusalem. Why did it have to be one of his friends to pick him out in a dark garden? They arrested him in secret, but tried him publically-- there's a lot of contradiction there.

[georgiamagnolia.livejournal.com]

My uncle (who is some big wig hoo ha with the Gideon people, you know the ones who leave bibles in hotel rooms) wrote a paper in college about how Judas was necessary for the Crucifixion and that if he had not betrayed Jesus there would be no salvation. So basically Jesus set up Judas so he (Jesus) could do the job his Father sent him to do, which is wash the masses in the blood of the lamb, or whathaveyou.

I am a Pagan myself, so it is really not my thang so to speak.

But the idea that Jesus entrusted what is pretty much the more important of the jobs of disciples to his best friend makes sense to me, who else would he trust to do the job right so he could be condemned to horrible death to save his followers' souls.

Ack! I just remembered why I am Pagan. Shutting up now.