Gospel of Judas

[Demian]

The Gospel of Judas supposedely paints Judas as the most beloved disciple. I do not know for sure because I have not read it yet. But these ideas have been around for awhile, for instance in The Last Temptation of Christ this is Kastzinsaki's representation of Judas--a book written long before these 'new findings' came to light. My question is this: What do you think of this claim? The gospels mention this disciple only in light of his role as the betrayer of Christ. Bob Dylan wrote a song about this idea--that without Judas the entire plan for salvation would have to be scrapped (or re-arranged). What do you think?

[Granny5]

The Gospel of Judas supposedely paints Judas as the most beloved disciple. I do not know for sure because I have not read it yet. But these ideas have been around for awhile, for instance in The Last Temptation of Christ this is Kastzinsaki's representation of Judas--a book written long before these 'new findings' came to light. My question is this: What do you think of this claim? The gospels mention this disciple only in light of his role as the betrayer of Christ. Bob Dylan wrote a song about this idea--that without Judas the entire plan for salvation would have to be scrapped (or re-arranged). What do you think?

I think Bob Dylan is correct. Why wouldn't Jesus choose his most dependable, beloved disciple to carry out this most important task? I have never seen Judas as evil or as someone who betrayed Christ, but as a very important factor in the story of the death and resurection of Christ.

[Redzeppelin]

I think Bob Dylan is correct. Why wouldn't Jesus choose his most dependable, beloved disciple to carry out this most important task? I have never seen Judas as evil or as someone who betrayed Christ, but as a very important factor in the story of the death and resurection of Christ.


Perhaps, but only if we assume that how things happened had to happen that way; I think God's plan would have been effected with or without Judas' participation. I think it says bad things about God to assign someone the horrific role of betraying God to His death; in fact, I would suggest that God knew humanity well enough to know for certain that any man who came to earth like Christ did, saying and doing the things He did, would have riled up someone enough to kill him. Remember, it was the religious leaders of Christ's time that wanted Him dead - not Judas; he was just a petty opportunist. If it wasn't him, the Pharisees would have found a different way to kill Jesus. The Gospels mention more than once that angry crowds tried to lay their hands on Jesus (often after he'd committed "blasphemy" by claiming to be God) but that He inexplicably escaped (because "his time hadn't come yet").

[Demian]

Indeed, this is a problem that has been debated for centuries--going at least as far back to the time of St. Augustine. Here is the problem: How can anyone really have free will if God knows in advance everything you are going to do? The Bible makes a few mentions of predestination ie "and as many as were appointed to salvation believed". Or you could examine Jesus' idea of the fruits of action coming forth from the root of the heart. Thomas Merton asserted the fact that 'even unbelievers unconsciously fulfill the will of God' in No Man Is An Island. If you go back to the Old Testament you see many such references, such as when the prophet Ezekiel refers to Assyria as 'the fierce rod of God's wrath'. Here is one of many paradoxes that faces us: Are we truly free--or do we merely assert the idea of freedom in order to make life more 'liveable'.

[stella]

How can anyone really have free will if God knows in advance everything you are going to do? ... Are we truly free--or do we merely assert the idea of freedom in order to make life more 'liveable'.

well,as i see it ,God knows in advance what we are going to do and we are here to figure out why we made our choices.
i dont believe that we have free will but not because of the matter mentioned above , but rather that our choices are completely based on 2 things: the way your brain works & the way you were raised ( habits) .....