The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
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3.4 • 21 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot is the result of an intense collaboration between a storyteller and a scholar: Jeffrey Archer and Francis J. Moloney. Their brilliant work—bold and simple—is a compelling story for twenty-first-century readers, while maintaining an authenticity that would be credible to a first-century Christian or Jew.
"The very name of ‘Judas' raises among Christians an instinctive reaction of criticism and condemnation…The betrayal of Judas remains…a mystery."
—Pope Benedict XVI, October 2006
The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot sheds new light on the mystery of Judas—including his motives for the betrayal and what happened to him after the crucifixion—by retelling the story of Jesus through the eyes of Judas, using the canonical texts as its basic point of reference. Ostensibly written by Judas's son, Benjamin, and following the narrative style of the Gospels, this re-creation is provocative, compelling, and controversial.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Not to be confused with the historic Gospel of Judas (2006, National Geographic), this is a novella by "Benjamin Iscariot" a fictionalized son of Judas who is eager to rehabilitate his father's reputation. This collaboration between novelist Archer and Roman Catholic theologian Moloney changes a few things from the traditional story, e.g., refuting the notion that Judas committed suicide and attributing his betrayal of Jesus to the altruistic motive of trying to save his master's life. But surprisingly, this fictionalized gospel doesn't have enough fiction; it hews so closely to the chronology and cadence of the New Testament that character development suffers. And although the gospel adds some meticulously researched historical background, helping readers understand the context of first-century Judaism, other features that are prominent in the New Testament record particularly miracles, healings, and the resurrection are almost nonexistent. Desmond Tutu's voice is marvelous in the narration, his lilting South African cadence breathing life into a disappointingly staid text. The final disc includes a brief video interview with Tutu and several minutes of footage of him in the recording studio. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover.
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