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    Unshackling An Apostle: Judas Iscariot in Christology
    Unshackling An Apostle: Judas Iscariot in Christology
    Unshackling An Apostle: Judas Iscariot in Christology
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    Unshackling An Apostle: Judas Iscariot in Christology

    By Dr. Swami D Francis

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    This book challenges the traditional Christian belief that Judas Iscariot was a traitor who betrayed his master Jesus Christ. Citing Biblical, traditional and historical sources, the author argues that the biblical betrayal story was just an attempt by the authors of the gospels to give a plausible description to a mysterious scandal in the earthly ministry of Jesus, which was beyond human understanding, logic and loyalty.
    Born in Nagercoil, TamilNadu, India, to Catholic parents Francis and Veronical in 1956, Swami Dhason Francis had a Ph.D in Biblical Interpretation from the School of ¬ Theology, Almeda University, Idaho, USA. He is currently working as an English professor in Margeb University, Libya. His first novel “¬ The Iago Trial” appeared in 2010 and his play “The Betrayed Disciple” was published in 2013 by Notion Press.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNotion Press
    Release dateNov 3, 2014
    ISBN9789383808779
    Unshackling An Apostle: Judas Iscariot in Christology

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      Book preview

      Unshackling An Apostle - Dr. Swami D Francis

      Bibliography

      PROLOGUE

      Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is nothing else than the culmination of the way he lived his entire life. Moved by his example, we want to enter fully into the fabric of society, sharing the lives of all, listening to their concerns, helping them materially and spiritually in their needs, rejoicing with those who rejoice, weeping with those who weep; arm in arm with others, we are committed to building a new world. But we do so not from a sense of obligation, not as a burdensome duty, but as the result of a personal decision which brings us joy and gives meaning to our lives. —[ Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 269, November, 2013]

      In scholarly circles, it has long been unfashionable to demonize Judas, and Catholics around the world are likely to welcome Judas's rehabilitation.

      Fr Allen Morris, Christian Life and Worship secretary for the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales, said: If Christ died for all, is it possible that Judas too was redeemed through the Master he betrayed?

      Some Bible experts say Judas was a victim of a theological libel which helped to create anti-Semitism by forming an image of him as a sinister villain prepared to betray for money.

      Some Vatican scholars have expressed concern over the reconsideration of Judas. Monsignor Giovanni D'Ercole said it was dangerous to re-evaluate Judas and muddy the Gospel accounts by reference to apocryphal writings. This can only create confusion in believers.

      SOURCE:-Judas Iscariot to get Vatican makeover (Ekklesia 12/1/2006)

      Chapter I

      INTRODUCTION

      [i]. Significance of the Study :-

      The third millennium, the present 21st century, is remarkable for its inexplicable urgency in materialistic life and its indifferent attitude to spiritual life. Men of science are busy in their quest to conquer the mystery of creation by studying and rewriting the grammar of genetic code, whereas men of God are busy in their religious service catering to the spiritual needs of humans, with their ready- made digital packages of Divinity, getting themselves financially enriched, without enriching the spiritually poor world.

      Everyone yearns to live in peace, prosperity, and security and is eager to invest their resources in Men and Materials so as to address the worldly problems of their modern fast –paced life, without pausing to look down the path of history for the roots of their present day problems and seeking to redress them permanently. When humans are destined to taste the sweet fruits of inheritance, they are also doomed to experience the bitterness brought by some.

      To be precise, the scriptures and religious practices that had enlightened humanity in one age, may get distorted to enslave the same humanity in another age, if not guarded properly by updating their applicability in tune with the ever changing challenges of time

      Christianity, founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ -who stands for love, hope, peace and joy - also bears witness to the same kind of phenomena, as one sees in Hinduism. It is acknowledged that, Bible comes at once from God and from the inspired human author [‘Origins’ Jan 6,1994 ]; but the historical reality, that the same scripture has been utilized by humans to spread hatred and enmity in society, stands as an outrage of history. The holocaust and the historical ‘anti-Semitism’ are, in fact, historically traceable to the early Christian church and Scripture itself, to a certain extent, as well as to various interpretations and literary representations of the Scripture. But it is also heartening that the present Catholic Church is denouncing such hateful trends in unequivocal terms, as is evidenced in the recent pronouncements of her prelates. In an October 1997 address to theologians, Pope John Paul II said,

      In the Christian world … the wrong and unjust interpretations of the New Testament relating to the Jewish people and their presumed guilt circulated too long contributing to feelings of hostility toward these people [Haward Davis 1995-2009 ].

      If this hatred is true of a race, another relates to an important apostle of Jesus Christ : Judas Iscariot, whose name is synonymous with treachery and betrayal, to the extent that Dante, the celebrated poet of the medieval Latin literature in his Divine Comedy, found the ‘Ninth Circle of Hell –Round 4’, reserved for traitors and betrayers, named after Judas Iscariot and also saw Judas himself in the mouth of Lucifer in the center of Hell, of course, along with Brutus, the friend turned traitor of Julius Caesar. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine Comedy,rtrd25/03/2009]. In fact, scholars are of the opinion that Dante just reflected the thinking of the medieval church and later portrayal of Judas in the same vein in much of the literary and filmic representations till the late 20th century testifies the same as true. The glee with which literary luminaries, theologians, prelates, preachers, evangelists and Christianity at large, painted Judas with mud, over the centuries, has made it almost impossible for any reader to read the ‘Judas story’ without any foreknowledge of his dubious reputation and by going beyond the weight of historical perception.

      Consequently, when the ‘Gospel of Judas’ surfaced as a leather –bound papyrus manuscript from the desert of Egypt, and published by The National Geographic Society in 2006, it sparked off scholarly study and debate as well as bitter controversy and profound concern. This ancient document, that seeks to portray Judas as an epitome of self-denial and sacrifice, whom Jesus trusted, above all other apostles, to realize his messianic ministry, is indeed very hard to be viewed without an amount of skepticism by any Christian. In this Gospel, Jesus ‘speaks to Judas privately, sharing with him the mysteries of the kingdom, giving him a warning, …..but you will grieve a great deal [36] For someone else will replace you, in order that the twelve [disciples ]may again come to completion with their god [Rodolphe Kasser et all,2006] giving a crystal clear indication of the subsequent events that happened up to this day, in connection with Judas. This very fact in turn, coupled with the assertion of scholars about the document’s historical authenticity, notwithstanding its Gnostic nature, makes one ponder the question, whether Judas Iscariot is really a wicked traitor or a venerable saintly apostle of

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