Judas Unbound

Great article on the interpretation and ongoing reinterpretation of Judas: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2009/08/03/090803crat_atlarge_acocella?printable=true. I've never given Judas a lot of thought. In my view, his alleged behavior is a side issue to the core nature of Jesus' message. Whatever Judas did or didn't do really doesn't matter or shouldn't matter to those who profess themselves as Christians. Though it most often isn't, the religion should be about what Jesus is said to have preached instead of complicating and conflicted messages.

As the author, Joan Acocella points out there's a cottage industry devoted to shedding light or bringing something new to the table when it comes to Christian dogma. Most typically, that's in the form of presenting the gnostic gospels as truly being "secret knowledge" or as something undiscovered or earth shattering when it comes to understanding Christianity. The boring fact is that the gnostics are really nothing new; biblical scholars have known about them, studied them, and pretty sensibly dispensed with them long ago. You're talking about some really bizarre shit when you get into a gnostic gospel with it's claims that only a few possessors of inside skinny will get to the promised land and that everyone else is essentially an animal. Kick in the fact that these were penned long after the synoptic gospels and their credibility is further eroded. But, there's an audience for them--the same folks who go in for Stonehenge mysticism, eastern goofiness, the "wisdom" of American Indian mythology, and other similar stuff just can't get enough of this thing to add to their crystal collection. That said, I've got no problem with people believing whatever they wish, as long as it doesn't involve forcing me to believe it or trying to kill me because I don't.