The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot Read online

  * * *

  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JUDAS is the result of an intense collaboration between a storyteller and a scholar.

  The unlikely partnership of Jeffrey Archer and Francis J. Moloney was formed, after Archer had sought advice from Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini on who should guide him through this demanding project. Among his many past students of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Cardinal Martini singled out Professor Francis J. Moloney, a graduate of that institute in 1972, who had completed his doctoral studies at Oxford University in 1975.

  The project was as bold as it was simple. Archer would write a story for twenty-first-century readers, while Moloney would ensure that the result would be credible to a first-century Christian or Jew.

  Contents

  Chapter 1 Behold the Lamb of God

  Chapter 2 Prepare the way of the Lord

  Chapter 3 Follow me

  Chapter 4 Who is this man?

  Chapter 5 Are you he who is to come?

  Chapter 6 Your sins are forgiven

  Chapter 7 The Sabbath was made for man

  Chapter 8 The rock upon which he would build his church

  Chapter 9 Whenever you pray, speak these words

  Chapter 10 Give them something to eat

  Chapter 11 Who do people say that I am?

  Chapter 12 The Son of Man has not come to destroy lives

  Chapter 13 Take up the cross and follow me

  Chapter 14 You are people of little faith

  Chapter 15 You have chosen to follow a dangerous man

  Chapter 16 Go your way and do likewise

  Chapter 17 The Lord hath need of him

  Chapter 18 He must die to save our nation

  Chapter 19 Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s

  Chapter 20 One of you here present will betray me

  Chapter 21 Master, Master

  Chapter 22 I do not know the man

  Chapter 23 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

  Chapter 24 Cursed is anyone who hangs from a tree

  Chapter 25 The sins of the father

  Glossary

  Chapter 1

  Behold the Lamb of God

  1. This gospel is written so that all may know the truth about Judas Iscariot and the role he played in the life and tragic death of Jesus of Nazareth.

  2. Many others have told the story of Jesus, recounting all that he said and did during his short time on earth.

  3. Some were witnesses to what actually took place and they passed on, in the Jewish tradition of word of mouth, what they had seen and heard.

  4. Others have written further accounts of the life of Jesus Christ, the son of God. These have come to be known as Gospels.

  [i]

  5. One of those who were eyewitnesses to these events was my father, Judas Iscariot.

  6. I, Benjamin, son of Judas Iscariot, his first born, listened to my father’s account of what took place at that time, and have recorded accurately all that he saw and heard, initially in Aramaic – the language Jesus spoke – and then Greek, which my father taught me from a young age.

  [ii]

  7. My father brought me up in the strict traditions of the Torah, and like him I have come to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a prophet and a true son of Israel, but not the long-awaited Messiah.

  8. Several other Gospels have recently been written, giving their version of what took place during Jesus’ lifetime. But only a few of them, not accepted by the new sect known as Christians, come close to giving a fair account of my father’s actions during this period in our history.

  [iii]

  9. The others do not begin to understand, or fairly record, Judas’ passionate belief in and commitment to Jesus of Nazareth. Indeed, they have blackened my father’s name to the point where he is now thought of as the most infamous of all Jesus’ followers.

  10. He has been branded a traitor, a thief and a man willing to accept bribes, and one Gospel even falsely reports that he took his own life.

  Matt 27:3–10

  11. None of these judgments, mostly reported since the tragic death of Jesus, was made during his lifetime.

  12. Some, determined to prove their case, have suggested that the name Iscariot originates from the Roman word Sicarii, which translated means ‘dagger-bearing Zealot’.

  13. Others have stated that it comes from the Hebrew saqar, denoting ‘the false one’.

  14. The truth is that the name Iscariot derives from the Hebrew ish-kerioth, meaning ‘one from Kerioth’, the town in which Judas was born.

  15. My father’s origins spring from the tribe of Judah. He was raised in Kerioth, a town mentioned in the early history of Israel, loyal to the ancient traditions of the Jews.

  see

  Jos 15:25

  [iv]

  16. The Christians continue to spread the word throughout Galilee that Judas was a man of violence, a hanger-on and someone who could not be trusted. Despite contrary evidence, these libels are still abroad and often repeated by the followers of Jesus, even to the present day.

  17. Judas Iscariot was in fact a disciple of John the Baptist, and willingly obeyed his command: There goes a man of God, follow him.

  18. From that day, my father became a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, and was so trusted by the Master that he was later chosen to be one of his twelve disciples.

  19. As a child, I listened to my father’s account of Jesus’ ministry, and later recorded his words when I visited him at Khirbet Qumran, shortly before he was put to death by the Romans.

  20. My father has now returned to the God he loved and served so faithfully.

  Chapter 2

  Prepare the way of the Lord

  1. Judas was a disciple of John the Baptist, and when the prophet first appeared in the wilderness, many considered that the prediction of the Prophet Malachi was fulfilled: Know that I am going to send you Elijah the Prophet before the day of the Lord comes, that great and terrible day.

  Mal 4:5

  2. John the Baptist lived just as Elijah had lived: a man dressed in a cloak of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist and eating wild locusts and honey.

  see

  2 Kings 1:8

  3. Judas believed that with the return of Elijah, the day of the Lord was surely at hand. John the Baptist was the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight a highway for our God.

  Isa 40:3

  4. Many considered that John himself was fulfilling Israel’s prophetic hopes, and must therefore be the Messiah. But he told Judas that he was not that man: After me will come a man who is far greater than I am.

  John 1:30

  5. John regarded himself as so inferior to the one who was still to come that he often said that he was not worthy to stoop down and untie his sandal; a task fit only for a slave.

  see

  Mark 1:7;

  Matt 3:11;

  Luke 3:16

  6. Jesus was the son of Joseph and his wife Mary. He came from Nazareth to be baptized by John, who was his cousin.

  see

  Luke 1:36

  7. Many stories of Jesus’ birth and upbringing have been recounted, but Judas always believed that Jesus was the first born of the lawful wedlock between his father, Joseph, and his mother, Mary. Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and of Judah and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?

  Mark 6:3.

  see also

  Matt 1:25;

  Mark 3:31–35;

  John 7:3–8

  [v]

  8. Some of the stories
about Jesus’ birth that were being voiced at the time were nothing more than Greek myths that tell of gods in heaven who produce offspring following a union with women of this earth.

  see

  Gen 6:1–4

  [vi]

  9. Whenever stories of Jesus’ birth are reported, all faithfully record that Joseph, his father, was originally from Bethlehem, the city of David, and that a child was born to his mother Mary.

  10. These were difficult times for any Jewish family. King Herod ruled by fear, and allowed the Roman soldiers to wander the length and breadth of the land doing much as they pleased. It was not unusual for young women to be defiled by these pagans.

  11. Joseph must have decided that in order to avoid any confrontation with the Romans, he and his wife Mary would make the dangerous journey to the remote village of Nazareth in Galilee.

  12. In Nazareth, Joseph, a carpenter, found work among those building the great city of Sepphoris, while Mary and the rest of the family settled in the village.

  13. It was while Jesus was growing up in Nazareth that he was taught the traditions of Israel by his righteous father Joseph, a son of David, and his mother Mary, a true daughter of Sion.

  14. Even though Jesus is always thought of as a Nazarene, he was born in Bethlehem, the city of David.

  Chapter 3

  Follow me

  1. Jesus began his ministry as a teacher in the lakeside village of Capernaum.

  2. He taught his growing band of followers that the time of God’s appearance in Israel was at hand, and that they should ignore any instructions given by corrupt local officials, a brood of vipers fleeing from the wrath to come.

  see

  Matt 3:7

  3. Israel was facing its moment of truth, and the time had come to accept only God as the nation’s Lord and King.

  see

  Mark 1:14–15;

  Matt 4:12–17

  4. Jesus’ message quickly spread throughout Galilee, and people travelled great distances to hear him preach.

  5. While he was standing by the Sea of Galilee, the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God.

  Luke 5:1

  6. He saw Simon and his brother Andrew, two local fishermen who were casting their nets into the sea. They had laboured unsuccessfully throughout the night, and were making their final cast.

  7. Jesus watched as they pulled their empty nets out of the water.

  8. He said to Simon: Cast your net once again, but this time on the other side of the boat.

  see

  Luke 5:4

  9. Simon ignored the stranger’s advice, telling him that he knew exactly where the shoals of fish made their breeding grounds, and did not need to be told where to cast his net.

  10. Andrew remained silent as he gazed at the figure standing on the shore. Unlike his brother, he decided to take the stranger’s advice.

  11. Andrew cast his net on the other side of the boat, and almost immediately it became so full that it took all of Simon and Andrew’s strength to haul the catch on board.

  12. Simon was overwhelmed by the stranger’s authority, and leapt out of the boat and into the sea. He waded to the shore and fell at Jesus’ feet.

  13. Jesus looked at the two men and said: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

  Matt 4:19;

  Mark 1:17;

  Luke 5:10

  14. Simon and Andrew left their boat and followed Jesus.

  15. As the three of them walked along the shore together, they came across James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were fishermen, who were repairing their nets and separating their catch after a night’s work.

  16. Jesus also called on them to follow him, and they immediately abandoned their boats and followed in his footsteps without question.

  17. These four fishermen were the first followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

  see

  Mark 1:16–20;

  Matt 4:18–22;

  Luke 5:1–11

  18. They gave up their livelihoods, leaving behind their families, their hired servants and all their possessions in order to follow Jesus.

  19. From Jesus of Nazareth’s early days as a wandering teacher, his authority inspired confidence and passion among those who gave up everything to follow him.

  20. Jesus returned to Capernaum with his four disciples, Simon, Andrew, James and John.

  21. It being the Sabbath, they made their way straight to the Synagogue in order to worship, and found the sacred place in turmoil.

  22. A man possessed of a demon had entered the building, and was screaming profanities and disrupting the worshippers as they gathered to hear the Torah read and explained.

  23. Jesus walked towards the man.

  24. The man panicked, and started waving his arms and shouting: Go away, Jesus. I know who you are, God’s Holy messenger.

  see

  Mark 1:24;

  Luke 4:34

  25. Jesus, exercising the same authority that his disciples had experienced when he called them away from their boats, said firmly: Be silent, and come out of him!

  Mark 1:25;

  Luke 4:35

  26. The possessed man fell to the ground, and all around stared down at him, assuming that he must be dead. No one dared to approach Jesus, as they were fearful that he might also be possessed by demons.

  27. Jesus bent down and took the man by the hand, and instructed him to return to his home

  28. Some who had witnessed what had taken place turned to his disciples and asked: Who is this man? And by what authority does he cast out demons?

  Mark 1:21–28;

  Luke 4:31–37

  29. The disciples were unable to answer their questions, and news of what had taken place quickly spread throughout Galilee.

  Chapter 4

  Who is this man?

  1. Jesus and his disciples left the Synagogue and went to the home of Simon.

  2. When they arrived, they were told that Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Simon’s family were fearful for her life, and advised him and his friends to leave quickly, as they too might catch the disease and possibly die.

  3. Jesus showed no such fear, and asked to be taken to the sick woman.

  4. Jesus stood by the woman’s bedside, leant down and took her gently by the hand.

  5. Simon, the other disciples and the rest of the household could not hide their surprise. They also began asking among themselves: Who is this man? Jesus appears to be a man of God, and has shown he has power over demons, but he has touched the hand of a woman who is not his wife, which is a public breach of Jewish traditions of purity.

  [vii]

  6. Jesus knelt by the woman’s side and whispered in her ear. Even as he spoke, her fever was calmed and they were all amazed.

  7. Jesus stood up, and quietly asked the woman to rise, which she did immediately.

  see

  Mark 1:29–31;

  Matt 8:14–15;

  Luke 4:38–39

  8. Later, full of joy, the family sat down with Jesus and broke bread.

  9. After resting, Jesus and his disciples left Simon’s home and set out for the village of Nazareth, a journey that would take them several hours.

  10. When they reached the foothills that led into the village, they heard the sound of a bell, warning them that a leper must be near at hand. The disciples, fearful for their health and religious purity, held back, while Jesus continued to walk towards the sound of the bell.

  11. As Jesus rounded the next bend, he came face to face with the leper. The sick man fell on his knees and cried out: If you wish, you can make me clean.

  12. Jesus smiled, stretched out his hands and continued walking towards the man saying, I do wish. Be clean.

  Mark 1:40–42;

  Matt 8:2–3;

  Luke 5:12–13

  13. The disciples stepped forward cautiously and watched in disbelief as the leprosy deserted the man, and they were all amazed: Jesu
s not only drives out demons, but can heal all manner of sickness.

  see

  Mark 1:34; 39;

  Matt 4:23; 9:35

  14. They repeated among themselves: Who is this man?

  15. Some of his new followers remained uncertain, because Jesus had openly flouted the purity laws of Israel: he had touched a woman and healed her, and taken a leper by the hand and made him clean.

  16. Could it be that this man, who brought hope and healing to the afflicted, was the long-awaited Messiah? Were they therefore the chosen ones who would accompany him on the journey to Jerusalem, where the Davidic throne would be restored?

  [viii]

  17. When Jesus heard them discussing these things, he warned them against saying that he was the Messiah.

  see

  Mark 8:30;

  Matt 16:20;

  Luke 9:21

  18. Jesus turned to the leper and forbade him to tell anyone the name of the man who had cured him.

  Mark 1:40–45;

  Luke 5:12–16

  19. But the leper could not hold his tongue, and ran into the town and shouted from the rooftops that it was Jesus of Nazareth who had made him whole.

  20. Being heralded by such news made it difficult for Jesus to enter that place because the local people came out of their homes and surrounded him as he made his way to the Synagogue.

  see

  Mark 1:45;

  Luke 5:15

  21. Jesus’ reputation as a great teacher had already spread throughout Galilee, so the leader of the Synagogue invited him to select a passage from the Torah and explain it to those who had assembled to hear him.

  22. Jesus chose a passage from the Prophet Isaiah where it is written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim the release of captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.