This has been on my mind a bit lately. I read the news reports over the last couple of years and saw the NGEO documentary a couple of times over the last few weeks.
Today I took a foray over to Pat Mathews blog and read what Pat thinks (http://idiotgrrl.livejournal.com/). I don't #strongly# disagree with Pat, but much of what she says (well...she among other commentators) is at variance with what I was told during religious training as a child. (BTW, I really like Pat's designation of the apocryphal gospels as "fanfic", but would point out that the canonical gospels are "fanfic" in exactly the same ways and for the same reasons) I recall specifically being told that Judas was Jesus' best friend and that his betrayal was "required". I'm left wondering how such Gnostic ideas made their way into a mid-60s Catholic School curriculum. Anyone know what the "official RCC" position is? Much of what is related in the NGEO documentary dovetails nicely with what I was taught and begs for a question to be asked: Was Judas a villain? I don't think so myself. If one believes that Christ was divine and that God has a plan then Judas was just a part of the plan and cannot be faulted for advancing the sacrifice. Indeed, advancing the sacrifice and the plan for salvation are grounds for sainthood. A bit of intra-post rumination brings to mind a Muslim tradition wherein Jesus and Judas conspire to fake Jesus' death, pulling off a great scam over Jews and Romans alike. This makes me wonder if Islamic precursors were influenced by the Gnostics 700 or so years before Mohammed makes the scene. Coincidentally, I happen to be reading Judas Unchained by Peter F Hamilton ATM. A sign? <G> xponent The Heresy Of Rob Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
