Another Fairy Story For Easter

Since the finding of Jesus' tomb (complete with Jesus' bones) by James Cameron was pretty much debunked before it got off the ground, it left plenty of time for another round of "Let's have a pop at the core beliefs of Christianity!"

So I wasn't surprised to hear that "The Gospel According to Judas" has made its debut. And having it co-written by a so-called Catholic theologian wasn't that much of a surprise: I am getting to the point where, if a person styles themselves as a theologian, I automatically assume they're anti-Church (unless said theologian happens to be a saint, a Pope, an individual quoted favourably by either a saint or a Pope, or an individual loathed and vilified by The Tablet !)

I was disappointed to find that it was being co-authored by Jeffrey Archer. I know a lot of people sneer at his books, but I find that they make amusing and entertaining reads, if you need a bit of a break from reality. And they are a whole lot more entertaining than most of the pap on television.

If Archer had contented himself with writing a novel with the same subject matter, I probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash, and might even have gone so far as to buy it. After all, I have always felt that Judas Iscariot got a bit of a raw deal... Peter, the first to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and one of the disciples privileged to see the Transfiguration, denied knowing Jesus three times. He was forgiven and duly became the first Pope. Judas, on the other hand, is so overcome with the enormity of what he's done that he kills himself... by not hanging around long enough to see the Resurrection, he is forever vilified as the traitor. (Sorry about the pun... I couldn't resist!)

Unfortunately, however, "The Gospel According to Judas" is being promoted as a serious piece of scholarly research. The Church is once again "guilty" of hiding the truth for nigh on 2000 years. Archer's co-author, Francis Moloney, was on Radio 4 this morning, claiming that the idea Judas killed himself is only recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew, and was a passage lifted directly from the Old Testament, so is not to be trusted. Even more sad is the fact that Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been quoted as saying he found the book "plausible." And I was annoyed to find that a quote about Judas from the Holy Father is being used on Jeffrey Archer's website in such a way as to suggest approval of the thesis.

2000 years of unbroken Tradition says Iscariot betrayed Jesus, and then committed suicide. I guess that's good enough for me. To say anything else is to produce a work of fiction.