What place do the four Gospels give Satan, demons, and Jesus’ human opponents (including Jewish leaders but also Jesus’ disciples) in their accounts of Jesus’ life? This study takes a literary-historical approach to the Gospels, examining them as narratives. It shows how the authors were in the process of developing the devil as a character and determining which roles he filled. New interpretations of individual passages in the Gospels are given as well as new understandings of the theological emphases of each author. This study is also a contribution to redaction criticism and the relative chronology of the Gospels. It employs the theory of Matthean posteriority which revolutionizes our understanding of the literary relations between the Gospels and allows for a new understanding of theological development in early Christianity.

Maccoby returns to the sources of Christianity to show how Judas was invented by successive gospel writers, thereby ingraining in the minds of Christian Europeans a perverted image of the Jew as a malevolent betrayer. He goes on to show how this idea helped to justify 2,000 years of genocidal persecution.

This fascinating books sifts the evidence and startlingly concludes that in the earliest sources Judas was not a traitor. While the name Judas Iscariot evokes horror among many people, Klassen argues persuasively that Judas may have meant no harm in handing over Jesus to the religious authorities. The book traces the ways in which Judas is portrayed by the four writers of the gospels, showing how the picture was increasingly demonized as the later gospels were written.This is the most important study in English of Judas within the context of first-century Judaism. Klassen shows by rich reference to literature of both the ancient period and later times how the concept of Judas as traitor emerged.

Judas: Images of the Lost Discipletraces the development of the stories about the most famous traitor in the history of Western Civilization. Its purpose is not to find the Judas of history, but rather to provide readers with a map that shows the similarities and connections between generations of Judas's story. Judas has been portrayed as an effete intellectual, a jealous lover, a greedy scoundrel, a misguided patriot, a doomed hero, a man destroyed by despair, or God's special, misunderstood messenger and agent. Judas means as many different things to us as does Jesus or God. The enigma of Judas's story in the Gospels left later literature and legend with a creative challenge they richly answered, and which is presented here: to write the real story of the worst villain of all time.

As the insider become outsider, Judas demarcates Christian boundaries, defines insider identity, and locates evil. Three Versions of Judas explores the mythic work transpiring in the Judases of the gospels and of subsequent scholarly and artistic interpretation form the perspective of Jorge Luis Borges' "Three Versions of Judas." In that short, Borges' protagonist, a modern Gnostic, finds the canonical story of Judas incredible and, therefore, creates seriatim three alternative versions: (1) a Judas who is the necessary, human complement to Christ's redemptive work, (2) a Judas who denies himself the spirit for God's greater glory, and, finally. (3) a Judas who is himself the incamate One. Three Versions of Judas finds three similar Judases in the gospels and in their interpretation. The gospels, too, offer a Judas who is necessary to the Christian myth, a Judas who is the determined outsider, and a Judas who is demonic. In more Borgesian terms, the gospels offer a Judas who is victim of an infinite book, who is Jesus' necessary rival and Christian scapegoat, and who is the precursor of the alienated modern individual. The concentration on the mythic work evident in these Judases in Three Versions of Judas leads to ethical reflections nicely summarized by the last lines in Borges' short story: "he [Borges' protagonist] added to the concept of the son, which seemed exhausted, the complexities of calamity and evil." Specifically, Three Versions of Judas considers the evil necessarily inherent in Christian story-telling about Judas, or, more broadly, in self-identification at the expense of the other. Borges' stories provide a fortuitous vantage point for this project because his fiction is fantastic. Instead of constructing and supporting "reality", as myth does, fantasy provokes metaphysical hesitation. Borges' fiction does so by abutting other well-known stories and by multiple transgressions of narrative levels. Consequently, it becomes difficult to construct reality confidently, and all metaphysics and religions become branches of fantasy, stories told alongside an ineffable reality. Therein, myth becomes ficciones and Judas becomes Judases.

Dave illustrates a viewpoint of Judas Iscariot' actions are a crucial part of our salvation and that Judas was honored by Jesus. There is more than just someone to blame for Jesus' crucifixion. A new church was being formed with Jesus at the center. This advanced theology narrative is not for the faint-hearted beginner on their new path to eternity. Let us continue with the four Gospels for new members of the church. Dave takes us through the formation of the early church. Through the customs and traditions of the times and how much Judas was special to Jesus. Judas was the scapegoat providing the populace with someone to unite against as the reason Jesus died. He was more educated, thoughtful, and able to get the deeds done that needed to be borne by "Good Friday". Even to the point of goading the authorities into crucifying Jesus now rather than after the feast. With Judas as the "Demon of Satan", the church was able to be united. The Conference of Nicaea reaffirms traditions and lays the plan for the church to grow by providing selected works to be included in a Bible. God's hand definitely inspired these men. Here we are 2,000 years later, women are preachers, and all the apostles went forth to preach (including Judas) and many of our inhibitions and doctrines have been laid to rest. Finally, Dave ends with Grace is given to all of us, Jew, and gentile alike. When the Lord said "forgive them, they know not what they do" he asked God in his name to forgive all of us, Romans, Greeks, us and even Judas. We are all forgiven. So, if Jesus can forgive, can we do less? Our salvation is only dependent on our believe that Jesus died for all of our sins; past, present and future. There is an underlying current to Dave's work. Go forth! Prosper, enjoy life, and live the abundant life. We need to revisit Judas' role of traitor. Judas is actually an Angel of God.

The Gospel of Judas: On a Night with Judas Iscariot presents a fresh translation of the Gospel of Judas, with introduction, commentary, and notes. Originally published with considerable international fanfare in 2006, the Gospel of Judas has prompted a vibrant discussion among scholars and other interested readers about the meaning of the text and the place of Judas Iscariot in the story of Jesus and the history of the church. Meyer, a member of the original research team assembled by the National Geographic Society to edit, translate, and publish the Gospel of Judas and the remaining texts in what is now called Codex Tchacos, here offers an up-to-date and thoroughly accessible translation of the Gospel of Judas, expanded with new fragments of the text and informed by the latest scholarship. He adds reminiscences of the work on the Coptic text when it first was coming to light in 2005 and 2006. This book also includes reflections on the extensive literature, beyond the Gospel of Judas, on the figure of Judas Iscariot, with suggestions for a literary interpretation of Judas--an interpretation that may have a dramatic impact upon our understanding of the role of Judas Iscariot in the story of Jesus's passion.