The Gospel According to Judas Iscariot, by Benjamin Iscariot

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Rating:★★★★
Category:Books
Genre: Other
Author:Jeffrey Archer w/Prof. Francis Moloney
Written by one of the world's best-selling author, Jeffrey Archer assisted by Professor Francis Moloney, The Gospel According to Judas, by Benjamin Iscariot is one entertaining read. The concept itself is ingenius: the format of the narrative is written like one of the books of the Bible. The narrative is told through the eyes of Judas' son, Benjamin. And everything's backed up by researches and notes that is found in the book's glossary.

When I was studying religion subjects in college, one of our teachers said that Judas was bent on having an uprising against the Romans, having in mind Jesus as the leader of the said revolution. This is who Judas was in this historical fiction.

The whole novel reminded me of the film The Last Temptation of Christ. When I watched the movie by Scorcese, it's like watching Jesus of Nazareth by Zefirelli. Except that at the last 30 to 45 minutes of Last Temptation, the viewers were able to know what Jesus was thinking while he was on the cross dying. The Gospel According to Judas is like that. It's like reading through the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John except for the fact that what we have come to know about Judas based on these biblical readings were put into question. Questions like, did Judas really betray Jesus? Was there really a bribe in exchange for the betrayal? Did Judas commit suicide?

These were all answered in a sweeping narrative that took my breath away. I was turning the pages rapidly to know what really happened to Judas after the "betrayal". A satisfying read, in an easy-to-read format, The Gospel According to Judas is one page-turner that will pique your interest and do some research yourself. Hehehe.

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