A Time for Judas

by Morley Callaghan, Nino Ricci (Foreword)

This audacious and intriguing new version of the story of Christ’s trial, crucifixion, and resurrection is based on the writings of Philo of Crete, a secretary to Pontius Pilate. Throughout his time as Pilate’s scribe, he attended Christ’s trial, mingled with city prostitutes and desert bandits, and became acquainted with Judas Iscariot. It was through Judas that he learned the real story of the betrayal and what actually happened to Christ’s body. His convincing account is a radical and dramatic version of the commonly accepted story.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Canada, Religion

244 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2007

About the author

Edward Morley Callaghan was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, playwright, and TV and radio personality.

Reviews

[Peter Hakkenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only okay.... interesting premise, but not as captivating as I had hoped

[Andy Pandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget everything you know about the Passion and the Resurrection.
That's easy, and very much the point here, because Philo, a Cretan scribe under Pilate who narrates this novel (he is also the protagonist), is a blank slate when it comes to Jesus. Well, better for me to say this novel's quiet Jesus is the one who is a blank slate to all except his companions and followers. To the Romans, Jesus, 'The Galilean', is just one of many mystics from the desert hinterland.
And what else should he be, in this, the beginning? Our Philo is worldly, an urban subject of an empire become decadent, so he is hurt when his beautiful Samaritan lover - who Judas had introduced to him - leaves to follow 'the Galilean.' In fact, he accuses Judas, somewhat ironically, of being a user of people. Philo doesn't understand the power of what may be happening, and so he is a perfect vessel for reporting to us the mysterious events and seemingly grandiose claims about Jesus. Others will tell the tale in more fanciful terms, for his part our narrator simply relates.
As for Judas, he plays his role, though not only of shame. It seems his betrayal could only be a ruse that is hidden in plain sight, for as Philo reasons, everyone knew where Jesus could be found in Jerusalem. Yet the story required a betrayal, a scapegoat, and he is the most educated of the disciples, thus the most believable for the purpose at hand. Poor guy, his pride means that he cannot keep his story straight, and that is how he fails, no other way. Mary Magdalene is also a central figure here, so sensual that she gains the reputation of being a former prostitute, though that was actually someone else. To be clear, she is the life companion of Jesus, but not someone the disciples want around afterward.
Life is a mystery. Resurrection and godhood are certainly mysteries. So this straightforward reporting works in this novel of the last days of Jesus. No breathlessness, simply a narrator puzzling over and pondering the strange things he has seen in the desert province of Judaea. The rest will be up to us and the stories we tell one another.
It is not particularly politically correct, so I can see many not liking it for that reason. The sensuality of the characters, the viciousness of the religious authorities and the mob, the nuanced way that Pilate's decision-making is imagined. The charismatic and detailed story of one of the two crucified thieves to share Golgotha that day. Then there is a plot involving Jesus' body and a few desperate men, one of whom is Philo.
But it is an imaginative and unflinching novel, a fresh look at the story of the greatest tragedy ever, or is it redemption. I recommend it as an Easter/Passover read.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morley Callaghan is one of the finest Canadian writers I have come across. His themes may not always appeal to a broad readership, since they are sometimes fairly parochial in nature, giving him a wide claim to being a genuine "Canadian" author (rather than North-American). However, he is a truly international writer as well, of a calibre I've not often encountered. Perhaps his career didn't quite have the impact of Ernest Hemingway's (with whom he was quite friendly in the thirties) or Graham Greene's, but the quality of his work puts him very much in their class. "A Time for Judas" is a good example of this. Callaghan takes us, in a Gore Vidal-like fashion, back to the time of Christ and recounts a marvellous tale set in and around Jerusalem. It is not only well-written and exciting, but as a purported account of the "true" events of the time (left to be discovered on papyrus centuries later), it falls into a sort of mystery tradition which is very hard to pull off, from a writing point of view. With complete confidence, Callaghan tells a tale which will thrill and perhaps even enlighten you, and have you seeking out more of his work. Fortunately, there is a relative abundance so find this one if you can.

[John Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting period piece that provides more food for thought about the secrets we keep and the secrets we're asked to carry than it does about Jesus, his mission, and his apostles. A minimum of physical description and a focused, colloquial first-person style gives the story immediacy while hardly putting us in all the strangeness of first-century Judea. It's not historical vividness the author is after; it's clarity of character, and he achieves that. All said, I'm not sure who this book would best suit. The protagonist, a Cretan scribe, is neither hero enough or villain enough to generate much interest, and the twist in the plot isn't much. It's probably worth picking up if you particularly enjoy historical fiction about the time of Jesus, but if you're looking for inspiration or insight, you may come up short.

[Tom Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if this was Callaghan's intention but this is a book about 'truth'. Not 'truth' in the abstract but what 'truth' is in reality. That is, how do people come to accept something as 'true.'

'Truth' in this sense is not an objective concept but subjective and social. Something is 'true' because people accept it to be 'true' and live their lives accordingly. 'Truth' then is understood as a way of understanding stories. Something is 'true' if it allows people to deal with their lives and can be found in the stories that allow for an explanation of their lives. This is the purpose of the parable. It is a story whose purpose is to explain a 'truth'. It is also a story whose purpose is to convince and by convincing become a 'truth.'

'A Tine for Judas' reveals the life of Jesus as as a means of creating a story or parable that can spread though the population. Part of this troy is the nature of betrayal and forgiveness. The apostles betray Jesus by denying him. Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss - a sign of love. These betrayals are a necessary part of the story. And so, Callaghan creates a story in which Jesus engineers his own betrayal to create the parable. Callaghan creates a story in which the news of the Resurrection is also engineered to spread the larger story of Jesus.

The story of 'Jesus becomes true because it spreads among the people and they begin to regard it as 'true'. The novel can be seen as an explication the nature of faith. Faith is the acceptance of a truth by an individual without evidence. It is the acceptance of a 'truth' because it provides a vital part of the holder's life.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some interesting ideas on Judas' role in the crucifixion and it's a quick, easy read. Philo the Greek is the main story teller and while he has some adventures of his own, I was honestly expecting more about Judas. His story is told, yes, but it's incredibly brief and not much time is really dedicated to the exploration of it. The explanations and philosophy is a bit muddy and I didn't come away with a clear understanding of what motivated any of the characters. It also could have used a bit more research on the historic facts, but that just may be me being nit-picky.
Overall, not bad, but I prefer Tosca Lee's exploration of Judas' story much better.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if Judas wasn't the greedy and distrustful disciple but really a man so loving of the Son of God that he would do anything for his messiah? In an interesting yet sometimes long-winded way, Mr. Callaghan spins this version of the story.

[Joe Kealey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mister Callaghan's book came at a strange time in my life. I was finishing up my last year of a stressful undergraduate degree, during which time I was swamped with no less than five urgent readings to complete every week. Compounded with relationship strife and a growing sense of unease about my future, I felt as if I was lost in the desert.

So, on an inconspicuous January afternoon on the third floor of the University of Ottawa's Hamelin Hall, I came across a book outside my professor's office. The title intrigued me – religious allusions and such gobbledygook often appeal to my lapsed-Catholic sensibilities – so I picked it up and began what I knew was an ill-timed casual read, but I took as a welcome break from the self-inflicted turmoil of my life.

A Time for Judas is a mysterious book, concerned greatly with what we do not understand. As another reviewer said, Callaghan is not after historical vividness, but clarity of character. The Judea of Jesus' time was a strange place full of strange people, in a time when all the world was a strange place and all people were strange people. The citizens of Jerusalem are larger than life: the merchants and physicians are sensual and corrupt; the unseen Sanhedrin are vicious, jealous, and spiteful; the Romans under Pilate are plucked from a Monty Python sketch, incompetent and flaccid. And as the drama of Easter unfolds, as the otherworldly, aloof Galilean is unjustly tried and murdered for blasphemy, even we the reader are made to question what we truly know of the Greatest Story Ever Told.

Jesus, through what little characterisation we receive, is a storyteller, and perhaps a stand-in for Callaghan himself. Jesus the Galilean tells us that no story can be told without a bit of mystery, and mystery clears the way for faith. It is this need for a good yarn that leads Jesus to nominate Judas as his betrayer, and it is Judas' love for his mentor, friend, and brother that leads him to accept. And it is Judas' unbearable desire to relieve himself of his burden that makes him the betrayer of Jesus' mystery.

I started this book in a relationship and I finished it having lost somebody I loved. That sense of grief and sadness washed over me like a wave upon this re-read, but right after followed an acceptance of what had passed. We as humans all feel the same pain; we all cry the same tears; we all love with the same heart. What Jesus did, by shouldering our pain and by giving us his story, was to unite every person from the past, present, and future, under that shared humanity.

"From far along the road came one more crazy lonely cry [...] and I knew he would head blindly for the desert, the wilderness of his fathers."

We are all lost in the desert, but at least we are lost with each other.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1984:]. The story is told by the Greek Philo, a voluptuary whose connection with the Jesus camp is through Mary, and later Judas, who becomes a close friend. As the title suggests, this is an apologia for Judas, who is shown as really believing that Christ will try some sort of military coup, and betrays him in that belief. The two thieves - or at least one of them - are interestingly brought in in that same connection. Callaghan's style is lucid enough, but rather un-involving. Perhaps I felt that Philo should somehow have been more affected by what he was narrating. Not as interesting an explanation of Judas' motivation as Sayers', I don't think.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't remember getting into this one at all. It's a shame, really, because I'm obsessed with the topic. Might- might-have to give it another shot.

[Garry]

A light, good read with an interesting perspective.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very empathetic version of the role of Judas in the days leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus