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Yo, Judas
De entre las ruinas de la Biblioteca de Alejandra, Iberas, un monje egipcio cristiano, recupera un manuscrito milagrosamente salvado de las llamas. Escondido bajo su túnica, se lo lleva al Valle de los Reyes para leerlo lejos de miradas indiscretas. Su sorpresa no podrá ser mayor: escrito en un griego muy culto, el manuscrito es el diario de Judas Iscariote. En su lectura, Iberas descubre que Judas era hijo de una familia judía y farisea, y no el pobre ladrón que todos crean que era. La pobreza de Judas era en realidad voluntaria. Según el manuscrito, se haba desprendido de todas sus riquezas para seguir al Mesas. Pero ésta no es más que la primera sorpresa que Iberas se lleva con esta lectura que le revelar a un Judas bajo un punto de vista mucho más humano.
429 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1977
343 people are currently reading
1022 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Caldwell
152 books558 followers Also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner.
Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)
In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.
Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.
In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.
Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.
She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.
Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.
In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.
Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.
She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn
Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)
In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.
Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.
In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.
Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.
She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.
Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.
In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.
Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.
She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
August 23, 2013
I don’t know about most people but I was raised to believe Judas was a bad man. The only thing that he did that stands out in history is betray Jesus – at least to me – and I always assumed he did it for the thirty pieces of silver. Judas became the epitome of betrayal – look up the word in the dictionary and his picture is probably there.
Judas, a man who was part of the inner 12, those closest to Jesus throughout his adult life. Judas, evil and deceitful Judas.
But Caldwell changes my opinion of Judas – even if it is a work of fiction. In her book, Judas is consumed with the idea that Jesus will announce His kingdom on Earth and changes things for the better. He believes Jesus is Lord and expected him to come in all His glory with a host of angels at his side.
That didn’t happen. What Judas failed to understand was that Jesus had to come as a humble servant to take the place of mankind on the cross. What Jesus did for us and the way he did it, is far beyond what coming with legions of angels would have done. Jesus was our perfect sacrifice.
Poor, misguided, misunderstanding Judas. He thought he could force the Lord into revealing His kingdom here on Earth – put a little pressure on and manipulate a few things and ta da, Jesus would reign supreme on Earth as Judas thought he should.
The book is rich with details of the era and while it is a work of fiction, one can see Judas from a different light. Great read, a little long winded in spots but it makes one of the most significant yet terribly ignored disciples come to life. I give the book an A.
Judas, a man who was part of the inner 12, those closest to Jesus throughout his adult life. Judas, evil and deceitful Judas.
But Caldwell changes my opinion of Judas – even if it is a work of fiction. In her book, Judas is consumed with the idea that Jesus will announce His kingdom on Earth and changes things for the better. He believes Jesus is Lord and expected him to come in all His glory with a host of angels at his side.
That didn’t happen. What Judas failed to understand was that Jesus had to come as a humble servant to take the place of mankind on the cross. What Jesus did for us and the way he did it, is far beyond what coming with legions of angels would have done. Jesus was our perfect sacrifice.
Poor, misguided, misunderstanding Judas. He thought he could force the Lord into revealing His kingdom here on Earth – put a little pressure on and manipulate a few things and ta da, Jesus would reign supreme on Earth as Judas thought he should.
The book is rich with details of the era and while it is a work of fiction, one can see Judas from a different light. Great read, a little long winded in spots but it makes one of the most significant yet terribly ignored disciples come to life. I give the book an A.
August 17, 2020
I was scrolling through my endless list of to-reads books and thought I would try another of Taylor Caldwell's historical/religious fiction centering around the New Testament. I had originally read her portrayal of the gospel writer Luke in The Great Physician and was deeply moved. Perhaps I, Judas would be just as inspiring?
It had its moments of profundity. The premise is by no means a new one: Judas isn't the heinous traitor he is portrayed as. I have read a similar portrayal in James Goldberg's Five Books of Jesus. The basic idea is that Judas was a Zealot, a group of revolutionaries intent on removing Imperial Rome from the Holy Land. And the Messiah, as understood by the Zealots, would be the one to lead it. By itself, this idea isn't new to Sunday School lessons, but attributing this specifically to Judas is perhaps a new twist for the casual Bible reader. The Sanhedrin are portrayed as weak hypocrites willing to sacrifice religious ideas and principles to maintain good relationships with Caesar. Judas's criticisms of the Sanhedrin perhaps feel keenly on point in concerns over religion being made palatable for a world of memes and billboards.
Perhaps the climax is Judas, first before Pilate and then again at the foot of the cross, begging Jesus to show his power, come down and lead them to victor against Rome:
'Jesus', I pleaded in a voice strange to me, 'Summon those legions of the Lord and smite the Philistines.'
It changes the scene when you see Judas's justifications for what he did. When you paint the enemy in such a grotesque monster that you can't understand his motives, you risk making similar mistakes.
But the book is littered with, well, oddities. The first I noticed was a very obvious conservative bent to the book. Listen to this spiel of Nicodemus's reflecting on the deterioration of the Romans:
When they give over to government those duties which they should be pleased to perform themselves. When they are told they will be fed and sheltered even when they won't work, when they are promised security from the cradle to the grave, when they are told the state will take over the supervision of their children and say what schooling they should receive and where. When they are told these things and supinely accept them.
Caldwell fits in family values and even abortion: There is a decline in the Roman family that bodes ill for Roman vitality. Only the baseborn and slaves indulge in large families, which they know the state will support. The middle and upper classes so often do not marry and make a business of abortion. Soon there will be nobody to support the hordes who are born slave and stay slave, happy to be fed and entertained, and occasionally filling their pockets with excursions into dark alleys, preying on the very people who support them.
But it gets weirder still when we encounter Jesus. The book quotes from the New Testament quite regularly, conveniently putting Judas in key moments such as the wedding in Cana, Jesus's invitation to dine with a Pharisee, and the interview with Pilate. But on top of that, Caldwell takes the risk of putting words in Jesus's mouth that are WIERD. Take this take on miracles. Thomas asks:
'But master, a pomegranate seed, like any other seed, grows at a certain rate, which one can predict from the soil in which it is planted, and the amount of sun and rain it receives.'
Jesus answers, 'True, but its growth is still part of a universal creative process which can be understood by all. What is not so well understood is that when the spiritual element is introduced, a higher creative vibration results.
Too New Age-y for my taste. It even gets wierder when it comes to issues of sexuality. The apostles seem particularly worried about the call to celibacy. Peter asks:
'But how does a man conquer the fevers that beset him as he vainly seeks sleep? I was no Essene perpetually committed to celibacy like the Baptist, nor, like the Master, totally caught up in the lives of others.'
Simon the Zealot harbored similar misgivings. "Is it natural, Master, to subdue the urge God has put in the loins of men?"
Judas points out that only married people can actually commit adultery, so they are off the hook: "But adultery, Master, applies only to man and wife. How can a single man violate the commandment, unless, like King David, he consorts with a married woman?"
Jesus answered, "Bathsheba" he said with a smile, "was a widow."
It gets more real when Caldwell literally makes Judas a rapist. He has a meeting alone in Pilate's palace with a young servant named Susanna, a friend of Mary Magdalen's. He describes her so:
She was so ravishingly beautiful I barely resisted the impulse to take her in my arms. A simple robe which flared at the sides revealed the fleeting glimpse of her golden thighs and set my heart pumping. Her tawny hair fell over her rosy face, and she pushed it back with a charming gesture, explaining with a blush that she had hastened at her mistress's summons.
It turned an account of Christ's ministry into something tawdry and cheap.
There were plenty of interesting twists, but it's probably best this book has been forgotten.
July 20, 2014
I, Judas, a shocking (for its time) book about the ultimate betrayer.
This review is from: I, Judas, Mass Market Paperback Edition
I don’t suppose it’d be much of a spoiler, to tell you how this story comes out. Jesus Christ is crucified and is buried and on the third day he rises again from the dead. Sorry if I spoiled it for you but if you didn’t already know how it went for Jesus, you maybe shouldn’t read this book.
If you like exposition as dialogue, you’ll love the first forty or so pages of I, Judas. Palestine, in Judas’s time, was a very complicated place with Jews and Greeks and Romans and with a myriad of factions. There’s a lot to be “dumped” on the reader. The confusing maelstrom needs to be understood before the story gets going, so let’s just get it all out at the start, even if it means having three of the most erudite Jews of the time adorning everything they say with superfluous information already known by even the most ignorant peasant.
I, Judas was originally published in the mid-seventies and back then, exposition in dialogue, especially in historical novels, was considered acceptable. Today it’s a hoot but with Gamaliel and Annas and Caiaphas, it’s compelling, even as stilted dialogue, to watch the interplay of these bright, political minds. These are cunning men, each capably representing his own faction and what they’re saying is necessary stuff so don’t worry about the information dump. Just take it all in, because once it’s all on the table, the story can get going.
Except it doesn’t, not so well.
The biggest disappointment for me was Jesus’s miracles. There was no awe. I suppose it must be a very difficult thing, to describe the effect of the miracles on the folks who witnessed them. But when Jesus turns the water into wine or the few loaves and fishes into multiple loaves and fishes, the folks who witness it don't seem overwhelmed with wonder and joy. Pedestrian miracles. It was especially glaring with raising Lazarus up from the dead. You want to see how to bring Lazarus back, read Kazantzakis’s account or watch how Scorsese does it, shades of Jaws! Either will send chills up and down your spine.
That said, this is an interesting book. There’s not a lot of action, it’s mostly talking and thinking. It’s seeing a turning point in history from the point of view of the ultimate bad guys. Except they’re not entirely bad and each in his own way is sort of sympathetic. That was blasphemous in the mid-1970s and is still controversial today, especially with the publication and explication of the Gospel of Judas.
Judas has always had a bad press. Dante put him in the lowest ring of Hell, a traitorous lout who got what he deserved ─ hanged, or did he fall down and have his guts spill out? But wait a minute, the authors are saying. If Jesus’s mission, to die on the cross for all men (and women) was foreordained, if it was prophesied and if Judas facilitated it, which he did, willingly or unwillingly, then don’t we owe Judas? Didn’t he help redeem us?
I won’t get into Judas’s motives, that would be a spoiler, but I will say this much: He is, in this work of fiction, a more complicated, although maybe no less devious fellow than how he’s been portrayed elsewhere and he certainly didn’t do it just for those thirty pieces of silver.
Judas is a Pharisee, an educated rich man who harbors a certain amount of disdain for the rest of the Apostles, rubes, in Judas’s estimation, and they’re distrustful of Judas, not because they know he will betray the Master but because, well, he’s different from them. Jesus has a respect for Judas, seeing him as less provincial than the others. Jesus seems to know what Judas is intending. It's as if Jesus knows Judas’s mind better than Judas knows it himself.
And what about those high priests, the men who orchestrate Jesus’s death? Think there's no more to them than there is to Judas? Unmitigated, unadulterated evil? Think again, the authors say.
How those priests see it, the Romans don't have any patience for messiahs and so neither do the Jewish leaders. The leaders abet the Romans even as they manipulate them. The high priests are historical villains, with what they do to Jesus, but look at what the priests are faced with:
What messiahs did, and there was no shortage of them at that time and place, is stir up the people, get them into trouble with the Romans. The priests are realists. There’s no fighting Rome. Once the Romans conquer a place, it stays conquered. Or gets obliterated, losers’ choice. While zealots like Judas and Barabbas are looking for a militant King of the Jews, the Jewish authorities are just trying to keep their people together, a not ignoble purpose and with so many messiahs around, how are the Pharisees to know Jesus is the real deal?
Two thirds of the way through, the book picks up steam, beginning with the Last Supper and on through the trial and all the rest of it. We see Judas and those others trying to tilt things their own way, to manifest an outcome different from what was apparently inevitable. Judas has his own agenda and cards to play and does he play them poorly or does he just not have the right cards? Or doesn’t it matter, what Judas or any of the others do, given the inevitability of it all?
The ultimate denouement, Jesus rising from the dead, is anticlimactic and not so well done, just another miracle, the greatest miracle, done in mediocre style.
What the authors are really good at is villains and there’s one more bad guy who needs to be mentioned. There’s more to this man too. He's riveting in his nefariousness. I'm talking about Pontius Pilate, who, no surprise, turns out to be a more complicated man than we thought and who was married to a woman who was destined to become, in some Christian churches, a venerated saint.
This review is from: I, Judas, Mass Market Paperback Edition
I don’t suppose it’d be much of a spoiler, to tell you how this story comes out. Jesus Christ is crucified and is buried and on the third day he rises again from the dead. Sorry if I spoiled it for you but if you didn’t already know how it went for Jesus, you maybe shouldn’t read this book.
If you like exposition as dialogue, you’ll love the first forty or so pages of I, Judas. Palestine, in Judas’s time, was a very complicated place with Jews and Greeks and Romans and with a myriad of factions. There’s a lot to be “dumped” on the reader. The confusing maelstrom needs to be understood before the story gets going, so let’s just get it all out at the start, even if it means having three of the most erudite Jews of the time adorning everything they say with superfluous information already known by even the most ignorant peasant.
I, Judas was originally published in the mid-seventies and back then, exposition in dialogue, especially in historical novels, was considered acceptable. Today it’s a hoot but with Gamaliel and Annas and Caiaphas, it’s compelling, even as stilted dialogue, to watch the interplay of these bright, political minds. These are cunning men, each capably representing his own faction and what they’re saying is necessary stuff so don’t worry about the information dump. Just take it all in, because once it’s all on the table, the story can get going.
Except it doesn’t, not so well.
The biggest disappointment for me was Jesus’s miracles. There was no awe. I suppose it must be a very difficult thing, to describe the effect of the miracles on the folks who witnessed them. But when Jesus turns the water into wine or the few loaves and fishes into multiple loaves and fishes, the folks who witness it don't seem overwhelmed with wonder and joy. Pedestrian miracles. It was especially glaring with raising Lazarus up from the dead. You want to see how to bring Lazarus back, read Kazantzakis’s account or watch how Scorsese does it, shades of Jaws! Either will send chills up and down your spine.
That said, this is an interesting book. There’s not a lot of action, it’s mostly talking and thinking. It’s seeing a turning point in history from the point of view of the ultimate bad guys. Except they’re not entirely bad and each in his own way is sort of sympathetic. That was blasphemous in the mid-1970s and is still controversial today, especially with the publication and explication of the Gospel of Judas.
Judas has always had a bad press. Dante put him in the lowest ring of Hell, a traitorous lout who got what he deserved ─ hanged, or did he fall down and have his guts spill out? But wait a minute, the authors are saying. If Jesus’s mission, to die on the cross for all men (and women) was foreordained, if it was prophesied and if Judas facilitated it, which he did, willingly or unwillingly, then don’t we owe Judas? Didn’t he help redeem us?
I won’t get into Judas’s motives, that would be a spoiler, but I will say this much: He is, in this work of fiction, a more complicated, although maybe no less devious fellow than how he’s been portrayed elsewhere and he certainly didn’t do it just for those thirty pieces of silver.
Judas is a Pharisee, an educated rich man who harbors a certain amount of disdain for the rest of the Apostles, rubes, in Judas’s estimation, and they’re distrustful of Judas, not because they know he will betray the Master but because, well, he’s different from them. Jesus has a respect for Judas, seeing him as less provincial than the others. Jesus seems to know what Judas is intending. It's as if Jesus knows Judas’s mind better than Judas knows it himself.
And what about those high priests, the men who orchestrate Jesus’s death? Think there's no more to them than there is to Judas? Unmitigated, unadulterated evil? Think again, the authors say.
How those priests see it, the Romans don't have any patience for messiahs and so neither do the Jewish leaders. The leaders abet the Romans even as they manipulate them. The high priests are historical villains, with what they do to Jesus, but look at what the priests are faced with:
What messiahs did, and there was no shortage of them at that time and place, is stir up the people, get them into trouble with the Romans. The priests are realists. There’s no fighting Rome. Once the Romans conquer a place, it stays conquered. Or gets obliterated, losers’ choice. While zealots like Judas and Barabbas are looking for a militant King of the Jews, the Jewish authorities are just trying to keep their people together, a not ignoble purpose and with so many messiahs around, how are the Pharisees to know Jesus is the real deal?
Two thirds of the way through, the book picks up steam, beginning with the Last Supper and on through the trial and all the rest of it. We see Judas and those others trying to tilt things their own way, to manifest an outcome different from what was apparently inevitable. Judas has his own agenda and cards to play and does he play them poorly or does he just not have the right cards? Or doesn’t it matter, what Judas or any of the others do, given the inevitability of it all?
The ultimate denouement, Jesus rising from the dead, is anticlimactic and not so well done, just another miracle, the greatest miracle, done in mediocre style.
What the authors are really good at is villains and there’s one more bad guy who needs to be mentioned. There’s more to this man too. He's riveting in his nefariousness. I'm talking about Pontius Pilate, who, no surprise, turns out to be a more complicated man than we thought and who was married to a woman who was destined to become, in some Christian churches, a venerated saint.
November 26, 2021
Muy buen libro pero esperaba una trama más entretenida.
April 15, 2021
When I finished this book I described it to my husband, and ended my summary with "And so THAT'S why we still have Jews." He said that would make a neat Facebook post but perhaps he wants me to lost the few friends I have.
But that's what this book gave me. It scrupulously follows established scripture (it was written in the 70s for a mass-market, they weren't trying to blow anyone's mind) and fills out all the history needed for a full picture of what it was like to live under the Roman Empire in Jewish states. (anyone who zero stars this for humanizing Judas is the WORST. It's a Bible-study class in novelization form. Your pastor's Dad probably LOVES this book).
Turns out life for Roman Jews was rough. REALLLLY rough.
The book filled in what the Jews were expecting in their Messiah according to what they were taught through centuries of text and prophecy. Judas and the rest of the Jews felt pretty sure that the Old Testament was promising them freedom from having Rome's boot on their neck, from slaughters in the street. From being hated everywhere by everyone. The Messiah was going to literally deliver them from slavery, like Moses did.
And then this really charismatic hippie wanders into the party, (blue eyed...but fine, fine whatever it was still the 70s) and yes! does things that are incredible! He's starting to claim He's God which is...a bit much for both Jews and Romans but a lot of people believe Him. Problem is He only speaks enigmatically and does mild miracles for select audiences...He says brilliant stuff that can be interpreted five ways and that's WITHOUT a 2000 yr game of telephone and multiple politically motivated translations!
So Judas, who loved Jesus but figured He needed one last push to get His holy wrath on...and as a Pharisee (which he never pretended not to be) was sure that being arrested and sentenced to death would bring the True Messiah, through off the oppressors, and God's Chosen would reign.
Jesus didn't do that. In the Jew's eyes...this book made it completely clear He dropped the ball. He was not their Messiah. Not the one they were looking for, anyway.
And it addressed the question very elegantly of whether or not Judas was basically framed. Because God's plan was that Jesus had to be betrayed and died and someone had to do it. Someone had to be the a-hole. Jesus lets Judas know "if not you, it would have been another." But Judas wasn't forced, it was organic in his personality to demand action and try and force God's hand. So he was framed, but he was gonna do it anyway, so...moot.
I loved this book. It gently and thoroughly sussed out one of the many, many questions that make college-aged Christians start to squirm and leave church (like I did. And never went back. I'm not a Christian but I really respect the work that went into this book).
It was too wordy but...y'know welcome to religious study...they like lots of words and discussions. It had no axe to grind, just laid out one of the most likely scenarios I've encountered to explain how anyone could have hung out with Jesus, seen His miracles, believed He was a Messiah, and still made sure He was arrested.
Not out of a black treacherous heart (though the author established Judas as impatient and selfish and TOTALLY the sorta guy who would think he could make an omnipotent power do what he wanted when he wanted) but because...Jesus was farting around and Jews were dying and it's time to call down the Heavenly Host and do some slewing like in the old days. It's what they'd been promised! For the time and place...it was reasonable!
So I see why the Jews didn't believe Jesus was their Savior. He didn't do it right.
And...so...yeah! That's why there's still Jews!
But that's what this book gave me. It scrupulously follows established scripture (it was written in the 70s for a mass-market, they weren't trying to blow anyone's mind) and fills out all the history needed for a full picture of what it was like to live under the Roman Empire in Jewish states. (anyone who zero stars this for humanizing Judas is the WORST. It's a Bible-study class in novelization form. Your pastor's Dad probably LOVES this book).
Turns out life for Roman Jews was rough. REALLLLY rough.
The book filled in what the Jews were expecting in their Messiah according to what they were taught through centuries of text and prophecy. Judas and the rest of the Jews felt pretty sure that the Old Testament was promising them freedom from having Rome's boot on their neck, from slaughters in the street. From being hated everywhere by everyone. The Messiah was going to literally deliver them from slavery, like Moses did.
And then this really charismatic hippie wanders into the party, (blue eyed...but fine, fine whatever it was still the 70s) and yes! does things that are incredible! He's starting to claim He's God which is...a bit much for both Jews and Romans but a lot of people believe Him. Problem is He only speaks enigmatically and does mild miracles for select audiences...He says brilliant stuff that can be interpreted five ways and that's WITHOUT a 2000 yr game of telephone and multiple politically motivated translations!
So Judas, who loved Jesus but figured He needed one last push to get His holy wrath on...and as a Pharisee (which he never pretended not to be) was sure that being arrested and sentenced to death would bring the True Messiah, through off the oppressors, and God's Chosen would reign.
Jesus didn't do that. In the Jew's eyes...this book made it completely clear He dropped the ball. He was not their Messiah. Not the one they were looking for, anyway.
And it addressed the question very elegantly of whether or not Judas was basically framed. Because God's plan was that Jesus had to be betrayed and died and someone had to do it. Someone had to be the a-hole. Jesus lets Judas know "if not you, it would have been another." But Judas wasn't forced, it was organic in his personality to demand action and try and force God's hand. So he was framed, but he was gonna do it anyway, so...moot.
I loved this book. It gently and thoroughly sussed out one of the many, many questions that make college-aged Christians start to squirm and leave church (like I did. And never went back. I'm not a Christian but I really respect the work that went into this book).
It was too wordy but...y'know welcome to religious study...they like lots of words and discussions. It had no axe to grind, just laid out one of the most likely scenarios I've encountered to explain how anyone could have hung out with Jesus, seen His miracles, believed He was a Messiah, and still made sure He was arrested.
Not out of a black treacherous heart (though the author established Judas as impatient and selfish and TOTALLY the sorta guy who would think he could make an omnipotent power do what he wanted when he wanted) but because...Jesus was farting around and Jews were dying and it's time to call down the Heavenly Host and do some slewing like in the old days. It's what they'd been promised! For the time and place...it was reasonable!
So I see why the Jews didn't believe Jesus was their Savior. He didn't do it right.
And...so...yeah! That's why there's still Jews!
December 27, 2018
What I liked:
This is a familiar story, told from a different perspective, and the final 75 pages or so have a good, climactic tempo
What I didn’t:
Most of this book is written in the form of conversations between two characters, and largely these become bogged down and repetitive
Names are used for well known historical characters, but to add authenticity I suppose, the authors used variably different names for the same characters. I found this confusing at times.
Finally, I just couldn’t buy in on a historical fiction book about the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, I knew that’s what it was before reading, but I personally found the embellishments (sometimes distorted) of the dialogue and actions - of Christ specifically - to be more than I was comfortable with.
This is a familiar story, told from a different perspective, and the final 75 pages or so have a good, climactic tempo
What I didn’t:
Most of this book is written in the form of conversations between two characters, and largely these become bogged down and repetitive
Names are used for well known historical characters, but to add authenticity I suppose, the authors used variably different names for the same characters. I found this confusing at times.
Finally, I just couldn’t buy in on a historical fiction book about the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, I knew that’s what it was before reading, but I personally found the embellishments (sometimes distorted) of the dialogue and actions - of Christ specifically - to be more than I was comfortable with.
August 13, 2020
Read this book years ago and loved it. Very thought provoking, regardless of your religious affiliation. If you go into this book with an open mind and let yourself ask questions you will learn much about what you do -and can - believe. Was Judas the ultimate evil betrayer, was he a pawn, was he set-up or was he something else? Our family has had many discussions about this because this book stays with you.
I enjoy Taylor Caldwell's writing style and have also read her book 'Dear and Glorious Physician", which was my father's favorite.
I enjoy Taylor Caldwell's writing style and have also read her book 'Dear and Glorious Physician", which was my father's favorite.
November 11, 2008
This is historical fiction during the last days of Christ...from Judas' viewpoint. Really makes you remember there are two or more sides...to any event. I also liked that Caldwell did a lot of research about locations, events and how people lived at that time.
April 10, 2018
During the Easter season I started this book by Taylor Caldwell. She did not disappoint with this religious fiction of the greatest story ever told. She writes the book with Judas perception of what happened. Judas was the son of a wealthy family and began to follow Jesus Christ. He struggled with his commitment to Christ but tried to be a dedicated follower. He got caught up in the web of of the betrayal of Jesus after becoming one of the first of the twelve disciples. For 30 pieces of silver he betrayed his Lord . This was such interesting reading even though I have heard the story many times. Taylor Caldwell wrote it like a modern novel and made it very believable.
August 25, 2022
No es una lectura fácil. Los primeros capítulos son algo densos, especialmente si no conoces bien las Escrituras.
Los diálogos son profundos, con muchos mensajes y reflexiones.
Me gustó conocer a Jesús a través de las narraciones de Judas.
Y conocer la historia de Judas, este personaje tan controversial, tan juzgado y señalado, me hace pensar en sus motivos, en su postura, en sus razones y en su posible sufrimiento por los acontecimientos que se presentaron. La historia estaba escrita. Era la voluntad de Dios…
Me gustó leerlo, fue pesado y difícil en momentos, pero valió mucho la pena…
Las últimas líneas son hermosas…
Los diálogos son profundos, con muchos mensajes y reflexiones.
Me gustó conocer a Jesús a través de las narraciones de Judas.
Y conocer la historia de Judas, este personaje tan controversial, tan juzgado y señalado, me hace pensar en sus motivos, en su postura, en sus razones y en su posible sufrimiento por los acontecimientos que se presentaron. La historia estaba escrita. Era la voluntad de Dios…
Me gustó leerlo, fue pesado y difícil en momentos, pero valió mucho la pena…
Las últimas líneas son hermosas…
March 6, 2017
I'm not Christian and this book just made me feel "more pagan". Nevertheless, I do know about the bible since I was born in a Christian family.
Church makes us think Judas is a bad person. However, after reading "I, Judas", I started to realize that there are things we just believe because that's what people around us tells us. It doesn't mean this book is trustworthy or not, but that the truth is scattered around the world...
There's a reason I'm not Christian anymore. The truth can be found in more than a single way.
Church makes us think Judas is a bad person. However, after reading "I, Judas", I started to realize that there are things we just believe because that's what people around us tells us. It doesn't mean this book is trustworthy or not, but that the truth is scattered around the world...
There's a reason I'm not Christian anymore. The truth can be found in more than a single way.
March 11, 2014
I wasn't sure if this book was going to be Christian or something like Jesus Christ Superstar, telling the events and skewing the interpretation. It turned out to be Christian, as far as I was concerned. The only thing I didn't agree with was Jesus mentioning astrology.
There were some liberties taken with the order of events (putting Judas a few places that he wasn't, according to tradition) and I'm pretty sure Mary Magdalene was composited from three women. A lot of the dialog seemed lifted straight from the Bible (more NIV than King James, but still a little stiff). I would have preferred a more modern wording to go with the reworking of the story. I personally like the angle that Judas wanted to force Jesus to rebel against Rome. The book made the great point that Jesus will not be forced into doing what we want just because we think it's best.
Particularly the beginning of the book spent too much time going over Jesus's early life, which Judas had to interview people to find out about, in very awkward language. Some editing would have helped, they didn't need to squeeze in everything in the gospels even if Judas did find it out. I wished there was more focus on the interaction between Judas and Jesus, but there was very little extrapolation from the gospel. Overall, still worth reading, even though it was longer than necessary.
There were some liberties taken with the order of events (putting Judas a few places that he wasn't, according to tradition) and I'm pretty sure Mary Magdalene was composited from three women. A lot of the dialog seemed lifted straight from the Bible (more NIV than King James, but still a little stiff). I would have preferred a more modern wording to go with the reworking of the story. I personally like the angle that Judas wanted to force Jesus to rebel against Rome. The book made the great point that Jesus will not be forced into doing what we want just because we think it's best.
Particularly the beginning of the book spent too much time going over Jesus's early life, which Judas had to interview people to find out about, in very awkward language. Some editing would have helped, they didn't need to squeeze in everything in the gospels even if Judas did find it out. I wished there was more focus on the interaction between Judas and Jesus, but there was very little extrapolation from the gospel. Overall, still worth reading, even though it was longer than necessary.
April 12, 2009
This book does have some deep faults, but despite them I still found it enjoyable. It's best strength is the character fo Judas whom the more human you make him, the more ununderstandable his crime becomes. It is also interesting for it's flesh and blood Jesus who comes across as very believable but hardly the prop of fundamentailists. I found this to be an early excellent introduction to the Gospels but really shouldn't be taken in their place.
June 3, 2014
Very well written and gripping. This is a thought-provoking presentation of Judas and his motivations. I don't believe it is scriptural and I don't believe that it is factual. Taylor Caldwell herself stated that often when she was writing, she was taken over by an unseen force, so don't fall for the belief that she has some deep insight into real truth. She doesn't. She's just an excellent writer and story-teller.
April 15, 2008
A very interesting perspective on a story steeped in traditional thinking. We Christians often tend to vilify Judas as the ultimate villain and betrayer, and while this story does not alter the fact of his betrayal, it does offer some insight into alternate explanations for Judas's actions that are definitely food for thought. I enjoyed this exercise in historical and spiritual speculation.
August 28, 2015
Es el 4 o 5 libro que leo de Taylor Caldwell y a pesar de que no es uno de mis favoritos debo confesar que es bueno. Me gusta que a pesar de ser un tema de religión ella, como en todos sus libros, no se enfoca en eso si no en la vida antes de que el personaje fuera destacado o importante... Seguiré leyendo.
November 23, 2017
5 estrellas.
La prosa de Taylor Caldwell es cuativante, envolvente, adictiva, simplemente perfecta. Yo Judas no es la excepción, como una grande de la literatura la autora va desarrollando su visión del mundo hasta reivindicar a uno de lo más grandes villanos de la historia, brindando justicia y la más alta dignidad al discípulo más incomprendido del cristianismo.
Todos somos Judas.
La prosa de Taylor Caldwell es cuativante, envolvente, adictiva, simplemente perfecta. Yo Judas no es la excepción, como una grande de la literatura la autora va desarrollando su visión del mundo hasta reivindicar a uno de lo más grandes villanos de la historia, brindando justicia y la más alta dignidad al discípulo más incomprendido del cristianismo.
Todos somos Judas.
January 8, 2023
Like that the book presented the politics of the time and presented Christ as a political figure. Not that he was looking to be that figure, but many of his followers were looking for the literal King of the Jews.
June 5, 2009
This was a great book for me, a biblical neophyte. It may not be exactly what's in the Bible, but it gave me incentive to read the real thing. It was a good place to start.
November 12, 2012
I gave up. I wasn't enjoying it, so I just put it aside.
March 3, 2022
In den 1980er Jahren war Taylor Caldwell einige Zeit lang meine Lieblingsautorin. Ihr Roman Geliebter und berühmter Arzt über den Evangelisten Lukas hat mich sehr begeistert. Auch Mit dem Herzen eines Löwen (über Paulus) fand ich toll. Ich habe Melissa gelesen und noch ein paar andere. Der Erzählstil der Autorin ist bewegend und spannend.
Nun habe ich auch die aus der Perspektive des Judas geschriebene Geschichte gelesen. Obwohl mich vieles daran gestört hat, habe ich sie zu Ende gelesen.
Natürlich ist für ein solches Buch einiges an Fantasie gefragt. Aber ich fand die Abweichungen von den biblischen Berichten zu gravierend. Es gibt einige interessante Denkanstösse, aber insgesamt finde ich die Geschichte nicht stimmig. Schade.
Die wichtigsten Punkte im Einzelnen:
Nun habe ich auch die aus der Perspektive des Judas geschriebene Geschichte gelesen. Obwohl mich vieles daran gestört hat, habe ich sie zu Ende gelesen.
Natürlich ist für ein solches Buch einiges an Fantasie gefragt. Aber ich fand die Abweichungen von den biblischen Berichten zu gravierend. Es gibt einige interessante Denkanstösse, aber insgesamt finde ich die Geschichte nicht stimmig. Schade.
Die wichtigsten Punkte im Einzelnen:
March 27, 2020
This book really surprised me. I have often wondered about the story of Judas. He was someone who was picked by Jesus to be one of his closest friends. Presumably, this was done after careful thought and prayer on Jesus' part. Did he know at that time that Judas would betray him? Was Judas always destined to do so? If so, how can Judas be seen as evil incarnate? Was he not just fulfilling the role that God set for him?
Was Jesus ever interested in trying to reform Judas or to change his course?
Was Judas ultimately forgiven and sitting now in heaven with his savior?
This book gives a first person account of Judas over the course of his journey with Jesus. There are some significant differences between the story set forth and what is reported in the Bible. Timelines are changed around and Judas story, in particular, is not the one that we are familiar with. Judas is portrayed in a somewhat more sympathetic manner. Ultimately, his end is roughly the same as it is in the Bible. But there may be a little more understanding as to what was done and why.
Or it could be 99% fictional and utterly inaccurate. It was an interesting read, though and well-written. The editing was good in the ebook version that I read.
The book I read RIGHT before this was "In the Flesh," by Michael Gabriele. That book is a first person narrative of Jesus' last three years. This was a bookend, of sorts. Of the two books, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this one, more.
Was Jesus ever interested in trying to reform Judas or to change his course?
Was Judas ultimately forgiven and sitting now in heaven with his savior?
This book gives a first person account of Judas over the course of his journey with Jesus. There are some significant differences between the story set forth and what is reported in the Bible. Timelines are changed around and Judas story, in particular, is not the one that we are familiar with. Judas is portrayed in a somewhat more sympathetic manner. Ultimately, his end is roughly the same as it is in the Bible. But there may be a little more understanding as to what was done and why.
Or it could be 99% fictional and utterly inaccurate. It was an interesting read, though and well-written. The editing was good in the ebook version that I read.
The book I read RIGHT before this was "In the Flesh," by Michael Gabriele. That book is a first person narrative of Jesus' last three years. This was a bookend, of sorts. Of the two books, I have to say that I enjoyed reading this one, more.
September 7, 2025
The author was an amazing woman born in 1907 who led a most interesting life. She is said to have written her first book as a child (tho not published ’75). She didn’t seem to be particularly religious and not a believer in reincarnation, psychic studies or past lives until in her 60’s when she wrote several novels based on ancient times. This book is historical fiction so Im not saying it’s TRUE but the amount of detail of that time causes one to wonder if she really did have a life back in those times as well as obviously doing much research Id imagine before writing this book. It’s written that she remembered 11 past lives. You do not have to believe in such things to enjoy this novel set in the Holy Land and times of John the Baptist and Jesus. Some Christians/Jews could find this story of Judas Iscariot “blasphemous” as it depicts him as just a misguided, extremely zealous Jew who longed for the Messiah to come and was manipulated and used by the Priests of the day in that most contentious time when the Romans were viciously trying to destroy them. I’m glad I re-read it after doing so in my 20’s many years ago. I always enjoyed her other books on Atlantis and other eras as well
March 13, 2021
Narrazione romanzata della vita di Gesù negli anni della sua predicazione.
Il narratore è intradiegetico ed è Giuda Iscariota stesso che parla in prima persona. Solo l'epilogo, che riporta la Resurrezione, è narrato in terza persona, da un discepolo.
L'autrice si attiene per lo più fedelmente ai Vangeli ed ho trovato abbastanza interessante l'immagine che ci dà di Giuda, come uomo che ha creduto in Gesù, lo ha amato, ma si è sentito da Lui tradito per non aver liberato Israele dai Romani. Secondo Giuda, una volta arrestato, Gesù sarebbe stato costretto a manifestarsi in tutta la Sua soprannaturale potenza. Ma così non accade e di qui la delusione ed il dolore per la di Lui morte. Giuda uccide se stesso, non attende la Resurrezione.
Nell'atteggiamento di Giuda, che vuole costringere il Signore Gesù a fare quello che lui, essere umano, desidera, vedo l'atteggiamento di tante persone che si dichiarano deluse da Dio perché non hanno ricevuto quanto da loro chiesto. Ma Dio è Dio e i Suoi pensieri non sono i nostri pensieri, le Sue vie non sono le nostre vie. All'uomo sta solo riconoscerLo e affidarsi a Lui.
Il narratore è intradiegetico ed è Giuda Iscariota stesso che parla in prima persona. Solo l'epilogo, che riporta la Resurrezione, è narrato in terza persona, da un discepolo.
L'autrice si attiene per lo più fedelmente ai Vangeli ed ho trovato abbastanza interessante l'immagine che ci dà di Giuda, come uomo che ha creduto in Gesù, lo ha amato, ma si è sentito da Lui tradito per non aver liberato Israele dai Romani. Secondo Giuda, una volta arrestato, Gesù sarebbe stato costretto a manifestarsi in tutta la Sua soprannaturale potenza. Ma così non accade e di qui la delusione ed il dolore per la di Lui morte. Giuda uccide se stesso, non attende la Resurrezione.
Nell'atteggiamento di Giuda, che vuole costringere il Signore Gesù a fare quello che lui, essere umano, desidera, vedo l'atteggiamento di tante persone che si dichiarano deluse da Dio perché non hanno ricevuto quanto da loro chiesto. Ma Dio è Dio e i Suoi pensieri non sono i nostri pensieri, le Sue vie non sono le nostre vie. All'uomo sta solo riconoscerLo e affidarsi a Lui.
February 19, 2019
I loved this book. It's the story of how Judas came to be an apostle. It covers the time when he first met Jesus to his betrayal of Jesus. He watched as Jesus died on the cross. He returned the 30 silver coins that were given to him for his betrayal, and he killed himself for his betrayal, but he always loved Jesus deeply, even in taking his own life he still proclaimed his love for Jesus. This is a very moving book that adheres to the stories in the Bible. It gives you a wonderful insight into the life of Judas. The prologue states how a sacred writing was handed down from the time of Judas to priests through the ages until it fell into the hands of a German, during WWII, who secreted it away so Hitler wouldn't find it. It does not tell what happened to the writings after that, but sometimes in the 1980's or 90's the alleged Gospel of Judas was found in a safe deposit box in Hicksville, NY. Is there where the story ended?
July 29, 2021
See DW's review.
The Bible books are quoted extensively. Jesus is enigmatic; in an effort to explain his 'miracles' Ms. Caldwell explains that it takes a lot out of him, and so he can't do them very often. It seems that Judas (Judah) was focused on Jesus merely performing short-term to get Rome to surrender, while Jesus was in it for the long haul. Judas was also manipulated, according to Ms. Caldwell, into accepting the thirty pieces of silver (among other things) by unscrupulous spies. Nevertheless, he DID do the deed, but there were mitigating circumstances, according to Ms. Caldwell.
See the book of Judah (Judas) and the Apocrypha.
The Bible books are quoted extensively. Jesus is enigmatic; in an effort to explain his 'miracles' Ms. Caldwell explains that it takes a lot out of him, and so he can't do them very often. It seems that Judas (Judah) was focused on Jesus merely performing short-term to get Rome to surrender, while Jesus was in it for the long haul. Judas was also manipulated, according to Ms. Caldwell, into accepting the thirty pieces of silver (among other things) by unscrupulous spies. Nevertheless, he DID do the deed, but there were mitigating circumstances, according to Ms. Caldwell.
See the book of Judah (Judas) and the Apocrypha.
June 1, 2022
When I was young I remember reading Taylor Cadwell's "Doctor of Souls and Bodies" and fell in love with it.
That's why I read this book, which tells the life of Jesus from the point of view of Judas.
It is a novel, where it says that Judas really believed that Jesus was God and that he wanted him to manifest himself, and the way to do it was to denounce him and show his power before the Sanhedrin and Rome.
Total was his disappointment when he did not do it, as well as the disappointment of the Jewish people oppressed by Rome, at that time, for more than a century.
Good book, although I was lazy to read the "fictionalized" gospel again, because in my youth I read it many times.
That's why I read this book, which tells the life of Jesus from the point of view of Judas.
It is a novel, where it says that Judas really believed that Jesus was God and that he wanted him to manifest himself, and the way to do it was to denounce him and show his power before the Sanhedrin and Rome.
Total was his disappointment when he did not do it, as well as the disappointment of the Jewish people oppressed by Rome, at that time, for more than a century.
Good book, although I was lazy to read the "fictionalized" gospel again, because in my youth I read it many times.
October 31, 2022
A Suicide Note
We know the story, but we don’t know Judas. Perhaps Caldwell didn’t either, but perhaps she understood him. Most of us don’t. Some few have tried. I like to think that I am one of the few. Why is he despised? Had he not done his deed would Christ have completed his mission?. Many say of course as do some of the characters at the death. Perhaps Judas’ suicide should indicate his turmoil, his torment and like the other disciples his lack of understanding of Christ’s message. Whatever the case Caldwell should offer the reader food for new thought, a new perspective, and not just of Judas.
We know the story, but we don’t know Judas. Perhaps Caldwell didn’t either, but perhaps she understood him. Most of us don’t. Some few have tried. I like to think that I am one of the few. Why is he despised? Had he not done his deed would Christ have completed his mission?. Many say of course as do some of the characters at the death. Perhaps Judas’ suicide should indicate his turmoil, his torment and like the other disciples his lack of understanding of Christ’s message. Whatever the case Caldwell should offer the reader food for new thought, a new perspective, and not just of Judas.
August 8, 2024
Did reading this book feel a bit sacrilegious? Yep. Was it still a pretty good read? Yep.
Mentioning Judas always feels extremely taboo to me, but the fact remains that he was one of Jesus's disciples, which means he's worthy of talking about at least a bit. I feel like as Christians, it's easy to judge Judas and wonder how he could have possibly betrayed Jesus, but this book offered a good bit of explanation and sympathy towards him. Please note, I don't feel like this book suddenly excuses Judas's betrayal, but it helped me understand a possible interpretation for what he did why he did, and I don't think there's anything wrong with speculating about that.
Mentioning Judas always feels extremely taboo to me, but the fact remains that he was one of Jesus's disciples, which means he's worthy of talking about at least a bit. I feel like as Christians, it's easy to judge Judas and wonder how he could have possibly betrayed Jesus, but this book offered a good bit of explanation and sympathy towards him. Please note, I don't feel like this book suddenly excuses Judas's betrayal, but it helped me understand a possible interpretation for what he did why he did, and I don't think there's anything wrong with speculating about that.
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