Why is Judas portrayed as a villian? I mean, duh, he betrayed Jesus, but why is he considered a bad guy when thanks to him Jesus got the death he "wanted", the one that saved us all from sin, etc.
I think that actually opens another question. If God sent His son to die for our sins, was he supposed to die via torture and humilliation or just die as any human being? If the latter, I can understand Judas being a bad guy, but if the former, then he was just a way to get there.
Borges wrote a really good story about this. It's in Ficciones.
http://www.voxpublica.org/2009/07/three_versions_of_judas.html
>>7708821
Holy shit I actually read this some years ago, didn't remember it. Thanks!
>>7708778
This book is about what you are talking about.
Simple answer: What the bible says, goes. It's the word of God. What God says is good, is good, regardless of how you personally feel about it. Even if it appears contradictory. That's how it works.
>>7708847
oh shit I think I have that in some russian epub collection, thanks for reminding me
What if God was both Judas and Jesus in one sense sacrificing his earthy body and in the other sacrificing his soul.
>>7708852
Not OP, but I'm an agnostic that's interested in theology and that's a bullshit cop out excuse. Suck my dick.
>>7708821
>Ergo, the
treachery of Judas was not accidental; it was a predestined deed which has its
mysterious place in the economy of the Redemption.
There's an interesting parallel in Tibetan Buddhism, though personally I think since Christianity emphasizes the Jesus myth, the rendering of self-damnation to aid others is better emphasized in the Tibetan tale.
>>7708778
He wasn't a bad guy. He did his part and regretted it, but he couldn't forgive himself in the end.
this is common knowledge its why judas gets all the best songs in jesus christ superstar
>>7708778
>Why is Judas portrayed as a villian?
There's a tension with Judas' situation that calls for nuance, but that can be hard to come by. On the one hand, the purpose of Jesus' humanity was to die for the sins of humanity and Judas was instrumental in that happening as it needed to (see below); on the other hand, the way that happened was that he betrayed Jesus to an innocent death. 'Villain' is correct in some ways ind not in other ways. For that matter, everyone who has sinned is a 'villain' in the story. Also, it's worth pointing out that to whatever extent he's a villain Judas isn't the Big Bad.
(Also, the Borges story mentioned in >>7708821 is definitely worth a look and gets at this tension, if not quite in a doctrinally orthodox way.)
>If God sent His son to die for our sins, was he supposed to die via torture and humilliation or just die as any human being?
Not the latter, and really not the former either. The efficacy of Jesus' death comes not from its brutal nature but from its essence as a sacrifice. Jesus' death goes back to the Old Testament sacrificial system (and in fact fulfills that system once and for all); 'without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness' (Heb 9:22).
>>7708778
read these
>>7708778
Because he betrayed his master and friend of his own free will and it happened to be the son of God which he actually knew beforehand.
>>7709052
>free will
>implying
