Pope Calls Judas Double-Crosser in Homily

[im10ashus]

By DANIELA PETROFF, Associated Press Writer

Pope Benedict XVI Thursday recounted the Biblical betrayal of Jesus by Judas, calling the apostle a double-crosser for whom "money was more important than communion with Jesus, more important than God and his love."

Benedict's traditional depiction of Judas came during his Holy Thursday homily, a week after the release of an ancient Egyptian Coptic text dubbed the "Gospel of Judas," in which Judas is portrayed not as Jesus' betrayer but as his confidant who was doing his will by handing him over to his enemies to be crucified.

Holy Thursday marks the start of a series of solemn ceremonies in the Catholic Church in which the faithful relive Jesus' suffering, crucifixion and death — and then his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

During the service, the holy father humbly washed the feet of 12 men, re-enacting Jesus' washing of his apostles' feet during the Last Supper and saying the act cleansed the "filth" of mankind.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060413/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_holy_thursday;_ylt=Ah_FNtuz01igTtEIuEslqsx0bBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--

[jrw14125]

1. i have a question, and i don't know if it's ever been asked before...

But is there any chance in he77 that an apostle who had purportedly first-hand witnessed the awe-inspiring miracles performed by Jesus, and who supposedly knew him to be the "SON OF THE ONE TRUE GOD," would sell him out and risk going to he77 or otherwise incurring his or god's wrath for any amount of money?

[cynatnite]

2. If it was his predecessor...

JP would have washed the feet of the man who shot him.

This guy...no way. What a hypocrite. :puke:

[htuttle]

3. But, but...if it wasn't Jesus' will to be crucified...

...doesn't that mean that he wasn't omnipotent?

[Gabi Hayes]

4. and this story is different than the infighting between Cargo Cultists....

how?

when are people going to wake up from their two thousand year old slumber?

Happy Easter, btw

[im10ashus]

8. Happy Easter!

:rofl:

If it weren't for Judas, there would be no Christian religion.

[Gabi Hayes]

9. domini, domino, domini....yer all Catholics

[BrklynLiberal]

5. The Church sure has a vested interest in the Status Quo - AND

and..
If Jesus died for the sins of those who believe in him as their savior, shouldn't the believers be grateful to Judas? If he had not "betrayed" Jesus, all that followed would not have happened, and then what?

[LittleClarkie]

10. If someone betrays you, but something good comes of it

I'm not sure I'd be thanking them even still.

Kind of like "So and so made me lose my job. I got a better one. Should I then thank so and so for betraying me and making me lose my job?" Maybe, but you wouldn't much feel like it. Know what I mean?

Eh, the Gnostics were alittle weird in my book. They believed in the spiritual but thought the material was evil, hence they thought Jesus was all God and not man. Hence he only sorta pretended to get crucified. O-B-K-B guys.

The apocrapha in general can be interesting, but also alittle wacky at times. I remember one writing that had Jesus as a little boy, creating life in miniature out of clay, giving it life, and then wiping it away when it didn't act like he wanted to.

The new Judas book is interesting in that it was written at the same time as the Bible. But I'm sure not taking it as refuting and cancelling out the Bible. The Gnostics had their own agenda. From what I've heard about this book, it's typical of what I've heard about them. They were big on secret knowledge and great mysteries, so the whole "Jesus told Judas stuff he didn't tell anyone else" kinda fits in with their view of things.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Very interesting points. Thanks for the food for thought.

Just figured that the betrayal must have been a essential to and as prophesized as the rest of the story of Jesus.

[LittleClarkie]

12. True. That's a toughie, even for a pastor to explain.

What happened had to happen, but the instrument through which it happened is still in trouble. Then there's the concept of free will and how that plays in.

And if Jesus is also God, then why at Gethemane did he ask NOT to have to do this thing. Didn't he know he'd have to anyway? But I like using that example anyway when someone asks me about having doubts and being a Christian. Hey, Jesus had doubts, why not you?

[Zhade]

16. "The Gnostics had their own agenda."

And the guys who handpicked the 'holy' books of the bible and led the way in destroying anything (like, say, Gnostic writings, or the Library of Alexandria) that threatened their hold on power DIDN'T?

:rofl:

I know, I know, you didn't say that - but that was just too amusingly ironic not to notice.

[SPKrazy]

14. I am Grateful For Judas

I believe that Judas was part of the plan

Jesus knew it, and said as much.

The Catholic Church has a vested interest in the status quo.

[saltpoint]

6. If the Pope has hard evidence, let's see it. Absent hard evidence,

I say the guy walks.

[3waygeek]

7. This from a guy

who chose the name Benedict?

[RagAss]

13. There's more in that gospel that annoys the pope.....

The Gnostic belief that Jesus is not the son of the Old Testament God is evident in this and the other Gnostic texts. His father is more clearly defined as the Eternal or Self-Generated One... scary words for a pope...talk like that must be suppressed today as it was 1600 years ago....

[ithacan]

15. Judas was doing God's will!!!!!

This is ridiculous! If it was God's will that Jesus (himself) die for mens' sins, then of course Judas was just doing God's will.

Just think (in Christians' terms): if Judas had not turned Jesus in, then no crucifiction, no death, no resurrection. Christianity doesn't happen... And no pope, no Easter bunny, no peeps...

Boy, and Benedict is supposed to be a smart guy. I really have to wonder...

[BayCityProgressive]

17. wow

guess the Pope of fascism and Opus Dei doesn't like holes being poked in his incoherent and conflicting hand picked gospel. No real surprise here...

[ClintonTyree]

20. This was meant for..........

the "sheep" in church's flock that question nothing El Popo says. :eyes: If El Popo says it, it must be true. It's all about control, always has been, always will be.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

18. You didn't really think he'd throw off 2000 years of

dogma because one unsubstantiated documents shows up?

Sorry, the Church just doesn't move that fast!

But I've always though Judas got a bum rap. It was his fate to do what he did. But yet there is truth in the Judas metahpor, putting money before loyalty...whatever the real story.

[MikeH]

19. Making a point from the Bible

I sent an e-mail to an old friend who was in a church college and career group with me many years ago, and gave him a link to my journal. He was reminded that the pastor of our church had given a good example of how one can make a point by quoting the Bible:

The Bible says, “And Judas went out and he hanged himself.” The Bible also says, “Go thou, and do likewise.” The Bible also says, “What thou doest, do quickly.”