Judas [Hardcover]

Judas is a name that lives in infamy: very few have not at least heard his name as a byword for betrayal, and our other images (suicide, or perhaps Dante's vision of his eternal punishment) are scarcely more pleasant. Scholar Paffenroth's work, while not a rehabilitation, adds considerably to this store of images. Effectively a comparative literary study, it tours us gracefully through historical fiction, poetry, drama, belles-lettres, and theology, revealing Judas as a mirror of the anxieties of every age. Highly recommended.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

"A superb accomplishment..." -- William Klassen, University of Waterloo

"Meticulously researched..." -- Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt Divinity School

Judas has been protrayed as an effete intellectual, a jelous lover, a greedy scoundrel, a misguided patriot, a doomed hero, a man destroyed by despair and God's special, misunderstood messenger and agent. This volume traces the development of the literature and legend surrounding the most famous traitor in Western history. Its purpose is not to find the Judas of history, but rather to provide readers with a map or family tree that shows the similiarities and connections between generations of the Judas story.

Kim Paffenroth will be appearing in the documentary "Judas: Traitor or Friend?", airing on the History Channel on April 2nd at 8pm Eastern and Pacific.

Kim Paffenroth is author of The Story of Jesus according to L (Sheffield Academic Press) and the coeditor of Augustine and Liberal Education (Ashgate Press).