Last Days of Judas Iscariot: A Play

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In his 1969 book Theologie der Drei Tage (English translation: Mysterium Paschale), Hans Urs von Balthasar emphasizes that Jesus was not betrayed but surrendered and delivered up by himself, since the meaning of the Greek word used by the New Testament, paradidonai (παραδιδόναι, Latin: tradere), is unequivocally "handing over of self". [110] [111] In the "Preface to the Second Edition", Balthasar takes a cue from Revelation 13:8 [112] ( Vulgate: agni qui occisus est ab origine mundi, NIV: "the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world") to extrapolate the idea that God as " immanent Trinity" can endure and conquer godlessness, abandonment, and death in an "eternal super- kenosis". [113] [114] ). A Catholic priest, Richard Neuhaus, an admitted student of Balthasar, argues that it is unknown if Judas is in Hell, and it is also possible that Hell could be empty. [115] However, Cristiani considers that Balthasar and Neuhaus are merely recycling the error of Origenism which includes denying the eternity of Hell "...by a general rehabilitation of the damned, including, apparently, Satan." [116] This error, while not considered a formal heresy, was condemned at a synod in 548 AD, which was subsequently confirmed by Pope Vigilius. [117] Role in apocrypha [ edit ] I hate being this negative towards the play. I know people who, for them, this play is it, it's everything to them. The epitomy of a Catholic guilt theme mixed with the perfect gay tragedy, regret, loss, love, etc. that they rave about and crop their quotes into web-weaving posts (though, that is more of me complaining about how I've seen this play taken by those who have read it, and definitly not at all what the author had in mind when writing this)(also, I am saying this as a gay Catholic. Just to clarify). In a derelict bathhouse, Judas Iscariot waits for judgment. He’s not in heaven, but he’s also not in hell, and the question of whether his betrayal of Jesus is worthy of forgiveness drives the narrative of this play by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Directed by experimental theater and performance artist Kendra Ware, and presented by the UCSB Department of Theater & Dance, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot brings characters of questionable morality (such as Satan and Pontius Pilate) to Judas’s “trial” to explore guilt and forgiveness. It’s a courtroom drama, says Ware, but there’s no court. Instead, there’s an empty pool in a decaying structure that represents, on some level, our crumbling justice system. ‘The Last Days of Judas Iscariot’ tells the story of a court case over the ultimate fate of Judas Iscariot. | Credit: Jeff Liang Full disclosure, I went into this play after hearing about it from a friend and seeing some quotes (all from that final conversation!), and assumed it was a full-on drama. This is obviously inaccurate, a fact I learned the moment that Hope, Purgatory is introduced to us. I finished that play very disappointed months ago, and only last month did I go and give it a re-read (as well as watch a production of it on youtube). This re-read left a much better taste in my mouth, but I still was overwhelmingly disappointed.

Although the canonical gospels frequently disagree on the names of some of the minor apostles, [25] all four of them list Judas Iscariot as one of them. [25] [9] The Synoptic Gospels state that Jesus sent out "the twelve" (including Judas) with power over unclean spirits and with a ministry of preaching and healing: Judas clearly played an active part in this apostolic ministry alongside the other eleven. [26] However, in the Gospel of John, Judas's outlook was differentiated—many of Jesus's disciples abandoned him because of the difficulty of accepting his teachings, and Jesus asked the twelve if they would also leave him. Simon Peter spoke for the twelve: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life," but Jesus observed then that despite the fact that he himself had chosen the twelve, one of them (unnamed by Jesus, but identified by the narrator) was "a devil" who would betray him. [27] Unlike what her confidence and professionalism would like you to think, Cunningham is completely wrong. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a play by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis first staged Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on March 2, 2005, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.Smith, Barry D. (2010). The Meaning of Jesus' Death: Reviewing the New Testament's Interpretations. T&T Clark. p. 93. ISBN 978-0567670694. Use of the balconies on the upper levels of the auditorium is a genius directorial choice by Dai and Samuel-Ogbu” Set in purgatory, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot follows a court case determining if Judas should be forgiven for betraying Jesus, or condemned for all eternity. “It asks whether or not forgiveness is a concept that we can grant other individuals, or whether or not it is an internal idea that has to come from the individual first,” said director Ernest Briggs. Asking larger questions about religion, society, and justice, the play features characters ranging from Jesus, Judas, and Satan to Mother Teresa and Sigmund Freud. Menken, Maarten JJ (2002). "The Old Testament Quotation in Matthew 27,9–10' ". Biblica (83): 9–10. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008.

I begrudge God none of this. I do not curse him or bemoan my lot. And though my heart keeps beating only to keep breaking--I do not question why. There are variant traditions about how Judas Iscariot died. According to Matthew 27:3–10, Judas felt remorse after seeing Jesus condemned to death, and he returned the silver and hanged himself. According to Acts1:18, Judas bought a field with his silver reward and fell “headlong” in it, and “all his bowels gushed out,” implying that he threw himself down rather than that he died accidentally. The gospels suggest that Jesus foresaw ( John 6:64, Matthew 26:25) and allowed Judas's betrayal ( John 13:27–28). [73] One explanation is that Jesus allowed the betrayal because it would allow God's plan to be fulfilled. Another is that regardless of the betrayal, Jesus was ultimately destined for crucifixion. [74] In April 2006, a Coptic papyrus manuscript titled the Gospel of Judas from 200 AD was translated, suggesting that Jesus told Judas to betray him, [75] although some scholars question the translation. [76] [77] Nevertheless, the Gospel of Judas is an apocryphal Gnostic gospel composed in the 2nd century, and some scholars agree that it contains no real historical information. [78] extraordinaryform.org/propers/Lent6thThursday-HolyD20.pdf". Extraordinary Form.org . Retrieved 28 December 2022. As a visiting assistant professor, Briggs offers a fresh style for Gustavus Theatre & Dance. “With all the discussions we had over the course of the month, I found myself asking questions and wanting to explore other possible answers,” said Courtney Leonard ’22, who plays Mother Teresa and Gloria. “This open-minded way of working has helped me add depth to my characters and overall made this experience unlike any other theater experience I’ve had here at Gustavus.”

Another possibility is that Judas believed Jesus was the Messiah – hence his following Jesus in the first place – but that he grew disillusioned with Jesus’ refusal to launch a revolt against the Roman powers who governed Judea. (Here, the fact that Judas was supposedly a Judean where the other disciples were from Galilee adds credence to this theory.) Okay, let's get it out of the way: "Why didn't you make me good enough so that you could've loved me?" is an insane line. The entire final conversation between Judas and Jesus is such a hard-hitting, emotional moment that I do truly love and consider one of my favorite moments in any stage play. That being said, there is a reason that that is the only part of the play that is ever brought up by people who have read it.

Clarence Jordan The Substance of Faith: and Other Cotton Patch Sermons p. 148 "Greeks thought of the bowels as being the seat of the emotions, the home of the soul. It's like saying that all of Judas's motions burst out, burst asunder." Rather than denounce Judas as Jesus’s betrayer, the author of the Gospel of Judas glorified him as Jesus’s most favored disciple. In this version of events, Jesus asked Judas to betray him to the authorities, so that he could be freed from his physical body and fulfill his destiny of saving humanity. a b c Taylor, Joan E. (2010). "The name 'Iskarioth' (Iscariot)". Journal of Biblical Literature. 129 (2): 367–83. doi: 10.2307/27821024. JSTOR 27821024.

The students are so hardworking,” says Ware. “They come out looking like professionals. I’m very proud of them. This production is going to be a great gift to the community.”