'Alas for that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!' Jesus's words as found in the Gospel of Matthew could hardly be harsher. And Judas Iscariot has certainly suffered from bad press since the days of the early Church, his name held synonymous with the most despicable form of treachery. Yet, it has also become quite fashionable to recast Judas as an anti-hero, a Romantic figure or as a well-meaning, if misguided, disciple.

Whatever your take on Judas, this book will provide plenty of interesting material to ponder upon. It is nothing less than a cultural history of the figure of this controversial apostle, starting from his portrayal in the Gospels and ending with contemporary literary representations, via the apocryphal gospels, the writings of Early Church Fathers, medieval art and the upheavals of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Prior to each chapter there are alphabetical "encyclopaedic" entries defining words, concepts, myths or scraps of folklore associated with Judas.

Peter Stanford is a writer and journalist, a former editor of the Catholic Herald, and a regular contributor to The Tablet, The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Observer. Knowing where the author is coming from helps to appreciate both the strengths and the weaknesses of this book. What struck me is that it often reads like an extended magazine article. On the plus side, this means that the book is flowing, highly readable and often entertaining. It is also evidently well-researched. That said, there aren't too many references. This is the price to pay for "readability" you might say. Well, not necessarily. A book I read earlier this year, [b:Miracles at the Jesus Oak: Histories of the Supernatural in Reformation Europe|1240360|Miracles at the Jesus Oak Histories of the Supernatural in Reformation Europe|Craig Harline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1182181393s/1240360.jpg|1229031], was really fun despite being an academic text, each chapter supported by pages of notes, references and bibliography.

Stanford is a practicing Catholic and it was good to read a book dealing (at least partly) with Church history written by somebody who clearly has personal knowledge of Catholic doctrine and rituals. This doesn't mean that the book is biased - on the contrary, Stanford is not squeamish about underlining the anti-Semitic link that was often drawn in Christian circles between Judas "the traitor" and the Jewish people. Stanford considers this as one of the seeds of the Shoah. He makes the point that although the Nazis were certainly no Christians, and often found resistance from believers (including Catholics), they exploited a pre-existent streak of anti-Semitism, partly fomented by these 'symbolical' portrayals of Judas. It can make for uncomfortable reading, but it is a story which should be told, "lest we forget".

Whilst generally balanced, Stanford elsewhere succumbs to facile historical and religious prejudices. Thus, he has no problem referring to the 14th century as "the early Renaissance" (although, to me it clearly falls within the "late medieval period") but, in describing the virulent anti-Semitism of the nascent Reformation movement of the 16th century, he refers to it as retaining a "medieval" outlook. It seems that for Stanford "medieval" is a derogatory adjective rather than a historical term. Similarly, the book also propagates the "popular" view of religion being the scourge of science. The symbolical depiction in certain religious art of Judas giving birth to a baby at the moment of death is half-jokingly referred to as an indication of the Church's disregard for scientific correctness. In a chapter on the Enlightenment, when "the shackles on the late medieval mind were thrown off", Stanford comments that "the skies were surveyed not for angels with harps on clouds in heaven, but for the sun, the stars and the planets", blissfully disregarding the heritage of medieval astronomy.

I enjoyed a section on Elgar's oratorio "The Apostles" but again a certain "liberal Catholic" prejudice creeps in. Stanford correctly points out that Judas has an important role in Elgar's musical work and that the composer opts for a psychological and more "forgiving" interpretation of Judas's motives. He also convincingly argues that Judas's tortured mind could be a symbol of Elgar's grappling with his own religious doubts. Stanford however then adds that in the first decade of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church was at its most reactionary. The 'Modernist Controversy', a Vatican-inspired witch-hunt aimed at those Catholic theologians who were attempting to find common ground between science, philosophy and religion, was making it appear medieval to most onlookers" Now, I am no Elgar expert, but from what I've read about him over the years, my understanding is that most of his religious dilemmas had their roots in the consistent prejudice he faced as an upcoming composer trying to make his mark on a resolutely Protestant (if not anti-Catholic) Establishment. But of course, Stanford can't help making another "medieval" dig.

Despite my reservations, I enjoyed this book overall, and look forward to sampling other works by Stanford, possibly starting with [b:The She-Pope: Quest for the Truth Behind the Mystery of Pope Joan|21098661|The She-Pope Quest for the Truth Behind the Mystery of Pope Joan|Peter Stanford|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394265240s/21098661.jpg|27900]... ( )

'Alas for that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!' Jesus's words as found in the Gospel of Matthew could hardly be harsher. And Judas Iscariot has certainly suffered from bad press since the days of the early Church, his name held synonymous with the most despicable form of treachery. Yet, it has also become quite fashionable to recast Judas as an anti-hero, a Romantic figure or as a well-meaning, if misguided, disciple.

Whatever your take on Judas, this book will provide plenty of interesting material to ponder upon. It is nothing less than a cultural history of the figure of this controversial apostle, starting from his portrayal in the Gospels and ending with contemporary literary representations, via the apocryphal gospels, the writings of Early Church Fathers, medieval art and the upheavals of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. Prior to each chapter there are alphabetical "encyclopaedic" entries defining words, concepts, myths or scraps of folklore associated with Judas.

Peter Stanford is a writer and journalist, a former editor of the Catholic Herald, and a regular contributor to The Tablet, The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Observer. Knowing where the author is coming from helps to appreciate both the strengths and the weaknesses of this book. What struck me is that it often reads like an extended magazine article. On the plus side, this means that the book is flowing, highly readable and often entertaining. It is also evidently well-researched. That said, there aren't too many references. This is the price to pay for "readability" you might say. Well, not necessarily. A book I read earlier this year, [b:Miracles at the Jesus Oak: Histories of the Supernatural in Reformation Europe|1240360|Miracles at the Jesus Oak Histories of the Supernatural in Reformation Europe|Craig Harline|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1182181393s/1240360.jpg|1229031], was really fun despite being an academic text, each chapter supported by pages of notes, references and bibliography.

Stanford is a practicing Catholic and it was good to read a book dealing (at least partly) with Church history written by somebody who clearly has personal knowledge of Catholic doctrine and rituals. This doesn't mean that the book is biased - on the contrary, Stanford is not squeamish about underlining the anti-Semitic link that was often drawn in Christian circles between Judas "the traitor" and the Jewish people. Stanford considers this as one of the seeds of the Shoah. He makes the point that although the Nazis were certainly no Christians, and often found resistance from believers (including Catholics), they exploited a pre-existent streak of anti-Semitism, partly fomented by these 'symbolical' portrayals of Judas. It can make for uncomfortable reading, but it is a story which should be told, "lest we forget".

Whilst generally balanced, Stanford elsewhere succumbs to facile historical and religious prejudices. Thus, he has no problem referring to the 14th century as "the early Renaissance" (although, to me it clearly falls within the "late medieval period") but, in describing the virulent anti-Semitism of the nascent Reformation movement of the 16th century, he refers to it as retaining a "medieval" outlook. It seems that for Stanford "medieval" is a derogatory adjective rather than a historical term. Similarly, the book also propagates the "popular" view of religion being the scourge of science. The symbolical depiction in certain religious art of Judas giving birth to a baby at the moment of death is half-jokingly referred to as an indication of the Church's disregard for scientific correctness. In a chapter on the Enlightenment, when "the shackles on the late medieval mind were thrown off", Stanford comments that "the skies were surveyed not for angels with harps on clouds in heaven, but for the sun, the stars and the planets", blissfully disregarding the heritage of medieval astronomy.

I enjoyed a section on Elgar's oratorio "The Apostles" but again a certain "liberal Catholic" prejudice creeps in. Stanford correctly points out that Judas has an important role in Elgar's musical work and that the composer opts for a psychological and more "forgiving" interpretation of Judas's motives. He also convincingly argues that Judas's tortured mind could be a symbol of Elgar's grappling with his own religious doubts. Stanford however then adds that in the first decade of the twentieth century, the Catholic Church was at its most reactionary. The 'Modernist Controversy', a Vatican-inspired witch-hunt aimed at those Catholic theologians who were attempting to find common ground between science, philosophy and religion, was making it appear medieval to most onlookers" Now, I am no Elgar expert, but from what I've read about him over the years, my understanding is that most of his religious dilemmas had their roots in the consistent prejudice he faced as an upcoming composer trying to make his mark on a resolutely Protestant (if not anti-Catholic) Establishment. But of course, Stanford can't help making another "medieval" dig.

Despite my reservations, I enjoyed this book overall, and look forward to sampling other works by Stanford, possibly starting with [b:The She-Pope: Quest for the Truth Behind the Mystery of Pope Joan|21098661|The She-Pope Quest for the Truth Behind the Mystery of Pope Joan|Peter Stanford|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394265240s/21098661.jpg|27900]... ( )

Peter Stanford has written one of the most interesting biographies of a Biblical character whose name is still known by one and all today as the ultimate and most despicable traitor the name which we call any traitor, Judas. Peter Stanford has written a fantastic account of Judas from the Gospels and how he has been dealt with throughout the ages.

What we do learn that Judas Iscariot is probably one of the most well know names from the Bible, who we know betrayed Jesus to the Roman Guards in the garden at Gethsemane. We may recognise his name even though we learn that it only gets twenty-two mentions in the Bible and that we do not know anything about him. Peter Stanford poses the questions others have asked but never really answered and has broken Judas’ story down in to three distinct sections, Judas – The Evidence, which is based on what is in the Gospels and New Testament literature along with the Apocrypha (which refers to a set of texts included in the Septuagint but not in the Hebrew Bible) the earliest which were the Pauline letters written around 50 – 60 C.E..

The Second Section, Judas – Satan’s tool, builds on the cult of Judas that built up throughout the medieval period, when there were pilgrimages to the site of Judas’s death where no a convent to a little known Saint stands. What we do learn, is that to find The Field of Blood in Jerusalem is virtually impossible today competing with other religious sites around the city.

The final section, Judas – God’s Agent, deals with how over the centuries we have seen and possibly misinterpreted Judas and his motives. This section also looks at how some blame Judas for the reason of Anti-Semite thinking and actions within the Church. This section deals with how the church and history has dealt with Judas and the depictions we see of him in religious art and stained glass windows. Judas is often depicted with ginger hair, which is used to emphasise his evil doings.

Throughout the book there are some very interesting vignettes such as the name Judas was a popular name at the time, similar to going in to a Welsh town and asking for a Mr Jones and thousands of people replying, yes how can I help you? That today the name Judas is a name that is almost extinct, but there is a Canadian artist called Judas Ullulaq.

Peter Stanford has written an engrossing and very readable account about one of the darkest names within the New Testament and whose name we still use and abuse to this day. Whether you believe Judas was preordained or that Jesus selected him due to his character traits and failures or that he was just greedy he does ask us to shine a light on our inner self to those dark corners. Stanford does show that Judas was and still is a man for all seasons, and for only 22 mentions in the Bible his name still looms large today.

The use of not just Biblical texts but what could be seen as the cult of Judas in art and other writing such as poetry aids this book and makes it far more readable. This is an excellent book and I cannot recommend it highly enough. ( )