Defending Judas

Persuasive Essay # 101553

English > Analysis
Religion and Theology > Christianity

Defending Judas

An analysis of Dante's placement of Judas within the "Inferno" and the meaning behind it.

1,042 words () | 4 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper presents information in order to attempt to defend Judas from mainstream Christian theology, which teaches that Judas is the greatest of traitors because of his betrayal of Jesus to the authorities. The paper discusses Dante's placement of Judas within "Inferno" and discusses what this placement suggests about Judas' guilt or lack thereof.

Table of Contents:
Outline
Argument

From the Paper:

"However, if we do not limit ourselves, as Dante did, to accepted official or orthodox beliefs, we have to recognize that the existence of these ancient teachings about Judas may be worthy of being taken into consideration. Even some modern writers have started to feel that these old arguments are worth a new look, as can be seen in books such as The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis, and the short story "Three Versions of Judas" by Jorge Luis Borges. Without claiming any definite value as truth, but only speculation, they do suggest to us that keeping an open mind to different ways of looking at old beliefs can bring new knowledge to light."

Sample of Sources Used:

Dante. The Inferno: A New Verse Translation. Trans. Robert Pinsky. New York: Farrar 1994.
"Early Christian Writings: The Gospel of Judas." Early Christian Writings. 23 January 2007. http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/gospeljudas.html
"Gospel of Judas." Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 25 January 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Judas.
"Judas Iscariot." Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 25 January 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Iscariot.