Last Days of Judas Iscariot: A Play

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Letter to Clyde S. Kilby, 7 May 1959, quoted in Michael J. Christensen, C. S. Lewis on Scripture, Abingdon, 1979, Appendix A. Briggs hopes the show sparks conversation among the audience members. “In my experience, the best shows are the ones that after you’re done watching them, you go home and say, ‘Let’s talk about that show.’” When I came across images of an abandoned public pool, it felt like the right environment,” said set designer Ann Sheffield, a professor in the Department of Theater and Dance. “ We all latched onto that. It’s a space that was once useful and even joyous, but now is bleak — which makes it a reflection of Judas’ psyche. 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."

This is not to say that the play was without its more serious moments, and the contrast between these and the comedy of the play was brought out very well. Rishi Sharma’s tormented Judas was incredibly believable, his physicality and manner of speaking both flawless as he interacted with Jesus. Sharma was able to transform the character of Judas spectacularly throughout different points in the performance from a loveable child to a drunken mess to a repenting and regretful figure, and it was wonderful to see the realism with which he conveyed the characteristics of each.Judas then went on his own to the priests of the Temple, the religious authorities at the time, and offered to betray Jesus in exchange for money—30 pieces of silver, as specified in the Gospel of Matthew. Like the Gospel of John, the Gospel of Luke also cited Satan’s influence, rather than mere greed, as a reason for Judas’s betrayal. John, however, made clear that Judas was an immoral man even before the devil got into him: He kept the “common purse,” the fund that Jesus and his disciples used for their ministry, and stole from it.

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. Baum, Paull Franklin (1916). "The English Ballad of Judas Iscariot". PMLA. 31 (2): 181–89. doi: 10.2307/456954. JSTOR 456954. Spong, John Shelby (2010). The Easter Moment. New York City: HarperCollins. p.150. ISBN 978-0899007328. Baldassare Labanca, Gesù Cristo nella letteratura contemporanea, straniera e italiana, Fratelli Bocca, 1903, p. 240 Edwards, Katie (23 March 2016). "Why Judas was actually more of a saint, than a sinner". The Conversation. Melbourne, Australia: The Conversation Trust . Retrieved 28 July 2018.a b Gagné, André (June 2007). "A Critical Note on the Meaning of APOPHASIS in Gospel of Judas 33:1". Laval Théologique et Philosophique. 63 (2): 377–83. doi: 10.7202/016791ar. In his endlessly informative analysis of the New Testament, Asimov’s Guide to the Bible: The New Testament, Isaac Asimov points us to John’s account of Judas’ betrayal. In John chapter 12, Judas objects to a whole jar of expensive ointment over Jesus’ head (in preparation for his coming death). a b c d e Oropeza, B.J. (2010). "Judas' Death and Final Destiny in the Gospels and Earliest Christian Writings". Neotestamentica. 44 (2): 342–61. Feinberg, John S.; Basinger, David (2001). Predestination & free will: four views of divine sovereignty & human freedom. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications. p.91. ISBN 978-0-8254-3489-1.