The author’s little-remembered fictitious account of Judas Iscariot coincided with the beginning of increasing attempts to rehabilitate or show sympathy for the betrayer of Jesus.
The British bestselling author and politician Jeffrey Archer who died on Oct. 5 at age 86 was famous for his gripping novels and a consistent ability to rehabilitate himself after several public falls from grace.
He was less well known for a 2007 novel he co-wrote called The Gospel According to Judas that caused controversy at the Vatican and coincided with the beginning of a trend — later taken up by Pope Francis, L’Osservatore Romano, and most recently Filipino Cardinal Pablo David — to present Judas in a more sympathetic light.
Archer’s version of the story, co-written with Irish biblical scholar Father Francis Moloney, attempted to excuse the betrayer of Jesus by explaining Judas’ motives and offering an invented account of what happened to him after Jesus’ crucifixion. The story was told through a fictional son of Judas, Benjamin Iscariot.
Father Moloney, who died last year at the age of 85, collaborated on the project after Archer had asked Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini if he would recommend an expert on Scripture to guide
