The Gospel Of Judas: A Novel (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
If there were an option for 3.5 stars, I would use it for this book.It was a very well-written story woven through multiple levels of time and character development. The theme of betrayal was returned to again and again, in ways that seemed simultaneously inevitable but also deeply unexpected. The main character, Father Leo Newman, comes from a lineage of betrayal. We see his mother betray her husband with her lover, her lover to the Nazis, and her own identity in order to obtain a new life. The themes of Leo's own role as a betrayer are fascinating. He betrays almost every character, every institution, every principle of belief that he seems to hold. And others betray him in ways large and small. But throughout the entire plot, it never becomes hackneyed; it never seems forced. The plot twists and turns in ways that are still surprising, no matter how well you feel you know the characters and their limits. This is all extremely well done, and very apt.The only reason that I am not rating the book higher is because of the confusing time jumps throughout the narrative. I could not, no matter how hard I tried, get a sense of how much time had elapsed between Leo's affair with Madeline, his time at the World Bible Institute, and his later relationship with Magda. It was disorienting and also distracting every time the story jumped to the (presumably) later frame of time. This section was also the least interesting, the least compelling, portion of the narrative. And the ending of the book, overall, left me wanting. More explanation and less ambiguity as a literary device would have made the conclusion of the novel much more satisfying.
A beautiful, intelligent, and moving novel.It's important to remember that this book is a work of fiction. That should be an obvious statement, but I've read several ignorant reviews that indicate that some readers forget what "fiction" means.The Gospel of Judas is the story of a Roman priest, Leo Newman, who experiences a crisis of faith at the same time he meets and eventually falls in love with an intriguing yet unstable married woman, Madeleine. Leo is also a scholar who is called to investigate a mysterious papyrus document which could be a firsthand account of Jesus' disciple and betrayer, Judas. It is to this fictional document that the title refers, not to a gnostic gospel that would date much more recently. There are two other storylines: Leo Newman as an older man, embarking on an affair with a strange young student, and a seemingly unrelated story of an extramarital affair between a diplomat's wife and her son's tutor in WWII-era Italy.This novel has been referred to "The Da Vinci Code for smart people" which is accurate in a way but not the whole story. The Gospel of Judas is a profound psychological novel that explores the collusion of religious ecstasy and romantic and sexual love and its devastating consequences.
What do You think about The Gospel Of Judas: A Novel (2002)?
Kniha o knězi, který se stává "jidášem" ve dvojím smyslu: zamiluje se do ženy a přeloží nové evangelium, které popírá zmrtvýchvstání. Příběh se proplétá s příběhem jeho matky a zemřelého syna. Zpočátku kniha hůře čitelná, ale lákalo mě, o čem je Mawerovo Jidášovo evangelium, což autor natahoval až do konce. Myslím, že se tu nejedná ani tak o morálku, jak spíš o ztroskotání člověka, jehož víra je nahlodávána neustále. Jeho zmrtvýchvstání je ve skutečnosti pro čtenáře kruté. Někdy se mi zdálo, že se autor předvádí svými znalostmi památek. Ty mohly být začleněny do příběhu přirozeněji.
—Ludmila Kovaříková
I read this because I'm interested in Judas as dramatic character- think about it! Fascinating! There's nothing which adds up about him in the Biblical account. The more you think about it the more complex and dramatically profound it gets.This is just goofy, pretentious, clammy-handed hogwash. I don't know anything about the author in question but he is trying SO HARD to be suave, sarcastic, erudite and worldly and he is just flailing badly throughout the story.The title suggests that someone with my precise interest in the subject would find this book kind of interesting, no? A modern adaptation or reverie on the eponymous idea...Not an idea, image, character or insight to take away. Blegh. Chucked!@
—matt
Mawer, Simon. THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS. (2001). ****. After reading the author’s previous novel, “Mendel’s Dwarf,” I decided to read more of his work. This novel was the next one he wrote. It was totally different. Once again, the author lets us know that he has done his research on his topic thoroughly, and proceeds to write in such a way as to draw us into his story. A new discovery of a scroll from the Dead Sea area is made. Although it certainly shows signs of age, it is still reasonably intact and its lines of Koine are still legible. A priest from Rome, Father Leo Newman, is called in to provide translation and interpretation leadership for the scroll. He is an acknowledged expert in Koine. He soon discovers that the scroll appears to be a fifth gospel – one that tells the story of Jesus’ life, crucifixion and resurrection from the point of view of Judas Iscariot. If the story told by Judas – the self-proclaimed writer – is true, it will require a whole new re-thinking of the basics of Christianity. While Father Leo is working on the translation, he is also caught up in a love affair with Madeleine, a married woman. This obviously puts him under severe stress both as a priest and as a man. We also get to learn of Leo’s mother and father and their lives during World War II. The three sets of narratives all merge in the end in the behavior of Father Leo regarding the scroll itself, and the measures he takes to ease its effect on the world. Once again, we are presented with an extremely well-written novel by this writer. Recommended.
—Tony
