Sisyphus, I'm pleased that you highjacked the thread I tired to dump and used it to put in a good word for Judas Iscariot.
Originally Posted by jfred
Highjack?? Moi??? Why I am offended, sir, nee insulted....
By the time I got to it, the op in the thread was blank. I just figured that meant it was "free form" & that song was the first thing that popped into my - admittedly - warped brain...
Your desire to intervene on his behalf would have done him a lot more good in his hour of need, but still...
Originally Posted by jfred
True. But I was busy. Something about a rock... a hill... it's all still a little hazy...
JC Superstar was a real phenomenon, I remember when it came out. Thanks for the flashback.
Written long before, of course, but published well after the play, the Gnostic Gospel of Judas also portrays a conversation between Jesus and Judas, but there Judas receives special knowledge. Apparently the post-Christian group that circulated the story (and eventually wrote it down and preserved it) also thought Judas got a bad rap. What others called a betrayal, they recognized as Judas simply doing his master's bidding.
http://www.aestheteka.com/gospel_of_judas_full_text.htm
Originally Posted by jfred
You're welcome & no problem! Two things always struck me about JCS.
First, I saw it as kind of a twist on the opening of McBeth... fair is foul & foul is fair. JCS completely flips the script on the traditional Gospel story. What if Jesus was a blowhard ego manic who started to believe his own press & Judas was the guy who was
trying to be the voice of reason?
Second, and kind of completely in the opposite direction... it was a wonderful interpretation of the "Sunday School" answer to the question, "Why did the Jews reject Jesus?" That being, they were looking for a
political Messiah... not a spiritual one. If you look at the Gospel Jesus from a
political perspective... of course the guy scares the hell out of the Establishment. He's gonna get them ALL killed!!!
I've always found the juxtaposition fascinating. I could listen to the soundtrack all day... and frequently do!!