Judas (2004 Kilvington), novel

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Judas (2004) is a novel by Kim Kilvington.

Abstract

"An imaginary life of Judas Iscariot."

"Who exactly was Judas Iscariot and what were his real motives? Was he the great betrayer, or as Kim Kilvington asks in this novel, was he simply a victim of some very bad press? This beautiful and poetic novel brings to life this much-maligned historical figure and challenges us to examine our sometimes blind acceptance of tradition and the nature of truth. 'What is truth?' Pilate might have asked. 'Truth,' Judas would have answered, 'is whatever you can make people believe'."--Publisher description.

"An intriguing story of Christ and his time told by the great betrayer, Judas Iscariot who comes across as street smart and a very real common man of the time. His actions and interpretations of Jesus and the disciples give an acerbic and 'clear-eyed' insight into the time leading up to the crucifixion."--Bryce Courtenay

"Bush lawyer turned writer Kim Kilvington's debut effort is a novelisation of the life of Judas Iscariot. Though doubtless Biblical scholars will disagree about its content, there is no question that Kilvington has researched widely in an attempt to clothe with flesh a figure who has been dehumanised by millennia of bad press. In Judas, the protagonist emerges as a streetwise operator who, far from denouncing and betraying Jesus actually thought he was trying to stop Jesus pointlessly sacrificing himself. Nor does Judas hang himself by a potter's field - he survives. Kilvington convincingly plays the devils advocate here and it is difficult not to like his pithy, direct and slightly sardonic narrative style. It is a mightily ambitious first novel, and even if its reach exceeds its grasp, it is still well written and interesting enough to rise above the mediocrity plague."--Cameron Woodhead.

Editions

Published in Double Bay, NSW [Australia]: Longueville Books, 2004.