LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Judas Iscariot: Jesus Christ
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Theologian Aaron Saari contends in his work The Many Deaths of Judas Iscariot that Judas Iscariot was the literary invention of the Markan community. As Judas does not appear in the Epistles of Paul, nor in the Q Gospel, Saari argues that the evident anti-Twelve language indicates a split between Pauline Christians, who saw no reason for the establishment of an organized Church, given the imminence of the Parousia, and the followers of Peter. Peter leaves the Gospel of Mark--the first gospel in which Judas appears--in absolute disgrace, no longer the "Rock," but rather as Simon. Saari contends that the denigration of Judas in Matthew and Luke-Acts has a direct correlation to the elevation of Peter in these texts (see, for example, the bestowing of the keys to the kingdom upon Peter, which is special-M material). Saari argues (much as Elaine Pagels does in her work Beyond Belief) that early Christian gospels record the conflicts of communities over Christological and theological concerns. Highly provocative, Saari's theory challenges conventional notions concerning Judas Iscariot.
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Judas Iscariot is the betrayer of Jesus and the subsequent creator of the godless, liberal, Colbert-lacking Democratic Party. Judas was ... captain of his high school hockey team, which makes him un-American, and therefore, Judas hates God. Judas also kissed Jesus, in a futile attempt to turn the Lord and Savior into a gay. Jesus doesn't get down like that, so Judas now rots in the 7th Circle of Hell for all eternity with Adolf Hitler and Freddie Mercury.
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Judas Iscariot knew Jesus Christ. Really knew Him. He knew exactly what Jesus looked like (see What Did Jesus Look Like?), His height, His weight, the color of His hair, and the sound of His voice. He actually talked with Jesus, face to face, countless times. He knew Jesus' favorite foods, the places that He liked to go to most often, His sense of humor, and all sorts of other personal traits because he was one of a very few who spent years actually working and traveling with Jesus. Judas witnessed at least some of Jesus' miracles firsthand (see Miracles Of Jesus Christ), so to him, rock-solid faith should have been very easy.
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The tale of Judas Iscariot, although obvious fiction, has led to some tragic consequences. Judas (Greek for Judah, the homeland of the Jew) is deliberately portrayed as a caricature intended to confirm the very worst misconceptions about the Jewish people. Jews have served as convenient scapegoats blamed, wrongly of course, for plagues, pestilence, poverty, famines, as well as the source of other supposed manifestations of divine revenge. As a result, for almost two thousand years the Jews have been unjustly vilified and persecuted because their forefathers were accused of slaying Jesus, a mythical god-man whose very existence remains unproven.
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Judas Iscariot is known as the companion of Jesus who betrayed him -- but what and how did he betray? That isn't clear. He points out Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is hardly an action worthy of payment because Jesus wasn't exactly in hiding. In John, he doesn't even do that much. Judas doesn't actually do anything except fulfill the narrative and eschatological need for the Messiah to be betrayed by someone.
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Judas Iscariot was the disciple who betrayed Jesus. According to the gospels, he led a group of armed guards to the place where Jesus was praying and identified him with a kiss. After a brief scuffle, the guards seized Jesus and took him to the Jewish religious authorities for interrogation. The next morning he was turned over to the Romans, who quickly crucified him.
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