Judas Iscariot: Betrayal, Blasphemy, and Idolatry in the Gospels and Acts

The name Judas Iscariot usually provokes a negative response as the disciple who betrayed his Lord to death. It is difficult to think of another person, dead for so long, who is so closely associated with betrayal. In recent times, some commentators have urged a rethink on Judas, arguing that he has been unfairly treated. This book will show that the traditional picture of Judas as a traitor best fits the biblical evidence. It also establishes two other points. Firstly, although Judas was a human being, he had the literary features of an idol. Secondly, the earliest gospel, Mark, clearly establishes his guilt and Matthew and Luke show how uniquely guilty Judas was.

""Richard Harvey's Judas Iscariot takes a fresh look at the portrayal of Judas, particularly in Luke-Acts. Beginning with a detailed lexical analysis of the key terms of betrayal, blasphemy, and idolatry, he then makes a case for the identification of Judas as all of traitor, blasphemer, and idolater. At times controversial, Harvey's thesis provocatively locates Judas in the anti-idol polemic identified by David Pao.""
--Fergus J. King, Professor of New Testament Mission, University of Divinity, Conjoint Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle


Richard Harvey has been an ordained Anglican minister for almost thirty years. At present, he is an aged care chaplain in a Salvation Army facility on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. This is his first published work.