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I, too, thought of Judas. He was a man of great ability and promise, but serious character defects led to his tragic fall. Of the twelve disciples he may have been the most gifted, but ambition and greed overcame his rational thinking. He is certainly one of history's most tragic figures.
On what are you basing your judgment of Judas as a "man of ability and promise" and the "most gifted" of the apostles? In the synoptic gospels, Judas is hardly on the radar at all save for the story of his betrayal. We learn that he was the bag man for the outfit in that he handled the group's treasury, is it your assumption that whichever apostle had that job also had to have been the brightest? Mathew had been a tax collector, so I would think that he could have done the job just as well.
If we go by one of the gospels condemned by the church as blasphemy, we learn in the Gospel of Judas that the betrayal was actually a request by Jesus, enlisting the aid of Judas to facilitate the desired arrest. In the Gospel of Barnabas we learn that it was Judas who was crucified, not Jesus.
Some modern gospels scholars have taken the position that Judas was a literary invention of the synoptic gospel writers and did not actually ever exist.
We do not know how reliable any of the above information is, and among what information we do have, it tells us very little about what Judas was like.
Actually, Kavorkian was the second person I thought of. The first was William Kunstler. He kept the rapists of the constituion on their toes, who then paid him the compliment of letting him live and die in mild and obscure ignominy.
For a tragic hero, I would like to cast a vote for Benigno Aquino. He was returning to the Philippines from exile, and there were great hopes for him as a leader of the democratic movement in opposition to Fernando Marcos. He stepped off his plane...and was assassinated. Tough to be a more tragic historical figure than that.
Since history doesn't know Gen. Aetius actual birthday to celebrate it then i'll celebrate march 16th (day after ides of march) as that's when Emperor Valentinian III was assassinated .
On what are you basing your judgment of Judas as a "man of ability and promise" and the "most gifted" of the apostles? In the synoptic gospels, Judas is hardly on the radar at all save for the story of his betrayal. We learn that he was the bag man for the outfit in that he handled the group's treasury, is it your assumption that whichever apostle had that job also had to have been the brightest? Mathew had been a tax collector, so I would think that he could have done the job just as well.
If we go by one of the gospels condemned by the church as blasphemy, we learn in the Gospel of Judas that the betrayal was actually a request by Jesus, enlisting the aid of Judas to facilitate the desired arrest. In the Gospel of Barnabas we learn that it was Judas who was crucified, not Jesus.
Some modern gospels scholars have taken the position that Judas was a literary invention of the synoptic gospel writers and did not actually ever exist.
We do not know how reliable any of the above information is, and among what information we do have, it tells us very little about what Judas was like.
Tragic and beloved It is hard to believe that Judas Iscariot could have ever been considered the latter, but everyone is entitled to their opinion IMO-lol! He most definitely fits the word, tragic.
As far as elevation to the status of hero, I dunno. Well, let me see, one could very well argue that had Judas not instigated the arrest of Jesus, the crucifiction would never have happened?
Does anyone wish to open that can of worms? Not I!
Last edited by Truly Heartless; 01-07-2009 at 09:41 AM..
Where would the Christian faith be, without Judas and Pontius to set the stage? How would Christ have died for your sins, without their essential agency? Judas and Pontius were the two most important mortals in the history of the dissemination of truth and enlightenment. One could even argue that God singled them out them to do their work, according to His plan. Which puts them right up there with the also-beloved George W. Bush.
Let's not dwell too much on Judas and religion.... I'm sure there are many more tragic figures...How about Hemmingway??? Brilliant author and a tragic personal life???
Where would the Christian faith be, without Judas and Pontius to set the stage? How would Christ have died for your sins, without their essential agency? Judas and Pontius were the two most important mortals in the history of the dissemination of truth and enlightenment. One could even argue that God singled them out them to do their work, according to His plan. Which puts them right up there with the also-beloved George W. Bush.
And Adolph Hitler And explains why we mere mortals keep on asking the question, why? of this creator and His creation. I'm stumped! Now we see through a glass darkly...
I admit, I'm ticked about the whole thing (creation and the subsequent fiasco ) but that is fodder for another thread.
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It is hard to believe that Judas Iscariot could have ever been considered the latter, but everyone is entitled to their opinion IMO-lol! He most definitely fits the word, tragic. 
Not I!
