Judas Iscariot is the most infamous and most perplexing character in religious history. He accepts the offer to follow Jesus, hoping he might be the long-awaited Messiah who will liberate his people from Roman rule. But in the end, his actions seal both their fates. What led Judas to betray his friend and teacher, then fall into complete despair? If Judas' father was Simon the Pharisee of Bethany, then Judas was likely the cousin of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. A very different picture suddenly emerges of the events in the last weeks of the life of Judas Iscariot. It is a story as tragic as it is compelling. It never did sit right with me that God would have created Judas only to use him and discard him, consigning him to eternal damnation. This is the first thing I've read that casts a different light on Judas that is, in my opinion, not only completely plausible, but long overdue. -Amanda McKenna, Co-editor of Catholica It takes an imaginative leap to begin to understand the events leading up to, during and after that night in the Upper Room. Worthing makes such a leap with artistic skill and theological sensitivity, bringing to life characters and events that cry out for rediscovery. -James Cooper, Head of creative writing, Tabor College, Adelaide Mark Worthing's Iscariot delivers an intriguing new perspective on a character whom we all think we know well, but find we don't really know at all. This book does exactly what every good book is meant to do - it makes us think -Valerie Volk, author of Bystanders, and Passion Play: The Oberammergau Tales Mark Worthing is an Adelaide-based, award-winning author. His most recent books include Graeme Clark. The Man Who Invented the Bionic Ear (Allen&Unwin, 2015); George MacDonald's Phantastes, (Stone Table Books, 2016); What the Dog Saw (Morning Star, 2017); Martin Luther. A Wild Boar in the Lord's Vineyard (Morning Star, 2017); and The Winter Fae. A Fantasy Novella (Stone Table Books, 2018).
