Product Description

A priest experiencing a crisis of faithand the married woman to whom he is attracted. A scroll newly discovered near Jerusalem that, if authentic, could open Christianity to a complete reinterpretation. A tragic love affair unfolding in Fascist-dominated Rome during World War II. These are the elements of a magnificent literary entertainmenta novel that resonates with tales of love and betrayal as it deals profoundly with questions of faith and what it means to believe.At once a love story, a thriller, and a rich novel of ideas. Gripping literary fiction that will appeal to readers of Michael Ondaatje, J. M. Coetzee, Arturo Perez-Reverte, A. S. Byatt. The Gospel of Judas was published to extraordinary critical acclaim in the U.K.: Poetic . . . gripping . . . superb (Daily Express); Brilliant (Daily Mail); Haunting (Herald); Intelligent . . . absorbing . . . a writer of remarkable gifts (Scotsman); Utterly compelling (Times). Ideal for reading groupswith a bound-in reading group guide.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #286141 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.com Review
In Simon Mawer's remarkably poised and poignant novel, the small moment is as significant as the large, and "the detail dictat[es] to the whole." Biblical scholar Father Leo Newman has spent a lifetime deciphering meaning from evanescent fragments of papyrus; he is much less accustomed to descrying the metamorphosis of a relationship writ large ("a mysterious thing, much too mysterious for a simple naming"). How unlikely, then, that he should fall in love with Madeleine Brewer, the vibrant but unbalanced wife of a bureaucrat. How unlikely, too, that he should be confronted with an ancient scroll whose details are radically incendiary rather than dustily abstruse: an apparent account of Jesus' life from Judas's point of view. But how marvelously likely that Mawer should take these elements and create a haunting narrative of doubt and faith, "the thin wash of immediacy" and memory, passion and the fragile remains of its absence. Madeleine and the Judas scroll thrust themselves, uninvited and unexpected, into Leo's quiet life in Rome, their very presence a counterpoint to his isolation and vulnerability. Asked by Madeleine to compromise a lifetime, asked by his colleagues to verify or deny the scroll's authenticity, Leo is a profoundly Prufrockian figure, "No Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be." Does he dare disturb the universe?

Mawer skillfully interleaves three narratives: the story of Leo's German mother's life in Rome during World War II, a woman who was herself forced to choose between principle and passion; the unsettling story of Leo's relationship with Madeleine and the scroll; and a circumspect "present," in which Leo is still "a hermit in a cave, a hermit who was hoarding the few fragments of his faith lest they too be swept away by circumstance."

The novel represents a solemn quest, striving back toward half-forgotten origins in an attempt to bring order to a present and future spinning out of control. Its most poignant irony is that Leo is at once creator and destroyer--as he pieces together the story of the scroll, he is simultaneously unraveling his own faith, his own raison d'être:

A dun-colored fibrous fragment hung there behind the glass, a fragment of papyrus the color of biscuit, inscribed with the most perfect letters ever man devised, words wrought in the lean and ragged language of the eastern Mediterranean, the workaday language of the streets, the meaning half apprehended, half grasped, half heard through the noise of all that lies between us and them, the shouting, roaring centuries of darkness and enlightenment. How was it possible to communicate to her the pure, organic thrill?

The thrill, thanks to Mawer, is ours. --Kelly Flynn

From Publishers Weekly
A crisis of faith is at the heart of this fascinating, thoughtful literary thriller revolving around the discovery of a manuscript written by the historical Judas. Father Leo Newman, close to middle age, is a scholar living in Rome, teaching English to make ends meet, when he is sent fragments of some first-century A.D. scrolls to decipher. The text seems to be the earliest version so far of the New Testament, the first eyewitness accounts of Jesus's life to be discovered. But Newman is distracted from his studies by his growing attachment to a married woman, Madeleine Brewer, and by mounting doubts about his vocation. A family tragedy in the distant past haunts him, too, and flashbacks to his mother's experiences in Rome during WWII alternate with the present-day narrative. Summoned suddenly to Jerusalem when a particularly exciting papyrus is unearthed, Newman finds himself confronted with what seems to be a text written by Judas, denying that Christ rose from the dead. It's only when this Gospel of Judas makes its first appearance, like a metaphor come alive, that the whole idea of what it means to be a Judas becomes the subject of the book. It's a hook that Mawer (Mendel's Dwarf, etc.) uses to stunning effect. What Newman, already shaken by the end of his affair with Madeline Brewer, does to that ancient manuscript is the ultimate betrayal in the novel, but as in so many modern interpretations of the crime of Judas, the betrayal is really the outward evidence of an affirmation of faith. Discerning readers will relish Mawer's excellent writing and subtle treatment of potentially over-the-top subject matter. National advertising; 5-city author tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Things could hardly be worse for Father Leo Newman, a Catholic priest. At the same time that he is undergoing physical, mental, and emotional crises stemming from his wavering faith, he is brought to Jerusalem to translate a scroll purporting to be an account of the life of Jesus from the point of view of Judas a document that could undermine Christianity. Mawer (Mendel's Dwarf) has penned a tale that is strongly reminiscent of Graham Greene and Umberto Eco. Written on a high intellectual plane, it offers much food for thought, while the vivid pictures of Jerusalem and Rome add further to its depth. On the downside, there are so many plot strands that after awhile the reader is confused. With this caveat, the book is recommended for larger collections.
- Fred M. Gervat, Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

Quite simply, an astounding novel!
Life is what we make of it, and (Father) Leo Newman (the story's protagonist) has made a botch of his. And just as his religious faith begins to fall prey to his mounting doubts, Madeleine Brewer ("Maddy" - Mawer's choice of character names is subtly clever) enters the scene, and away they go; displacing thought for action, the cerebral for the physical. Mawer conflates this love triangle - Maddy is married to a British diplomat; Leo is married to his faith and religion - with the discovery of another gospel, this one by Judas Iscariot. What Leo, as translator of the parchment, learns about Jesus Christ and the birth of Christianity causes him to view the religious and the secular in a different light...

This book's marketing can create some confusion: is it a dialectic about faith, a thriller, a love story? It is each of these, and more. Simon Mawer has managed - artfully, gracefully - to ensnare the reader into entertaining even enjoying the questions (and some answers) that transcend our individual lives.

*The Gospel of Judas* is, quite simply, an astounding novel - perhaps the best novel I have read in several years! Admittedly, it does include ALL of the topics and issues that *I* find so thrilling: faith, religion, history, and language. Mawer's love of language mimics his love for the quotidian, and allows him to tell a tale for all.

But don't take my word for it, on faith; check it out for yourself. You must see, smell, feel, and read this novel, to believe it. Highest recommendation.

Leaves the reader thinking
Near the Dead Sea, a new scroll from the time of Jesus has been discovered. The church sends Rome teacher-scholar Father Leo Newman to investigate and translate the newest find. Leo is going through a difficult period as he has doubts about his chosen avocation ever since he met and sinned by having an affair with Madeline Brewer. Still, Leo immediately travels to Jerusalem to join an international team inspecting the rich find, but his assignment is to concentrate on one particular papyrus.

Leo quickly realizes that the document the Church sent him to inspect apparently contains the Gospel accordance to Judas Iscariot. Instead of supporting the other Gospels, this scroll denies much of what has been claimed. Leo begins to comprehend how Judas felt when he condemned his best friend to death.

THE GOSPEL OF JUDAS is an insightful look at the Judas betrayal but in a modern text and through Leo's break in faith. The story line is fast-paced especially in an allegorical manner that compares Leo to Judas. The flashbacks to World War II are cleverly written, but the story belongs to the Leo-Judas relationship that, in turn, proves how talented Simon Mawer truly is.

Harriet Klausner

He Actually Got This Book Published??
"If you cant dazzle them with brilliance baffle them with bull." This seems to have been Mawer's modus operandi as he undertook to write about ideas and themes that apparently are too grand for him to handle. This novel has a great many flaws which seem to have escaped most reviewers I have read. Perhaps they were confused by his writing, and thought they were dazzled when they were actually only baffled.

The greatest flaw in this novel is that nothing, and I mean NOTHING, actually happens until well after 100 pages. After all, the title of the novel is "The Gospel of Judas", but it takes Mawer 131 pages to get around to it. In other words, the first 50% of the novel is meandering fluff and digression. Yes, it does help set up Leo's crisis of faith that follows, but half a novel of backstory? A more skillful author would have introduced the gospel much earlier and let Leo's crisis of faith and his affair with Madeline slowly unfold side by side. Mawer seems to be capable of only running a single thread in his story, because almost immediately after the gospel is found Mawer has Madeline commit suicide for no apparent reason. But then, there are many things in this novel that are either pointless or "just happen" for no reason.

The next greatest flaw is the atrociously BAD writing itself. The reader is constantly bludgeoned with the "authorial interruptions" that Mawer just cannot get away from. He isn't skillful enough to let his characters and his story carry themselves. He instead has to interject awkward statements that tell the reader how to think, how to feel, how to react to the particular situation (e.g.; when Leo is on the airplane he keeps telling us to "picture" how torn he is. For crying out loud, don't TELL the reader how to feel about Leo, SHOW the reader how LEO feels!! Duh!!) He also interjects out-of-place statements of explanation that seem only to serve to let us know just how much smarter Mawer feels he is than the rest of us (e.g., the meaningless "7Q5" reference). There is absolutely no consistency in his use of tense or voice, they are just simply muddled together. How in the world did this manuscript get past the editor?

Mawer also makes great use of a thesaurus throughout this novel, in a vain attempt to sound intelligent and eloquent, but leaves only long, empty, and meaningless descriptive passages that do little to evoke a mood, reveal character, or move the plot.

This novel is really nothing more than a case study in poor writing that should have not been published as is. However, I will have to give it one more star than the minimum allowed because Mawer does show some creativity, and in a few places the writing actually isn't all that bad. It was an ambitious undertaking for him to explore these ideas, but as a whole, "The Gospel of Judas" fails miserably.