Iscariot - Tosca Lee

Are you ready to sympathize with Judas?  Are you prepared to read the story of Judas where he isn't evil incarnate?  Most of the time, we think of Judas only as the betrayer of Jesus.  But what if there was more to the story?

That's what you're getting into when you read Iscariot.  Beginning at the start of Judas' life, I read about his parentage, what kinds of things people suffered at the hands of the Romans and the lengths others would go to for the sake of the law.

I already knew how the story would end.  I've heard it for my entire life.  But I had never considered that Judas may have been acting out of love.  That his vision for Jesus pushed him to make decisions that eventually led him to the largest regret of his life.

Tosca Lee is a great author.  It's evident that she does her research just by reading her books.  When I read her books, I am blown away by the creativity and talent she writes with. Dealing with this subject took a lot of guts and I appreciate her efforts.  While it's a work of fiction, Iscariot is believable as a possibility of what might have happened.  You can read about her research and thoughts at the end of the book.

I won't say that I enjoyed this book.  It had so much death and fear in it, that enjoy isn't the right word to use.  The book made me think about what I have read about for many years in a whole new light.  It's hard to think it's possible Judas was a person to be pitied rather than hated, but in the end, it's not for us to judge.  I recommend this book.

Tosca Lee has written The Book of Mortals series with Ted Dekker.  She's also written several books on her own including Demon and Havah (the story of Eve).  She's also got a book coming out in September about Sheba.  For some reason, I can't find Demon or Havah in Kindle version right now, but I know it was in the past, because I own the Demon ebook.  Great Book!