BETRAYAL—IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO HASN'T EXPERIENCED BETRAYAL? It's a human experience. What makes it hurt so is that strangers can't betray us, only friends can—people to whom we've given our trust.

For the last 2,000 years the betrayal of all betrayals has been that of Judas selling his teacher for 30 pieces of silver. What would the Passion of Christ be without Judas? Crucifixion in those days was common and the resurrection is another miracle story; what makes the Passion so compellingly human is Judas' betrayal. Betrayal is really at the heart of the story. It's something that everyone understands, because in one form or another we have all experienced it.

Now appears The Gospel of Judas, an ancient parchment some believe to be written as early as AD 130, which tells of another kind of betrayal—a conscious betrayal. It's a betrayal that Jesus agreed to, even desired, for he tells Judas, "You will exceed all of them [the other apostles]. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me." The idea of conscious betrayal—a conspiracy, if you will— makes the Passion of Christ an esoteric story which is simply too sophisticated to be readily understood.

Judas understands the enmity this betrayal will bring, for he has a great vision of the other apostles stoning and persecuting him. All his three centers must be denying the acceptance of this role, but still he has the clarity and will to act against his person.

Judas alone among the disciples recognizes who Jesus is, that he comes from the immortal realm of Barbelo, which is the divine Mother of All, second only to the great Invisible Spirit. So Jesus is not of this world, a world of evil created by the mean-spirited god Yahweh. Jesus tells Judas to step away from the others and he will tell him of the mysteries of the kingdom of the true God, not the God that the Jews worship and whom the Christians will later worship. He can do so because Judas' soul is immortal; it was given to him as "a gift" by the archangel Gabriel, while the others have souls "on loan" from the archangel Michael, which at their death will leave them.

Now what would it be like if you had carried out a conscious betrayal and everyone in this room believed you were guilty? Subjected to the harsh force of our condemnation would you lose your way? Could any of us stand up to the righteous blame of others, lasting from this day to the day you left the body and ever afterwards? I would say that if you had any guilt in you, any guilt that hadn't been integrated, it would vibrate with the invective being hurled at you, and you might actually begin to believe you were guilty.

It's interesting that what Mr. Gurdjieff wrote in the late twenties and early thirties about Judas making a conscious betrayal at the Last Supper is only being acknowledged now. Let me read to you what he wrote:

This devoted and favorite Apostle initiated by Jesus Christ Himself was called 'Judas.'... Judas was not only the most faithful and devoted of all the near followers of Jesus Christ, but also, only thanks to his Reason and presence of mind all the acts of this Sacred Individual could form that result [of being] the source of nourishment and inspiration for the majority of them in their desolate existence and made it at least a little endurable.

[When at the Last Supper it was realized that more time was required to fulfill the sacred sacrament Almznoshinoo] Judas, now a Saint, leaped from his place and hurriedly said:

"I shall go and do everything in such a way that you should have the possibility of fulfilling this sacred preparation without hindrance, and meanwhile set to work at once."

Having said this, he approached Jesus Christ and having confidently spoken with Him a little and received His blessing, hurriedly left.

How did Gurdjieff know this? There's no sense asking that question because it only leads to more questions. The fact is he knew it, as he knew that there was a second moon, Anulios, which scientists only discovered in 1970 and called "Toro." Gurdjieff's knowledge of the second moon was incredible because it was a cosmic event. His knowledge of Judas was of a human cosmic event. The Gospel of Judas was given a passing mention by the orthodox Christian theologian Irenaeus in AD 180 in his Against Heresies, a refutation of the various Gnostic groups and their gospels, but he didn't do much more than mock it. Gurdjieff tells why Judas' betrayal was necessary.

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