The character of Judas features in three Syriac poems by Cyrillona
(fl. 399) on the Last Supper and Last Discourse of Jesus. This paper
explores the role that Cyrillona creates for Judas as a shocking example
of Christ-betrayal, as an antitype of Jesus and the faithful disciples,
and as an agent of Jewish intrigue. Judas's dramatic and symbolic
potential is cultivated to propel the narrative, but Cyrillona also
reveals distinctive exegetical and theological interests in his
consideration of the washing of the feet, the giving of the sop, and
Judas's departure from the Cenacle. While tracing the lines of reception
that connect Cyrillona with earlier Syriac tradition, I also consider
ways in which Cyrillona prefigures later dramatizations of Judas.
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