The cosmic drama of Christ would be impossible to represent without the role of Judas; this apostle is then the most exalted adept, the most elevated amongst all of the apostles of the Christ Jesus. - Samael Aun Weor (1973)

Samael Aun Weor stated in his commentary to The Pistis Sophia that each of the apostles in the Christian Gospels is symbolic. As in all mythological and religious narratives, the literal truth becomes illustrative of spiritual truths. In other words, we know that Jesus and his disciples existed, but the story that is written of them is symbolic, not literal.

The written Gospels preserve teachings, not histories. As such, those who look to ancient writings for literal truth will always be disappointed, for the writers of the Gospels were not concerned with telling the literal history: they were concerned with helping others escape suffering and enter into spiritual understanding.

To begin with, it is essential to understand the meaning of the name. Judas (Ιούδας) is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew name יהודה Judah.

And she [Leah] conceived again, and bare a son [the twelfth]: and she said, Now will I praise (ידה yadah) יהוה (the Holy Name of God, Jehovah); therefore she called his name יהודה [Yĕhuwdah, Judah]... - Genesis 29:35

Thus the name Judas is as close to God as one can imagine, since it is the name of God (יהוה) with a doorway (ד daleth) inside of it.

The genuine Gospel of Judas is allegorical: it contains some literal meaning, but the true intent and meaning of the writing is only perceivable by the consciousness when the consciousness is free of the ego: pride, anger, attachment, envy, fear, etc. In so much as we free ourselves of negative qualities, we see the sacred scriptures of any tradition more clearly. This in itself is the basic meaning of the Gospel: Judas, as a symbol of the ego, must die. Only in this way can the Savior be resurrected.

Each apostle of Jesus represents specific qualities of our own inner divinity. Within each person, there is a Mark, a James, a Matthew. The qualities they represent are revealed and activitated through practical work on oneself, not through mere belief or subscription. Jesus stated this quite clearly:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

To acheive perfection, all imperfection has to be removed. One cannot remove imperfection with beliefs. Therefore, the Gospels show us symbols of psychological processes that we have to endure in order to acheive perfection. Psychological death is represented throughout the scriptures of all religions, and in the stories of John the Baptist, the crucifixion of Jesus, the sacrifice of Isaac, and the death of Judas.

Judas symbolizes a very specific aspect of the consciousness. To comprehend Judas in his full symbolic depth requires meditation. The intellect is simply too shallow and redundant to grasp the full impact of any spiritual truth, and Judas, who on the surface appears diabolic, escapes easy definition.

The story of Judas and the manner in which humanity perceives him is closely related to that of Lucifer. As with many of the most profound aspects of the Christian doctrine, the stories of Judas and Lucifer were edited, corrupted and eventually despised. But it was not always so. In the early days of the Christian faith, when the doctrine was more intact, both Judas and Lucifer represented critical aspects of the Christian doctrine. This is easily demonstrated even today: simply look into any church history, and you will find many of the early church fathers bearing the name Lucifer. It is said that even one of the early popes carried that name. Samael Aun Weor wrote:

The dragon, the shadow of the Logos, the shadow or reflection of the Spiritual Sun (in the universe and within us) was worshipped amongst the Draconians.

You must comprehend that behind the central physical Sun of this universe (in which we live, move and have our Being) and behind any Sun that illuminates us is the Phoenician or the Jewish 'Helion,' which is the sacred absolute Sun (that has its contrast or opposite; this is normal). His shadow in us and within us is Lucifer, the great psychological trainer that we have for our own good.

Please, I beg the brethren that are listening to me, to comprehend what I am stating here: Do not be scared; I sense that some of you who are listening at this moment due to prejudices and fear based on some erroneous information from some dogmatic priests, offer resistance to these statements. All of us in childhood received a certain type of education, thus, erroneous, absurd negative and harmful ideas were inculcated within us.

We were told that Lucifer was a terrible devil that gave orders over all the Earth, that takes our souls to an orthodox hell in order to torture us in containers of fire, etc., etc.

I want you, my friends, to comprehend once and for all that such a devil of orthodox religions does not exist; but the true devil is the one that each of you carries within your interior.

In the Middle Ages there existed a Gnostic sect named the 'Satanians;' there also existed the sect of the Iscariots; the adepts of such sects were burnt alive in the bonfire of the Inquisition.

It is a pity that the sect of the 'Satanians' cannot now be restored, due to the concrete fact that their documentation was destroyed.

The concrete fact that Judas Iscariot, until today, is really considered a betraying disciple also causes certain pain.

If we wisely analyze what Satan is, the devil and Lucifer, if we comprehend that he is only the reflection of God within us, the shadow of the Inner Sun within each of us, located in the depths of our soul for our own good, immediately and rightfully we will do justice to such a Gnostic sect of the Middle Ages.

Ladies and gentlemen, the orthodox, dogmatic Satan of the clerical sects does not exist; the authentic Lucifer is within each person and only in this manner must it be understood.

Judas Iscariot is another very interesting case; really this apostle never betrayed Jesus the Christ; he only played a role and this role was taught to him by Master Jesus himself.

The cosmic drama, the life, passion and death of our Lord the Christ, was represented from ancient times by all the great Avatars.

The great lord of Atlantis, before the second transapalnian catastrophe, represented in flesh and blood the same drama of Jesus of Nazareth. On a certain occasion a Catholic missionary that arrived in China found the same cosmic drama among people of the yellow race. “I thought that we, the Christians, were the only ones that knew this drama," exclaimed the missionary. Thus, confused, he put aside his religious habit.

Such a drama was brought to Earth by the Elohim. Any man that seeks the inner self-realization of the Being has to live it and become the central character of this cosmic drama.

Likewise, each of the twelve apostles of Jesus of Nazareth had to represent their role in the Christic drama; Judas Iscariot did not want to represent the role that fell on him; he asked for the role of Peter, however, Jesus had already firmly established the role that each of his disciples had to represent.

Judas had to learn by memory the role that he had to represent and this was taught to him by the Master Jesus himself.

Therefore, Judas Iscariot never betrayed the Master. The gospel of Judas is related with the dissolution of the Ego. The cosmic drama of Christ would be impossible to represent without the role of Judas; this apostle is then the most exalted adept, the most elevated amongst all of the apostles of the Christ Jesus.

Indubitably, each of the twelve had his own gospel; we cannot deny that Patar belongs to Peter. He is the Hierophant of sex, the one who has the keys to the kingdom in his right hand, the great Initiator.

And what shall we say of Mark, who with so much love kept the mysteries of the Gnostic unction? And what about Philip, that great enlightened Being whose gospel teaches us how to travel in the astral body and how to travel with the physical body in the Jinn state? And what about John who is related to the doctrine of the Word? And what about Paul with the philosophy of the Gnostics? It would be too long to narrate here everything that is related with the twelve and the Christic cosmic drama.

Therefore, the moment has arrived to eliminate from our minds, ignorance and the old religious prejudices; the instant has arrived to study the Christic esotericism in depth.

• Excerpted from Yes, There is a Hell, a Devil, and Karma by Samael Aun Weor, first published in 1973.