Kissing Heaven’s door: the Judas episode in the Voyage of Brendan

Abstract

This paper discusses the Judas episode and a number of versions of the Voyage of Brendan and the Irish and Latin Vitae of Brendan, as well as the ‘Twelve Apostles of Ireland’. It considers some of the sources and analogues including the Apocalypse of Paul, the Medieval Legend of Judas and Dante’s Inferno. It also addresses the vivid descriptions of torture in the Anglo-Norman version. In all versions the principal theme is generally one of Mercy and Divine forgiveness for the good deeds that one performs in their lifetime; this motif is not universally accepted by writers contemporary with the composition of the voyage and it underscores the ‘liberal theology’ that is apparent through much of the Navigati