Judas: part of God's plan?

...or merely a scapegoat?

my beloved bible study instructor sent me this in an email, to challenge my discussion skills (believing they may have gone "rusty" since i've not seen him for three weeks!)

Monday, January 16, 2006

Judas Merely Part of God's Plan for the World, Vatican Scholars Claim

According to a story in the Irish Examiner, the name and reputation of Judas Iscariot will never be quite the same again. For 2,000 years, the disciple's name has been hurled at traitors and turncoats, but now, a group of Catholic scholars is trying to portray a more sympathetic image of Judas, who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The scholars believe that Judas was not deliberately evil but was just fulfilling his part in God's plan for the world. The campaign to reassess Judas is being led by Monsignor Walter Brandmuller, head of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Science. Writer Vittorio Messori said the rehabilitation of Judas would "resolve the problem of an apparent lack of mercy by Jesus towards one of his closest collaborators." The possible revision comes after the discovery of ancient texts written by early Christians, which reflect the belief in the early church that Judas was fulfilling a divine mission which resulted in the crucifixion of Jesus and the salvation of man. The drive to re-establish Judas's reputation has not won everyone's support, however. Theologian Monsignor Giovanni D'Ercole has said that such a move would create confusion among believers.

(fyi: the link back does not take you directly to the article, but to the main page of crosswalk.com)

i am no biblical scholar, but this doesn't align with what i have believed for pretty much my entire life: that Judas was possessed by the devil and that is why he betrayed Jesus. while Judas certainly factored into God's plan for salvation, the Scripture is very clear that Satan entered into him, even though Jesus had foreknowledge of it happening. however, this could indicate that Judas was not deliberately evil all along, but that he allowed Satan to enter into him (free will).

unless, of course, you don't think that you always have a choice when being tempted, then all bets are off.

your thoughts?