Jesus and Judas: BFFs?

Since starting this project I've been increasingly interested in reading CNN's Belief Blog. Occasionally one of its articles bubbles to the top and piques my interest. Due to the sympathies between it and the Divine Comedy, I see it fitting to share with you this new article which questions the classical interpretation of Hell and its tortured occupants.

In My Take: Is Judas in Heaven or Hell? God Only Knows, writer Craig Gross questions the popular notion that Judas, the Great Betrayer of Christ who sold out his beloved teacher for a handful of silver, would actually have been sentenced to an eternity in the Pit for his heinous crime. Gross points out that Judas, up until just before the end, was perhaps the most faithful and trustworthy of the Apostles. When he realized the enormity of his mistake, Judas was overcome with so much grief and regret that he hung himself.

If you've been reading ahead to Inf. Canto XXXIV, Dante places Judas not just in Hell, but in the Ninth Circle being devoured by none other than Lucifer himself! Though the Divine Comedy was never meant to be on par with Christian doctrine, Dante's own creative liberties clearly reflect the popular infatuation with appropriate punishment. The rest of the epic, especially the Inferno and Paradiso, depicts the various sins of mankind and punishments doled out justly according to the severity of the sin. Surely the greatest of sins is to defy God? After all, that's how Lucifer got his post in the Ninth! So what greater punishment could one be given for betraying the Son of God to his death?

Well for one thing, great sin alone does not earn one a ticket to Hell, as we will undoubtedly find reading Dante's work together. There are a great many sinners who reside in Purgatory with immense burdens to bear; the difference? Remorse for one's sins or lack thereof.

The denizens of Hell are there because they refuse to accept responsibility for what they have done in life, favoring to blame God or circumstance or whatever else other than themselves. All throughout the Inferno we meet souls who spend their days cursing God and lamenting their situation. Judas, on the other hand, was honest almost until the end and was remorseful afterward. There is a place - according to Dante - in Hell for those who commit suicide, but it probably follows the same rules of remorselessness that the rest of the Inferno abides by, and Judas knew and accepted Christ personally, so he wouldn't be one of the virtuous pagans from the First Circle either.

In all fairness, I have to mostly agree with Gross on this one. If anything, Judas should have been placed in Purgatory rather than Heaven to work off his admittedly great sin. There are many things that Hell is, but a place for God's vengeance is not one of them. It's way too logical for that.

Any thoughts? I know my opinion isn't the only one out there, and I'd love to hear yours.