Friday, June 23, 2006

GNOSTIC NONCE MESSE for Judas

GNOSIS NONCE MASS

for Judas

(cf www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/gospel_of_judas)


In front of a projection of a massive baroque altar 12 faithful worshippers enter in an orderly fashion to offer up their sheep, goats, pets, wives & children for sacrifice.

High priests in business suits slaughter them & ritually sodomise eachother.

A glass harmonium plays Gnostic musak

A luminous cloud descends in red checkered trousers, laughing delirious divine laughter:


A ~ O, A ~ O, A ~ O, A ~ O, A ~ O!

Axaxaxaxaxax!

In saeculo saeculorumorumorumorum… stop it you’re killing me!


The altar orgy transforms into a pious offering of thanksgiving over loaves of bread.

Jesus emerges laughing from the cloud.


Thanksgivers (in Latin): Master, why are you laughing at our humblemumble of thanksgiving?

We have done what it is right to do

Jesus (in Latin): I do not laugh at you.

I laugh at your praise

I laugh at your god.

Thanksgivers (Latin) Master, are you not the son of our god?

Jesus (Latin): Fools, how do you know me?

You pray strange prayers to a stranger god.

I am the Sethian spark

Unbegotten son of the Celestial Mother

The self-generated One

The Jism at the Jump

cue Benny Goodman’s Jumping at the Savoy . The faithful jitterbug. Jesus ascends a little above them.

Judas in red fright wig approaches him.


Judas: I know who you are and where you come from.

Jesus: Judas the Judaean, our trusty treasurer – pray tell, who?

Judas: You are from the immortal realm of Barbelo. You are sent by one whose
name I am not worthy to speak…

Jesus: Step away from the others.

Judas: I am not worthy…

Jesus: Judas, I shall tell you the mysteries of the Kingdom.

For you are the key.


The Barbelo Chorus (glass harmonium, bassoon, theremin & jews harp - for Judas)


Beyond Jahweh is Barbelo

Lift up your eyes

Behold a luminous cloud

Look at the light within it

And the stars surrounding it

And your star that leads the way

Beyond the shit and corruption

Creation of a malevolent demiurge

To the blessed realm

Barbelo! Barbelo! Barbelo!


Jesus: Judas I needs must sacrifice the man that clothes me.

So you must do what must be done.

Judas: Master I saw myself in a vision

Your 12 disciples were stoning me.

Jesus: You will become the 13th

Cursed by the generations

You will come to a field of blood

And you will rule over them.

Now do it quickly.

Judas: Let there be heaven though my place is in hell.


Jesus laughs the way he does. Judas kisses him on the mouth. US SWAT team enters screaming the way they do.

SWAT: Drop ‘em! Spread ‘em! Gay-assed muthafuckers!..etc

What are you doing here? You are a disciple of Jesus?

Judas: I am. This is he.


The SWAT team sound off 30 pieces of silver. They beat & hood Jesus then carry him off, cruciform.


Judas sings:

When I hang from a tree

No way up for me

I fall flyblown

In a potters field

Green guts spilled

In terracotta clay

On a summers day.


Enter a Realtor.


Realtor: This here’s one hell of a piece of real estate.

Sweetest home sweet home bloodmoney can buy

And the cheapest

The owner’s a potter he has to sell

His right hand lost its cunning

The left was cut off for theft

Akeldama, they call it means

Field of Blood

But you can change that –

Gehenna? Haked-damm?

Howzabout?

South face of the Hinnom

Position, position, position.


Judas swings on a rope next to the luminous trousered cloud.


Judas: I gave the money to the priests

They bought it

For a burial plot for strangers

I repent and confess my sins

In the presence of Christ.


Large projected superimposed images of the crux ansata, the ankh and a wandjina figure