The long view.

Transcript: Larry King Live, May 5, 2006

LARRY KING: "Tomorrow night! Remembering Don Knotts! A surprising hour! From Chicago, Illinois, you're on with our guest, Judas Iscariot! Hello!"

CALLER: "Hi, Larry. Hi, Judas. Can I call you Judas?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Of course."

CALLER: "It's just that I feel like I've known you all my life, so I feel like I can call you Judas. I just want to say that I just finished your gospel, which I loved, and I'd like to know if you have any more books planned?"

LARRY KING: "Good question. Is this thing the start of a franchise? I keep thinking Da Vinci Code, I keep thinking Narnia."

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "No, no, Larry. It's just the one gospel. At least for now."

LARRY KING: "But they gotta be after you, right? Phone ringing off the hook? Books, movies, right?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Honestly, Larry, I live a quiet life. You know, when they quote unquote found my gospel--the publishing world is crazy, I wrote the damn thing 2,000 years ago and have been pushing it and pushing it and pushing it, suddenly it's out there and I'm a quote unquote overnight success--anyway, they find it, we make a deal--"

LARRY KING: "Was it a good deal?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "You know what, Larry? It was fair. I can't complain about the deal."

LARRY KING: "Thirty pieces of silver, and all that? Kidding!"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Listen, Larry, you gotta have a sense of humor about life."

LARRY KING: "Here I am the Jew talking about pieces of silver! Gotta tread careful with this stuff, am I right?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Interestingly, Larry, I'm Jewish too."

LARRY KING: "Yeah, but not from Brooklyn."

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "No. From the Levant. But as you know, we were all of us, all of the apostles, originally of the Jewish faith before ..."

LARRY KING: "The original Jews for Jesus! Good stuff. Tuesday! Erectile dysfunction! The whole hour! From Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hello!"

CALLER: "Hi, Larry. I'd like to ask your guest how he feels about the way he's been portrayed in the media for the past 2,000 years."

LARRY KING: "Good question. They've put your name through the wringer, right? Judas this, Judas that. Bitter?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Oh yeah, sure. Very. For years. And that's one of the great things about seeing my gospel finally translated and out there. It's my story. I'm reclaiming my name in a way, and it's been immensely healthy and positive and just really forward-moving, you know? It's like, they can say anything they like about me now because, hey, here's me, here's my voice, here's Judas by Judas, you know?"

LARRY KING: "You're talking to a guy who's written a few books himself."

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "It's a very healthy act."

LARRY KING: "Brother, you got that right. From Modesto, California, hello!"

CALLER: "Hi, Larry. I'd like to ask your guest how he squares his version of the story with the more famous versions already in the New Testament? As a believing Christian, Larry, I have to say that although I applaud him for coming forward and telling his story, the definitive accounts had already been written and compiled before anyone ever heard of the so-called Gospel of Judas."

LARRY KING: "This is gettin' over my head."

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Let me just--can I respond to that? I've been hearing that a lot and it's something I want to address. You know, Larry, when I was in the green room a few minutes ago, before coming out, Liza Minnelli said something to me that--"

LARRY KING: "Liza Minnelli! Liza with a 'z'! What can't she do?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "She's a consummate entertainer, Larry. Anyway, she said something to me that I thought was very moving and important. She told me that she had read my gospel and that she loved it, and I told her that I've been getting a lot of criticism from people about it. She put her hand on my shoulder and said, 'Hey, truth shmuth!' And then she touched her head and said, 'It's what's in here that matters! And baby, in here we're all scrambled eggs!' And I thought that was very true. So what I'd say to the caller there is that your truth and my truth are very different. People see different things and hear different things depending on their own perspective and background and socioeconomic whatever."

LARRY KING: "And we're all nuts?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "All scrambled eggs, Larry."

LARRY KING: "The gospel of Liza! The book is the Gospel of Judas, just out and translated! Interesting, tough stuff. Up next! My guest, the Reverend Billy Graham! Judas, are you sticking around for that?"

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "Um ... no. No ... I think ... well, no."

LARRY KING: "Really? Could be interesting to get you two together."

JUDAS ISCARIOT: "I have a flight out of Reagan and ..."

LARRY KING: "Book-tour madness! Been there, friend!"