Look up the synonyms for traitor and many reputable dictionaries will offer the term ‘Judas’ as a strong substitute. This is all thanks to Judas Iscariot – the most controversial of Jesus’ early apostles. During the 1st century AD, the name Judas was nothing more than a popular choice for young boys, most associated with a heroic Jewish priest named Judas Maccabeus. But you won’t find many Christians bearing the name since the 2nd century AD – despite its sacred meaning of “Praised” or “Praised be the Lord” – as the infamous Judas tarnished it forever with his shocking “betrayal”.
According to the Bible's Gospel of Matthew, Judas sold his good friend to the Romans for 30 pieces of silver, which led to Christ's crucifixion. But does he deserve his reputation as Christianity's most notorious traitor, or has history tarnished Judas?
THE APOSTLE JUDE
There is very little reliable information about Judas himself to be found in the Bible. There was no journalistic integrity in the first century, and many contemporary accounts, even those presented as fact, include conjecture, propaganda, and biased beliefs and opinions.
The biblical gospels themselves often contradict each other, telling the same stories from different perspectives, and historians have had a difficult time deciphering whether there is any solid evidence for much of their content, including the existence of Judas. However, if he did indeed live, here is what we do know about him: Judas was one of Jesus’ disciples and the twelfth of Jesus’ apostles—a member of Jesus’ inner circle—mentioned in all four gospels (the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and the Gospel of John).
Judas is often considered the most educated of the Twelve Apostles, brought into the “flock” by Nathaniel, largely due to his experience with finances, and he became their treasurer – a role that suggests that Jesus must have had some confidence in Judas. According to the Gospel of Matthew, all of Jesus’ apostles were given the power to cast out demons and heal diseases – or at the very least, they were given some early medical knowledge and authority to perform so-called miracles.
THE JUDAS BETRAYAL
After the Last Supper, Judas went to the religious authorities and agreed to take them to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was praying, in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. He told the authorities to stop the person he was going to kiss, and then he went to Christ and kissed him.
Jesus responds, according to Matthew, by referring to Judas as “friend,” but he was immediately arrested and handed over to Roman soldiers to be crucified. Therefore, it is essentially Judas' fault that Christ died on the cross.
The canonical scriptures acknowledge that Jesus was aware of Judas' betrayal but made no attempt to stop it, indicating that it was part of God's plan and that there had been no red flags warning that Judas would bring about his downfall. A man like Judas would have had to leave home and give up his profession in order to follow Jesus around Israel.
So what made Judas change from a seemingly devoted follower and member of Jesus' most elite brotherhood, to enemy number one?
JUDAS' REASONS
There are two main theories as to why Judas betrayed Jesus: greed and possession by Satan. The Gospel of Luke states that Satan entered Judas’ body at the time of his betrayal. John also blames demonic influence and one of the seven deadly sins. According to John, Judas had always been a bad man and had used his role as the group’s treasurer to embezzle money and left the Last Supper with the express intention of betraying the leader. Surprisingly, the Gospel of John does not mention exchanging his loyalty for 30 pieces of silver. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark also blame Judas’ greed, but there are several problems with this theory. Why would Jesus, the wisest of all men, choose a greedy and dishonest man to be one of his Twelve?
Why would Judas not ask for more than 30 pieces of silver—a small amount to ask for—and why would a man driven by greed join a group of religious rebels without money? Some have argued that Judas may have had a political motive and wanted to be appointed leader of the Jews, but there is no scriptural evidence for this.
Other theories as to why Judas betrayed Christ abound, including the idea that Judas was angry that Jesus was not the Messiah promised to the Jews, or that Judas had no intention of betraying Jesus at all, and the idea that he was unfaithful is a mistranslation of “surrender,” and that he believed that they should talk to Jesus and resolve their differences. This could explain why he felt remorse afterward and, in many cases, is believed to have committed suicide. In any case, Judas had to betray Jesus in order to fulfill prophecy and for Christ to die, as a necessary part of God’s plan of salvation.
THE DEATH OF JUDAS
According to the Gospel of Matthew, when Judas discovers that his betrayal resulted in Jesus' crucifixion, he is overcome with guilt. He attempts to return the 30 pieces of silver, which are not accepted because they are exchanged as blood money. He disregards the silver and commits suicide by hanging. It is unclear why he does this, but various interpretations include regret over the outcome of his actions (some suggest that he thought he was simply handing Jesus over to the authorities for questioning). Conversely, the Acts of the Apostles tells a different story: Judas buys a field with his money and dies accidentally, showing no remorse. Others believe that he was struck by the wrath of God.
TRUTH IN A NAME
There are conflicting views regarding Judas's second name, Iscariot. One theory is that it is used to distinguish him from other people named Judas found within the Gospels and a Greek translation of a Hebrew phrase meaning 'man from Kerioth', a theory supported by the book of John which states that he is "son of Simon Iscariot". However, other scholars believe that it is an epithet derived from a Latin word, sicarius, meaning 'dagger man', linking him to the Sicarii, a group of Jewish rebel assassins.
Another theory is that the name Iscariot is derived from Hebrew or Aramaic meaning 'false' or 'liar', but since the gospel writers almost always follow his name with a comment about betrayal, this also seems a bit odd.
JUDAS, THE FAITHFUL FRIEND?
A non-canonical Gnostic gospel, the Gospel of Judas, was discovered in the 1970s in Egypt. Found inside a papyrus codex written in Coptic (ancient Egyptian language) and bound in leather, the document dates to the 2nd or 3rd century CE The manuscript, which was finally translated in 2006, is said to be a translation from an earlier Greek text and presents the story of Jesus' crucifixion from Judas' perspective. Unlike the canonical gospels, the Gospel of Judas portrays Judas Iscariot as a loyal and devoted disciple of Jesus, who 'sold out' his master only on Jesus' own instructions, in order to fulfill God's plan.
According to this gospel, Jesus took Judas aside during Passover and revealed to him secret information about God and creation (the 'true gospel'), believing him to be the most important of all his disciples and calling him to devise a plan that would result in his death.
Jesus instructs Judas to surrender to the authorities to help him free his immortal spiritual self from his mortal, material body. Judas does as Christ asks, but later shows remorse and anguish for this action, seeing a vision of Jesus' other disciples persecuting and stoning him.
DENIM FOREVER
Whether Judas was simply a poor soul, destined to reluctantly betray his friend, a changed-hearted unbeliever, a victim of the devil's corruption, or a manipulative deceiver infected with greed, there is no doubt that he remains one of history's greatest traitors - a title he may or may not deserve. His fatal kiss - an act usually signifying loyalty and love - led to the brutal death of Christ, and the term 'Judas kiss' has been immortalized as a phrase used to denote a gesture of friendship that masks a treacherous act.
*This article was published by Bota.al and reposted by Tiranapost.al
