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| {{about|the biblical figure|the band|Judas Iscariot (band)}} | |||
| {{redirect|Judas}} | |||
| ], painting by ], late 19th century]] | |||
| '''Judas Iscariot''' was, according to the ], one of ] original ]s of ], and son of Simon Iscariot. He is known for the ] to the ] for ].<ref>{{Bibleverse||Matthew|26:14|16}}, {{Bibleverse||Matthew|26:47|56}}, {{Bibleverse||Mark|14:10|11}}, {{Bibleverse||Mark|14:42|52}}, {{Bibleverse||Luke|22:1|5}}, {{Bibleverse||Luke|22:47|53}}, {{Bibleverse||John|13:18|30}}, {{Bibleverse||John|18:1|11}}</ref> His name is often invoked to accuse someone of betrayal. He is sometimes confused with ]. | |||
| Though there are varied accounts of his death, the traditional version sees him as having hanged himself following the betrayal. His place among the ] was later filled by ]. | |||
| Despite his notorious role in the ] narratives, Judas remains a controversial figure in Christian history. Judas' betrayal, for instance, is seen as setting in motion the events that led to Jesus' ] and ], which, according to traditional ], brought ] to humanity. ] texts – rejected by the mainstream Church as heretical – praise Judas for his role in triggering humanity's salvation, and view Judas as the best of the apostles.<ref>See ]</ref> | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| In the ] ], Judas is called Ιούδας Ισκάριωθ and Ισκαριώτης. "Judas" (spelled "Ioudas" in ancient Greek and "Iudas" in Latin, pronounced ''yudas'' in both) is the Greek form of the common name ] (יהודה, Y<sup>e</sup>hûdâh, Hebrew for "God is praised"). The Greek spelling underlies other names in the New Testament that are traditionally rendered differently in English: ] and ]. | |||
| The significance of "Iscariot" is uncertain. There are several major theories on etymology: | |||
| *One popular explanation derives ''Iscariot'' from ] איש־קריות, ''Κ-Qrîyôth'', or "man of ]". The Gospel of John refers to Judas as "son of Simon Iscariot" (although some translations only refer to him as "''the son'' of Simon" (Jn 6:71, Jn 13:26, King James Version)),<ref>{{bibleverse||John|6:71}} and {{bibleverse||John|13:26}}</ref> implying it was not Judas, but his father, who came from there.<ref>Richard Bauckham, ''Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony'', Eerdmans (2006), p. 106.</ref> Some speculate that ''Kerioth'' refers to a region in ], but it is also the name of two known Judean towns.<ref>.</ref> | |||
| *A second theory is that "Iscariot" identifies Judas as a member of the '']''.<ref>Bastiaan van Iersel, ''Mark: A Reader-Response Commentary'', Continuum International (1998), p. 167.</ref> These were a cadre of ] among Jewish rebels intent on driving the Romans out of Judea. However, some historians maintain the ''sicarii'' arose in the 40s or 50s of the 1st century, in which case Judas could not have been a member.<ref>Brown, Raymond E. (1994). ''The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the Grave: A Commentary on the Passion Narratives in the Four Gospels v.1 ''pp. 688–92. New York: Doubleday/The Anchor Bible Reference Library. ISBN 0-385-49448-3; Meier, John P. ] (2001). v. 3, p. 210. New York: Doubleday/The Anchor Bible Reference Library. ISBN 0-385-46993-4.</ref> | |||
| *A third possibility advanced by Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg is that Iscariot means "the liar" or "the false one," perhaps from the Hebrew אִשְׁקַרְיָא.<ref name="search.ebscohost.com">Joan E. Taylor, "The name 'Iskarioth' (Iscariot)," pages 367–383 in '']'' 129 no 2 (Sum 2010), 369. Online: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001790392&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 2011-03-12.</ref> | |||
| *Fourth, some have proposed that the word derives from an Aramaic word meaning "red color," from the root סקר.<ref name="search.ebscohost.com"/> | |||
| *Fifth, the word derives from one of the Aramaic roots סכר or סגר. This would mean "to deliver," based on the LXX rendering of Isaiah 19:4a—a theory advanced by J. Alfred Morin.<ref>Joan E. Taylor, "The name 'Iskarioth' (Iscariot)," pages 367–383 in '']'' 129 no 2 (Sum 2010), 370. Online: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001790392&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 2011-03-12.</ref> | |||
| *Finally, the epithet could be associated with the manner of Judas' death, i.e., hanging. This would mean Iscariot derives from a kind of Greek-Aramaic hybrid: אִסְכַּרְיוּתָא, ''Iskarioutha'', "chokiness" or "constriction." This might indicate that the epithet was applied posthumously by the remaining disciples, but Joan E. Taylor has argued that it was a descriptive name given to Judas by Jesus, since other disciples such as Simon Peter/Cephas (''Kephas'' = "rock") were also given such names.<ref>Joan E. Taylor, "The name 'Iskarioth' (Iscariot)," pages 367–383 in '']'' 129 no 2 (Sum 2010), 379–383. Online: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001790392&site=ehost-live&scope=site. Accessed 211-03-12.</ref> | |||
| ==Role as an apostle== | |||
| ] | |||
| Judas is mentioned in the ], the ] and at the beginning of ]. Judas was a common name in New Testament times. Judas Iscariot should not be confused with ] (Saint Thomas the Apostle), or with ] who was also one of the Twelve Apostles. | |||
| The Gospels of ], ] and ] state that Jesus sent out 'the twelve' (including Judas) with power over unclean spirits and with a ministry of preaching and healing: Judas clearly played an active part in this apostolic ministry alongside the other eleven.<ref>See Matthew 10:5-10; Mark 6:6; and Luke 9:1</ref> ], in his Commentary on John's Gospel, reflected on Judas' interactions with the other apostles and Jesus' confidence in him prior to his betrayal.<ref>see Samuel Laeuchli, Origen's Interpretation of Judas Iscariot, Church History, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Dec., 1953), pp. 253-268, available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/3161779), accessed 6 April 2015.</ref> However, in John's Gospel, Judas' outlook was differentiated - many of Jesus' disciples abandoned him because of the difficulty of accepting his teachings, and Jesus asked the twelve if they would also leave him. ] spoke for the twelve: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life", but Jesus observed then that although Judas was one of the twelve whom he had chosen, he was 'a devil'.<ref>John 6:67-71</ref> | |||
| Mark's Gospel states that the chief priests were looking for a sly way to ]. They decided not to do so during the feast ]], since they were afraid that people would riot;<ref>Mark 14:1-2</ref> instead, they chose the night before the feast to arrest him. According to Luke's account, ] Judas at this time.<ref name="Luke" /> | |||
| According to the account in the Gospel of John, Judas carried the disciples' money bag.<ref>{{bibleverse||John|12:6|131}}</ref> He betrayed Jesus for a bribe of "]"<ref>These "pieces of silver" were most likely intended to be understood as silver ].</ref><ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|26:14|131}}</ref> by identifying him with a kiss — "the ]" — to arresting soldiers of the High Priest ], who then turned Jesus over to ]'s soldiers. | |||
| ==Death of Judas in Biblical accounts== | |||
| ] | |||
| There are several different accounts of the death of Judas, including two in the modern ]: | |||
| *]–] says that Judas returned the money to the ]s and committed ] by hanging himself. They used it to buy ]. The Gospel account presents this as a fulfillment of prophecy.<ref>{{Bibleref2|Matthew|27:9–10|NASB}}</ref> | |||
| *The ] says that Judas used the money to buy a field, but fell headfirst, and ''burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out''. This field is called ] or ''Field of Blood''.<ref>.</ref><ref>Perseus Project: καὶ γενόμενος , καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ</ref> | |||
| *The non-canonical '']'' says Judas had a vision of the disciples stoning and persecuting him.<ref>.</ref> | |||
| *Another account was preserved by the early Christian leader, ]: "Judas walked about in this world a sad example of impiety; for his body having swollen to such an extent that he could not pass where a chariot could pass easily, he was crushed by the chariot, so that his bowels gushed out."<ref>.</ref> | |||
| The existence of conflicting accounts of the death of Judas has caused problems for ]s who have seen them as threatening the reliability of Scripture.<ref name="Arie W. Zwiep page 109" /> This problem was one of the points causing ], for example, to reject the view "that every statement in Scripture must be historical truth".<ref>letter to Clyde S. Kilby, 7 May 1959, quoted in Michael J. Christensen, ''C. S. Lewis on Scripture'', Abingdon, 1979, Appendix A.</ref> | |||
| Various attempts at ] have been suggested. Generally they have followed literal interpretations such as that of ], which suggest that these simply describe different aspects of the same event – that Judas hanged himself in the field, and the rope eventually snapped and the fall burst his body open.<ref name="Arie W. Zwiep page 109"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christnotes.org/dictionary.php?dict=ebd&q=Judas|title=Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Judas|publisher=christnotes.org|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> or that the accounts of Acts and Matthew refer to two different transactions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.levendwater.org/companion/append161.html|title=The purchase of "the potter's field", Appendix 161 of the Companion Bible|accessdate=2008-02-15}}</ref> | |||
| Some have taken the descriptions as figurative: that the "falling prostrate" was Judas in anguish,<ref>''The Monthly Christian Spectator'' 1851–1859 p.459 "while some writers regard the account of Judas' death as simply figurative ..seized with preternatural anguish for his crime and its consequences his bowels gushed out."</ref> and the "bursting out of the bowels" is pouring out emotion.<ref>Clarence Jordan ''The Substance of Faith: and Other Cotton Patch Sermons'' p.148 "Greeks thought of the bowels as being the seat of the emotions, the home of the soul. It's like saying that all of Judas' motions burst out, burst asunder"</ref> | |||
| Modern scholars tend to reject these approaches<ref>Raymond E. Brown, ''An Introduction to the New Testament'', p. 114.</ref><ref>Charles Talbert, ''Reading Acts: A Literary and Theological Commentary'', Smyth & Helwys (2005) p. 15.</ref><ref>Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary, Eerdmans (2004), p. 703.</ref> stating that the Matthew account is a ] exposition that allows the author to present the event as a fulfillment of prophetic passages from the Old Testament. They argue that the author adds imaginative details such as the thirty pieces of silver, and the fact that Judas hangs himself, to an earlier tradition about Judas' death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://academic.shu.edu/btb/vol35/06Reed.pdf|title="Saving Judas"—A social Scientific Approach to Judas’s Suicide in Matthew 27:3–10|author=Reed, David A.|publisher=Biblical Theology Bulletin|year=2005|accessdate=2007-06-26|format=PDF |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070629151614/http://academic.shu.edu/btb/vol35/06Reed.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2007-06-29}}</ref> | |||
| Matthew's description of the death as fulfilment of a prophecy "spoken through Jeremiah the prophet" has caused difficulties, since it does not clearly correspond to any known version of the ] but does appear to refer to a story from the ]<ref>{{Bibleref2|Zechariah|11:12–13|NASB|Zechariah 11:12–13}}</ref> which describes the return of a payment of ].<ref>Vincent P. Branick, ''Understanding the New Testament and Its Message'', (Paulist Press, 1998), pp. 126–128.</ref> Even writers such as ] and ] concluded that this was obviously an error.<ref>Frederick Dale Bruner, ''Matthew: A Commentary'' (Eerdmans, 2004), p. 710; Jerome, ''Epistolae'' 57.7: "This passage is not found in Jeremiah but in Zechariah, in quite different words and a different order" ; John Calvin, ''Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke'', 3:177: "The passage itself plainly shows that the name of Jeremiah has been put down by mistake, instead of Zechariah, for in Jeremiah we find nothing of this sort, nor any thing that even approaches to it." .</ref> | |||
| More recently, scholars have suggested that the Gospel writer may also have had a passage from Jeremiah in mind,<ref>Donald Senior, ''The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew'' (Liturgical Press, 1985), pp. 107–108; Anthony Cane, ''The Place of Judas Iscariot in Christology'' (Ashgate Publishing, 2005), p. 50.</ref> such as chapters {{bibleref2|Jeremiah|18:1–4|NASB|18:1–4}} and {{bibleref2|Jeremiah|19:1–13|NASB|19:1–13}} which refers to a potter's jar and a burial place, and chapter {{bibleref2|Jeremiah|32:6–15|NASB|32:6–15}} which refers to a burial place and an earthenware jar.<ref>See also Maarten JJ Menken, , '']'' '''83''' (2002): 9–10.</ref> ] suggested, "the most plausible is that Matthew 27:9–10 is presenting a mixed citation with words taken both from Zechariah and Jeremiah, and ...he refers to that combination by one name. Jeremiah 18–9 concerns a potter (18:2–; 19:1), a purchase (19:1), the Valley of Hinnom (where the Field of Blood is traditionally located, 19:2), ‘innocent blood’(19:4), and the renaming of a place for burial (19:6, 11); and Jer 32:6–5 tells of the purchase of a field with silver."<ref name="Brown, The Death of the Messiah">{{cite book|last=Brown|first=Raymond|title=The Death of the Messiah, From Gethsemane to the Grave, Volume 1: A Commentary on the Passion Narratives in the Four Gospels|date=December 1, 1998|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0300140096|pages=912}}</ref> ] gives this as an example of the 'fictional and imaginative' use by early Christians of the Old Testament: "Matthew's source has blended Jeremiah's buying of a field and placing the deed in a pot with Zechariah's casting of thirty pieces of silver down in the temple and the purchase of the Potter's Field. The story of Judas's actions after the betrayal is one of the most revealing examples of the early Christians' fictional and imaginative use of the Old Testament as a book about Jesus."<ref>p116 of chapter vi, ' The Passion Narrative ' from " Gospel fictions " by Randel Helms, published 1988 by Prometheus Books</ref> | |||
| ==Theology== | |||
| ===Betrayal of Jesus=== | |||
| ] | |||
| There are several explanations as to why Judas betrayed Jesus.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels|author=Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshall|year=1992|page=406|isbn=978-0-8308-1777-1|publisher=InterVarsity Press}}</ref> In the earliest account, in the Gospel of Mark, when he goes to the chief priests to betray Jesus, he is offered money as a reward, but it is not clear that money is his motivation.<ref>({{bibleverse||Mark|14:10–11|niv}})</ref> In the Gospel of Matthew account, on the other hand, he asks what they will pay him for handing Jesus over.<ref>({{bibleverse||Matthew|26:14–16|niv}})</ref> In the Gospel of Luke<ref>{{bibleverse||Luke|22:3–6|niv}}</ref> and the Gospel of John,<ref>{{bibleverse||John|13:27|niv}}</ref> ] 'enters into' Judas, causing him to offer to betray Jesus. The Gospel of John account has Judas complaining that money has been spent on expensive perfumes to anoint Jesus which could have been spent on the poor, but adds that he was the keeper of the apostles' purse and used to steal from it.<ref>{{bibleverse||John|12:1–6|niv}}</ref> | |||
| One suggestion has been that Judas expected Jesus to overthrow Roman rule of Israel. In this view, Judas is a disillusioned disciple betraying Jesus not so much because he loved money, but because he loved his country and thought Jesus had failed it.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels|author=Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshall|year=1992|page=407|isbn=978-0-8308-1777-1|publisher=InterVarsity Press}}</ref> Another is that Jesus was causing unrest likely to increase tensions with the Roman authorities and they thought he should be restrained until after the Passover, when everyone had gone back home and the commotion had died down.<ref>Dimont, Jews, God & History at 135 (New York: North American Library, 2d ed. 1962).</ref> | |||
| The Gospels suggest that Jesus foresaw ({{bibleverse||John|6:64|niv}}, {{bibleverse||Matthew|26:25|niv}}) and allowed Judas' betrayal ({{bibleverse||John|13:27–28|niv}}).<ref name="books.google.ca">{{cite book|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=yUmI4US6rOUC&pg=PA7 |title=Judas and the choice of Matthias: a study on context and concern of Acts 1:15–26, Arie W. Zwiep |publisher=Books.google.ca |date= |accessdate=2011-02-08}}</ref> One explanation is that Jesus allowed the betrayal because it would allow God's plan to be fulfilled. Another is that regardless of the betrayal, Jesus was ultimately destined for crucifixion.<ref>'''' Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, April 2006</ref> In April 2006, a Coptic papyrus manuscript titled the ] from 200 AD was translated, suggesting that Jesus told Judas to betray him,<ref name="foxnews.com">Associated Press, Fox News Thursday, 6 April 2006.</ref> although some scholars question the translation.<ref name="erudit.org">], "." ''Laval théologique et philosophique'' 63 (2007): 377–83.</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=April D. |last=Deconick |title=Gospel Truth |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/01deconink.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |work=New York Times |date=December 1, 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-01 }}</ref> | |||
| Judas is the subject of philosophical writings, including '']'' by ] and "]", a short story by ]. They allege various problematic ideological contradictions with the discrepancy between Judas' actions and his eternal punishment. Bruce Reichenbach argues that if Jesus foresees Judas' betrayal, then the betrayal is not an act of ],<ref>{{cite book |title=Predestination & free will: four views of divine sovereignty & human freedom |author=John S. Feinberg, David Basinger |year=2001 |page=91 |isbn=978-0-8254-3489-1|publisher=Kregel Publications}}</ref> and therefore should not be punishable. Conversely, it is argued that just because the betrayal was foretold, it does not prevent Judas from exercising his own free will in this matter.<ref>{{cite book |title=Exploring the gospel of John: an expository commentary |author=John Phillips |year=1986 |page=254 |isbn=978-0-87784-567-6 |publisher=InterVarsity Press}}</ref> Other scholars argue that Judas acted in obedience to God's will.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=QRP1wF2b2V8C&pg=PA407 |title=Authenticating the activities of Jesus, Bruce Chilton, Craig A. Evans |publisher=Books.google.ca |date= |accessdate=2011-02-08}}</ref> The gospels suggest that Judas is apparently bound up with the fulfillment of God's purposes ({{bibleverse||John|13:18|niv}}, {{bibleverse||John|17:12|niv}}, {{bibleverse||Matthew|26:23–25|niv}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|22:21–22|niv}}, {{bibleverse||Matt|27:9–10|niv}}, {{bibleverse||Acts|1:16|niv}}, {{bibleverse||Acts|1:20|niv}}),<ref name="books.google.ca"/> yet ''woe is upon him'', and he would ''have been better unborn'' ({{bibleverse||Matthew|26:23–25|niv}}). The difficulty inherent in the saying is its paradoxicality: if Judas had not been born, the Son of Man would apparently no longer do "''as it is written of him''." The consequence of this apologetic approach is that Judas' actions come to be seen as necessary and unavoidable, yet leading to condemnation.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=P2hx1FCnNEYC&pg=PA33 |title=The place of Judas Iscariot in christology, Anthony Cane |publisher=Books.google.ca |date= |accessdate=2011-02-08}}</ref> | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ] believed that Judas was free to change his intention, but ] argued in rebuttal that Judas' will was immutable. ] states that Judas was predestined to damnation, but writes on the question of Judas' guilt: "''surely in Judas' betrayal, it will be no more right, because God himself willed that his son be delivered up and delivered him up to death, to ascribe the guilt of the crime to God than to transfer the credit for redemption to Judas.''"<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=7R0IGTSvIVIC&pg=PA419 |title=A Dictionary of biblical tradition in English literature, David L. Jeffrey |publisher=Books.google.ca |date= |accessdate=2011-02-08}}</ref> The Catholic Church has no view on his damnation. ] only proclaims individuals' Eternal Salvation through the Canon of Saints. There is no 'Canon of the Damned', nor any official proclamation of the damnation of Judas. | |||
| It is speculated that Judas' damnation, which seems possible from the Gospels' text, may not stem from his betrayal of Christ, but from the despair which caused him to subsequently commit suicide.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=7R0IGTSvIVIC&pg=PA418 |title=A Dictionary of biblical tradition in English literature, David L. Jeffrey |publisher=Books.google.ca |date= |accessdate=2011-02-08}}</ref> This position is not without its problems since Judas was already damned by Jesus even before he committed suicide (see {{bibleverse||John|17:12}}), but it does avoid the paradox of Judas' predestined act setting in motion both the salvation of all mankind and his own damnation. | |||
| ===Modern interpretations=== | |||
| ], Mexico]] | |||
| The betrayal of Jesus by one of his disciples is widely regarded by scholars as authentic, based on the ]: it is considered unlikely that the early church would have invented this tradition, since it appears to reflect badly on Jesus.<ref>Robert H. Stein, "Criteria for the Gospels' Authenticity", in Paul Copan, William Lane Craig, ''Contending with Christianity's Critics: Answering New Atheists & Other Objectors'' (B&H Publishing Group, 2009), page 93; John P. Meier, "Criteria: How Do We Decide What Comes from Jesus?" in James D. G. Dunn, Scot McKnight, ''The Historical Jesus in Recent Research'' (Eisenbrauns, 2005) pages 127–128.</ref> | |||
| In his 1965 book '']'', British New Testament scholar ] suggested that the crucifixion of Christ was a conscious re-enactment of Biblical ] and that Judas acted with the full knowledge and consent of Jesus in "betraying" him to the authorities. The book has been variously described as 'factually groundless',<ref>], ''Can We Trust the New Testament?'' cited in Gary R. Habermas, ''The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ'' (College Press, 1996) page 71.</ref> based on 'little data' and 'wild suppositions',<ref>], ''The Easter Moment'' (HarperCollins, 2010) page 150.</ref> 'disturbing' and 'tawdry'.<ref>], ''Judas: A Biography'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 2009) page 298–299 (referring to several books, including this one).</ref> | |||
| ], though suggesting that the betrayal is "about as historically certain as anything else in the tradition", argues that what was betrayed was not the whereabouts of Jesus, but his private teachings.<ref>Bart Ehrman, ''Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium'' (Oxford University Press, 1999) pages 216–7.</ref> | |||
| In his book ''The Sins of Scripture'', ] says that "the whole story of Judas has the feeling of being contrived".<ref name="Spong">John Shelby Spong, ''The Sins of Scripture'' (HarperCollins, 2009)</ref> He writes: "the act of betrayal by a member of the twelve disciples is not found in the earliest Christian writings. Judas is first placed into the Christian story by the ] (), who wrote in the early years of the eighth decade of the Common Era."<ref name="Spong" /> He points out that some of the Gospels, after the Crucifixion, refer to the number of Disciples as "Twelve", as if Judas were still among them. Comparing the three conflicting descriptions of Judas's death — hanging, leaping into a pit, and disemboweling — with three Old Testament betrayals followed by similar suicides, he suggests that these were the real source of the story. | |||
| Spong's conclusion is that early ], after the ], sought to distance themselves from ]'s enemies. They augmented the ] with a story of a disciple, personified in Judas as the Jewish state, who either betrayed or handed over Jesus to his Roman crucifiers. Spong identifies this augmentation with the origin of modern ]. | |||
| Jewish scholar ] suggests that in the New Testament, the name "Judas" was constructed as an attack on the Judaeans or on the Judaean religious establishment held responsible for executing Jesus.<ref>Hyam Maccoby, ''Antisemitism And Modernity'', Routledge 2006, p. 14.</ref> | |||
| ==Role in apocrypha== | |||
| Judas has been a figure of great interest to esoteric groups, such as many ] sects. ] records the beliefs of one Gnostic sect, the ]s, who believed that Judas was an instrument of the ], Divine Wisdom, thus earning the hatred of the ]. His betrayal of Jesus thus was a victory over the materialist world. The Cainites later split into two groups, disagreeing over the ultimate significance of Jesus in their cosmology. | |||
| ===Gospel of Judas=== | |||
| {{Main|Gospel of Judas}} | |||
| During the 1970s, a ] ] ] (book) was discovered near Beni Masah, ] which appeared to be a 3rd- or 4th-century-AD copy of a 2nd-century original,<ref>'''' at ''National Geographic''</ref><ref>'' BBC News, 7 May 2006 (following ''National Geographic'' publication)</ref> describing the story of ]'s death from the viewpoint of Judas. At its conclusion, the text identifies itself as "the Gospel of Judas" (''Euangelion Ioudas''). | |||
| The discovery was given dramatic international exposure in April 2006 when the US '']'' magazine (for its May edition) published a feature article entitled ''The Gospel of Judas'' with images of the fragile codex and analytical commentary by relevant experts and interested observers (but not a comprehensive translation). The article's introduction stated: "An ancient text lost for 1,700 years says Christ's betrayer was his truest disciple".<ref>Cockburn A '''' ''National Geographic'' (USA) May 2006</ref> The article points to some evidence that the original document was extant in the 2nd century: "Around A.D. 180, ], Bishop of Lyon in what was then Roman Gaul, wrote a massive treatise called '']'' a 'fictitious history,' which 'they style the Gospel of Judas.'"<ref>Cockburn A </ref> | |||
| Before the magazine's edition was circulated, other news media gave exposure to the story, abridging and selectively reporting it.<ref name="foxnews.com"/> | |||
| In December 2007, a '']'' ] article by ] asserted that the ]{{'}}s translation is badly flawed: For example, in one instance the ''National Geographic'' transcription refers to Judas as a "daimon", which the society’s experts have translated as "spirit". However, the universally accepted word for "spirit" is "pneuma" — in Gnostic literature "daimon" is always taken to mean "demon".<ref>Deconick A D '''' ''New York Times'' 1 December 2007</ref> The National Geographic Society responded that "Virtually all issues April D. DeConick raises about translation choices are addressed in footnotes in both the popular and critical editions".<ref>''''</ref> In a later review of the issues and relevant publications, critic ] questioned whether ulterior intentions had not begun to supersede historical analysis, e.g., whether publication of ''The Gospel of Judas'' could be an attempt to roll back ancient anti-semitic imputations. She concluded that the ongoing clash between scriptural fundamentalism and attempts at revision were childish because of the unreliability of the sources. Therefore, she argued, "People interpret, and cheat. The answer is not to fix the Bible but to fix ourselves."<ref>Acocella J '''' ''The New Yorker'' 3 August 2009</ref> Other scholars have questioned the initial translation and interpretation of the ''Gospel of Judas'' by the National Geographic team of experts.<ref name="erudit.org"/> | |||
| ===Gospel of Barnabas=== | |||
| {{Main|Gospel of Barnabas}} | |||
| According to ] copies (the earliest copies from the 15th century) of the ] it was Judas, not Jesus, who was crucified on the cross. This work states that Judas's appearance was transformed to that of Jesus', when the former, out of betrayal, led the Roman soldiers to arrest Jesus who by then was ascended to the heavens. This transformation of appearance was so identical that the masses, followers of Christ, and even the Mother of Jesus, Mary, initially thought that the one arrested and crucified was Jesus himself. The gospel then mentions that after three days since burial, Judas's body was stolen from his grave, and then the rumors spread of Jesus being risen from the dead. When Jesus was informed in the third heaven about what happened, he prayed to God to be sent back to the earth, and descended and gathered his mother, disciples, and followers, and told them the truth of what happened. He then ascended back to the heavens, and will come back at the end of times as a just king. | |||
| This Gospel is considered by the majority of Christians to be late and pseudepigraphical; however, some academics suggest that it may contain some remnants of an earlier apocryphal work (perhaps Gnostic, Ebionite or ]ic), redacted to bring it more in line with Islamic doctrine. Some Muslims consider the surviving versions as transmitting a suppressed apostolic original. Some Islamic organizations cite it in support of the Islamic view of Jesus. | |||
| ==Representations and symbolism== | |||
| ] in a Spanish '']'' figure.]] | |||
| The term ''Judas'' has entered many languages as a synonym for ''betrayer'', and Judas has become the archetype of the traitor in Western art and literature. Judas is given some role in virtually all literature telling the ] story, and appears in a number of modern novels and movies. | |||
| In the ] hymns of ] (the Wednesday before ]), Judas is contrasted with the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive ] and washed his feet with her tears. According to the ], Judas protested at this apparent extravagance, suggesting that the money spent on it should have been given to the poor. After this, Judas went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus for money. The hymns of Holy Wednesday contrast these two figures, encouraging believers to avoid the example of the fallen disciple and instead to imitate Mary's example of repentance. Also, Wednesday is observed as a day of fasting from meat, dairy products, and olive oil throughout the year in memory of the betrayal of Judas. The prayers of preparation for receiving the ] also make mention of Judas's betrayal: "I will not reveal your mysteries to your enemies, neither like Judas will I betray you with a kiss, but like the thief on the cross I will confess you." | |||
| Judas Iscariot is often represented with ] in ]<ref name="DRAE"> ("Judas hair") in the '']''.</ref><ref name="Eclectic"> of article ''Red Hair'' from '']'', July 1851. '']'', Volumen 2; Volumen 23, ], 1851.</ref><ref name="Blanco"> of '']'', ], ], 1825.</ref> | |||
| and by ].<ref name="Blanco"/><ref name="Glossary"> in page 473 of ''A glossary: or, Collection of words, phrases, names, and allusions to customs, proverbs, etc., which have been thought to require illustration, in the words of English authors, particularly ], and his contemporaries,'' Volumen 1. ], ], ]. ], 1859</ref> The practice is comparable to the ] portrayal of Jews with red hair, which was then regarded as a negative trait and which may have been used to correlate Judas Iscariot with contemporary Jews.<ref>''Judas's Red Hair and The Jews'', ''Journal of Jewish Art (9)'', 1982, Melinnkoff R.M</ref> | |||
| In paintings depicting the Last Supper, Judas is occasionally depicted with a dark-colored halo (contrasting with the lighter halos of the other apostles) to signify his former status as an apostle. More commonly, however, he is the only one at the table without one. | |||
| ==Art and literature== | |||
| {{refimprove section|date=July 2013}} | |||
| Judas has become the archetype of the betrayer in Western culture, with some role in virtually all literature telling the ] story. | |||
| ]. Judas hangs himself]] | |||
| * Judas is the subject of one of the oldest surviving English ballads, which dates from the 13th century. ], the blame for the betrayal of Christ is placed on his sister.<ref>{{cite jstor|456954}}</ref> | |||
| * In ]'s '']'', Judas is condemned to the lowest circle of ]: the Ninth Circle of Traitors, also known as the frozen lake, ]. He is one of three sinners deemed evil enough to be doomed to an eternity of being chewed in the mouths of the triple-headed ] (the others being ] and ], the assassins of ]). Dante writes that Judas—having committed the ultimate act of treachery by betraying the Son of God Himself—is trapped in the jaws of Satan's central head, said to be the most vicious of the three, by his head, leaving his back to be raked by the fallen angel's claws.<ref></ref> | |||
| * In art, one of the most famous depictions of Judas Iscariot and his kiss of betrayal of Jesus is '']'' by Italian Baroque artist, ], done in 1602.<ref></ref> | |||
| * In ''Memoirs of Judas'' (1867) by ], he is seen as a leader of the Jewish revolt against the rule of Romans.<ref>Baldassare Labanca, ''Gesù Cristo nella letteratura contemporanea, straniera e italiana'', Fratelli Bocca, 1903, p.240</ref> | |||
| * ]'s ], '']'', depicts Judas as wanting to force Jesus to declare his divinity and establish the kingdom on earth.<ref name="notes">{{Citation |author=|editor-last=Adams|editor-first=Byron|title=Edward Elgar and His World|url=http://www.amazon.com/Edward-Elgar-World-Music-Festival/dp/0691134464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330012535&sr=8-1|format=book|year=2007|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-13446-8|pages=140–141}}</ref> | |||
| * In ''Trial of Christ in Seven Stages'' (1909) by ], the author did not accept the idea that Judas intended to betray Christ, and the poem is a defence of Judas, in which he adds his own vision to the biblical account of the story of the trial before the ] and ].<ref name=mag>''], Volume 2, Issues 1–4'' (1890) ], Buffalo, New York </ref> | |||
| * The story "Treasure Trove" by ] relates the rediscovery in modern times of the thirty pieces of silver Judas was paid to betray Christ.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} | |||
| *In ]'s novel '']'', Judas is paid by the high priest of Judaea to testify against Jesus, who had been inciting trouble among the people of Jerusalem. After authorizing the crucifixion, Pilate suffers an agony of regret and turns his anger on Judas, ordering him assassinated. The story-within-a-story appears as a counter-revolutionary novel in the context of Moscow in the 1920s–1930s.<ref>http://rt.com/all-about-russia/literature/mikhail-bulgakov/the-master-and-margarita/how-the-procurator-tried-to-save-judas-of-karioth/</ref> | |||
| * "]" (] title: "Three Versions of Judas") is a short story by Argentine writer and poet ]. It was included in Borges' anthology, '']'', published in 1944, and revolves around the main character's doubts about the canonical story of Judas who instead creates three alternative versions.<ref></ref> | |||
| * The 1970 play, ] and 1973 ] highlighted the political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus, Judas being depicted as a tragic figure dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus was steering his disciples.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} | |||
| * ]'s 1978 novel ''I, Judas'' portrays Judas as a much misunderstood political person who conspires with the Zealots for the sake of Jewish liberation and who is persuaded that an appearance before the Sanhedrin will offer Jesus an opportunity to prove himself.{{citation needed|date=July 2013}} | |||
| * In ]'s 1988 film '']'', based on the novel by ], Judas Iscariot's only motivation in betraying Jesus to the Romans was to help him accomplish his mission by mutual agreement, making Judas the catalyst for the event later interpreted as bringing about humanity's salvation.<ref></ref> | |||
| * In '']'' (2005), a critically acclaimed play by ], Judas is given a trial in Purgatory.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ben Brantley |title=THEATER REVIEW; Judas Gets His Day in Court, but Satan Is on the Witness List |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9B06E0DB133DF930A35750C0A9639C8B63 | publisher=The New York Times |date= 3 March 2005 |accessdate=6 November 2013}}</ref> | |||
| * In ]'s 2006 novel ''My Name Was Judas'', Judas, who was then known as Idas of Sidon, recounts the story of Jesus and recalled by him some forty years later.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/nov/18/featuresreviews.guardianreview27 | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Jenny | last=Diski | title=Review: My Name Was Judas by CK Stead | date=2006-11-17}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{portal|Christianity}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist|2|refs= | |||
| <ref name="Luke"> | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| |url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2022:3&version=31 | |||
| |title=BibleGateway.com – Passage Lookup: Luke 22:3 | |||
| |publisher=] | |||
| |accessdate=2008-06-21}} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| <ref name="Arie W. Zwiep page 109"> | |||
| {{cite book | |||
| |last=Zwiep | |||
| |first=Arie W | |||
| |title=Judas and the choice of Matthias: a study on context and concern of Acts 1:15–26 | |||
| |page=109 | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
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| {{Commons category|Judas Iscariot}} | |||
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| {{Apostles}} | |||
| {{New Testament people}} | |||
| {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | |||
| | NAME = Iscariot, Judas | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Biblical apostle | |||
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| | PLACE OF BIRTH = | |||
| | DATE OF DEATH = | |||
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| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Iscariot, Judas}} | |||
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