| Judas Iscariot (died April, AD 29–33, Hebrew יהודה
איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh
ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ) was, according to the New
Testament, one of twelve original apostles of Jesus, and the one who ultimately betrayed him.
Traditional Christian views
Judas is mentioned only in the Gospels and at the beginning of Acts. According to the account given in the Gospels, he carried the
disciples' money box and betrayed Jesus for a bribe of "thirty pieces of silver" by pointing him out to arresting Roman soldiers. The "pieces of silver" were most likely silver
Tyrian shekels, the only coins accepted at the
Temple of Jerusalem.
Judas Iscariot, son of Simon Iscariot, should not be confused with Jude
Thaddeus (St Jude), who was also one of the twelve disciples and a brother of James the Less.
After Jesus' arrest by the Roman authorities (but before his execution), the guilt-ridden Judas returned the bribe to the
priests and committed suicide. The Gospel of Matthew says he hanged himself; the Acts of the Apostles (1:18), however, says that he "purchased a
field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out". This field is called Akel Dama or "Field Of Blood."
Acts 1 goes on to say that his place among the apostles was filled by Matthias.
Theological questions
Judas has been a figure of great interest to esoteric groups, such as many Gnostic
sects, because of the apparent contradiction in the idea of "the betrayal of God". The
possibilities seem to be these:
- Jesus did not foresee the betrayal by Judas.
- He was unable to prevent it.
- He allowed Judas to betray him.
- Judas was an informed accomplice in Jesus's planned destiny.
Irenaeus records the beliefs of one Gnostic sect, the Cainites, who believed
that Judas was an instrument of the Sophia, thus earning the hatred of the Demiurge. His betrayal of Jesus thus was a victory over the carnal world. The Cainites
later split into two groups, both praising Judas over Jesus Christ, but disagreeing over the significance of Jesus in their
cosmology.
The text of the Gospels suggests that Jesus both foresaw and allowed Judas' betrayal.
Philosophical questions
Judas is also the subject of many philosophical writings, including The Problem of
Natural Evil by Bertrand Russell and Three Versions of
Judas, a short story by Jorge Luis Borges. They both
allege various problematic ideological contradictions with the discrepancy between Judas' actions and his eternal punishment.
- If Jesus foresees Judas' betrayal then Judas has no free will, and cannot
avoid betraying Jesus
- If Judas can not control his betrayal of Jesus, then his punishment and portrayal as a traitor in western culture is
undeserved
- If Judas is sent to Hell for his betrayal, and his betrayal was a necessary step in the
humanity-saving death of Jesus Christ, then Judas is being punished for saving humanity
- If Jesus only suffered while dying on the cross, and then ascended into Heaven,
while Judas must suffer for eternity in Hell,
then Judas has suffered much more for the sins of humanity than Jesus, and his role in the Atonement is that much more significant
The Bible also states that on the cross Christ forgave those that had contributed to his death, saying that they "know not
what they do." However Judas seems to have not been included in this pardon.
Modern interpretations
Most modern Christians, whether laity, clergy or theologians, still consider Judas a traitor. Indeed the term Judas has
entered the language as a synonym for betrayer. However, some scholars have embraced the alternative notion that Judas was merely
the negotiator in a prearranged prisoner exchange (following the money-lender riot in the Temple) that gave Jesus to the Roman
authorities by mutual agreement, and that Judas' later protrayal as "traitor" was a historical distortion. In his book
The Passover Plot, the British theologian Hugh J. Schonfield argued
that the crucifixion of Christ was a conscious re-enactment of Biblical prophecy
and Judas acted with Jesus' full knowledge and consent in "betraying" his master to the authorities. Schonfield's hypothesis
recognizes the fulfillment of prophecy in Judas' recorded actions without acknowledging that the prophecies were really fulfilled
in history. This interpretation became well known in the general population by the controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ.
Etymology of "Judas Iscariot"
In the Greek of the New Testament, Judas Iscariot is called Ιουδας
Ισκαριωθ (Ioudas Iskariôth) and
Ισκαριωτης (Iskariôtês).
"Judas" is the Greek form of the common name Judah (יהודה, Yehûdâh, Hebrew for "praised"). What
"Iscariot" signifies is unclear, other than its Greek suffix -otes, like English "-ite" or "-ian". No territory "Iscaria"
has ever existed. There are two major theories on the meaning of this name, each of which must satisfy certain expectations in
order to be credible:
text to come
One etymology (accepted by the majority) derives "Iscariot" from Hebrew איש־קריות, Κ–Qrîyôth, that
is "man of Kerioth", the Judean town (or, more probably, collection of small towns) of
Kerioth, not otherwise related to any person or event in the New Testament, nor mentioned in any document of the period. As
Aramaic was the main language of the time, and all other biblical
characters have Aramaic surnames and nicknames, this Hebrew Judaean name would have marked out Judas as different from the
Galilean disciples.
In the other, 'Iscariot' is considered to be a transformation of the Latin Sicarius, or "dagger-man", one of a cadre of
assassins among Jewish rebels intent on driving the Romans out of Judea. A more complete description of them is at Sicarii. It is possible then, that this Latin name might have beeen transformed by Aramaic
into a form more closely resembling 'Iscariot'. Whether Judas actually was a sicariote or even a sympathizer will
never be known. The term may have simply been used pejoratively.
Because of Judas' role in betraying Jesus Christ, Judas - which was a common name during the time of Christ - has almost
entirely fallen out of use as a name among Christians, though its Hebrew equivalent Yehuda remains common among Jews, and the
etymologically equivalent name Jude is not unknown among Christians.
Judas in hymnography
In the Eastern Orthodox hymns of Holy Wednesday (the Wednesday before Pascha), Judas is contrasted with the prostitute who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume and washed his
feet with her tears. According to the Gospels, Judas protested at this apparent extravagance, suggesting that the money spent on
it should have been given to the poor, though his real concern was that he had not been able to embezzle it. 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 the prostitute'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 Eucharist also
make mention of Judas' 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 and Anti-Semitism
Some scholars of the New Testament suggest that the name "Judas" was intended as an attack on the Judaeans or on the Judaean
religious establishment held responsible for executing Christ. The English word "Jew" is
derived from the Latin Judaeus, which, like the Greek Ιουδαιος (Ioudaios), could also mean "Judaean".
In the Gospel of John, the original writer or a later editor may have
tried to draw a parallel between Judas, Judaea, and the Judaeans (or Jews) in verses 6:70-7:1, which run like this in the
King James Bible:
- 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 6:71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the
son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for
he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
In Greek, the earliest extant language of the Gospels, the words Judas --
Jewry -- Jews run like this: Ιουδας (Ioudas) --
Ιουδαια (Ioudaia) -- Ιουδαιοι
(Ioudaioi). In Latin, the language of the Catholic Vulgate Bible, they run
Judas -- Judaea -- Judaei. Whatever the original intentions of the original writers or editors of the Gospel
of John, however, there is little doubt that the similarity between the name "Judas" and the words for "Jew" in various European
languages has contributed powerfully to anti-Semitism. In German the same words run Judas -- Judäa -- Jud; in
Spanish Judas -- Judea -- judío; and in
French Judas -- Judée -- juif.
Over time Judas came to be seen as the archtypal jew. He was said to have red hair, which was proverbially called
"Judas-colored", and the ancient stereotype of Jews was that they had red hair
too: in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice the Jewish money-lender Shylock is said to have been portrayed with red hair on the Elizabethan stage. Judas's betrayal of Christ for money was also seen as a typical piece of Jewish venality and
avarice.
A few modern critics of European culture aver that in paintings and art of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, while the other
apostles are portrayed as powerfully built Northern Europeans, Judas was given stereotypically Jewish characteristics. Specific
examples of such portrayals in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, however, are hard to come by.
A more modern example, however, can be found in John Fiester's monument clock, the Apostolic Clock. Judas is half the height
of the other eleven apostles, hunched over, and possesses an exaggerated nose. The notes provided at the Hershey Museum, where it
is on display, claims the artist made Judas shorter because he considered him to be less of a man than the other apostles, not
because of anti-Semitism.
Judas in art and literature
Judas has become the archetype of the betrayer in Western culture. In Dante's Inferno, he is condemned to
the lowest circle of Hell, where he is one of three sinners deemed evil enough that they
are doomed to be chewed for eternity in the mouths of the triple-headed Satan. (The
others are Brutus and Cassius, who conspired against and assassinated Julius
Caesar.)
Jorge Luis Borges' short story Three Versions of
Judas gives several interpretations of Judas' story, one of which concludes that Judas is the true savior of
humanity.
Some modern works such as Jesus Christ
Superstar, The Greatest Story Ever
Told and The Last Temptation of
Christ also highlight the role of Judas in the Gospel story.
Bob Dylan's song "With God on Our Side", contains the following lines that
refer to Judas Iscariot:
- In a many dark hour
- I've been thinkin' about this
- That Jesus Christ
- Was betrayed by a kiss
- But I can't think for you
- You'll have to decide
- Whether Judas Iscariot
- Had God on his side.
The Smashing Pumpkins B-side collection album Pisces Iscariot derives its title from Judas Iscariot.
Rick Wakeman's album Criminal Record includes a 10
minute epic cut called Judas Iscariot.
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