Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot (died April AD 29–33, Hebrew יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ) was, according to the New Testament, one of the 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 identifying him with a kiss—the "kiss of Judas"— to arresting Roman soldiers. The "pieces of silver" were most likely intended to be understood as silver Tyrian shekels.

Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, should not be confused with Jude Thomas (or with Jude Thaddeus/Saint Jude), who was also one of the twelve apostles and a brother of James the Less.

"The Kiss of Judas" is a traditional depiction of Judas by Giotto di Bondone, c.1306. Fresco in the Scrovegni Chapel, Padua.

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 hung 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 Akeldama or "Field Of Blood." Acts 1 goes on to describe how his place among the apostles was filled by Saint Matthias.

The act of Judas has been much discussed in context of free will; the mainstream position has been that although Jesus, being divine, knew that Judas would betray him, Judas was still acting in free will and was culpable for his actions. Jesus himself condemned his betrayer heavily in Matthew 26:

When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."

They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"

Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

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, Divine Wisdom, 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 it may be argued that Judas has no free will, and cannot avoid betraying Jesus. If Judas cannot control his betrayal of Jesus, then he is not morally responsible for his actions. The question has been approached by Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae, which differentiates between foreknowledge and predestination, and argues that the omnipotence of the divine is not sufficient grounds for eliminating the existence of free will.
• 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. This goes hand-in-hand with the "free will" argument, and Aquinas's Summa deals with the issue of free will in demons and other beings instrumental in the life of Jesus that are nevertheless damned.
• 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. Standard Christian dogma holds that the suffering of Jesus was infinite, and that the suffering of Jesus was not time-dependent. This position holds throughout orthodox Catholicism and many forms of Protestantism.
• Do Jesus' last words on the cross, "father forgive them, they know not what they do," not apply to Judas? Is his atonement insufficient for Judas' sin(s)?

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 portrayal 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, Y^ehûdâh, Hebrew for "praised"). In English translations of the Bible is also found the name Jude, however there is no such distinction in the original Greek or in the Latin Vulgate translation. King David united the Kingdom of Israel and King Solomon built the First Temple, however the kingdom split into two in 928bce, namely the northern kingdom Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. In 722bce, the Assyrian King Shalmaneser V conquered Israel and renamed it Samerina (Samaria). In 586bce, the Babylonian King Nebuchadrezzar II conquered Judah, destroyed the First Temple, and exiled the "Judeans" to Babylon. Cyrus II of Persia conquered Babylon in 539bce and granted the Judeans the right to return and to rebuild their Temple (Second Temple). For this reason Isaiah 44:25-45:4 proclaimed Cyrus to be the Messiah. Hence, to make a long story short, Judah, Judean, and Jew are almost synonymous. Technically, for the context of the New Testament, Judean is correct, as the Roman Emperor Augustus created Iudaea Province (6-64,73-132ce) in Latin which is generally translated into English as Judea, hence its people were called Judeans.

What "Iscariot" signifies is unclear, other than its Greek suffix -otes, like English "-ite" or "-ian". No territory "Iscaria" has ever existed. A birthplace is sometimes offered at the Karioth that is mentioned only once, in a long list of cities in the time of Joshua (Joshua 15:25), concerning which The Classical Gazeteer tactfully remarked "of uncertain position" [1]. Karioth is not mentioned in any text of the centuries before or after Judas Iscariot. (Compare Cana and Arimathea.)

There are two major theories on the meaning of this name, each of which must satisfy certain expectations in order to be credible:

One etymology, accepted by the majority, and credited to Jerome, 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 second etymology, "Iscariot" is considered to be a transformation of the Latin sicarius, or "dagger-man". The Sicarii were a cadre of assassins among Jewish rebels intent on driving the Romans out of Judea. It is possible then, that this Latin name might have been transformed by Aramaic into a form more closely resembling "Iscariot". But many historians maintain that the sicarii only arose in the 40's or 50's of the 1st century, so Judas could not have been a member. 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). A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus v. 3 p. 210. New York: Doubleday/The Anchor Bible Reference Library. ISBN 0-385-46993-4 (v.3).While Judas may or may not have actually been a sicariote, the term may have been used for him pejoratively. Therefore, if Judas is largely synonymous with Judean and if Iscariot means Sicarius, then Judas Iscariot would mean Judean Assassin.

"Iscariot" could also be derived from the Aramaic sheqarya' or shiqrai, indicating a person who is a fraud; "the false one" would usually be written as ishqaraya. It could also have been derived from the Hebrew sachar. It also has been theorised that Iscariot could mean deliverer, derived from the Hebrew sakar.

But one factor arguing against "Iscariot" deriving from Judas' betrayal of Jesus is the reference in John 6:71 to Judas as "son of Simon the Iscariot." In light of this, Iscariot appears to be a family name, which would make the Kerioth theory more likely.

Because of Judas' role in betraying Jesus Christ, the name Judas—which was common 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 returns the silver coins to the priests.

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. 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 -- Juden; in Spanish Judas -- Judea -- judíos; and in French Judas -- Judée -- juifs.

Over time Judas came to be seen as the archetypal 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 assert 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, with some role in vitually all literature telling the Passion story. 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.)

• Book by Armando Cosani: The Flight of the Feathered Serpent, suggests the untold story of Judas as a Spiritual Master.

• 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.

• A popular rumor claims U2's song "Until the End of the World" from Achtung Baby contains lyrics which depict a conversation between Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ- however the lyrics could instead be from the perspective of three characters from the movie of the same name.

• 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.

Another song by Dylan that mentions Judas is "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest".

• The heavy metal music band Judas Priest got its name from the title of the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest."

• 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.

• In Atreyu's song, "At Least I Know Im A Sinner", the second verse reads:

Judge me and now you are me

And what's worse

You are now a traitor to your god

Tell me Judas,

How does it feel to be looked down upon?

Sinners like you,

Should be strung up from the highest tree

• Dire Straits' The Man's Too Strong contains the following reference to Judas:

Well the sun rose on the courtyard,

And they all did hear him say:

"You always was a Judas,

But I got you anyway.

You may have got your silver,

But I swear upon my life-

Your sister gave me diamonds,

And I gave them to your wife."

Oh Father please help me,

For I have done wrong...

• In the anime and manga Hellsing, Iscariot is the assassin squad of the Vatican, also known as Section XIII, the Zealot Judas, and the Assassin Judas. This is apparent from their oath.

• In the 1973 movie Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas is portrayed by African-American actor Carl Anderson. He is shown as a man who believes in and loves Jesus, but wants a lasting charity organization rather than a religious order. He fears that the emergence of a new religion centred on Jesus would cause the Romans to retaliate against all of the Jews. Torn between his love of Christ and his fear of an imminent destruction of his people, he regretfully betrays Jesus.
  • Also in the film Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas is shown to be confused at first with Jesus' companionship with Mary (the washing, etc.) and furthermore worried at the commotion Jesus was creating in Jerusalem, ultimately leading Judas to 'betray'. The movie was said to give a new sympathetic light on Judas.
  • The film was based on the 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber

• In the film Dracula 2000, it was interpreted that Dracula was Judas Iscariot. It explains why Dracula fears the cross, silver, and the Bible, and why he is doomed to walk the world forever.

• In Mikhail Bulgakov's masterpiece The Master and Margarita, the entire story of Christ is portrayed differently. In the case of Judas, Bulgakov presents a parody of the betrayal of Christ, as though first-century Jerusalem were Moscow in the 1920s-1930s. Pilate is talking to his head of the secret service, and mentions that he "heard a rumor" stating that Judas of Kerioth was slated for an early grave, so "I expect you to do your best to help him". After Judas's death ("A shame, I understand you did your best..."), Pilate ponders rhetorically, asking whether "he might have killed himself?", thereby starting the biblical account of Judas's suicide.

• Metalcore band Norma Jean's song, It Was As If The Dead Man Stood Upon The Air, goes as follows:

Rewind the cycle

My regret is the world I created

Regret the kiss that sealed my fate

Rewind, rewind it all again

Rewind the silver that was my price

I think I will take a walk and rest my soul

A cylindrical head

Resting in the arms of a circular rope

Rewind this cycle endless cycle

• There is a black metal band with the name Judas Iscariot.

• Synth Pop rockers [Depeche Mode] have a song titled "Judas":

Idle talk

And hollow promises

Cheating Judases

Doubting Thomases

Don't just stand there and shout it

Do something about it

Trivia

In Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper an overturned salt cellar lies in front of Judas.

See also

• John the Baptist
• quisling

External links

• What Did Judas Betray? Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
• Judas Iscariot - A vessel of Dishonor An extensive study and research
• Catholic Encyclopedia article
• Judas Returns the Silver, a painting by Alessandro Mantovani
• Jewish Encyclopedia: Judas Iscariot