Judas Iscariot of the Twelve Disciples: Bio, Legacy, and Death

Because he betrayed Jesus, some scholars have suggested that Iscariot is not Judas’ surname but rather a corruption of the Latin word Sicarius, which means “murderer” or “assassin.” Some also suggest he may have been part of the militant Sicarii, a splinter group from the Zealots, of whom two other disciples, Simon and James, may have been a part. There is no biblical evidence for such a view, though there is no doubt that Judas had a weakness for money. This weakness prevented him from recognizing injustice. So, what do we know about Judas, the betrayer?

The Bible provides no information on the calling of Judas. The Bible is completely silent on Judas, unlike several other disciples who were likely family of Jesus, which gives some indication of how their relationship with Jesus started.

Character and Personality

The Bible does not say much about Judas Iscariot, but when it does, it is in a negative context. Early in his ministry, Jesus revealed the nature of Judas, though not naming him. Retrospectively, the disciples understood who Jesus referred to (John 6:66-71). In this passage and later in the gospel, John mentions that the father of Judas was Simon (John 6:71; John 13:26). Iscariot is, therefore, likely to be a surname rather than a reference to an assassin.

The dislike of Judas among the disciples is evident from John’s take on the events surrounding Mary washing the feet of Jesus. In this encounter, when John mentions Judas, he adds: “he who was about to betray him.” Mary used expensive ointment to anoint his feet. Judas protested that he could sell the ointment for 300 denarii, which, at the time, was worth the equivalent of about $30,000. A denarius was the amount a laborer would earn for a day’s work (Matthew 20:2).

If Judas had his way, selling the ointment, the transaction would go through his hands since he held the disciples’ purse. John makes it clear that Judas made this suggestion, “not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.” His fellow disciples considered him a cheat and a thief who would benefit himself at the expense of his associates and even the poor.

This view of Judas is consistent with what Matthew records about his motivation for betraying Jesus. The Jewish authorities did not approach Judas. He went to them and enquired how much they would pay him (Matthew 26:14-16). He settled for 30 pieces of silver, which is equivalent to approximately $12,000 today. According to Luke and John, Satan inspired Judas to betray his mentor (Luke 22:3; John 13:27).

The regret Judas showed when he saw Jesus convicted shows that Judas’s conscience only kicked in when he was confronted with the full repercussions of his actions. He was, therefore, not a sensitive person and displayed narcissistic traits.

From the actions Judas took to steal from the purse of the disciples, his initiation of a contract to betray Jesus, feigning innocence at the Last Supper, betraying Jesus with a kiss, regretting his actions, and discarding the money he received for the betrayal, and finally hanging himself, it seems Judas was impulsive and tended not to think of the consequences of his actions before performing them.

Without a doubt, the interaction between Jesus and Judas at the Last Supper and the betrayal soon after in the Garden of Gethsemane were the most significant. Unfortunately, the versions the four gospels present differ from one another regarding what occurred and what exactly was said. All four agree that the presence of a traitor was revealed.

Luke mentions that the betrayer is present and declares a woe on him, after which the disciples question who it could be. According to Mark, Jesus said the betrayer would dip his bread into the dish with him, revealing his identity. Matthew tells a similar story to Mark, but adds that Judas asked whether it would be him, to which Jesus replied: “You have said so.”

John provides the most detailed version of events that took place from the Last Supper to the crucifixion of Jesus. In his rendition of the story, Jesus first revealed that a betrayer was among them and then said: “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it” (John 13:26).

It seems like confusion reigned at the table, or that the disciples were engaged in various conversations because although Jesus handed Judas the morsel of bread and told him to do what he was going to do, quickly – they did not know it was Judas who was the one to sell out his master (John 13:27-28). They were under the impression Jesus tasked him to donate to the poor from their purse or to go and buy provisions for the feast coming up that weekend.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to harmonize the four accounts of the gospels on this event. Considering what it would be like at a dinner table where twelve friends are together, it may be that different people heard different aspects of what occurred and that is why their versions do not match in some detail. The detail of the betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane also differs in the four gospels.

Luke’s version of events in Gethsemane is remarkable. He mentions how Judas approached Jesus and performed the task of identifying Jesus by kissing him. Jesus replied, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” These words illustrate much of the character of Judas and how deceptive his actions were. Where people would associate a kiss with affinity, love, and care, to Judas, it was a means of identifying the target for a murderous crowd.

The National Geographic Society published a translation of a 2nd-century manuscript discovered in the 1970s: the Gospel of Judas (Iscariot). This gnostic work claims that Judas was the only disciple who knew the true gospel. The disciples relay conversations Jesus and Judas had. It also paints Judas not as a betrayer, but as a loyal follower of Christ who was instructed to do what he did. This would imply that Jesus betrayed Judas by hiding the instructions he gave Judas from the other disciples.

Though some have attempted to present this dubious gospel as a discovery, most scholars do not consider any of its content revelatory of anything that early Church Fathers like Irenaeus had not already addressed within the first couple of centuries CE. Irenaeus of Lyons described the Gospel of Judas using terms such as “fictitious history” and “blasphemous heresies.” The gnostic nature of this gospel was a problem the early Church Fathers were familiar with and wrote about extensively since many similar works were common in their day.

Death

The death of Judas Iscariot is the only one detailed in the gospels. He was the first disciple to die and the only one to commit suicide. The detail provided in Matthew 27:3-5 differs from that of Acts 1:16-19.

The Matthew 27 version relates how Judas felt so ashamed of what he had done that he attempted to return the money he had taken for betraying Jesus and eventually hanged himself.

In the Acts 1 account, Peter mentions that Judas fell forward and burst open. These two versions are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Some have attempted to harmonize the versions of events by claiming the versions focus on two different parts of the sequence of events. Matthew focuses on how Judas died. He hanged himself. Acts highlight the eventual state of the body after it bloated from hanging in the sun for some time and the rope or branch broke.

People called the field bought with the money Judas returned to the priests Akeldáma, which means the “Field of Blood.”