Judas Iscariot

Apostle Judas

the disciple Judas
Judas Iscariot

The traitor Judas Iscariot was the son of Simon, who lived in Kerioth, Judah. He betrayed Jesus in exchange for thirty coins and then hanged himself (Matthew 26:14; Matthew 26:15; Matthew 26:16).

Giuda, il traditore, è l'ultimo enigma del Nuovo Testamento perché è difficile immaginare come qualcuno così vicino a Gesù, che ha assistito a tanti miracoli e ha ascoltato così tanto l'insegnamento del Maestro, possa mai consegnarlo nelle mani dei suoi nemici .

His name appears on three different lists of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:19). Judas is said to have come from Judah near Jericho. He was a Judean, while the other disciples were Galileans. He was the band’s treasurer and one of its most outspoken leaders.

Judas is said to have been a violent Jewish nationalist who had followed Jesus in the hope that his nationalistic flame and dreams would be realized through Him. No one can deny that Judas was greedy and took advantage of his position as band treasurer to steal from the common purse.

There is no clear reason why Judas betrayed his master; however, it was not his betrayal that led to Jesus’ death on the cross; it was our sins. His apostolic symbol is a noose or a money purse with coins falling from it.

Birth/Early Life

Nacque a Kerioth, una piccola città nel sud della Giudea. I suoi genitori si trasferirono a Gerico quando era bambino, e lui...ha lavorato nelle varie iniziative imprenditoriali di suo padre until he became interested in John the Baptist’s preaching and work. Having a Sadducee’s background meant that his parents disowned him when he joined John’s disciples.

Christ and Judas
Christ and Judas

Giuda con Gesù

There was nothing about Jesus that Judas admired more than his overall attractive and exquisitely charming personality. The traitor was never able to overcome his Judean prejudices against his Galilean associates, and he would even criticize Jesus in his mind.

Questo giudeo soddisfatto di sé osò criticare in cuor suo l'uomo che undici apostoli consideravano l'uomo perfetto, come "uno assolutamente amabile e il più importante tra diecimila".

Credeva che Gesù fosse esitante e timoroso di affermare il suo potere e la sua autorità.

Giuda è stata un'avventura di fede per Gesù. Il Maestro ha riconosciuto fin dall'inizio la debolezza di questo apostolo ed era ben consapevole dei rischi di ammetterlo alla comunione. Tuttavia, è nella natura dei Figli di Dio fornire a ogni essere creato una possibilità piena ed uguale per la salvezza e la sopravvivenza.

Judas betrays his Friend
Betraying Friends

Betrayal of Jesus

Ha tradito Gesù, che ha portato al suo arresto e alla successiva condanna da parte dell'organo giudiziario ebraico, il Sinedrio. Dopo la sua condanna, Gesù fu crocifisso dalle autorità romane in Giudea, su consiglio di sacerdoti e anziani ebrei.

Tuttavia, esistono diversi resoconti del suo tradimento. Gli studiosi hanno proposto vari motivi per l'atto nel tempo e hanno persino messo in dubbio la veridicità dell'affermazione secondo cui ha tradito Gesù.

The ‘Gospel of Mark’ contains the earliest account of his betrayal. According to this gospel, when Judas went to the Jewish priests to betray Jesus, he was offered 30 pieces of silver as a bribe. At the same time, it was unclear whether he went to the priests to betray Jesus for money or some other reason.

Secondo il "Vangelo di Matteo", tradì Gesù per una tangente di 30 denari d'argento da parte di sacerdoti ebrei.

Secondo questo vangelo, identificò Gesù con un bacio (immortalato nella storia come il “Bacio di Giuda”) e lo rivelò ai soldati del sommo sacerdote ebreo Giuseppe Caifa, che poi consegnarono Gesù ai soldati di Ponzio Pilato, il Governatore romano della Giudea. Secondo il Vangelo, Gesù prevedeva che Giuda lo avrebbe tradito.

La tangente di 30 denari è menzionata nel "Vangelo di Giovanni", ma non è menzionata nel "Vangelo di Giovanni". Lo descrive come insoddisfatto del denaro speso in profumi per ungere Gesù quando avrebbe potuto essere speso per i poveri. Secondo il Vangelo, Gesù ha previsto il suo tradimento e ha permesso che accadesse.

Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation de Moulins; vitrail néogothique du XIXe siècle. La Cène. Détail: Judas.
Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation de Moulins; vitrail néogothique du XIXe siècle. La Cène. Détail: Judas.

Achievements

Giuda Iscariota, uno di Gesùoriginali 12 discepoli, traveled with him and studied under him for three years. He, like the other 11 disciples, was summoned and sent by Jesus to preach the gospel of God’s kingdom, cast out demons, and heal the sick.

Vangelo di Giuda

La National Geographic Society ha annunciato nel 2006 la scoperta e la traduzione del "Vangelo di Giuda", un testo perduto da tempo che si pensa sia stato scritto intorno al 150 d.C. e poi copiato dal greco al copto nel terzo secolo.

Il Vangelo di Giuda, a cui allude per la prima volta per iscritto il chierico Ireneo del II secolo, è uno dei tanti testi antichi scoperti negli ultimi decenni che sono stati collegati agli gnostici, un gruppo (prevalentemente) cristiano che fu condannato come eretico dalla chiesa primitiva leader per le loro credenze spirituali non ortodosse.

Rather than condemning Judas as Jesus’ betrayer, the author of the Gospel of Judas extolled him as Jesus’ favorite disciple. According to this version of events, Jesus asked Judas to betray him to the authorities for him to be freed from his physical body and fulfill his destiny of saving humanity.

Brooklyn Museum - The Kiss of Judas (Le baiser de Judas) - James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum - The Kiss of Judas (Le baiser de Judas) - James Tissot

Il Vangelo di Giuda ha suscitato un dibattito, con alcuni studiosi che affermano che la versione della National Geographic Society era una traduzione errata del testo copto e che il pubblico è stato indotto a credere che il documento raffigurasse un "nobile Giuda".

In ogni caso, il Vangelo di Giuda è stato scritto almeno un secolo dopo la morte di Gesù e Giuda, quindi contiene poche informazioni storicamente attendibili sulle loro vite, e di certo non fornisce l'anello mancante per comprendere le vere motivazioni di Giuda Iscariota.

“The truth is we don’t know why Judas did what he did,”

notes Cargill.

“The grand irony, of course, is that without [Judas’s betrayal], Jesus doesn’t get handed over to the Romans and crucified. Without Judas, you don’t have the central component of Christianity—you don’t have the Resurrection.”

Judas Returns the Silver Coins
Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669
Giuda restituisce le monete d'argento
olio su tavola (79 × 102 cm) — 1629
collezione privata

Death of Judas

His death is described in a variety of ways. These descriptions of his death were gleaned from the New Testament and other sources. After betraying Jesus, Judas was filled with regret and remorse, according to the ‘Gospel of Matthew.’

According to the gospel, he went to return the 30 pieces of silver he received as a bribe for betraying Jesus to the Jewish priests. Because it was blood money, the priests refused to accept it. As a result, he threw away the 30 pieces of silver and left. He then si è suicidato impiccandosilui stesso.

Who Replaced Judas?

Mattia was selected to replace Judas as recorded in Acts 1:15; Acts 1:16; Acts 1:17; Acts 1:18; Acts 1:19; Acts 1:20; Acts 1:21; Acts 1:22, Acts 1:23; Acts 1:24; Acts 1:25; Acts 1:-26. The other man who was also in consideration was named Joseph or Barsabas and surnamed Justus. Lots were cast and eventually, Matthias was chosen.

“Tu, o Signore, che conosci i cuori di tutti, mostra quale di questi due hai scelto di prendere parte a questo ministero e apostolato dal quale è caduto Giuda per trasgressione, affinché possa andare al suo posto”.

E fu annoverato tra gli undici apostoli». La Bibbia è scarsa su ulteriori dettagli relativi a Mattia, ma dice che Mattia fu con Gesù dal Suo battesimo fino alla sua risurrezione.

Oltre al libro degli Atti, Mattia non è menzionato da nessun'altra parte nella Bibbia. Secondo le fonti storiche Mattia visse fino all'80 d.C. e diffuse il Vangelo sulle rive del Caspio e della Cappadocia.

Black Halo
Aureola nera

Key Takeaway

Giuda Iscariota è ricordato per una sola cosa: tradire Gesù Cristo. Anche se Giuda in seguito ha espresso rammarico, il suo nome è diventato sinonimo di traditori e voltagabbana nel corso della storia. La sua motivazione sembrava essere l'avidità, ma alcuni studiosi ritengono che le motivazioni politiche si nascondessero sotto il suo tradimento.

Nel giudaismo del I secolo, il nome Giuda significava "lodate il Signore". Il cognome "Iscariota" significa "uomo di Kerioth", una città nel sud della Giudea. Giuda era l'unico dei dodici che non era della Galilea.

Il Vangelo di Marco rivela il minimo su Giuda, non attribuendo le sue azioni a nessun motivo particolare. Giuda è semplicemente la persona che ha consegnato Gesù ai capi dei sacerdoti. Il racconto di Matteo fornisce maggiori dettagli e dipinge Giuda come un uomo senza scrupoli.

Luke goes even further, saying that Satan entered Judas.

The Devil devouring Judas Iscariot
The Devil devouring Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot Characteristics

Characteristics of Judas Iscariot through time always made people have mixed feelings about Judas. Some experience a sense of hatred toward him, others feel pity, and some have even considered him a hero. No matter how you react to Judas, one thing is sure; believers can benefit greatly by taking a serious look at his life. During Jesus’ public ministry, Judas traveled everywhere with Him and lived in close proximity to Him but never seemed to share His spirit.

Some have suggested that Jesus got His directions wrong in choosing Judas to be one of His disciples. Following the characteristics of the 12 apostles, this cannot possibly be so; however, one of Christ’s divine qualities was His ability to know what was in every man (see John 2:25). Whatever His reason for choosing Judas, we can be sure it was not because of a mistake.

Hypocrite

Having chosen Judas to be one of the disciples, Jesus gives him a trusted position as keeper of the common purse. However, he proved to be unworthy of that trust, taking for himself the money that had been donated to support Jesus and the disciples.

Judas’ greed and hypocrisy were also shown by his willingness to betray the Son of God for the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32) and in his pretended concern for the welfare of the poor when he criticized Mary of Bethany for anointing Jesus’ feet with costly ointment.

His continued presence in the apostolic band must have daily involved him in hypocrisy as his heart became increasingly turned away from Jesus.

Judas kisses Jesus
Judas kisses Jesus

Traitor Judas

The Gospel writers, on almost every occasion, when Judas’ name is mentioned, refer to him as the betrayer of Jesus. The betrayal of Christ was indeed a heinous crime, and there can be no doubt that Judas acted as the instrument of Satan in perpetuating it.

In fact, in one place, Jesus describes Judas as a devil (John 6:70), and it appears that Satan entered into him following his rejection of Jesus’ final gesture of love at the Last Supper (John 13:27). Jesus also describes him as “the son of perdition” (John 12:17), and nothing good is ever said about him except, perhaps, that he was capable of feeling remorse after seeing the result of his evil crime.

Betrayal foretold

Jesus, being the person He was the divine Son of God, knew both the strengths and weaknesses of every one of His disciples. He took steps also to alert them to the evil possibilities that lay deep in their hearts.

When Pietro insisted that he would never deny Him, Jesus tried to prepare him for the next hours by telling him that he would deny Him, not just once or twice, but three times.

He does something similar with Judas Iscariot on the eve of His betrayal as if He wants to allow him to repent of his evil intentions. As we know, however, Judas is so bent on evil that he remains unmoved even when treated as an honored guest at the Last Supper.

Iscariot is understood to be equivalent to ish-Kerioth, that is, “man of Kerioth.” Kerioth was a town in South Judea. The other disciples were all from Galilee. The southern Jews regarded the northerners with a certain superiority.

Betrayal Accomplished

Following the raising of Lazarus from the dead, the high priest and the Jewish leaders were deeply concerned that Jesus might recruit more followers to His cause and determined to put Him to death. Jesus’ high level of popularity at this time, however, meant that they must go about their plans with great care and caution. Judas’ offer of betrayal was an opportunity that was too good to miss.

His knowledge of Jesus’ movements would enable him to lead the soldiers to a place where they could arrest Him without too much of the populace being aware of it. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas greets Jesus with the word “Master!” followed by a spurious show of affection, which results in Christ’s arrest.

Judas Iscariot the Traitor kisses Jesus
Judas Iscariot the Traitor kisses Jesus

Remorseful

Once Christ has been condemned, and it becomes obvious that He is to die on the cross, the full weight of what He has done bursts in upon Judas’ conscience. Returning to the temple, he pleads with the priests to take back the money, confessing,

“I have betrayed innocent blood”.

They coldly reply that his problems are his affair and that it means nothing to them.

Judas then throws the thirty pieces of silver at their feet and, overcome by remorse, goes out and hangs himself. He has served the priests’ unholy enterprise, and, having no further use for him, they abandon him to the inferno that his rejection of Christ has made inevitable.

Replaced

As a result of Judas’ suicide, the number of disciples is reduced to eleven. Peter quotes prophecies from the Scripture, which, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, applies to Judas. These Scriptures (Psalm 69:25Psalm 109:8) show that a suitable person should fill the vacant office the qualifications being that he should have accompanied the apostles during the time of Jesus’ public ministry and that he was a witness of the Resurrection.

Two candidates are selected and, after prayer, lots are cast. The one on whom the lot falls is Saint Matthias, who then becomes the twelfth apostle. Nothing more is said of Matthias as an individual, only corporately as one of the twelve.

Summary Characteristics

Judas Iscariot is always the last disciple placed on the list of twelve. Judas Iscariot is often referred to as Judas the Betrayer, and he is known and will forever be known for the one act of betrayal of the Lord. 

Judas was the disciple who did not truly believe in the love of Jesus, and when the chief priests were looking for a way to arrest Jesus, Judas provided them with that way by identifying Jesus with a kiss in return for thirty pieces of silver. Judas is frequently referred to as the only disciple who was separated from God in his death as he never had salvation due to his betrayal, thievery, and lies.

Resources Characteristics

http://ubdavid.org/bible/characters3/characters3-11.html
https://us15.campaignarchive.com/?u=c154da2d2cc06f2b64216a0d5&id=b2b255c4cb
https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/apostles.cfm
https://www.exploringlifesmysteries.com/twelve-disciples/#john
https://gbible.org/doctrines-post/the-12-apostles/

Summary

Giuda Iscariota fu uno dei primi 12 discepoli di Gesù Cristo e il fondatore del cristianesimo. Giuda tradì il suo maestro, Gesù Cristo, portandolo alla crocifissione per eresia. Giuda è diventato sinonimo di una persona che tradisce una causa superiore o una grande persona, nonostante sia stato insultato dal cristianesimo tradizionale come un uomo di bassa morale o l'incarnazione del Diavolo.

Historically, the legend of Judas was used to justify the persecution of the Jewish community in Europe and the Middle East. From the beginning of Christianity to the majority of the twentieth century, he was almost always portrayed negatively in art, literature, drama, and other forms of popular culture.

L'Inferno di Dante, una delle opere più famose della letteratura occidentale, lo raffigura come un personaggio malvagio condannato al cerchio più basso dell'Inferno, accanto agli assassini di Giulio Cesare, Bruto e Cassio.

Scholarly studies and popular culture have featured more sympathetic portrayals of Judas since the 1970s. In the 1970s, the discovery of the Gospel of Judas in Egypt was a revelation. Its translation, published in 2006, depicted Judas Iscariot’s life in a new light and aided in the reassessment of his image.

Resources

https://truthbook.com/jesus/passion-of-the-christ/who-was-judas-iscariot
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/who-were-twelve-disciples#judas
https://www.history.com/news/why-judas-betrayed-jesus
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Judas-Iscariot
https://www.learnreligions.com/judas-iscariot-betrayer-of-jesus-christ-701078

Scroll to Top