Judas Iscariot. Why did he hate Jesus Christ? Judas versus Jesus? Biography of Judas Iscariot

While we cannot be absolutely sure why Judas betrayed Jesus, we do know some points. First, although Judas was chosen as one of the twelve disciples (John 6:64), all biblical evidence indicates that he never believed in the divinity of Jesus. He wasn't even sure that Jesus was the Messiah (as he understood it). Unlike other disciples who called Jesus "Lord," Jude never used that name, instead referring to Him as "Rabbi," recognizing Him as nothing more than a teacher. While the other disciples occasionally expressed their faith and loyalty (John 6:68; 11:16), Judas never did so and was mostly silent. This lack of faith in Jesus is the basis of all the other considerations listed below. The same is true for ourselves. If we do not acknowledge Jesus as God incarnate and therefore the only one who can give the forgiveness of our sins - and the eternal salvation that comes with it - we will be subject to numerous problems that are associated with misconceptions about God.

Second, Judas not only lacked faith in Christ, but he also had little or no personal relationship with Him. When the synoptic gospels listed the twelve disciples, they always listed them in the same order with minor changes (Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16). The general order, some have suggested, indicates the relative closeness of their personal relationship with Jesus. Despite their differences, Peter and the brothers James and John were always at the top of the list, consistent with their relationship with Jesus. Judas was always last on the list, which may indicate a lack of personal relationship with Christ. In addition, the only documented dialogue between Jesus and Judas contains Jesus' reproaches against Judas because of his greed-motivated remark to Mary (John 12:1–8), Judas' denial of his betrayal (Matthew 26:25), and the betrayal itself ( Luke 22:48).

Third, Judas was so consumed by greed that he betrayed the trust not only of Jesus but also of his fellow disciples, as we see in John 12:5–6. Judas may have been willing to follow Jesus simply because he saw His popularity and thought he could benefit from the group's offerings. The fact that Judas was in charge of the group's treasury testifies to his interest in money (John 13:29).

In addition, Judas, like most people at the time, believed that the Messiah was going to overthrow the Roman yoke and rule over the people of Israel. Therefore, Judas may have followed Jesus, also hoping to benefit from fellowship with Him as the new reigning political leader. No doubt he expected to be among the ruling elite after the revolution. But by the time of Judas' betrayal, Jesus had made it clear that he planned to die rather than start a rebellion against Rome. Thus Judas may have assumed - like the Pharisees - that since Christ would not overthrow the Romans, He could not be the Messiah they expected.

There are several OT verses that point to adultery, some more specifically than others. Here are two of them: “Even the one who was my friend, whom I trusted, who ate my bread, is ready to trample me” (Psalm 40:10; see the fulfillment in Matthew 26:14, 48–49). “I told them: “If you like, give me what I have earned, and if you don’t like it, don’t give it.” They paid me thirty shekels of silver, and the Lord said to me, "Throw this to the foundryman!" I took thirty shekels - an impressive reward! and threw them to the foundry worker in the Temple of the Lord” (Zechariah 11:12–13; compare with Matthew 27:3–5). These Old Testament prophecies indicate that God was aware of Judas' betrayal and that it was planned in advance in accordance with His perfect will as the means by which Jesus was to be killed.

But if Judas' betrayal was known to God, then did Judas really have a choice and is he responsible for his role in the betrayal? For many, it is difficult to reconcile the concept of "freedom of choice" (according to the common understanding of it) with God's foreknowledge of future events, in large part due to our limited perception of time in a linear order. If we consider God to exist outside of time, since He created everything before "time" began, then we can understand that He sees every moment of time as present. We live time in a linear order - we gradually move from one point of a straight line to another, remembering the past through which we have already passed, but not being able to see the future, which we are approaching. However, God, the eternal Creator of the construct of time, is outside of time or timeline. This can help us think of time (in relation to God) as a circle with God at the center and therefore the same distance to all points.

In any case, Judas had every opportunity for personal choice - at least until the moment when "Satan entered into him" (John 13:27) - and God's foreknowledge (John 13:10, 18, 21) in no way Least did not take away in Judah the opportunity to make a personal choice. Most likely, what Judas ultimately chose was seen by God as if it were an observation in the present. Jesus made it clear that Judas was responsible for his choice. “I know for sure that one of you will betray me, one of those who eat with me” (Mark 14:18). Note that Jesus characterizes Judas' involvement as a betrayal. As for the responsibility for this betrayal, Jesus said: “Woe to the man who betrays the Son of man. It would be better not to be born to that person at all!” (Mark 14:21). Satan was also an accomplice in this, as we see in John 13:26–27, and he too will be held accountable for his actions. God in His wisdom was able, as always, to direct even the rebellious Satan for the benefit of mankind. Satan helped send Jesus to the cross, where sin and death were defeated and God's salvation is now available to all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Judas Iscariot was not a traitor of Jesus Christ, but a dedicated fulfiller of the prophecy, and there are many facts about this in the bible.

Jesus Christ did not miraculously predict events, as deeply believing Christians believe, but he himself controlled events.

He was prepared as the Messiah of the ancient scriptures even before he was born. And after the warning of the magi, that is, the priests, the family of Christ lived in Egypt.

To fulfill the scripture according to the prophecy, Jesus Christ had executive assistants, and he recruited disciples for himself from people who did not understand anything, using them for a masquerade.

Judas Iscariot was not an accidental disciple, but an initiate in the whole plan of Jesus Christ.

The bible shows that Christ knew that Judas would betray him, and Judas betrayed him out of greed, but this is refuted in the bible.

Judas was the treasurer of Christ and the disciples, he was responsible for collecting alms and buying food for the entire community. Many sold their estates and left after Christ. And Judas was responsible for this huge money with Christ. And the most responsible and dedicated person is always responsible for money, because he gives money to all stages of the plan.

But it was necessary to betray Christ for a miserable 30 pieces of silver in order for the prophecy to come true:

Then came true what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, who says: And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Valued One, Whom the children of Israel valued,

and they gave them for the potter's ground, as the Lord told me.

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the Gentiles,

and they will mock him, and they will beat him, and they will spit on him, and they will kill him; and rise on the third day.

There are several fragments where Christ chooses from all Judas to be traitors:

Two days later was to be the feast of Passover and unleavened bread. And the chief priests and scribes were looking for ways to take him by cunning and kill him;

but they said: only not on a holiday, so that there would be no indignation among the people.

Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray Me.

Then the disciples looked at each other, wondering who He was talking about.

God! who is this?

Jesus answered: the one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will give. And, having dipped a piece, he gave it to Judas Iscariot.

And after this piece, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him: whatever you do, do it quickly.

But none of those reclining understood why He said this to him.

And just as Judas had a box of money, some thought that Jesus was telling him: "Buy what we need for the holiday" - or to give something to the poor.

He, having taken a piece, immediately went out; but it was night.

When he came out, Jesus said, "Today the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him."

Here's another moment:

He answered and said, He who dips his hand with me into the dish, this one will betray me;

At the same time, Judas, betraying Him, said: Is it not I, Rabbi? Jesus says to him: You said.

Judas. The story of a betrayal

Judas, one of the Twelve, betrayed Jesus to the enemies: “And Judas, the betrayer of Him, also knew this place, because Jesus often gathered there with His disciples” (John 18:2).

Why did Judas Iscariot betray Christ? From the Gospels it can be understood that the main motive for betrayal is money. But many researchers are not satisfied with this explanation. First of all, they doubt that negligible amount - 30 pieces of silver - for which he allegedly agreed to betrayal (Matt. 26:15). If Judas “was a thief,” as John says (John 12:6), and, while holding the position of treasurer, appropriated part of the public money, then wasn’t it more profitable for him to remain in the “party” and continue to quietly steal money from the public treasury? Why did he have to, figuratively speaking, kill a goose that lays golden eggs?

Over the past two millennia, many hypotheses have been invented to explain the heinous act of Judas Iscariot. For example, we can name only the most famous of them:

Judas was disappointed in Jesus as in the Messiah, and, seething with anger, betrayed him to his enemies;

Judas wanted to see if Jesus could be saved and thereby prove that he was the true Messiah;

Jesus and Judas were in cahoots, intending to provoke the revolt that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would inevitably raise upon the news of the arrest of the beloved prophet from Galilee;

Jesus publicly predicted that one of his disciples would betray him, and when none of them wanted to do so, Judas decided to save the authority of his beloved teacher by sacrificing his own reputation.

As we can see, scholars of New Testament texts can hardly be blamed for a lack of imagination. But the trouble with all these intellectual exercises is that no concrete facts can confirm them. The extreme scarcity of information even gave rise to serious doubts about the reality of this whole story.

There were researchers who decided that neither betrayal, nor even Judas himself, had ever happened at all, that this was only an idle fiction of the evangelists, who retroactively adjusted their texts to the well-known Old Testament prophecy: “Even a man at peace with me, on whom I relied, who ate bread mine, he lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 40:10). Considering that this prophecy was bound to be fulfilled in Jesus, the evangelists allegedly invented a certain Judas from Carioth, a close disciple with whom the teacher repeatedly broke bread, and who subsequently betrayed him.

In my opinion, there is no reason not to trust the evangelists who claim that Judas committed treason for money. This version, as we will see a little later, perfectly explains both the motives for the betrayal and the logic of all subsequent events. And if everything can be explained simply, then why invent some super-complex semantic constructions? After all, "Occam's razor" has not yet been canceled! In addition, as it is easy to see, all hypotheses that contradict the main, gospel version of events, Judas is actually rehabilitated, they are presented not as a banal thief and miser, but as a man of high ideas, ready to risk not only his good name, but even his life for her sake: he if he betrays Jesus, then he is either disappointed in him as the Messiah, or eager to push him to the implementation of the messianic plan.

Is not much honor to Judas?

In general, if you choose any one version of betrayal, then, in my opinion, it is best to stop at the gospel. It is both simpler and closer to the truth of life. And if this version is also slightly corrected, then it, perhaps, can become the best of all possible.

As can be understood from the Gospels, Judas committed his betrayal not once, not at the very end of Jesus' public activity, but was unfaithful to him for a long time. The Evangelist John has an episode where Jesus, long before his last trip to Jerusalem, announces to the apostles that one of them is a traitor (John 6:70-71). As a rule, this is interpreted as an example of Christ's omniscience: many months before the betrayal, he allegedly already knew exactly who would do it. However, another interpretation is also possible: the last journey has not yet begun, and will not even begin soon, and Judas is already betraying him with might and main, and this somehow became known to Jesus ...

I think I won't be much mistaken if I say that Judas Iscariot was none other than a paid agent of the high priest, introduced into Christ's entourage.

Eka, that's enough! - doubt, perhaps, the reader. - Where are the facts? Where is the evidence?

In fact, I have no direct evidence (as, indeed, all other researchers who put forward hypotheses that actually rehabilitate Judas), but there are more than enough indirect ones!

Let's start with the fact that Judas, most likely, was among the 12 apostles a stranger. The nickname of Judas - Iscariot (in Aramaic - ish Kariot) - literally means "a man from Kariot." At that time, there were two towns called Kariot, and both were located outside the Galilee. If we agree that Judas was born in one of these towns, then it turns out that he was the only ethnically pure Jew among the Galilean apostles.

And as we know from historical documents, between the population of Galilee and Judea - two Jewish regions - there has long been mutual hostility. Due to the fact that Galilee joined the Mosaic religion relatively late, the Jews considered the Galileans ignorant in the Law and did not want to consider them their fellow tribesmen. We know the statement of Johanan ben Zakkai, a student of the famous Hillel, filled with arrogant contempt towards the inhabitants of this region: “Galilee! Galileo! Most of all you hate the Torah!

The inhabitants of Galilee, of course, paid the Jews in the same coin.

The Jewish origin of Judas in itself, of course, still cannot prove anything, moreover, Jesus himself was “of the tribe of Judah” (Heb. 7:14), but it still leads to some thoughts. Everything is clear with Jesus, he lived in Galilee from an early age, but what about Judas? For what purpose did he, a purebred Jew, show up here? At the call of the heart, or doing some secret task? By the way, there is nothing incredible in this last assumption. Of course, rumors reached Jerusalem about an extraordinary prophet from Galilee, who was gathering crowds of thousands for his sermons and, most likely, was planning to transfer his activities to the territory of Judea.

Worried about the disturbing rumors, the “chiefs of the Jews” could send their man, Judas Iscariot, to Jesus under the guise of an ardent neophyte, with an assignment to infiltrate Christ’s inner circle. Judas, as we know, was able to brilliantly cope with the task, not only becoming one of the chosen Twelve, but also managing to get the position of treasurer.

Another, even more preferable, version of his betrayal is possible. Already being an apostle, Judas was the first to realize that Jesus did not want to become the king of Israel, and, as a result, no high position ahead of him, Judas, shines. And then, disappointed and embittered, he decided to at least earn something on this business. Arriving in Jerusalem, he offered to the enemies of Jesus his services as a secret spy ...

Having become accustomed to the environment of Jesus, Judas began to send secret information to his masters in Jerusalem. Perhaps he himself, under one or another plausible pretext, from time to time went away to Jerusalem. There is an interesting episode in the Gospel of John that suggests just such an idea. Jesus, preparing to feed 5,000 people, asks the Apostle Philip: “Where can we buy bread to feed them? .. Philip answered Him: they will not have enough bread for 200 denarii ...” (John 6: 6,7).

But, excuse me, what does Philip have to do with it?! After all, as we remember, Jesus' "caretaker" was none other than Judas Iscariot! Where was he at this time? Archpriest S. Bulgakov believes that Judas did not immediately become treasurer, and before him this position was allegedly held by Philip. The assumption is doubtful, if only because chronologically this episode refers to the end of the 3-year public ministry of Jesus. The question is, how could the apostle Philip be guilty of a teacher if, having been treasurer for most of the term, he was suddenly forced to give up this post of his to Judas? Wouldn't it be more logical to make the assumption that Judas was always in charge of the "cash box", and at that time he was simply absent, transferring his functions to Philip for a while?

Kiss of Judas

As you can see, Jesus became aware quite early that one of his closest disciples was a snitch. He could have been warned about this by some influential Jerusalem friends who had, to one degree or another, access to the high priest's entourage. For example, Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea, prominent Jerusalem nobles and secret disciples of Christ, could do this. But even they, apparently, for a very long time did not know all the details of this case and, in particular, the name of the secret agent. "Watch out! - such messages, obviously, they sent to Jesus. - There is an enemy in your environment! True, we don’t know his name yet, but as soon as something turns out, we will immediately inform you!”

Attention should be paid to one important circumstance: Jesus, not considering it necessary to hide from the apostles the information about the presence of a traitor among them, did not immediately give his name, limiting himself at first to hints: “Did I not choose twelve of you? but one of you is a devil” (John 6:70). It is hardly the job of Jesus to intrigue his disciples. Most likely, he himself did not know the whole truth then. And only during the Last Supper, approximately 5 months later, did he finally reveal the name of the traitor to the Apostle John (John 21:26). Such a long delay may be explained by the fact that Jesus learned this terrible secret only on his last visit to Jerusalem. It was during these few days that his Jerusalem friends were somehow able to find out the name of the secret agent Caiaphas and tell Jesus.

In John's account, the scene looks like this: “Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Truly, truly, I say to you that one of you will betray me. Then the disciples looked at each other, wondering who he was talking about. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at the chest of Jesus. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was, about whom he was talking. He leaned against the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is this? Jesus answered: the one to whom I, having dipped a piece of bread, will give. And having dipped a piece, he gave it to Judas Simonov Iscariot.” And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him: whatever you do, do it quickly. But none of those reclining understood why He said this to him. And as Judas had a box, some thought that Jesus was telling him: buy what we need for the holiday, or to give something to the poor. He, having taken a piece, immediately went out; but it was night” (John 13:21-30).

According to Matthew, the apostles, after Jesus announced to them that one of them was a traitor, began vying to ask: “Is it not me?” Even Judas could not resist, he asked: “Is it not me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered the traitor, "You said" (Matthew 26:25).

To the modern ear, the expression "You say" or "You said" sounds evasive. But at that time it was often used when the answer was not quite pleasant for the interlocutor. The then, different from the present, concepts of politeness forbade saying “yes” or “no” directly.

What endurance Jesus had! Knowing that before him was a traitor, he not only did not shout, not only did not slap the scoundrel in the face, but answered politely, as if trying not to offend him!

None of those present, with the exception of John and perhaps Peter, did not understand the meaning of Jesus' words to Judas. Many of the disciples thought that Jesus gave him, as the treasurer of the "party", some order regarding current economic affairs.

Why didn't Jesus publicly expose the traitor? Hard to say. Perhaps he feared that the apostles would immediately lynch the traitor? Or was he counting on the possible repentance of Judas?

And these words: “What are you doing, do it quickly”? What do they mean? A great many interpretations have been offered, even as ridiculous as the possibility of a secret collusion between Jesus and Judas. Jesus, allegedly planning to suffer without fail in Jerusalem, agreed with Judas to hand him over to the authorities. And with these words I wanted to support him morally, so that he would not doubt.

It would be superfluous to say that this and similar hypotheses look simply offensive to Christ. Judge for yourself: how two farce actors, Jesus and Judas, are secretly arranging some kind of cheap performance ... Brr!

I think everything can be explained much more simply: the presence of a traitor was simply physically unbearable for Jesus, and he, under any pretext, tried to remove him from the house where the Supper took place.

Delete something - deleted, and then what? What else could be expected from Judas? Will he immediately run after the guards, or will he be ashamed of his vile intention? Just think, it depended on Judas the traitor how much time Jesus had left to live!

Will he betray or not betray? This question greatly troubled Jesus right up to his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And the traitor did not think to repent! After leaving Jesus, he hurried to the house of Caiaphas. It is unlikely that a detachment of warriors ready for action could be waiting for him there. If this were so, then Jesus would probably have been seized at the Last Supper. And the evangelists unanimously affirm that quite a long time passed between Judas' departure from the Supper and his arrest in Gethsemane. Jesus managed to address the disciples with a long sermon, washed the feet of all the apostles, instituted the Eucharist, after which, having "sung" the psalms - that means, without haste - they all went out of the city, to Gethsemane (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26). It is clear that all this took several long hours.

During this time, the high priest gathered his servants, arming them with clubs and stakes, and for greater reliability sent to the Roman procurator for help. After all the preparations, the “capturing group” went after Jesus. Judas was the guide, as he knew well the habits of his former teacher. Perhaps the guards first raided the house where the Last Supper was held, and not finding anyone, then went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where, as Judas knew, Jesus often spent the night: “Judas, the betrayer of Him, also knew this place, because that Jesus often met there with his disciples” (John 18:2).

In fact, Jesus was there. Tormented by anxious forebodings, he fervently prayed, hoping that the "chalice" of suffering, if possible, would pass him (Matt. 26:37-42; Mark 14:33-36; Luke 22:42-44).

Why did Jesus not make the slightest attempt to save himself, if, apparently, he perfectly understood that this night could be his last? Why did he stay where he was, knowing that the traitor could appear at any moment with the guards in the garden?

We can only guess about this now. Evangelists do not tell us anything about this, and perhaps they themselves do not know. From their stories it is only clear that Jesus, firstly, was not going to leave the Garden of Gethsemane anywhere and, secondly, did not want to be captured at all. What did he expect then?

Perhaps Jesus hoped that the traitor's conscience might speak, and he would abandon his vile intention? Or that the chief priests would delay the arrest until after the feast, and thus have time for him to elude them? Or did Jesus believe that it was on this night that the ancient prophecy about the suffering Messiah (Isaiah 53), which he fully attributed to himself, was destined to be fulfilled, and decided this time not to run away from fate?

One way or another, but his hopes for deliverance, or at least for a reprieve, did not come true. Soon, the Garden of Gethsemane was illuminated by the wavering light of many torches, and Judas Iscariot appeared at the head of the armed people ...

The Gospels say that for all his "feats" Judas received 30 pieces of silver as a reward (Matt. 26:15). Not much! This fact is very confusing for many researchers. It seems to them that it is necessary to pay much more for such deeds, and if the evangelists insist on this particular amount, it means that the whole episode with pieces of silver is invented, completely adjusted to the ancient prophecy: “And they will weigh thirty pieces of silver in payment to me” ( Zech. 11:12).

Meanwhile, all doubts can be easily dispelled by assuming that 30 pieces of silver were not a one-time reward, but a payment regularly received by Judas. Say, once a month he reported to the high priest, after which he received the due 30 pieces of silver. For a one-time reward, this is, in fact, not much, but if you receive such a bribe regularly, then it is in principle possible to live without particularly luxury. By the way, according to the Book of Acts of the Apostles, Judas, after the execution of Jesus, did not even think of repenting, much less committing suicide. Intending to live happily ever after, he “gained the land with unrighteous wages” (Acts 1:18).

It is unlikely that for 30 pieces of silver it was possible to acquire a decent plot. Most likely, Judas took the money received over several years from the high priest, added to it what he managed to drag from the "cash box", and when a more or less significant amount was made, he went to buy real estate. According to Acts, he died by pure chance, falling from a height: “And as he fell, his belly was split open, and all his bowels fell out” (Acts 1:19).

This version of Judas' death is strikingly different from the one we know from Matthew. According to him, Judas, tormented by repentance, “threw the pieces of silver in the temple” and “strangled himself” (Matt. 27:5). Many interpreters have made attempts to combine these two testimonies into one coherent episode, presenting the case in such a way that at first Judas hanged himself, and then his corpse fell off the rope and “sat down” from hitting the ground. Let's assume that it was. But then what kind of money did Judas throw in the Temple, if he had already acquired the land? Or did you sell the land you just bought specifically for this?

In general, if you choose from these two versions, then, in my opinion, the story of the death of Judas, told by the author of Acts, is much more plausible. There are no far-fetched melodramatic moments and dubious psychological torments in it, which are hardly characteristic of a traitor who decided to cash in on this business. Everything is much simpler and rougher: he sold the teacher - he bought the land! And the death of Judas, described in Acts, is more natural: he died not in a fit of repentance, but as a result of an accident, falling from a height. True, there were attempts to portray his fall as revenge on the part of the supporters of Christ, who allegedly pushed the traitor off the cliff, but this is pure speculation that cannot be proven by anything.

However, is it true that people define the meaning of the betrayal of Judas, maybe everything was different?

The disciple of Jesus Christ was the most ordinary treasurer, exactly until the moment when he heard the remark of his teacher: "What you are doing, do it soon." Further, the reader of the Bible literally sees the described actions of Judas, he simply goes and sells the teacher for 30 pieces of silver.

Egyptian historians found records that mention the prediction that Jesus would be betrayed by the human race, but not by the Devil.

Why did Judas Iscariot betray Christ?

Emphasizing betrayal for money, the biblical chroniclers do not even try to understand why he did it. If Jesus was omniscient and could predict his own death, why didn't he try to shield himself from Judas?

Some sources try to tell what Judas was like. Even Bulgakov himself wrote that when Jesus was betrayed to the Romans, he asked them to be more careful with him. This is a small part of the proof of the presence of humanity in Judas. Another scenario is also possible.

On the eve of the last meal, Jesus himself asked him to betray him to the Romans. Maybe it sounds absurd, but maybe he needed to get home earlier than the appointed time. And as is known from biblical traditions, a person who died a victim of human violence will go to heaven.

Historians to this day argue about this issue, put forward new hypotheses. Therefore, even here Judas is made a scapegoat and everyone has the right to decide for himself why he betrayed Jesus. Of course, it doesn't hurt to know the truth, but since all the witnesses are dead, no one will know the truth.

How did Judas betray Christ?

In the New Testament, the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas is quite simple. On the night of the last meal, or rather after it, Judas pointed to Jesus with a kiss, and then the high priests captured him.

When he realized the scale of the perfect catastrophe, he could not bear the yoke of conscience and strangled himself. Having received thirty pieces of silver for betrayal, and at that time it was a lot of money, he retires from the scene.

Father Sergius wrote that Judas repented of his deed and wanted to return this money to the owners, but they considered that this was not their problem and abandoned them. Therefore, to the question “how?”, many can answer that, only by crossing his humanity, Judas betrayed his teacher.

What happened to Judas Iscariot after the betrayal?

The Bible says that Judas hanged himself after what he had done, but is that true? Indeed, after the betrayal of Jesus, he did not live long.

Matthew wrote that he definitely hung himself when the Acts of the Apostles tells a different version of death, they say Judas did not hang himself, but was killed, and killed cruelly. The thought of killing Judas tempts many historians, and in the power of their powers, some undertake to rewrite history with new details.

In general, no one cares what happened to Judas. Most people enjoy reading about his pangs of conscience.

But it is worth looking at the writings of Peter, who accurately indicated what became of Judas after the betrayal of Christ. Judas bought the land. Yes, a huge area with clay silt. This land began to bear the title of the land of potters. In addition, you can see that Peter is trying with all his might to expose Judas in a not the best way.

He also wrote that the repentance of Judas resulted in a swollen womb, from remorse. Judging objectively and by the facts, Judas was very stingy, and from the point of view of psychology, he would take care of himself like the apple of his eye, he would definitely not climb into the noose, let alone jump off a cliff. Therefore, doubts arise again, which, again, no one will dispel for the seeker of truth.

How much did Judas betray Christ?

The answer to this question is simple, for thirty pieces of silver. But what kind of currency they were, nothing is said anywhere. It could well have been drachmas, or denarii, or even quinaria.

What matters is what Judas did with the money. According to some sources, he tried to return them, according to others he threw them to the wind, and still others claim that he bought the land. Subsequently, on which they began to erect a cemetery for suicides, thieves and simply executed criminals.

The meaning of betrayal

What did Jesus have to do to be betrayed by Judas? Stop loving him as a disciple, condemning his deeds, not living up to Judas' expectations? What is the necessary sufficient condition for Jesus to betray?

Or maybe there was no betrayal at all, and it was help from the student to his teacher? Betrayal is considered treason, if Judas ceased to idolize his teacher, being originally a miserly person, why then did Jesus keep such a person next to him?

Perhaps knowing the nature of people, Jesus continued to believe that it was possible to change them. According to biblical sources, he made a mistake in this and was betrayed. If, according to legend, Satan moved into Judas, then according to logical conclusions, it can be seen that Judas no longer controlled his mind, which means that he was simply used.

If Satan moved into him, committed a deed and disappeared back into Hell, and Judas saw the situation and, under the yoke of what happened, could not bear the pressure of conscience, then it is quite understandable why he hanged himself.

Everyone knows that Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. The name "Judas" has even become synonymous with the word "traitor." Therefore, when they want to say about someone that he is a traitor, he may well be called "Judas." The betrayal of Judas is mentioned in all four Gospels. For example, Mark (Mark 14:10,43-46) says: “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray him to them. ... (And after a while - VC.) Judas comes, one of the twelve, and with him a multitude of people with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And the one who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying: Whom I kiss, He is; take him and lead him carefully. And having come immediately, he came to Him and said: Rabbi! Rabbi! And kissed him. And they laid their hands on Him and took Him.”

There are, however, interpretations of this event, in which attempts are made to "rehabilitate" Judas, to present him as not such an inveterate villain. As an example of such an interpretation, one can cite the story of the Russian writer Leonid Andreev "Judas Iscariot".

In this story, Judas is presented as a patriot of the Jewish people, who believed that Jesus is indeed the messiah, but the messiah in the old, Jewish Old Testament sense, that is, the leader, high priest and prophet of the Jewish people only, who must save his people from the oppression of foreigners and ensure its prosperity here on this earth. By the way, it is clear from the text of the gospels that all the other apostles, up to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, thought the same way, that is, they considered Jesus the messiah in the traditional, Old Testament sense. Leonid Andreev’s Judas was ardent and impatient, he sincerely wondered why Jesus was slow to act against the Roman invaders, especially after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when “many ... people spread their clothes along the road, while others cut branches from trees and spread them along road; the people who preceded and accompanied exclaimed: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:8-9). “How can one delay in revolt against the Romans in a situation so favorable for rousing the people to revolt? Now people are ready to do anything for Him. But the state of affairs may change, and the moment favorable for an uprising, for the liberation of the motherland from the hated invaders, may be irretrievably lost. If Jesus is a true patriot, then He must act now, before it's too late! But He is unnecessarily slow. And anyway, what right does he have to hesitate?! The interests of the people come first!” - about such thoughts Leonid Andreev endows his hero - Judas Iscariot. Jude concludes: “Jesus must be provoked to rise up against the Romans, he must be pushed to show all his messianic power, so that he calls the people to rebellion. But how to provoke? What can be done to make Jesus stop hesitating and stand decisively at the head of a popular uprising? And this is what: to deliver Him into the hands of the lawless, that is, into the hands of the Romans. When they take Him into custody, He will have to be decisive.”

The well-known Russian Orthodox philosopher, theologian and priest Fr. Sergius (Bulgakov). He pays special attention to the words of Jude addressed to the armed men who were supposed to take Jesus into custody. He asks that, having arrested Jesus, they “lead” Him “carefully,” that is, according to Bulgakov, carefully. In these words, Fr. Sergius saw Judas caring about Jesus, the desire not to harm Him.

How should we relate to such interpretations of Judas' betrayals, to such attempts to "rehabilitate" and "justify" him? I think that they should be treated with the utmost caution, especially since Jesus Himself quite unequivocally called Judas a traitor: “The Son of Man is coming, as it is written about Him; but woe to Tim the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24). So Jesus says that it would have been better for Judas not to have been born than to commit his betrayal. Thus, we see that Jesus Himself, unlike Andreev and Bulgakov, is not at all inclined to "rehabilitate" Judas.

Let us ask ourselves this question: what is the necessary and sufficient condition for committing betrayal? Under what circumstances does one A betray one B? I think that a necessary and sufficient condition for betrayal is the cessation of love on the part of A for this relative, I emphasize once again - native B. When, for example, does a person become a traitor to his parents, his Motherland, his Church, a traitor to God? He betrays them when he ceases to love them, when he violates the natural law of love, the natural law of kinship. Betray only native, betray only relatives. And, I repeat, the necessary and sufficient condition for betrayal is the cessation of love, the unnatural interruption of a deep, organic, kinship connection, kinship solidarity.

And what can be more near and dear to us than our Creator, than Jesus Christ? “God is love,” said the apostle John, “and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Thus, refusing love, we renounce God, we betray our Creator. I am convinced that any, so to speak, “private” betrayal, for example, the betrayal of mother or father, wife or husband, betrayal of a friend, homeland, etc., is, ultimately, a betrayal of God, a betrayal of Jesus Christ.

A truly loving person is incapable of betrayal. He will accept any test, up to death, but he will not retreat from his beloved, he will not betray him. To betray, you need to turn away from the previously beloved, you need to stop loving him. He who did not love someone, in principle, is unable to betray him. Therefore, if, say, someone kills someone whom he obviously considered his mortal enemy, he does not betray him, because in order to betray, you must first love, and then stop loving.

Betrayal is always betrayal. Judas is a traitor. Consequently, he truly loved Jesus for a while, and then fell out of love with Him: Satan took the place of Jesus in his heart. This is written in the Gospel of Luke in the following words: “Satan entered into Judas ... And he went and spoke with the chief priests and rulers, how to betray him to them” (Luke 2:3–4). And John writes that Satan also entered Judas after Jesus gave him bread at the last 11 supper (John 13:26-27). I think that what John said can be quite understood as a symbolic expression: Jesus fed Judas with the Bread of Life, that is, with Himself, and he ripped this Bread out of himself - refused Him, sold Him. Judas expelled Jesus from his heart, and Satan instantly occupied the empty throne of Judas' heart. Satan became the "viceroy of God" in the heart of Judas betrayal happened! The choice in favor of betrayal is always made in the depths of a person's heart! Therefore, traitors have no justification either "external" or "internal".