APOSTLE JUDAS ISCARIOT
Apostle Judas Iscariot
The most tragic and undeservedly insulted figure from Jesus' circle. Judas is depicted in the Gospels in extremely black tones, so gloomy that the question involuntarily arises: how did it happen that Jesus, the smartest man who had the gift of prophecy, brought closer to himself such a vile and vile person as Judas Iscariot, the one who ultimately sold his teacher for thirty pieces of silver?
Joseph and his family returned from Egypt with a large sum of money. On this trip, Mary gave birth to another boy, who was named Judas. This event took place in the small village of Kariot. Later, when the boy grew up, his relatives kept jokingly teasing him with this: “You are a Jew, but you were born in a foreign land, in Kariot.” So this nickname stuck to him - Judas from Kariot
Judas Iscariot is the younger brother of Jesus - the son of Mary and Joseph. The Bible mentions this in the following lines (Mark 6:3):
Isn't He the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, Josiah, Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here, between us?
In fact, Mary and Joseph had seven children. Jesus had four brothers and two sisters.
Judas's character was similar to both of his parents at the same time - from his father he inherited a rebellious spirit, hot temper, from his mother he inherited a soft, kind soul, affection and sociability.
Outwardly, Judas took after his father: heroic height - 190 cm, brown hair, bright green eyes, an open, pleasant smile with a dimple on his cheeks.
Judas was married, had two sons and a daughter, whom he simply adored.
Two brothers - Judas and Jesus - had a very trusting relationship since childhood, both of them loved each other so deeply and truly that each was ready to give their lives for the other. Judas enjoyed the exceptional confidence of his brother, who relied on him in everything as on himself.
Jesus very often withdrew from the other disciples with Judas in order to discuss the most important issues with him. It was Judas who was entrusted with the most important and responsible task - control of money. Judas kept the treasury with him, kept records and expenses of all funds and reported for them to Jesus. Because of this, the other disciples disliked Judas, jealous of the special position in which he was. Their pride suffered because Jesus, having some dealings with Judas, did not share these secrets with other disciples.
For example, not knowing anything about financial matters, the disciples over time began to believe among themselves that Judas was most likely putting his hand into the common treasury. Gradually this opinion became stronger among the apostles. In fact, Judas treated his duties as treasurer very conscientiously; in general, he was an extremely honest and decent person. Jesus knew this and therefore trusted Judas completely. Judas, being impulsive and hot-tempered by nature, constantly teased and bothered Jesus, believing that he needed to act as actively and energetically as possible. Jesus had to constantly reassure and restrain his brother from rash actions. Judas's intemperance and haste ultimately played their sinister role. It all ended tragically.
Conversation between Jesus and Judas
Judas Iscariot, Jesus' brother, was closely associated with the rebels. Having met Jesus, Judas told him about the plans of the rebels. According to the plan, on Easter night the conspirators were supposed to unexpectedly attack the Romans and rescue their leader Barabbas from captivity. And Judas Iscariot was to play the main role in the liberation of Barabbas. It was he who was supposed to lead the armed detachment that would begin hostilities.
Jesus tried his best to dissuade his beloved brother from doing this, proving the inconsistency of all their plans. But Judas was adamant, and Jesus realized that he could not be convinced.
The two young people were so carried away by the conversation that they did not notice the apostle Judas Zaakias standing nearby, who heard their entire conversation.
Judas Zaakiy, having learned about the impending uprising, was simply shocked. After some thought, he decided that he had to act: stop Judas Iscariot at any cost. To do this, Judas Zaakiy secretly turned to the Jewish priests and told them about the impending rebellion. The high priest Caiaphas, having learned about the uprising, was horrified. He was quite happy with the calm, well-fed life under the Romans. A riot, a rebellion, was supposed to destroy this entire idyll. What if suddenly, during the unrest, the Romans destroy the Jewish temple? What if suddenly the Roman emperor forbade holding services and making sacrifices in the temple? This is the end of all prosperity!
Caiaphas received his position from the hands of Pilate and annually paid him a certain amount for this place of bread. And he didn’t want to lose it all because of some rebels. Caiaphas was especially concerned about the fact that among the conspirators was Jesus Christ’s brother Judas Iscariot. And what role in the upcoming action is prepared for Jesus himself? What if this preacher, taking advantage of the situation, leads the armed masses? What will Jesus do to the Pharisees, scribes and priests if he wins? It's scary to even think about it!
Caiaphas feared Jesus more than the Romans. Jesus, through his actions and speeches, undermined the authority of the Jewish clergy. Therefore, Jesus had to be removed at any cost.
It was then that Caiaphas pronounced sentence on the Son of God, speaking to the priests (John 11: 49-50): “You know nothing and do not understand that it would be better for you if one person died in the name of people than if the whole people died.” .
Judas Zaakia 30 pieces of silver were paid for his betrayal. This Judas was envious and selfish in character, and he took this money.
Judas leaves the table
If you believe the Bible, then the entire Easter supper was permeated with painful anticipation of the coming tragedy. Jesus constantly talks about his imminent end, about betrayal, and invites his disciples to drink wine - the blood of Christ.
In fact, everything was different.
Jesus did not say the famous words to anyone: “One of you will betray me.”
This story was invented later to denigrate Judas, Jesus' beloved brother.
Judas Iscariot carefully watched how the apostles behaved, what they said, what they thought. By that time, strife and quarrels had already begun between the students. Many were dissatisfied with the course of events, some even regretted that they had followed Jesus. Judas told Jesus about the defeatist mood that reigned among the apostles, that many had lost heart, were arguing about supremacy, and were jealous of each other. Many disciples did not like Judas and constantly tried to denigrate him. They envied him, believing that he enjoyed special favor from Jesus.
Therefore, in the Gospels written by the disciples, the image of Judas is painted with the darkest colors; some of Judas’ actions were not understood that way.
According to custom, on the Easter Supper one was supposed to fast until a certain hour. Jesus, noticing that the disciples, very hungry, were looking impatiently at the set table, decided not to torment those gathered and start the meal ahead of time. It has been said many times before that Jesus turned a blind eye to all the subtleties of religious rituals and did not observe fasts, so he himself broke the bread, served them wine and said:
- Bread is the body, wine is the blood, a person cannot do without the body and without blood, just as a person cannot do without food. Eat and drink. Jesus dipped the bread in wine and gave it to Judas Iscariot. According to custom, this gesture was a sign of great love and special favor. Jesus saw with regret that Judas was more than determined and no one and nothing could stop him. And then Jesus turned to Judas and said:
- Do what you have to do quickly. By this he made it clear that he would no longer restrain his brother from his hasty actions and if he had finally decided everything, then let him carry out his secret plan. The disciples present did not even understand what exactly was being said and what Jesus’ words actually meant. In fact, Judas was supposed to meet the rebel detachment at the appointed place. The rebels wanted to free Barabbas and raise a general uprising.
"You will deny me three times"
When Judas left, Jesus, tormented by a bad feeling, carefully looked at his disciples and, unexpectedly for everyone, said: “You will all deny me this night, as it was written: I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” After my resurrection I will meet you in Galilee.
Peter answered him:
- Even if everyone renounces you, I will never betray you.
Jesus answered him:
“Truly I tell you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
Peter tells him:
- Even if I have to die with you, I will not renounce you.
All the disciples said the same thing. They sincerely did not understand what was happening to their Teacher and why he started such strange speeches.
Prayer for the Cup
When it became completely dark, Jesus and his disciples quietly arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. It was hard on Jesus' soul - Judas did not return for so long. Jesus foresaw trouble. Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, Jesus went away with them. Moving a little away from them and remaining completely alone, he began to pray:
- My Father! If possible, let this cup pass from me. However, if nothing can be changed, then let everything be as it will be. When he returned, he found Peter and John and James sleeping.
Jesus woke them up and said reproachfully:
- What, you couldn’t stay awake with me for one hour? Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak. Behold, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. Get up, let's go.
Taking Judas into custody
At this time, Jesus’ darkest forebodings had already begun to come true. When Judas arrived at the appointed place, instead of the rebel troops, he was met by the temple guards.
Having arrested Judas, the guards moved to the Garden of Gethsemane. They already knew all the details of the upcoming uprising, so they were in a hurry to capture Jesus.
Jesus, seeing Judas surrounded by armed temple guards, realized that the rebels' uprising plan had failed. Jesus knew everything about his future and was ready for any outcome of events, well understanding what awaited him.
In fact, Judas did not betray anyone. He did not lead an armed crowd to Jesus, but was himself brought under arrest. The apostles, who did not really know where and why Judas Iscariot was leaving, naturally decided that it was he who betrayed everyone.
Judas never uttered the famous words: “Whoever I kiss is he, take him.”
Jesus, who had been preaching to numerous audiences throughout the country for several years, was already well known to everyone by sight. It was difficult to find at that time a person more famous and popular than Jesus. So the services of Judas were simply not needed to identify the Teacher.
And Jesus also did not say the words: “Here comes the one who betrayed me.”
He knew perfectly well what exactly Judas was doing, moreover, he himself sent him for this, having said earlier: “Do what you have to do.”
Seeing the temple guards in front of him, Jesus said with bitterness:
- Why did you come out against me like a robber, with swords and stakes?
The most offensive thing was that it was not the Romans, against whom they were preparing an uprising, who came to arrest Jesus, but their own compatriots - the Jews. When the guards grabbed Jesus and he did not resist, this bewildered all his companions. They were amazed at his submission, because usually in such cases Jesus hypnotized the attackers and quickly went somewhere to the side. Now for some reason Jesus calmly allowed himself to be arrested.
Around Jesus that night were not only the apostles, but also many other followers who came to the Garden of Gethsemane. One of the disciples, named Macarius, a young 21-year-old guy, insanely devoted to Jesus, could not stand it and, snatching a sword from the sheath of the Apostle Peter standing next to him, hit one guard, named Malchus, in the ear.
Jesus, who did not want to allow bloodshed between the Jews, stopped Macarius with the words:
- Don’t do this, put away your weapon, for whoever takes the sword will die by the sword. Jesus then stopped the wounded man's bleeding and healed his ear. The guards surrounded Jesus and led him to Jerusalem. Then all the students, leaving the Teacher, fled. The soldiers did not pursue anyone, because, except for Jesus, none of them posed a danger.
Execution of Judas
Only a small group of people, led by Barabbas and Judas Iscariot, came to the defense of Jesus, but they were immediately captured and executed even before Christ was crucified.
Barabbas and his supporters were beheaded by Roman soldiers. This time Pilate did not hesitate, because the conspirators were captured with weapons in their hands.
14 April 29 Judas Iscariot was hanged by the Romans.
This is how the earthly journey of Jesus’ brother ended. He did not betray anyone, did not take silver, and did not commit suicide. For two thousand years he bore the shameful mark of a traitor to the Son of God.
In European iconography and painting, Judas Iscariot traditionally appears as the spiritual and physical antithesis of Jesus, as in Giotto's Kiss of Judas fresco or Beato Angelico's frescoes, where he is depicted with a black halo above his head. In Byzantine-Russian iconography, Judas Iscariot is usually turned in profile, like demons, so that the viewer does not meet his eyes. In Christian painting, Judas Iscariot is depicted as a dark-haired and swarthy man, most often a young, beardless man, sometimes as if he were a negative double of John the Evangelist (usually in the Last Supper scene). In icons called “The Last Judgment,” Judas Iscariot is often depicted sitting on Satan’s lap.
In the art of the Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, a demon often sits on the shoulder of Judas Iscariot, whispering devilish words to him. One of the most common motifs in painting, starting from the early Renaissance, is the hanging of Judas Iscariot on a tree; at the same time, he is often depicted with his intestines falling out (the same detail was popular in medieval mysteries and miracles).
Holy place - Jerusalem(Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Old City). Patronizes Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and all countries of the Arabian Peninsula.
Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, is mentioned in all the apostolic lists (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16).
This nickname apparently means "the man from Kariot", he was given probably to distinguish him from another disciple named Judas. Because Kariot was in Judea, then probably Judas belonged to the tribe of Judah and was the only disciple of Jesus from this tribe.
We know nothing about his calling, but, probably, it, like his activities, was not much different from the calling of other students.
Judas listened to the words of the Teacher, saw the miracles He performed, and was sent to preach and perform miracles. Already at the very beginning, the Lord warned the disciples that there was a traitor in their circle, but He did not name him.
Only one thing distinguished Judas from the other disciples: he was a treasurer and at the same time probably sometimes stole money. In Bethany, when a woman poured precious ointment on Jesus’ head, Judas said that it would be better to sell the ointment and give the money to the poor.
During the last supper, Jesus told the disciples that one of them would betray Him.
Later, Judas, who had previously offered his services to the high priests, gave a conventional sign to the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing the Teacher. For his betrayal, Judas received a reward - 30 pieces of silver.
The next day, upon learning that Jesus was sentenced to death, Judas severely repented.
Throwing away the pieces of silver in the temple, he committed suicide.
Judas Iscariot - 6 facts from the Bible
1 fact. Judas - one of the twelve Apostles
Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve whom Jesus chose to be apostles.
4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
(Matt. 10:4)
Iskariotes means “originally from Kerioth (Kerioth).”
2 fact. Judas is a traitor
Judas betrayed Jesus. “Betrayed” is an unpleasant word. The word “betray” and its various forms (“betrayed,” “betrayed,” “betrayed,” etc.) in the meaning of “treasonably betray” are used about thirty times in the New Testament, and almost all of these cases refer to Judas.
He really was a traitor!
16 Judas Jacob and Judas Iscariot, who later became a traitor.
(Luke 6:16)
All these words are translated from forms of the Greek verb paradidomi, consisting of para And didomi. Para This is a multi-valued preposition, the specific meaning of which depends on the case with which it is used: from, from, with, at, in, among, along. Word didomi also has several meanings, boiling down to the words “give”, “to give away”.
In the description of Judas’s act, this word means “to give out,” “to surrender.”
3 fact. Judas is a thief
Judas was a thief.
6 He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had [a cash] box with him and wore what was put in there.
(John 12:6)
« Thief" in this case is a translation of the Greek word kleptes . “Kleptomania” means an irresistible desire to steal due to certain mental illnesses.
« Worn" is the translation of the Greek word ebastazen (initial form - bastazo) with the meaning “to lift”, “to carry in one’s hands”. Some scholars believe that this word in John 12:6 may mean "stole." In this case, we are talking about Judas carrying a box and stealing from it.
« Box"in this text this is the translation of the word glossokomon , consisting of glossa("languages comeo("keep"). This word denoted a box in which parts from wind musical instruments were stored, into which the performer blew air through the mouth (hence the connection with the tongue). Over time, the word came to mean any container for storing something, including a wallet or money bag.
4 fact. Judas was the devil
Judas was the devil.
70 Jesus answered them, “Have I not chosen you twelve?” but one of you is the devil.
71 He spoke this about Judas Simon Iscariot, for he wanted to betray Him, being one of the twelve.
(John 6:70,71)
The word used here diabolos , meaning "traitor" or "traitor".
The devil put in the heart of Judas the desire to betray Jesus. Judas had full freedom of choice, like any other person. He succumbed to the temptation of the devil.
Judas was numbered among the apostles and was involved in their ministry.
17 He was numbered among us and received the lot of this ministry;
(Acts 1:17)
However, he fell after committing a crime.
25 to accept the lot of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas fell away, in order to go to his own place.
(Acts 1:25)
5 fact. Judas knew that he had sinned.
Judas knew that he had sinned. He himself admitted that he had betrayed innocent blood. He admitted that Jesus was innocent!
3 Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said to him: What is that to us? take a look yourself.
(Matt.27:3,4)
Judas can be given credit for not trying to somehow justify himself by declaring Jesus a sinner.
He confessed the sinlessness of Jesus!
6 fact. Judas hanged himself
Judas hanged himself. Luke wrote about this:
18 But he acquired the land with unjust wages, and when he fell, his belly was split open and all his entrails fell out;
19 And this became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that that land in their native dialect was called Akeldama, that is, the land of blood.
(Acts 1:18,19)
Judah purchased the land of blood in the sense that the money he returned was used to purchase that land. The consequences of the crime were terrible for this man.
« Judas bought a field with the money received for this crime, but fell headfirst and broke, and all his insides fell out.»
(Acts 1:18, Modern Version).
Act of Judas
The act of Judas Iscariot poses a number of difficult questions for readers of the Gospel.
How could Jesus choose him as His disciple, entrust him with the treasury, preach the Gospel to him, how could He trust him at all?
We only know that this happened according to God's plan and that what was predicted was to be fulfilled.
24 However, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born.
(Matt. 26:24)
As for Judas himself, it is difficult to say whether he was motivated by greed or a feeling of dissatisfaction due to unfulfilled hopes, for he hoped that Jesus would establish His Kingdom on earth, and expected to occupy a high position in it.
It is clear that Judas was possessed by the devil and that he voluntarily became an obedient instrument in his hands, and this is his fault; It would have been better for him not to have been born.
3 And Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot, one of the twelve,
(Luke 22:3)27 And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.”
(John 13:27)
He is the “son of perdition,” the only disciple of Jesus whose soul was not preserved by God.
priest Konstantin Parkhomenko12 While I was at peace with them, I kept them in Your name; those whom You gave Me I have kept, and none of them perished except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
(John 17:12)
Judas Iscariot– one of the 12, traitor to the God-man.
“Foreknowledge is not the cause of future events, but future events are the cause of Foreknowledge. It is not from Foreknowledge that the future follows, but from the future - Foreknowledge; Christ is not the culprit of Judas’ betrayal, but betrayal is the Lord’s cause.” saint
Was the betrayal of Judas a necessary link in the work of the Redemption of man?
Nowadays, we often have to deal with prejudice regarding the role of Judas in Divine Providence. According to a number of thinkers, if he had not betrayed the Savior, He would not have been captured and crucified, and therefore there would have been no Redemptive Sacrifice on the Cross, there would have been no forgiveness of sins and salvation. In a more cautious version, this philosophical idea is replaced by another: if Judas refused to betray, his role would certainly have to be filled by someone else, for this was God’s plan of Redemption.
In line with such concepts, the moral assessment of Judas varies.
According to one version, he was not motivated by a thirst for profit (thirty pieces of silver is the price of a slave), but by the desire for the speedy manifestation of the Divine glory of Christ. Within the framework of this judgment, Judas allegedly believed that when the Lord becomes the prey of enemies, then he will certainly manifest and publicly reveal the hidden power of His Divinity, which will cause universal recognition, obedience and salvation.
An even more original statement says that Judas, having sold Christ, did not actually betray Him, but performed a feat of humility and self-abasement, as if he, having fulfilled the task of the traitor, carried out the Lord’s order, which served to realize God’s plan, which included taking Christ into custody, interrogation, the Suffering of the Cross, death. Therefore, being scolded for betrayal, he will be scolded undeservedly. Therefore, the commentary on this story should be rewritten, because in the sight of God, Judas is a great saint.
What can you say to this? The opinion that Judas Iscariot is not a traitor is bad. Following this free interpretation, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the merit of Salvation also lies with the murderers of Christ. After all, it is possible (but not necessary) to say about them: if it were not for the murderers, there would have been no Death on the Cross, there would have been no victory over hell and the Resurrection.
But this is not so. And the point here is this. Unlike people, the details of the earthly ministry of the Son of God were known to Him even before the creation of the world. He knew from eternity that many Jews, due to hardness of heart and recklessness, would not accept His Gospel, and from eternity He knew that one of His disciples, flattered by profit, would not resist. If the events of those times, for some reason, were destined to develop differently, this would affect individual details of the plan, but not the plan as a whole. The rescue would still have taken place.
The villainy of Judas is directly captured by the words of the Gospel, testifying that he committed the betrayal not out of spiritual simplicity and, especially, not out of the secret blessing of God, but consciously, according to the inspiration of Satan (). In addition, the Savior personally called him the devil (while the instigators of His murder were called “only” the children of Satan).
The attitude of the Church towards Judas as a novice of the devil is clearly indicated and recorded in the iconography of the Last Judgment. Both frescoes and icons of this type reproduce him with a bag in his hands (symbolizing a wallet with thirty pieces of silver), sitting on the lap of the devil; Both are engulfed in hellfire.
Archpriest Dimitry Yurevich, Head of the Department of Biblical Studies of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy
What was Judas' role in all this? Without him it was impossible to make an arrest?
The role was key. Judas’ betrayal was not limited to the fact that on Wednesday he came to the high priests, reported some information and received thirty pieces of silver for it. No, for this money more was required of him: he had to lead the entire “special operation”. That is, firstly, to bring the temple guards and Roman soldiers to the right place at the right time, and secondly, to show who exactly should be arrested, which of those gathered on the Mount of Olives is Jesus. For the Roman soldiers, all these Jews were alike; they had to give a sign who to grab. Thirdly, Judas should have “settled” problems if they suddenly arose.
And problems did arise. From the Gospel of John the Theologian we know an important detail that other evangelists do not have. When this armed crowd approaches, Christ, knowing the intentions of their hearts, asks: “Whom are you looking for?” They answer: “Jesus of Nazareth.” He replies: “It’s me!” And then everyone falls on their faces. Everyone, including Roman soldiers.
Why are they falling? There is a version that the words of Jesus, translated as “I am” in the Greek translation, sounded like the name of God in Hebrew. That is, “Yahweh.” This name in that era should no longer be pronounced out loud, and when they heard it, the Jews fell on their faces in fear. But why then did the Romans fall, for whom all this meant nothing? Commenting on this place, the saint suggests that at the moment when the Lord named himself, something happened, somehow He revealed His power. Even the Roman soldiers were affected, confusion and confusion arose. And then Judas, in order to stop possible panic, decisively intervenes and comes to the fore. He greets Jesus - both to show the soldiers who to grab, and to reassure them: they say, everything is in order, everything is under control, this is an ordinary person, since I greet him in such a friendly way.
Why was there a kiss? Wasn't it enough to just point a finger?
At that time in Judea this was a common greeting between friends. And by resorting to this form of address, Judas thereby shows his special closeness to the Teacher (perhaps thereby overcoming his own embarrassment and timidity) - and at the same time gives the soldiers a sign of whom to grab. But not only that: he thereby seems to emphasize that this is not God, before whom they just prostrated themselves, but an ordinary person with whom he, the leader of the capture group, greets them familiarly. This is the sophistication of Judas, who wants to emphasize his closeness to the one whom he betrays.
By the way, the Lord Himself points to this cynicism of his with the words: Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? ().
Biblical stories are the most studied part of world literature, yet they continue to attract attention and cause heated debate. The hero of our review is Iscariot, who betrayed Iscariot as a synonym for betrayal and hypocrisy has long become a household name, but is this accusation fair? Ask any Christian: “Who is Judas?” They will answer you: “This is the man guilty of the martyrdom of Christ.”
A name is not a sentence
We have long been accustomed to the fact that Judas is. The personality of this character is odious and indisputable. As for the name, Judah is a very common Jewish name, and is often used to name sons these days. Translated from Hebrew, it means “praise the Lord.” Among the followers of Christ there are several people with this name, therefore, to associate it with treachery is, to say the least, tactless.
The Story of Judas in the New Testament
The story of how Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ is presented extremely simply. On a dark night in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pointed out Him to the servants of the high priests, received thirty silver coins for this, and when he realized the horror of what he had done, he could not stand the torment of his conscience and hanged himself.
To narrate the period of the Savior’s earthly life, the hierarchs of the Christian church selected only four works, the authors of which were Luke, Matthew, John and Mark.
The first in the Bible is the Gospel attributed to one of the twelve closest disciples of Christ - the publican Matthew.
Mark was one of the seventy apostles, and his gospel dates to the middle of the first century. Luke was not among the disciples of Christ, but presumably lived at the same time with Him. His Gospel dates back to the second half of the first century.
The last is the Gospel of John. It was written later than the others, but contains information missing in the first three, and from it we learn the most information about the hero of our story, the apostle named Judas. This work, like the previous ones, was selected by the Church Fathers from more than thirty other Gospels. Unrecognized texts began to be called apocrypha.
All four Books can be called parables, or memoirs of unknown authors, since it has not been established for certain who wrote them or when it was done. Researchers question the authorship of Mark, Matthew, John and Luke. The fact is that there were at least thirty Gospels, but they were not included in the canonical Collection of Holy Scripture. It is assumed that some of them were destroyed during the formation of the Christian religion, while others are kept in strict secrecy. In the works of the hierarchs of the Christian church there are references to them, in particular, Irenaeus of Lyons and Epiphanius of Cyprus, who lived in the second and third centuries, speak of the Gospel of Judas.
The reason for the rejection of the apocryphal Gospels is the Gnosticism of their authors
Irenaeus of Lyon is a famous apologist, that is, a defender and in many ways the founder of the emerging Christian faith. He is responsible for establishing the most basic dogmas of Christianity, such as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, as well as the primacy of the Pope as the successor of the Apostle Peter.
He expressed the following opinion regarding the personality of Judas Iscariot: Judas is a man who held orthodox views on faith in God. Iscariot, as Irenaeus of Lyons believed, was afraid that with the blessing of Christ, the faith and establishment of the fathers, that is, the Laws of Moses, would be abolished, and therefore he became an accomplice in the arrest of the Teacher. Only Judas was from Judea, for this reason it is assumed that he professed the faith of the Jews. The rest of the apostles are Galileans.
The authority of the personality of Irenaeus of Lyons is beyond doubt. His writings contain criticism of the writings about Christ that were current at that time. In “Refutation of Heresies” (175-185), he also writes about the Gospel of Judas as a Gnostic work, that is, one that cannot be recognized by the Church. Gnosticism is a way of knowing based on facts and real evidence, and faith is a phenomenon from the category of the unknowable. The Church demands obedience without analytical reflection, that is, an agnostic attitude towards oneself, towards the sacraments and towards God Himself, for God is a priori unknowable.
Sensational document
In 1978, during excavations in Egypt, a burial was discovered, where, among other things, there was a papyrus scroll with a text signed as “The Gospel of Judas.” The authenticity of the document is beyond doubt. All possible studies, including textual and radiocarbon dating methods, concluded that the document was written between the third and fourth centuries AD. Based on the above facts, it is concluded that the found document is a copy of the Gospel of Judas that Irenaeus of Lyons writes about. Of course, its author is not the disciple of Christ, the Apostle Judas Iscariot, but some other Judas, who knew well the history of the Son of the Lord. This Gospel presents the personality of Judas Iscariot more clearly. Some events present in the canonical Gospels are supplemented in detail in this manuscript.
New facts
According to the text found, it turns out that the Apostle Judas Iscariot is a holy man, and not at all a scoundrel who ingratiated himself into the trust of the Messiah in order to enrich himself or become famous. He was loved by Christ and devoted to him almost more than the other disciples. It was to Judas that Christ revealed all the secrets of Heaven. In the “Gospel of Judas,” for example, it is written that people were created not by the Lord God Himself, but by the spirit Saklas, the assistant of a fallen angel, having a formidable fiery appearance, defiled with blood. Such a revelation was contrary to the basic doctrines that were consistent with the opinion of the Fathers of the Christian Church. Unfortunately, the path of the unique document before it fell into the careful hands of scientists was too long and thorny. Most of the papyrus was destroyed.
The Myth of Judas is a Gross Innuendo
The formation of Christianity is truly a mystery behind seven seals. The constant fierce struggle against heresy does not look good on the founders of the world religion. What is heresy in the understanding of priests? This is an opinion contrary to the opinion of those who have power and strength, and in those days power and strength were in the hands of the papacy.
The first images of Judas were made by order of church officials to decorate temples. It was they who dictated what Judas Iscariot should look like. Photographs of frescoes by Giotto di Bondone and Cimabue depicting the kiss of Judas are presented in the article. Judas in them looks like a low, insignificant and most disgusting type, the personification of all the most vile manifestations of the human personality. But is it possible to imagine such a person among the Savior’s closest friends?
Judas cast out demons and healed the sick
We know well that Jesus Christ healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. The canonical Gospels say that He taught the same to His disciples (Judas Iscariot is no exception) and ordered them to help all those in need and not take any offerings for this. Demons were afraid of Christ and at His appearance they left the bodies of the people they were tormenting. How did it happen that the demons of greed, hypocrisy, betrayal and other vices enslaved Judas if he was constantly near the Teacher?
First doubts
Question: “Who is Judas: a treacherous traitor or the very first Christian saint awaiting rehabilitation?” millions of people have asked themselves throughout the history of Christianity. But if in the Middle Ages voicing this question inevitably resulted in an auto-da-fé, today we have the opportunity to get to the truth.
In 1905-1908 The Theological Bulletin published a series of articles by Mitrofan Dmitrievich Muretov, a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, Orthodox theologian. They were called “Judas the Traitor.”
In them, the professor expressed doubts that Judas, believing in the divinity of Jesus, could betray Him. After all, even in the canonical Gospels there is no complete agreement regarding the apostle’s love of money. The story of the thirty pieces of silver looks unconvincing both from the point of view of the amount of money and from the point of view of the apostle’s love of money - he parted with them too easily. If the craving for money were his vice, then the other disciples of Christ would hardly have trusted him to manage the treasury. Having the community's money in his hands, Judas could take it and leave his comrades. And what are the thirty pieces of silver that he received from the high priests? Is this a lot or a little? If there is a lot, then why didn’t the greedy Judas leave with them, and if there is a little, then why did he take them at all? Muretov is sure that the love of money was not the main motive for Judas’ actions. Most likely, the professor believes, Judas could have betrayed his Teacher due to disappointment in His Teaching.
The Austrian philosopher and psychologist Franz Brentano (1838-1917), independently of Muretov, expressed a similar judgment.
Jorge Luis Borges also saw self-sacrifice and submission to the will of God in the actions of Judas.
The coming of the Messiah according to the Old Testament
In the Old Testament there are prophecies telling about what the coming of the Messiah will be like - He will be rejected by the priesthood, betrayed for thirty coins, crucified, resurrected, and then a new Church will arise in His name.
Someone had to deliver the Son of God into the hands of the Pharisees for thirty coins. This man was Judas Iscariot. He knew the Scriptures and could not help but understand what he was doing. Having accomplished what was commanded by God and recorded by the prophets in the books of the Old Testament, Judas accomplished a great feat. It is quite possible that he discussed what was coming with the Lord in advance, and the kiss is not only a sign to the servants of the high priests, but also a farewell to the Teacher.
As Christ's closest and most trusted disciple, Judas took upon himself the mission of being the one whose name would be cursed forever. It turns out that the Gospel shows us two sacrifices - the Lord sent His Son to the people, so that He would take upon Himself the sins of mankind and wash them away with His blood, and Judas sacrificed himself to the Lord, so that what was spoken through the Old Testament prophets would be fulfilled. Someone had to complete this mission!
Any believer will say that, professing faith in the Triune God, it is impossible to imagine a person who felt the Grace of the Lord and remained not transformed. Judas is a man, not a fallen angel or demon, so he could not be an unfortunate exception.
The history of Christ and Judas in Islam. Founding of the Christian Church
The Koran presents the story of Jesus Christ differently than the canonical Gospels. There is no crucifixion of the Son of God. The main book of Muslims claims that someone else took the form of Jesus. This someone was executed instead of the Lord. Medieval publications say that Judas took the form of Jesus. In one of the apocrypha there is a story in which the future apostle Judas Iscariot appears. His biography, according to this testimony, from childhood was intertwined with the life of Christ.
Little Judas was very sick and when Jesus approached him, the boy bit him in the side, in the same side that was later pierced with a spear by one of the soldiers guarding those crucified on the crosses.
Islam considers Christ a prophet whose teachings were distorted. This is very similar to the truth, but the Lord Jesus foresaw this state of affairs. One day He said to his disciple Simon: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it...” We know that Peter denied Jesus Christ three times, in fact, betrayed Him three times. Why did He choose this particular person to found His Church? Who is the greater traitor - Judas or Peter, who could have saved Jesus with his word, but refused to do so three times?
The Gospel of Judas cannot deprive true believers of the love of Jesus Christ
It is difficult for believers who have experienced the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to accept that Christ was not crucified. Is it possible to worship the cross if facts are revealed that contradict those recorded in the four Gospels? How to relate to the sacrament of the Eucharist, during which believers eat the Body and Blood of the Lord, who accepted martyrdom on the cross in the name of saving people, if there was no painful death of the Savior on the cross?
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” said Jesus Christ.
Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ know that He is real, that He hears them and answers all prayers. This is the main thing. And God continues to love and save people, even despite the fact that in churches, again, as in the time of Christ, there are shops of merchants offering to buy sacrificial candles and other items for the so-called recommended donation, which is many times higher than the cost of the items being sold. The cunningly composed price tags evoke a feeling of closeness to the Pharisees who brought the Son of God to trial. However, one should not expect Christ to come to earth again and drive the merchants out of His Father’s House with a stick, as He did more than two thousand years ago with the merchants of sacrificial doves and lambs. It is better to believe in God’s Providence and not fall into, but accept everything as a gift from God for the salvation of immortal human souls. It is no coincidence that He commanded the triple traitor to found His Church.
Time for a change
It is likely that the discovery of the artifact known as the Chacos Codex containing the Gospel of Judas is the beginning of the end of the legend of the villainous Judas. It's time to reconsider the attitude of Christians towards this man. After all, it was hatred towards him that gave rise to such a disgusting phenomenon as anti-Semitism.
The Torah and the Koran were written by people who were not attached to Christianity. For them, the story of Jesus of Nazareth is just an episode from the spiritual life of humanity, and not the most significant. Is the hatred of Christians for Jews and Muslims (details about the Crusades make us horrified by the cruelty and greed of the Knights of the Cross) with their main commandment: “Love each other!”?
The Torah, Koran, and well-known, respected Christian scholars do not condemn Judas. Neither will we. After all, the Apostle Judas Iscariot, whose life we briefly touched upon, is no worse than other disciples of Christ, the same Apostle Peter, for example.
The future is a renewed Christianity
The great Russian philosopher, the founder of Russian cosmism, who gave impetus to the development of all modern sciences (cosmonautics, genetics, molecular biology and chemistry, ecology and others) was a deeply religious Orthodox Christian and believed that the future of humanity and its salvation lay precisely in the Christian faith. We should not condemn the past sins of Christians, but strive not to commit new ones, to be kinder and more merciful to all people.
Jesus Christ was warned many times that Judas of Kerioth was a man of very bad reputation and should be avoided. Some of the disciples who were in Judea knew him well themselves, others heard a lot about him from people, and there was no one who could say a good word about him. And if the good ones reproached him, saying that Judas was selfish, treacherous, prone to pretense and lies, then the bad ones, who were asked about Judas, reviled him with the most cruel words. “He quarrels with us all the time,” they said, spitting, “he thinks of something of his own and gets into the house quietly, like a scorpion, and comes out of it noisily. And thieves have friends, and robbers have comrades, and liars have wives to whom they tell the truth, and Judas laughs at thieves, as well as at honest ones, although he himself steals skillfully, and his appearance is uglier than all the inhabitants of Judea. No, he is not ours, this red-haired Judas from Kariot,” said the bad ones, surprising the good people, for whom there was not much difference between him and all the other vicious people of Judea. They further said that Judas abandoned his wife a long time ago, and she lives unhappy and hungry, unsuccessfully trying to squeeze bread for food from the three stones that make up Judas’s estate. He himself wandered around senselessly among the people for many years and even reached one sea and another sea, which was even further; and everywhere he lies, grimaces, vigilantly looks out for something with his thief's eye; and suddenly leaves suddenly, leaving behind troubles and quarrels - curious, crafty and evil, like a one-eyed demon. He had no children, and this once again said that Judas was a bad person and God did not want offspring from Judas. None of the disciples noticed when this red-haired and ugly Jew first appeared near Christ; but for a long time now he had been relentlessly following their path, interfering in conversations, providing small services, bowing, smiling and ingratiating himself. And then it became completely familiar, deceiving tired vision, then suddenly it caught the eyes and ears, irritating them, like something unprecedentedly ugly, deceitful and disgusting. Then they drove him away with stern words, and for a short time he disappeared somewhere along the road - and then quietly appeared again, helpful, flattering and cunning, like a one-eyed demon. And there was no doubt for some of the disciples that in his desire to get closer to Jesus there was hidden some secret intention, there was an evil and insidious calculation. But Jesus did not listen to their advice; their prophetic voice did not touch his ears. With that spirit of bright contradiction that irresistibly attracted him to the rejected and unloved, he decisively accepted Judas and included him in the circle of the chosen. The disciples were worried and grumbled restrainedly, but he sat quietly, facing the setting sun, and listened thoughtfully, maybe to them, or maybe to something else. There had been no wind for ten days, and the same transparent air, attentive and sensitive, remained the same, without moving or changing. And it seemed as if he had preserved in his transparent depths everything that was shouted and sung these days by people, animals and birds - tears, crying and a cheerful song, prayer and curses; and these glassy, frozen voices made him so heavy, anxious, thickly saturated with invisible life. And once again the sun set. It rolled down like a heavy flaming ball, lighting up the sky; and everything on earth that was turned towards him: the dark face of Jesus, the walls of houses and the leaves of trees - everything obediently reflected that distant and terribly thoughtful light. The white wall was no longer white now, and the red city on the red mountain did not remain white. And then Judas came. He came, bowing low, arching his back, carefully and timidly stretching his ugly, lumpy head forward - just the way those who knew him imagined him. He was thin, of good height, almost the same as Jesus, who was slightly stooped from the habit of thinking while walking and this made him seem shorter; and he was quite strong in strength, apparently, but for some reason he pretended to be frail and sickly and had a changeable voice: sometimes courageous and strong, sometimes loud, like an old woman scolding her husband, annoyingly thin and unpleasant to the ear; and often I wanted to pull the words of Judas out of my ears, like rotten, rough splinters. Short red hair did not hide the strange and unusual shape of his skull: as if cut from the back of the head with a double blow of a sword and put back together again, it was clearly divided into four parts and inspired distrust, even anxiety: behind such a skull there cannot be silence and harmony, behind such a skull there is always the sound of bloody and merciless battles can be heard. Judas’s face was also double: one side of it, with a black, sharply looking eye, was alive, mobile, willingly gathering into numerous crooked wrinkles. On the other there were no wrinkles, and it was deathly smooth, flat and frozen; and although it was equal in size to the first, it seemed huge from the wide open blind eye. Covered with a whitish turbidity, not closing either at night or during the day, it met both light and darkness equally; but was it because there was a living and cunning comrade next to him that he could not believe in his complete blindness? When, in a fit of timidity or excitement, Judas closed his living eye and shook his head, this one swayed along with the movements of his head and looked silently. Even people completely devoid of insight clearly understood, looking at Iscariot, that such a person could not bring good, but Jesus brought him closer and even sat Judas next to him. John, his beloved student, moved away with disgust, and everyone else, loving their teacher, looked down disapprovingly. And Judas sat down - and, moving his head to the right and left, in a thin voice began to complain about illness, that his chest hurts at night, that, when climbing mountains, he suffocates, and standing at the edge of an abyss, he feels dizzy and can barely hold on from a stupid desire to throw himself down. And he shamelessly invented many other things, as if not understanding that illnesses do not come to a person by chance, but are born from the discrepancy between his actions and the precepts of the Eternal. This Judas from Kariot rubbed his chest with a wide palm and even coughed feignedly in the general silence and downcast gaze. John, without looking at the teacher, quietly asked Peter Simonov, his friend: “Aren’t you tired of this lie?” I can't stand her any longer and I'll leave here. Peter looked at Jesus, met his gaze and quickly stood up. - Wait! - he told his friend. He looked at Jesus again, quickly, like a stone torn from a mountain, moved towards Judas Iscariot and loudly said to him with broad and clear friendliness: - Here you are with us, Judas. He affectionately patted his hand on his bent back and, without looking at the teacher, but feeling his gaze on himself, decisively added in his loud voice, which crowded out all objections, like water crowds out air: “It’s okay that you have such a nasty face: we also get caught in our nets who are not so ugly, and when it comes to food, they are the most delicious.” And it’s not for us, our Lord’s fishermen, to throw away our catch just because the fish is prickly and one-eyed. I once saw an octopus in Tyre, caught by the local fishermen, and I was so scared that I wanted to run away. And they laughed at me, a fisherman from Tiberias, and gave me some to eat, and I asked for more, because it was very tasty. Remember, teacher, I told you about this, and you laughed too. And you, Judas, look like an octopus - only with one half. And he laughed loudly, pleased with his joke. When Peter said something, his words sounded so firmly, as if he was nailing them down. When Peter moved or did something, he made a far-audible noise and evoked a response from the most deaf things: the stone floor hummed under his feet, the doors trembled and slammed, and the very air shuddered and made noise timidly. In the gorges of the mountains, his voice awakened an angry echo, and in the mornings on the lake, when they were fishing, he rolled round and round on the sleepy and shining water and made the first timid rays of the sun smile. And, probably, they loved Peter for this: on all the other faces the shadow of the night still lay, and his large head, and wide naked chest, and freely thrown arms were already burning in the glow of the sunrise. Peter's words, apparently approved by the teacher, dispelled the painful state of those gathered. But some, who had also been by the sea and seen the octopus, were confused by its monstrous image, which Peter so frivolously dedicated to his new student. They remembered: huge eyes, dozens of greedy tentacles, feigned calm - and time! - hugged, doused, crushed and sucked, without even blinking his huge eyes. What is this? But Jesus is silent, Jesus smiles and looks from under his brows with friendly mockery at Peter, who continues to talk passionately about the octopus - and one after another the embarrassed disciples approached Judas, spoke kindly, but walked away quickly and awkwardly. And only John Zebedee remained stubbornly silent and Thomas, apparently, did not dare to say anything, pondering what had happened. He carefully examined Christ and Judas, who were sitting next to each other, and this strange proximity of divine beauty and monstrous ugliness, a man with a gentle gaze and an octopus with huge, motionless, dull, greedy eyes oppressed his mind like an unsolvable riddle. He tensely wrinkled his straight, smooth forehead, squinted his eyes, thinking that he would see better this way, but all he achieved was that Judas really seemed to have eight restlessly moving legs. But this was not true. Foma understood this and again looked stubbornly. And Judas gradually dared: he straightened his arms, bent at the elbows, loosened the muscles that kept his jaw tense, and carefully began to expose his lumpy head to the light. She had been in plain sight before everyone, but it seemed to Judas that she was deeply and impenetrably hidden from view by some invisible, but thick and cunning veil. And now, as if he was crawling out of a hole, he felt his strange skull in the light, then his eyes - he stopped - he decisively opened his entire face. Nothing happened. Peter went somewhere; Jesus sat thoughtfully, leaning his head on his hand, and quietly shaking his tanned leg; The students talked among themselves, and only Thomas looked at him carefully and seriously, like a conscientious tailor taking measurements. Judas smiled - Thomas did not return the smile, but apparently took it into account, like everything else, and continued to look at it. But something unpleasant was disturbing the left side of Judas’s face; he looked back: John was looking at him from a dark corner with cold and beautiful eyes, handsome, pure, not having a single spot on his snow-white conscience. And, walking like everyone else, but feeling as if he was dragging along the ground like a punished dog, Judas approached him and said: - Why are you silent, John? Your words are like golden apples in transparent silver vessels, give one of them to Judas, who is so poor. John looked intently into the motionless, wide-open eye and was silent. And he saw how Judas crawled away, hesitated hesitantly and disappeared into the dark depths of the open door. Since the full moon rose, many went for a walk. Jesus also went for a walk, and from the low roof where Judas had made his bed, he saw those leaving. In the moonlight, each white figure seemed light and unhurried and did not walk, but as if glided in front of its black shadow; and suddenly the man disappeared into something black, and then his voice was heard. When people reappeared under the moon, they seemed silent - like white walls, like black shadows, like the whole transparent, hazy night. Almost everyone was already asleep when Judas heard the quiet voice of the returning Christ. And everything became quiet in the house and around it. The rooster crowed; A donkey who had woken up somewhere screamed offendedly and loudly, as if during the day, and reluctantly, intermittently, fell silent. But Judas still did not sleep and listened, hiding. The moon illuminated half of his face and, as in a frozen lake, was reflected strangely in his huge open eye. Suddenly he remembered something and hastily coughed, rubbing his hairy, healthy chest with his palm: perhaps someone was still awake and listening to what Judas was thinking.
