• Judas
    Aid to Bible Understanding

    • JUDAS

      Judas [lauded].

      Greek form of the Hebrew name Judah.

      1. An ancestor of Jesus in the line from Nathan through Mary. The son of Joseph and father of Symeon, Judas was the, seventh generation from David’s son Nathan and so lived prior to the Babylonian exile.—Luke 3:30, 31.

      2. Judas the Galilean, referred to by Gamaliel in his address to the Sanhedrin. (Acts 5:37) At the time of the registration identified with Quirinius governor of Syria in 6 C.E., Judas led a Jewish uprising. Josephus mentions him a number of times, and states that he urged “the natives to revolt, saying that they would be cowards if they submitted to paying taxes to the Romans, and after serving God alone accepted human masters. This man was a rabbi with a sect of his own.” In one place Josephus called Judas a Gaulonite, which some would relate to an area E of the Sea of Galilee. Yet in other places the same historian says Judas was a Galilean, as did Gamaliel. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII, chap. I, pars. 1, 6) These rebels stressed liberty, but they did not succeed in getting it. Judas “perished, and all those who were obeying him were scattered abroad.” (Acts 5:37) Some of his descendants were also involved in uprisings.—Wars of the Jews, Book II, chap. XVII, par. 8, and Book VII, chap. VIII, par. 1.

      3. One of the twelve apostles, also called Thaddaeus and “Judas the son of James.” In the listings of the apostles in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18, James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus are linked together. In the listings at Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13 Thaddaeus is not included; instead we find “Judas the son of James,” leading to the conclusion that Thaddaeus is another name for the apostle Judas. The possibility of confusing two apostles named Judas might be a reason why the name Thaddaeus is sometimes used. Some translators render Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13, “Judas the brother of James,” since the Greek does not give the exact relationship. But the Syriac Peshitta Version does supply the word “son.” Consequently, numerous modern translations read “Judas the son of James.” (NE, RS, NW, La, AT) The only Biblical reference to Judas alone is at John 14:22. This verse refers to him as “Judas, not Iscariot,” thus providing a means of distinguishing which Judas spoke.

      In the Authorized Version at Matthew 10:3 “Lebbaeus, whose surname was” is inserted before “Thaddaeus.” This is based on the Received Text, but the modern Westcott and Hort text omits this, for it is not in manuscripts such as the Sinaitic.

      4. Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon and the infamous apostle who betrayed Jesus. The Bible provides little direct information about the family and background of Judas. Both he and his father were called Iscariot. (Luke 6:16; John 6:71) This term has commonly been understood as indicating that they were from the Judean town of Kerioth-hezron. If this is so, then Judas was the only Judean among the twelve apostles, the rest being Galileans.—See ISCARIOT.

      Judas is introduced into the Gospel accounts in the listing of the apostles sometime after Passover 31 C.E. and about a year and a half after Jesus began his ministry. (Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16) It is logical to conclude that Judas had been a disciple for a time before Jesus made him an apostle. Many writers paint an entirely black picture of Judas, but evidently for a while he had been a disciple who found favor with God and Jesus; his very selection as an apostle indicates that. Furthermore, he was entrusted with caring for the common finances of Jesus and the twelve. That reflects favorably on his dependability at the time and his ability or education, especially since Matthew had had experience with money and figures but did not receive this assignment. (John 12:6; Matt. 10:3) Nonetheless, Judas did become completely, inexcusably corrupt. No doubt it is for this reason that he is placed last in the list of the apostles, and is described as the Judas “who later betrayed him,” and “who turned traitor.”—Matt. 10:4; Luke 6:16.

      BECAME CORRUPT

      Near Passover 32 C.E. Judas, with the other apostles, was sent out preaching. (Matt. 10:1, 4, 5) Shortly after Judas’ return, and less than a year after he had been made an apostle, he was publicly denounced by Christ, though not by name. Some disciples left Jesus, being shocked over his teachings, but Peter said that the twelve would stick with Christ. In response Jesus acknowledged that he had chosen the twelve, but said: “One of you is a slanderer [Greek, di·aʹbo·los, meaning devil or slanderer].” The account explains that the one who already was a slanderer was Judas, who “was going to betray him, although one of the twelve.”—John 6:66-71.

      In connection with this incident John says: “From the beginning Jesus knew . . . who was the one that would betray him.” (John 6:64) From Hebrew Scripture prophecies Christ knew that he would be betrayed by a close associate. (Ps. 41:9; 109:8; John 13:18, 19) By use of his foreknowledge God had seen that such a one would turn traitor, but it is inconsistent with God’s qualities and past dealings to think that Judas had to fail, as if he were predestined. (See FOREKNOWLEDGE, FOREORDINATION.) Rather, as already mentioned, at the beginning of his apostleship Judas was faithful to God and Jesus. Thus Christ must have meant that “from the beginning” of when Judas started to go bad, started to give in to imperfection and sinful inclinations, Jesus recognized it. (John 2:24, 25; Rev. 1:1; 2:23) Judas must have known he was the “slanderer” Jesus mentioned, but he continued to travel with Jesus and the faithful apostles and apparently he made no changes.

      The Bible does not discuss in detail the motives for his corrupt course, but an incident that occurred on Nisan 12, 33 C.E., two days before Jesus’ death, sheds light on the matter. At Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, Mary, Lazarus’ sister, anointed Jesus with perfumed oil worth three hundred denarii, about a year’s wages for a laborer. (Matt. 20:2) Judas strongly objected that the oil could have been sold and the money “given to the poor people.” Evidently other apostles merely assented to what seemed to be a valid point, but Jesus rebuked them. Judas’ real reason for objecting was that he cared for the money box and he “was a thief . . . and used to carry off the monies” put in the box. So Judas was a greedy, practicing thief.—John 12:2-7; Matt. 26:6-12; Mark 14:3-8.

      BETRAYAL PRICE

      Judas was undoubtedly stung by Jesus’ rebuke about the use of money. At this time “Satan entered into Judas,” likely in the sense that the traitorous apostle gave himself in to the will of the Devil, allowing himself to be a tool to carry out Satan’s design to stop Christ. That same day Judas went to the chief priests and temple captains to see how much they would pay him to betray Jesus, again showing his avarice. (Matt. 26:14-16; Mark 14:10, 11; Luke 22:3-6; John 13:2) Seemingly Judas had to travel some two miles (3 kilometers) from Bethany to Jerusalem to meet the chief priests, who had that day met together with the “older men of the people,” the influential men of the Sanhedrin. (Matt. 26:3) The temple captains may have been brought in because of their influence and to lend legal flavor to any planned arrest of Jesus.

      Thirty pieces of silver was the price offered. (Matt. 26:14, 15) The sum fixed by the religious leaders appears designed to show their contempt of Jesus,