Judas Iscariot (IV)

IV. JUDAS ISCARIOT, or Judas the traitor, having been chosen by Jesus Christ into the number of his Apostles, and intrusted with the alms that were offered to our Saviour and his apostles for their support, he grew so wicked as to betray his God and Lord, and deliver him into the hands of his enemies, in order to be put to death. Mary, Lazarus’s sister, having poured out a precious perfume upon our Saviour’s feet, Judas was one of those Apostles who murmured most at it; and went soon after to the Priests, undertaking to deliver Jesus Christ to them. They promised him thirty shekels, which make about three pounds eight shillings and three pence farthing; or four pounds ten shillings, if, with Dr. Prideaux, we value a shekel of Silver at three shillings. Before the last supper was ended, he left the room, and went to inform the Priests, that he would that night give up Jesus to them, because he knew the place whither he retired in the night. Several questions are proposed relating to this matter. 1. It is asked, how he came by the name of Iscariot? Euse-bius and S. Jerom¹ think, that he was of the Tribe of Ephraim, and a native of the town of Iscariot situated in this Tribe. Others will have it that he Hieron. de nominib. Hebr. in Matth. Josh. xv. 25.was of the Tribe of Issachar; and that from thence was formed the word Issachariothes. Others maintain, that this name is derived from the town of Carioth in the Tribe of Judah. Isch-Carioth, signifies in Hebrew, the man of Carioth.

2. Another question is, whether he partook of our Lord’s body in the last supper which he eat with the Apostles? Several of the ancients, as the author of the Apostolick constitutions, S. Hilary, Innocent III. Victor of Antioch, Abbot Rupert, Theophylact, and some others are of opinion that he was not present at the Eucharist, and that as soon as Jesus Christ had described him as the person who should betray him, he departed, and went away. But Constit. l. v. c. 13. Hilar. in Matt. Can. 31. Innocent. III. de Myster. alt. l. iv. c. 11. Victor. Antioch. in Marc. xiv. Rupert. in Matt. l. x. & in Joan. l. xii. Theophylact. in Matth. xxvi. Luke xxii. 21.the generality of both the ancients and moderns² assert, that he was present at the institution of the Eucharist; which is confirmed by S. Luke, who having related our Saviour’s words at the institution of this divine Sacrament, says, that Jesus pronounced these; The hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table.³ Some have thought that a piece of bread dipp’d in sauce, and presented by Jesus unto Judas, was the Eucharist; others,⁴ that by so dipping the piece of bread, it was unconsecrated. Origen upon S. John relates three opinions concerning Judas’s communicating, and declares for one of them. 1. That Judas received the body of Jesus Christ. 2. That the Devil prevented him from doing so. 3. That he received the bread only and not the Body of Jesus Christ. 4. Another question is, how he came to bring back the money to the Priests, which he had received from them in order to deliver up his master. There are some who think, that this did not happen till after the death of Jesus Christ; others that it was before he was condemn’d by Pilate, and at the time when the Priests and Scribes insisted with the Governor, that he should abandon him to them to be crucified; lastly, others pretend, that he did not carry back this money to the Priests till he had heard the sentence of death pronounced against his master. Then he went to them in the Temple, and said to them, I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood? But they answered him, What is that to us? Look thou to that. Hereupon he threw the money into the Temple, went away, and hang’d himself. Some of the Fathers⁵ seem to speak in commendation of Judas’s repentance; but others look upon it as very defective and unprofitable, since he despaired of God’s mercy. Origen and Theophylact writing on S. Matthew, say, that Judas seeing his Master was condemned, and that he could not obtain pardon from him in this life, made haste to get the Acts i. 18. πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησε μέσος, καὶ ἐξεχύθη πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ. Matt. xxvii. 5. Καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο. Irenæ. l. i. c. 35. Epiphan. hæres. 28. n 1. Theodoret. hæretic. fab. c. 15.start of him, and wait for him in the other world, in order to beg mercy of him there.

3. There are some difficulties formed concerning the manner wherein Judas died. S. Matthew says no more than that he hang’d himself; but S. Luke in the Acts says farther, that Judas falling headlong burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Theophylact affirms, that having first hang’d himself, as S. Matthew relates, the weight of his body made the tree bend which he was fastned to, and that being assisted, he lived still some time after; but that falling into a dropsy he burst and died. Euthymius tells us, that just as Judas had hanged himself, some person took him down, and put him in a place where for a while he lived; but that he tumbled afterwards from some high place, burst in the fall, and his bowels dropt out. Papias, who is cited in OEcumenius upon the Acts, said, that the halter by which he was fastned to the tree breaking, he lived for some time, and at last burst in the middle. Others think that being thrown into a common sewer after his death, he burst there, as is usual with carcasses which are abandoned in this manner, and all his bowels fell out. Several of the Moderns⁶ are of opinion, that the Greek Text of S. Matthew may signify only, that Judas was suffocated with grief, despair, or even a quinsey, and that in the extremity of his disease he fell upon his face, burst and expired; or that being tormented with despair, he threw himself headlong and burst. This is a pretty exact account of what is related on this subject. See the article Aceldema, concerning the field purchased with the money which Judas returned to the Priests.

The ancient Fathers take notice of a spurious Gospel under the name of the Gospel of Judas, which was composed by the Cainites to countenance their extravagant opinions. They acknowledged a superior power to that of the Creator, and contrary to it; that they whom we look upon as the worst men that ever were, such as Cain, Korah, the Sodomites and Judas the traitor, were acquainted with this first principle, and were its Ministers in opposition to the power of the great Creator of the world. Judas alone of all the Apostles, say they, knew this mystery; and in order the sooner to procure the salvation of Israel, he made haste to deliver up Jesus Christ, who had many times declared, that he should die for the salvation of the world.

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