Unraveling Judas

A video exploring the possible origins of the Judas story.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• judas
• iscariot
• sicarii
• religion
• bible
• god
• gospels
• christianity
• priest
• halford
• atheism
• skepticism
• criticism
• explanation
• origins

[thex13thxchild]

All composed, factual & informational then suddenly... "I'm just a holy fool but baby you're so cruel..." XD

On a more serious note, job well done

[TaylorX04]

@thex13thxchild I had a choice of "Judas" by Lady Gaga or "The Kiss of Judas" by Stratovarius for this video's ending music. I figured I've used power metal enough in my videos, so it was time for a change, lol.

[TruthSurge]

Another point you did not include that would be relevant is that Mark, the EARLIEST of the four canonical gospels, does not contain anything about Judas' death. This, to me, indicates that the death part was also a later addition by Matthew or his community to what Mark's gospel already contained. It was inevitable as the readers would naturally be drooling to see Judas killed for betraying the very son of god (ironic, because apparently, he was supposed to!)

[TaylorX04]

@TruthSurge Actually, I did mention that, at about 2:44. I agree about the addition too, and it's interesting when you look at how Matthew's author was so obsessed with fulfilling "prophecy", and so Judas' death fulfills prophecy, while Acts' author is more concerned with giving a more literal meaning to the "field of blood", making Judas' guts burst forth onto the land. In probably every case of a discrepancy, we find it due to the authors' differing agendas.

[Symos]

Judas, Patron Saint of thankless tasks.

[TaylorX04]

@sinebass808 That's another subject of controversy. I happen to think that Jesus probably never claimed to be the messiah, but his followers believed he was. I agree with Bart Ehrman and others, that Jesus was most likely an apocalyptic prophet. But whether he was that or a self-proclaimed messiah, I don't see how the Romans would've needed a Judas to betray Jesus. They crushed other messiah cults without needing an "inside man," so to speak.

[HimesInu]

@TaylorX04 There is no such thing as "too much metal."

[TempleOfInanna2]

@tifforo1 Hanging used to be a common method of execution. This act alone will not make the belly burst open and guts spill out, only snap the neck. Unless of course your midsection is slit THEN you are hung, such as in the film Hannibal. If Judas' belly was slit first, that would mean he had assitance in the hanging, and it wouldn't be a suicide.

[g0dh4x]

The only Judas I care about is, Judas Priest.

[tifforo1]

I've heard Christians try to resolve the Judas death contradiction by saying that his guts spilled open AFTER he hung himself, but the two stories of his death also contradict each other on:

1. What did he do with the money?

2. Who bought the field?

3. Why was it called the "field of blood?"

[TruthSurge]

@TaylorX04 ah, it was so fast, I didn't catch it. But you're not as fast as AronRa! hahha (thank zeus).

Yeah, Matthew had a hard-on for prophecy fulfillment. He's making up stuff and jerking OT phrases totally out of context and making poor Jesus straddle two donkeys at once. pitiful.

[TruthSurge]

It's called Excavating the Empty Tomb. Has about 10 vids so far. You might find something to add to your stuff. Or you might find some things I can add to my understandings. I was thinking of doing a "origins of Judas" series but... I just never got around to it. I think the OT passages you cited are right on the money. But consider Mark's use of Homer also and the fact he was framing his gospel as a sort of mini-epic with Jesus as the hero.

[TruthSurge]

Nice vid except for that nauseating "music" at the very end.

Another thing that seems to tie in is that Mark seemed to frame Judas in the same way as the servants of Odysseus who betrayed him. While Odysseus was away from home, some of his female servants finally cave in to the pressures of the suitors and side with them and Mark has borrowed a lot from Homer's Odyssey (suitors = Pharisees, unfaithful servants = Judas, Odysseus = Jesus). You might like a series I'm doing that goes into this.