Judas

I am not a religious person but I can tell you that historically we have records of the existance of Jesus and his disciples, so we know they were real people.

We have all now heard of Judas, whether from the Bible or the recent Lady Gaga song.  But where does the name come from?  Here are some suggestions:

  • From the same source as the collective noun: ‘Jew’
  • Several Judas’ in the Bible and other places, including:
-          Judas Iscariot – betrayer of Christ
-          Judas Thomas Didymus -  St Thomas or Doubting Thomas
-          Judas Thaddeaus – Son of James, one of the 12 Apostles
-          St Jude – Jesus’s half-brother
-          Judas the Zealot – identity unknown
-          Simon the Zealot
-          Judas Barsabbas – emissary of the Church of Jerusalem to the Church at Antioch
-          Judas of Galilee – Jewish revolt leader
-          Judas Cyriacus – assisted Helena of Constantinople find the True Cross.
-          Judas Maccabeaus – founder of the Hasmonean dynasty.

(all details checked on Wikipedia)

Generally the name Judas refers to Judas Iscariot in culture.  The idea was that during the Last Supper, Jesus announced someone would betray him.  At this point Judas leaves the room and does not enter the story until he shows up with the Romans later.

Through the ages Judas Iscariot has had his name used for anyone who is a betrayer.  However, I believe he is much maligned and here comes the controversial bit.  Remember, I am not religious, so I am looking at this in terms of the socio-historical element of the story.  During the Last Supper, Jesus announces he will be betrayed, but I believe the betrayers were all the disciples bar Judas.  I think Judas understood that Jesus needed to be crucified by the Romans so he could ‘rise again’ and was the only person Jesus trusted to help him.  When Judas was found hung from a tree I believe that was his way of getting into heaven to ultimately be with Christ (or so he believed).  Judas should be given a break.  I am not saying I all of a sudden have become a Christian, merely that the actual person of Judas Iscariot has been used as a scapegoat by the Roman Catholic Church and Christianity ever since and I don’t think it is entirely fair.

If you didn’t like that, you do not want to know my view on Mary Magdalen…

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