The Sharing Group Discussion: If Jesus (a.s.) Did Not Die, Why Did Judas Kill Himself ?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following question was asked by Sister Aaminah Shiah, on The Sharing Group, on the 20^th November 2016: “If Jesus (a.s.) did not die, as the Bible states, why did Judas kill himself?” 

Brother Marquis Dawkins: While Islam does not even acknowledge Judas, some of the scholars who take the substitution theory, say that it was Judas who was crucified instead.  So the “killing himself” had to be explained elsewhere. 

Even in the Gospels, there is a discrepancy with it, as one story says he threw the 30 pieces of silver back at the Jews and immediately hanged himself afterwards: 

Matthew 27:3-5

³ And now Judas, his betrayer, was full of remorse at seeing him condemned, so that he brought back to the chief priests and elders their thirty pieces of silver; ⁴ “I have sinned,” he told them, “in betraying the blood of an innocent man.”  “What is that to us?” they said.  “It concerns thee only.”  ⁵ Whereupon he left them, throwing down the pieces of silver there in the temple, and went and hanged himself. 

³ Τότε ἰδὼν Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν ὅτι κατεκρίθη μεταμεληθεὶς ἔστρεψεν τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ πρεσβυτέροις ⁴ λέγων: ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῷον. οἱ δὲ εἶπαν: τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς; σὺ ὄψῃ.  ⁵ καὶ ῥίψας τὰ ἀργύρια εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἀνεχώρησεν, καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο. 

³ Tunc videns Judas, qui eum tradidit, quod damnatus esset, pœnitentia ductus, retulit triginta argenteos principibus sacerdotum, et senioribus, ⁴ dicens: Peccavi, tradens sanguinem justum.  At illi dixerunt: Quid ad nos? tu videris.  ⁵ Et projectis argenteis in templo, recessit: et abiens laqueo se suspendit. 

Another story says he bought a field with the silver and hung himself afterwards 

Acts of the Apostles 1:18-19

¹⁸ (With the price of his treachery, this man came into possession of a field; and afterwards, when he fell from a height, and his belly burst open, so that he was disembowelled, ¹⁹ all Jerusalem heard of it, and the field came to be called, in their language, Haceldama, that is, the Field of Blood.) 

₁₈ οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐκτήσατο χωρίον ἐκ μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησεν μέσος, καὶ ἐξεχύθη πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ.  ¹⁹ καὶ γνωστὸν ἐγένετο πᾶσι τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἰερουσαλήμ ὥστε κληθῆναι τὸ χωρίον ἐκεῖνο τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ αὐτῶν Ἁκελδαμάχ τοῦτ' ἔστιν, χωρίον αἵματος. 

¹⁸ Et hic quidem possedit agrum de mercede iniquitatis, et suspensus crepuit medius: et diffusa sunt omnia viscera ejus.  ¹⁹ Et notum factum est omnibus habitantibus Jerusalem, ita ut appellaretur ager ille, lingua eorum, Haceldama, hoc est, ager sanguinis. 

Sister Aaminah Shiah: It seems like I remember that the priests took the money and bought the field.  The potter’s field, they called it. 

Brother Marquis Dawkins: The Gospels agree that Judas hung himself more for guilt of the betrayal, as he had no idea what would happen to Jesus (a.s.).  There are a few discussions of it from the Christian perspective.  One of the more fascinating ones I read was that Judas wanted to forcefully make Jesus (a.s.) reveal his power and status as Messiah to the Jews and Romans, so he “betrayed” him, so that Jesus  (a.s.) would have no choice but to fight back, and begin the revolution.  However, when Jesus  (a.s.) did not do that, and instead allowed himself to be captured, Judas did not expect that to happen, so was filled with remorse and grief.  It could be said that the grief was because he believed Jesus  (a.s.) was not the Messiah.  Or the grief was that the people would find out that Judas was the betrayer, and thus tear him to shreds. 

Brother Terence Helikaon Nunis: We do not actually know what happened to Judas.  The Bible itself gives two different accounts, and the Church Fathers had their own stories.  This is in addition to the legends from the various Gnostic sects of early Christianity.  For those interested in this sort of thing, and can read Latin and Greek, I recommend taking a look at Christian Classics Ethereal Library. 

This is the Gospel story: 

Matthew 27:3-10

³ And now Judas, his betrayer, was full of remorse at seeing him condemned, so that he brought back to the chief priests and elders their thirty pieces of silver; ⁴ “I have sinned,” he told them, “in betraying the blood of an innocent man.” “What is that to us?” they said. “It concerns thee only.”  ⁵ Whereupon he left them, throwing down the pieces of silver there in the temple, and went and hanged himself.  ⁶ The chief priests, thus recovering the money, said, “It must not be put in the treasury, since it is the price of blood”; ⁷ and after consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field, as a burial place for strangers; ⁸ it is upon that account that the field has been called “Haceldama”, “the Field of Blood”, to this day.  ⁹ And so the word was fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, when he said, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of one who was appraised, for men of the race of Israel appraised him, ¹⁰ and bestowed them upon the potter’s field, as the Lord had bidden me.” 

³ Τότε ἰδὼν Ἰούδας ὁ παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν ὅτι κατεκρίθη μεταμεληθεὶς ἔστρεψεν τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν καὶ πρεσβυτέροις ⁴ λέγων: ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῷον. οἱ δὲ εἶπαν: τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς; σὺ ὄψῃ.  ⁵ καὶ ῥίψας τὰ ἀργύρια εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἀνεχώρησεν, καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο.  ⁶ οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς λαβόντες τὰ ἀργύρια εἶπαν: οὐκ ἔξεστιν βαλεῖν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν κορβανᾶν, ἐπεὶ τιμὴ αἵματός ἐστιν.  ⁷ συμβούλιον δὲ λαβόντες ἠγόρασαν ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κεραμέως εἰς ταφὴν τοῖς ξένοις.  ⁸ διὸ ἐκλήθη ὁ ἀγρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀγρὸς αἵματος ἕως τῆς σήμερον.  ⁹ τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος: καὶ ἔλαβον τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ τετιμημένου ὃν ἐτιμήσαντο ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, ¹⁰ καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κεραμέως, καθὰ συνέταξέν μοι κύριος. 

³ Tunc videns Judas, qui eum tradidit, quod damnatus esset, pœnitentia ductus, retulit triginta argenteos principibus sacerdotum, et senioribus, ⁴ dicens: Peccavi, tradens sanguinem justum.  At illi dixerunt: Quid ad nos?  tu videris.  ⁵ Et projectis argenteis in templo, recessit: et abiens laqueo se suspendit.  ⁶ Principes autem sacerdotum, acceptis argenteis, dixerunt: Non licet eos mittere in corbonam: quia pretium sanguinis est.  ⁷ Consilio autem inito, emerunt ex illis agrum figuli, in sepulturam peregrinorum.  ⁸ Propter hoc vocatus est ager ille, Haceldama, hoc est, Ager sanguinis, usque in hodiernum diem.  ⁹ Tunc impletum est quod dictum est per Jeremiam prophetam, dicentem: Et acceperunt triginta argenteos pretium appretiati, quem appretiaverunt a filiis Israël: ¹⁰ et dederunt eos in agrum figuli, sicut constituit mihi Dominus. 

And this is what is written at the beginning of Acts of the Apostles: 

Acts 1:15-18

¹⁵ At this time, Peter stood up and spoke before all the brethren; a company of about a hundred and twenty were gathered there.  ¹⁶ “Brethren,” he said, “there is a prophecy in scripture that must needs be fulfilled; that which the Holy Spirit made, by the lips of David, about Judas, who shewed the way to the men that arrested Jesus.  ¹⁷ Judas was counted among our number, and had been given a share in this ministry of ours.”  ¹⁸ (With the price of his treachery, this man came into possession of a field; and afterwards, when he fell from a height, and his belly burst open, so that he was disembowelled, ¹⁹ all Jerusalem heard of it, and the field came to be called, in their language, “Haceldama,” that is, “the Field of Blood.”) 

¹⁵ Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἀναστὰς Πέτρος ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν εἶπεν ἦν τε ὄχλος ὀνομάτων ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ὡσεὶ ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι, ¹⁶ ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἔδει πληρωθῆναι τὴν γραφὴν ἣν προεῖπεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ στόματος Δαυὶδ περὶ Ἰούδα τοῦ γενομένου ὁδηγοῦ τοῖς συλλαβοῦσιν Ἰησοῦν, ¹⁷ ὅτι κατηριθμημένος ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ ἔλαχεν τὸν κλῆρον τῆς διακονίας ταύτης.  ¹⁸ οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐκτήσατο χωρίον ἐκ μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας, καὶ πρηνὴς γενόμενος ἐλάκησεν μέσος, καὶ ἐξεχύθη πάντα τὰ σπλάγχνα αὐτοῦ. 

¹⁵ In diebus illis, exsurgens Petrus in medio fratrum, dixit (erat autem turba hominum simul, fere centum viginti): ¹⁶ Viri fratres, oportet impleri Scripturam quam prædixit Spiritus Sanctus per os David de Juda, qui fuit dux eorum qui comprehenderunt Jesum: ¹⁷ qui connumeratus erat in nobis, et sortitus est sortem ministerii hujus.  ¹⁸ Et hic quidem possedit agrum de mercede iniquitatis, et suspensus crepuit medius: et diffusa sunt omnia viscera ejus. 

The apocryphal Gospel according to Judas, has a passage where Judas had a vision of the disciples stoning and persecuting him. In this Gospel, Judas was tasked, by Jesus (a.s.) to betray him so that God’s prophecy can come to fruition.  He was supposedly Jesus’ (a.s.) most trusted and faithful disciple.  This was, of course, offensive to the Church. Irenaeus of Lyon wrote a treatise, the famous “Against Heresies”, in 180 CE, in which he attacked a “fictitious history styled the ‘Gospel according to Judas.’” 

Papias of Hierapolis, another Church Father, wrote, “Judas walked about in this world a sad example of impiety; for his body, having swollen to such an extent that he could not pass where a chariot could pass easily, he was crushed by the chariot, so that his bowels gushed out.” 

We are discounting the story in the Gospel according to Barnabas, since it is a fake that can only be reliably dated to the 16^th Century. The only people who quote this book seem to be Muslims. 

These conflicting accounts of the death of Judas are an indictment of the reliability of Scripture.  This clearly shows that much of it is fabricated.  The scholars of Christianity have struggled for centuries to reconcile them, particularly the two accounts in the New Testament.  For example, Bishop Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis suggested that they simply described different perspectives of the same event.  So, Judas hanged himself in the field, and the rope eventually snapped, and the fall burst his body open.  This is implausible.  Clive Staples Lewis conceded that not every statement of Scripture can be taken as historical truth.  Others have suggested that one or both accounts be viewed metaphorically. 

Some contemporary scholars say now that the account in the Gospel according to Matthew is an exposition from the Midrash, allowing the author to present this as a fulfillment of a prophecy from the Old Testament, and that details such as the thirty pieces of silver, the suicide and the gruesome disintegration of the body were for theatrical effect.  Now, this, creates another conundrum.  And that is the problem with the Bible as a whole.  When you dig deeper and deeper, and when you understand the scholarship, it has larger and larger holes. 

The Gospel according to Matthew has it, “And so the word was fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.”  There is no such prophecy in the Book of Jeremiah, or at least no such prophecy in any known version of that book.  The closest we have is this: 

Zechariah 11:12-13

¹² … “And now,” said I, “pay me my wages, if pay you will; if not, say no more.” So they paid me for my wages, thirty pieces of silver.  ¹³ “Why,” the Lord Said, “here is a princely sum they rate me at! Throw it to the craftsman yonder.” So there, in the Lord’s temple, I threw the craftsman my thirty pieces of silver … 

¹² καὶ ἐρῶ πρὸς αὐτούς εἰ καλὸν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ἐστιν δότε στήσαντες τὸν μισθόν μου ἢ ἀπείπασθε καὶ ἔστησαν τὸν μισθόν μου τριάκοντα ἀργυροῦς ¹³ καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρός με κάθες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον καὶ σκέψαι εἰ δόκιμόν ἐστιν ὃν τρόπον ἐδοκιμάσθην ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καὶ ἔλαβον τοὺς τριάκοντα ἀργυροῦς καὶ ἐνέβαλον αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου εἰς τὸ χωνευτήριον 

¹² Et dixi ad eos: Si bonum est in oculis vestris, afferte mercedem meam: et si non, quiescite. Et appenderunt mercedem meam triginta argenteos.  ¹³ Et dixit Dominus ad me: Projice illud ad statuarium, decorum pretium quo appretiatus sum ab eis.  Et tuli triginta argenteos, et projeci illos in domum Domini, ad statuarium. 

So how did Judas die?  We have no real idea.  Maybe, he is like Joseph of Arimathea, and never actually existed, another made up or amalgamated character to advance a certain narrative. 

Brother Trevor Skinner: The Qur’an Tells us: 

سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء

… وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمۡ‌ۚ … (١٥٧) 

… ― but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was Made to Appear to them ...― (Surah an-Nisa’:157) 

So it follows that Judas would have believed that Jesus (a.s.) had been killed. 

Brother Jeff Charest: The Gospel of Judas, discovered in, I think, the 1990s, offers an interesting account of the relationship between Jesus (a.s.), and his erstwhile betrayer. Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges also wrote a short piece about the subject called Three Versions of Judas.