Who is…
Judas

also known as: Judah

Meaning: Praise

“Judas” is the Graecized form of the name “Judah.”

Judas is the name of various biblical men and was probably a very common name among the Jews, since it belonged to one of the Israelite patriarchs.

  1. Judas Iscariot

    Judas was the son of Simon Iscariot (John 6:71; 13:2, 26), and was surnamed Iscariot, —meaning: a man of Kerioth (Joshua 15:25).

    See: Matthew 26:14-25, 47-50; 27:3-10; Acts 1:16-25.

    Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ for the sum of 30 silver coins.

    His name is uniformly the last in the list of the apostles, as given in the synoptic (i.e., the first three) Gospels.

    The evil of his nature probably gradually unfolded itself till “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27), and he betrayed our Lord (18:3). Afterwards he owned his sin with “an exceeding bitter cry,” and cast the money he had received as the wages of his iniquity down on the floor of the sanctuary, and “departed and went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). He perished in his guilt, and “went unto his own place” (Acts 1:25).

    artist's impression of Judas leaving the last supper.
    An artist’s impression of the scene when Judas Iscariot left the last supper before Christ’s death

    The statement in Acts 1:18 that he “fell headlong and burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out,” is in no way contrary to that in Matthew 27:5. The suicide first hanged himself, perhaps over the valley of Hinnom, “and the rope giving way, or the branch to which he hung breaking, he fell down headlong on his face, and was crushed and mangled on the rocky pavement below.”

    Why such a man was chosen to be an apostle we know not, but it is written that “Jesus knew from the beginning who should betray him” (John 6:64). Nor can any answer be satisfactorily given to the question as to the motives that led Judas to betray his Master. “Of the motives that have been assigned we need not care to fix on any one as that which simply led him on. Crime is, for the most part, the result of a hundred motives rushing with bewildering fury through the mind of the criminal.” (Matthew G. Easton)

    Judas Iscariot was replaced by Matthias.

  2. Judas (aka Judah), a son of Jacob

    He was a patriarch and was more commonly known as Judah (Matthew 1:2-3).

    See: • JUDAH • Tribe of Judah • Kingdom of Judah

  3. Judas, a brother of Jesus Christ

    aka Judah and Jude

    Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3

    He authored the Epistle of Jude.

  4. Judas Barsabas, a Christian teacher

    He was sent from Jerusalem to Antioch along with Paul, Barnabas and Silas with the decision of the council (Acts 15:22, 27, 32). He was a “prophet” and a “chief man among the brethren.”

  5. Judas of Damascus, a brave Messianic Jew who hosted the blinded Saul (Paul)

    Acts 9:11

    God sent Ananias to his house. “The street called ‘Straight’ in which it was situated is identified with the modern “street of bazaars,” where is still pointed out the so-called ‘house of Judas’” (Matthew G. Easton).

  6. Judas of Galilee

    He is the founder of the Zealots and is mentioned only once in the Bible. He started a tax rebellion against Rome. He died and all his followers dispersed (Acts 5:37). See: Zealots and Simon the Zealot

ALSO SEE

Article Version: June 4, 2019