The Suicide of Judas A Breakfast with the Bibles Series on Justice.

Kiss of Judas (1304–06), fresco by , , Padua, Italy

The brightly-painted wooden panel, with details picked out in silver and gold leaf, dates from c.1460, Fitzwilliam Museum, 2012 from the Church of St Mary, Grafton Regis, Northamptonshire.

Matthew 27:3-10

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that was condemned, he repented and brought back the to the chief priests and the elders. He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

Three different accounts of the death of Judas have survived from our earliest Christian literature. • Matthew 27:3–10 states that Judas hanged himself after returning the betrayal fee of thirty pieces of silver. • Acts 1:18–20 says that Judas died from falling and bursting on property that he had acquired with the “reward of his wickedness.” • According to a Church Father, *Papias, Judas suffered numerous torments while still living, including enormous swelling, an accumulation of pus and worms throughout his body, and the loss of his eyesight, before dying on his own land. *The early Church Father Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) recorded in his Expositions of the Sayings of the Lord, which was probably written during the first decade of the second century AD. In early Christian literature the death of Judas is broadly understood as a fitting end to the life of the betrayer of Jesus: how he died is a comment on his character. Such an early church tradition is reflected in Papias. Indeed, Jesus himself said: "Woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed!" (Matthew 26:24). Whilst Peter is re-affirmed by Jesus after his death through the three-fold questioning: ‘Do you love me?’; Judas has no such restoration narrative. His actions lead to his death, unable to give back the ’blood money’, abandoned by those he helped, Judas gives into despair. What is the difference between these two characters? Should they be considered so differently? Why are so few sermons given on Judas, focusing on his story?

Παραδιδόναι – handed over, entrusted, deliver, abandon, give up, commend In Greek, the word ‘betray’ is not used. The word means hand over, or entrust, but also deliver or abandon. It is normally interpreted as betray, and Judas is known as ‘the betrayer’. However, some scholars insist on the theological importance of the difference. For instance, Hans Urs von Balthasar emphasizes that Jesus was not betrayed but surrendered and delivered up by himself, since the meaning of the Greek word used by the , paradidonai (παραδιδόναι, Latin: tradere), is unequivocally "handing over of self". Certainly, the characterisation of Judas as the great enemy of God has significantly relied on the use of the words betray and betrayer. Peter denied Jesus, but Judas betrayed him. What theological and moral difference might be gleaned if we used the words ‘hand over’, instead of betray? As an aside, as some of you know, when I visited Bosnia-Herzegovina I encountered some survivors of the genocide at Srebrenica. I couldn’t help being reminded of how the Dutch UN ‘peace-keeping’ forces handed over the Bosnian men and teenage boys into enemy hands. Had they betrayed them? Not quite, they seemed to believe the Serbian army’s guarantee that they would not kill them. But the effect, the impact- an act of gross betrayal by those who were meant to be neutral, indeed, those who were meant to be enforcing a safe-zone. Perhaps Judas too, didn’t consider the outcome of his actions, or at least didn’t fully consider them. In handing Jesus over he was making a calculation, in his own favour, he found out that it ended in disaster. For, the impact upon Judas of handing over Jesus to his enemies, was profound. It was certainly as though he had betrayed him. What we don’t so often focus on in our considering of Judas, is his act of repentance. In Matthew’s account, Judas repents and seeks to make redress by handing back the money to the chief priests and elders. The elders reject him and dismiss him heartlessly. Judas gives into despair and kills himself, at least in Matthew’s account.

Both the fact that he handed Jesus over to his enemies and his suicide make Judas’ story something of a no-go area. It’s striking that: ‘A ban on granting a full Christian funeral to someone who has died by suicide was lifted by the Church of England’s General Synod, only in 2017! Church law forbade priests from using the standard Christian burial service for those who had taken their own lives, insisting that clergy use an alternative. The synod heard that the ban was widely ignored, prompting calls to update the law to reflect common practice and reaffirm that the church does not consider suicide to be sinful.’ ‘Stigmatisation of suicide has very deep roots in our collective thinking and judgement. Suicide was tolerated by the Greeks and Romans (Alvarez, 1990), but Aristotle argued that suicide weakens the economy and upsets the gods, and in so-doing he initiated stigmatisation of the act. Hinduism and Buddhism, among other Eastern religions, have not had a traditionally negative view of suicide. In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, stigma against suicide is not evident until the fourth century; the Bible does not condemn suicide (Barraclough, 1992), but St Augustine considered suicide as unacceptable within Christian values (Pritchard, 1996). Gradually, the stigma against suicide intensified in Europe and became a great sin, shame and eventually a crime. A number of philosophers and writers including William Shakespeare sought to encourage a more understanding and compassionate view but this movement had little impact before Durkheim's studies made clear the social rather than moral origins of suicide (Retterstol, 1993). Although suicide and attempted suicide were decriminalised in 1961 (Levine & Pyke, 1999), we have practised since within a culture of ambivalence wherein stigma is neither high nor totally eliminated.’ https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/stigma-of suicide/8007A29C23705DC3A4F0CEF218A62380

Betrayal and suicide have been subjects that Christian ministers have sought to distance themselves from. I think this is a missed opportunity. Gladly, in 2006 Pope Benedict gave an address which gave Judas, and his story, the attention that it deserves. He writes: ‘After his fall, Peter repented and found forgiveness and grace. Judas also repented, but his repentance degenerated into despair and in this way it became self-destruction. It is an invitation for us to always remember what St. Benedict says at the end of Chapter 5 -- fundamental -- of his Rule: "Never despair of God's mercy." In fact, "God is greater than our hearts," as St. John says (1 John 3:20).

Yet, we know that people do despair of God’s mercy. Judas confronts us with this fact, with the tragedy that occurs when bad decisions are made. And yet, Judas’ repentance, his understanding of the depth of his wrongdoing led to the depth of his despair. In taking his own life, he gives himself over to death and accepts the sin he has committed. Pope Benedict again: ‘the tell us that Satan entered into the heart of Judas. He yielded to a temptation from the evil one. It is a mistake to think that the great privilege of living in company with Jesus is enough to make a person holy. Jesus does not force our will when he invites us to follow him along the path of the .’ Judas’ story makes us alert to the profoundly disturbing and corrosive effect of sin. It’s a story we must hear and attend to. We can’t simply focus on the ones that are easier to hear. For it may make us blind and naïve. But the greater story that we hear is that Jesus’ saving act, is contained within and is enabled through the act of betrayal. Judas plays a significant role in the story of our salvation. Indeed, we hope and pray that the child, who on being asked what Jesus was doing on Holy Saturday, answered, ‘searching for his friend Judas in hell’, was absolutely right. Jesus searches out the lost and condemned, the despairing and the hopeless and offers them the chance to be restored.

I’d like us to consider:

How do you respond to the story of Judas? How might the church attend better to his story? Who might find his story helpful and illustrative? Is Judas saved and what does your response tell you about God’s justice?

Canon Imogen Nay July 2021

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 19, 2006 (Zenit) - Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave at Wednesday's general audience, dedicated to present the figures of and Matthias.

* * *

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

On completing today the review of the Twelve Apostles called directly by Jesus during his earthly life, we cannot fail to mention the one who always appears in the last place: Judas Iscariot. We want to associate him with the person who was later chosen to substitute him, namely, Matthias.

The name Judas alone arouses among Christians an instinctive reaction of reprobation and condemnation. The meaning of the name "Iscariot" is controversial: The most used explanation says that it means "man from Queriyyot," in reference to his native village, located in the surroundings of Hebron, mentioned twice in sacred Scripture (cf. Joshua 15:25; Amos 2:2).

Others interpret it as a variation of the term "hired assassin," as if it alluded to a guerrilla armed with a dagger, called "sica" in Latin. Finally, some see in the label the simple transcription of a Hebrew-Aramaic root that means: "He who was going to betray him." This mention is found twice in the fourth , that is, after a confession of faith by Peter (cf. John 6:71) and later during the anointing at Bethany (cf. John 12:4). Other passages show that the betrayal was underway, saying: "He who betrayed him," as happened during the , after the announcement of the betrayal (cf. Matthew 26:25) and later at the moment Jesus was arrested (cf. Matthew 26:46.48; John 18:2.5). However, the lists of the twelve recall the betrayal as something that already occurred: "Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him," says Mark (3:19); Matthew (10:4) and Luke (6:16) use equivalent formulas.

The betrayal, as such, took place in two moments: first of all in its planning phase, when Judas comes to an agreement with Jesus' enemies for 30 pieces of silver (cf. Matthew 26:14-16), and later in its execution with the he gave the master in (cf. Matthew 26:46-50).

Anyway, the evangelists insist that his condition of apostle corresponded fully to him: He is repeatedly called "one of the twelve" (Matthew 26:14.47; Mark 14:10.20; John 6:71) or "of the number of the twelve" (Luke 22:3).

Moreover, on two occasions, Jesus, addressing the apostles and speaking precisely of him, indicates him as "one of you" (Matthew 26:21; Mark 14:18; John 6:70; 13:21). And Peter would say of Judas "he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry" (Acts 1:17).

He is, therefore, a figure belonging to the group of those whom Jesus had chosen as companions and close collaborators. This poses two questions when it comes to explaining what happened. The first consists in asking ourselves how it was possible that Jesus chose this man and trusted him.

In fact, though Judas is the group's administrator (cf. John 12:6b; 13:29a), in reality he is also called "thief" (John 12:6a). The mystery of the choice is even greater, as Jesus utters a very severe judgment on him: "Woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed!" (Matthew 26:24).

This mystery is even more profound if one thinks of his eternal fate, knowing that Judas "repented and brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying 'I have sinned in betraying innocent blood'" (Matthew 27:3-4). Though he departed afterward to hang himself (cf. Matthew 27:5), it is not for us to judge his gesture, putting ourselves in God's place, who is infinitely merciful and just.

A second question affects the motive of Judas' behavior: Why did he betray Jesus? The question raises several theories. Some say it was his greed for money; others give an explanation of a messianic nature: Judas was disappointed on seeing that Jesus did not fit the program of the political- military liberation of his country. In fact, the Gospel texts insist on another aspect: John says expressly that "the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him" (John 13:2); in the same way, Luke writes: "Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve" (Luke 22:3).

In this way, one goes beyond historical motivations, explaining what occurred by basing it on Judas' personal responsibility, who yielded miserably to a temptation of the evil one. In any case, Judas' betrayal continues to be a mystery. Jesus treated him as a friend (cf. Matthew 26:50), but in his invitations to follow him on the path of the beatitudes he did not force his will or prevent him from falling into Satan's temptations, respecting human freedom.

In fact, the possibilities of perversion of the human heart are truly many. The only way to prevent them consists in not cultivating a view of life that is only individualistic, autonomous, but in always placing oneself on the side of Jesus, assuming his point of view.

We must try, day after day, to be in full communion with him. Let us recall that even Peter wanted to oppose him and what awaited him in Jerusalem, but he received a very strong rebuke: "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men" (Mark 8:32-33).

After his fall, Peter repented and found forgiveness and grace. Judas also repented, but his repentance degenerated into despair and in this way it became self-destruction. It is an invitation for us to always remember what St. Benedict says at the end of Chapter 5 -- fundamental -- of his Rule: "Never despair of God's mercy." In fact, "God is greater than our hearts," as St. John says (1 John 3:20).

On concluding, we wish to recall also he who, after Easter, was chosen to replace the traitor. In the Church of Jerusalem, two were put forward to the community and then lots were cast for their names: "Joseph called Barsabbas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias" (Acts 1:23).

Precisely the latter was chosen, and in this way "he was enrolled with the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:26). We do not know anything more about him, with the exception that he was a witness of Jesus' public life (cf. Acts 1: 21-22), being faithful to him to the end. To the greatness of his fidelity was added later the divine call to take Judas' place, as though compensating his betrayal.

We draw a final lesson from here: Although there is no lack of unworthy and traitorous Christians in the Church, it is up to us to counterbalance the evil they do with our limpid testimony of Jesus Christ our lord and savior.

Today I conclude my series of reflections on the Apostles by speaking of Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus. Why did he do it? Some say he was too fond of money, and the offer of 30 pieces of silver was too much to resist.

The Gnostic writers say he wanted to liberate Jesus from the shackles of mortality. But the Gospels tell us that Satan entered into the heart of Judas. He yielded to a temptation from the evil one. It is a mistake to think that the great privilege of living in company with Jesus is enough to make a person holy. Jesus does not force our will when he invites us to follow him along the path of the beatitudes.

The only way to avoid the pitfalls that surround us is to give ourselves entirely to Jesus, to enter into full communion with him, so that we think and act as he did, in total obedience to the Father. God can turn everything to a good purpose. Even Judas' betrayal became, through divine providence, the occasion for Jesus' supreme act of love, for the salvation of the world.

Finally, a word about the one who was chosen after the Resurrection to take the traitor's place, in a sense compensating for what Judas had done. All we know about Matthias is that he was a witness to the whole of Jesus' earthly life, and he remained faithful to the end. We too are called to make reparation for the sins of others by our faithful witness to Christ. https://www.catholic.org CA, US