Judas Iscariot

The Betrayer

                I could highlight those Judas actions from the Gospels of which you are well aware or devise a fate suitable for such a diabolical Son of Satan, other than those given by Matthew and Luke.  Or I could spend some time scouring my Thesaurus to find the worst possible adjectives to describe the heinous deeds of this nefarious character. However I thought it might be interesting to see what the apostle Paul has to say about Judas in his letters which form such an important part of the New Testament.

                A question we can ask is this: Was Paul aware of a specific action perpetrated by one of Jesus' closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, which facilitated his arrest and subsequently lead to his death? Aware, as we are, of Paul's close relationship with the establishing and growth of the early Christian Church, it is hard to imagine that he was not. But can one find in his writing or other relevant documents from that time, substantial evidence one way or the other? Where, other that in contemporary literature, can one search?

                Paul was not a follower of Jesus during the Lord's ministry in Palestine, but he was aware of the activities of his early followers. The New Testament records that Paul (Saul) was present at the stoning of an early believer, Simon, and he was also involved in an wave of persecution against the early Christ followers (Acts 7:58 - 8:3). Later, after his Damascus Road experience and his becoming a disciple of the risen Christ he spent time in Jerusalem discussing and debating with the leaders of the church who had been close disciples of Jesus throughout his ministry.

                It seems unlikely then that the name of Judas Iscariot and his involvement in the events leading up to the death of Jesus would not have come up in discussions. Whether it did or didn't is a matter of pure supposition. Nowhere has it been recorded; so we really do not know.

                Our question should rather be: Do Paul's writings mention Judas and show him to be a traitor? 

                It may surprise some people to realise that the name Judas, or Judas Iscariot as he is also called, is not mentioned at all in any of Paul's writings. Yes, that is a fact! Paul has not seen the need to mention that villain which Christianity has reviled for the last two thousand years. This may appear a little surprising but not overly so. There are many people associated with the life and work of Jesus who are recorded in the four Gospels that receive no mention in Paul's writings. His letters were written to resolve specific practical and theological matters arising in the various congregations for which he assumed oversight. Those which we do have do not aim to present biographical facts about Jesus which could include detail of his work and relationships.

Darkness falls.

In terms of the handing over (betrayal) of Jesus his letters seem to present a more general theological view, rather than a specific report of the event such as is found in the Gospels. Kim Paffenroth in his book, Judas, Images of the Lost Disciple, writes, "Paul mentions several times that Jesus was "handed over"(παραδϊδωμϊ) to death, but this is usually presented as a theological statement of the meaning and purpose of Jesus' mission, not a description of the historical facts of Jesus' life"(p.1).

                When mentioning that Jesus was "handed over", or "delivered", or "betrayed", Paul always used the same Greek word (παραδϊδωμϊ) but with various agents responsible for the actual deed. These can be seen in the following texts.

No agent

Romans 4:25.  (Jesus our Lord) "who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification".

God as agent

Romans 8: 32. "He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things in him?

Jesus himself as the agent

Ephesians 5:2. "And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".

Galatians 2: 20. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

                Then there is that passage which one hears nearly every Sunday when the pastor recites the words of institution for the Lord's Supper which come from 1 Cor.11:23. We listen to "on the night when he was betrayed, took....." and we think of Judas' act. But we are thinking with information from the Gospels. When Paul penned these words the Gospels had not yet been written so would his readers have the picture of Judas' betrayal in mind? Nowhere does Paul indicate that Judas was the agent responsible for the act of handing over (betraying)Jesus to his enemies.

                Something for us to think about.

Art on the Golan Heights. Shot in the back? Well perhaps.