Bible stories: who is Judas. Judas - who is this? How Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ

Judas. The story of one betrayal

Jesus was betrayed to his enemies by Judas, one of the Twelve: “And Judas, his betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus often gathered there with His disciples” (John 18:2).

Why did Judas Iscariot betray Christ? From the Gospels we can understand that the main motive for betrayal is money. But many researchers are not satisfied with this explanation. First of all, they have doubts about the insignificant amount - 30 pieces of silver - for which he allegedly agreed to betrayal (Matthew 26:15). If Judas “was a thief,” as John claims (John 12:6), and, holding the position of treasurer, embezzled part of the public money, then wouldn’t it have been more profitable for him to remain in the “party” and continue to slowly steal money from the public treasury? Why did he need to, figuratively speaking, cut the goose that laid the golden eggs?

Over the past two millennia, many hypotheses have been invented to explain the heinous act of Judas Iscariot. For example, we can name only the most famous of them:

Judas became disillusioned with Jesus as the Messiah, and, seething with anger, handed him over to his enemies;

Judas wanted to see if Jesus could be saved and thereby prove that he was the true Messiah;

Jesus and Judas were in conspiracy, intending to provoke an uprising, which would inevitably be raised by the inhabitants of Jerusalem upon news of the arrest of everyone's beloved prophet from Galilee;

Jesus publicly predicted that one of his disciples would betray him, and when none of them would do so, Judas decided to save the authority of his beloved teacher by sacrificing his own reputation.

As we can see, it is difficult to blame researchers of New Testament texts for a lack of imagination. But the trouble with all these intellectual exercises is that they cannot be supported by any concrete facts. The extreme paucity of information even gave rise to serious doubts about the reality of this whole story.

There were researchers who decided that neither betrayal nor even Judas himself ever happened, that this was only an idle invention of the evangelists, who retroactively adjusted their texts to the well-known Old Testament prophecy: “Even the man who was at peace with me, in whom I trusted, who ate bread mine, he has lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 40:10). Considering that this prediction was bound to be fulfilled on Jesus, the evangelists allegedly invented a certain Judas of Keriot, a close disciple with whom the teacher repeatedly broke bread, and who subsequently betrayed him.

In my opinion, there is no reason not to trust the evangelists who claim that Judas committed treason for money. This version, as we will see a little later, perfectly explains both the motives for the betrayal and the logic of all subsequent events. And if everything can be explained simply, then why invent some super-complex semantic structures? After all, no one has yet canceled Occam’s razor! In addition, as it is easy to notice, all hypotheses that contradict the main, gospel version of events actually rehabilitate Judas, presenting him not as a banal thief and miser, but as a man of a lofty idea, ready to risk not only his good name, but even his life for the sake of it: he if he betrays Jesus, it is either because he is disappointed in him as the Messiah, or because he is eager to push him to implement the messianic plan.

Isn't there a lot of honor for Judas?

In general, if you choose one version of betrayal, then, in my opinion, it is best to choose the gospel one. It is both simpler and closer to the truth of life. And if this version is also slightly corrected, then it, perhaps, can become the best of all possible.

As can be understood from the Gospels, Judas committed his betrayal more than once, not at the very end social activities Jesus, but was unfaithful to him for a long time. The Evangelist John has an episode where Jesus, long before his final journey to Jerusalem, announces to the apostles that one of them is a traitor (John 6:70-71). As a rule, this is interpreted as an example of Christ’s omniscience: many months before the betrayal, he allegedly already knew who exactly would do it. However, another interpretation is also possible: the final journey has not yet begun, and will not even begin soon, but Judas is already betraying him with all his might, and this somehow became known to Jesus...

I think I will not be much mistaken if I say that Judas Iscariot was none other than a paid agent of the high priest, introduced into the circle of Christ.

Eka, that's enough! - the reader will probably doubt. -Where are the facts? Where is the evidence?

In fact, I have no direct evidence (as indeed do all other researchers who put forward hypotheses that actually exonerate Judas), but there is more than enough indirect evidence!

Let's start with the fact that Judas, most likely, was a stranger among the 12 apostles. Judas' nickname is Iscariot (in Aramaic - ish Kariot) - literally means “man from Kariot”. At that time, there were two towns called Kariot, both located outside of Galilee. If we agree that Judas was born in one of these towns, then it turns out that he was the only ethnically pure Jew among the Galilean apostles.

And as we know from historical documents, there has long been mutual hostility between the populations of Galilee and Judea - two Jewish regions. Due to the fact that Galilee joined the Mosaic religion relatively late, the Jews considered the Galileans ignorant of the Law and did not want to consider them their fellow tribesmen. There is a well-known statement by Yochanan ben Zakkai, a student of the famous Hillel, filled with arrogant contempt towards the inhabitants of this region: “Galilee! Galilee! What you hate most is the Torah!

The inhabitants of Galilee, of course, paid the Jews in the same coin.

The Jewish origin of Judas in itself, of course, cannot prove anything; moreover, Jesus himself was “from the tribe of Judah” (Heb. 7:14), but it still leads to some thoughts. Everything is clear with Jesus, he lived in Galilee from an early age, but what about Judas? For what purpose did he, a purebred Jew, show up here? At the call of your heart, or performing some secret mission? By the way, there is nothing incredible in this last assumption. Of course, rumors reached Jerusalem about an extraordinary prophet from Galilee, gathering crowds of thousands for his sermons and, most likely, planning to transfer his activities to the territory of Judea.

Worried by alarming rumors, the “leaders of the Jews” could send to Jesus, under the guise of an ardent neophyte, their man - Judas Iscariot - with the task of infiltrating Christ’s inner circle. Judas, as we know, was able to brilliantly cope with the task, not only becoming one of the chosen Twelve, but also managing to obtain the position of treasurer.

Another, even more preferable, version of his betrayal is also possible. Already being an apostle, Judas was the first to realize that Jesus did not want to become the king of Israel, and, as a result, no high position was ahead for him, Judas. And then, disappointed and embittered, he decided to make at least something from this business. Appearing in Jerusalem, he offered his services to the enemies of Jesus as a secret spy...

Having become comfortable with Jesus, Judas began sending secret information to his masters in Jerusalem. Perhaps he himself, under one or another plausible pretext, sometimes went to Jerusalem. There is an interesting episode in the Gospel of John that suggests just such an idea. Jesus, preparing to feed 5,000 people, asks the Apostle Philip: “Where can we buy bread to feed them?.. Philip answered Him: 200 denarii of bread will not be enough for them...” (John 6: 6,7).

But, excuse me, what does Philip have to do with it?! After all, Jesus’ “supply manager,” as we remember, was none other than Judas Iscariot! Where was he at this time? Archpriest S. Bulgakov believes that Judas did not immediately become treasurer, and before him this position was allegedly held by Philip. The assumption is dubious if only because chronologically this episode refers to closer to the end of the 3-year public ministry of Jesus. The question arises, what could the Apostle Philip have done wrong to the teacher if, having served as treasurer for most of his term, he was suddenly forced to cede this post to Judas? Isn’t it more logical to make the assumption that Judas was always in charge of the “cash drawer”, and at that time he was simply away, transferring his functions to Philip for a while?

Kiss of Judas

Apparently, Jesus became aware quite early that one of his closest disciples was an informer. Some influential Jerusalem friends who had, to one degree or another, access to the high priest’s entourage could have warned him about this. For example, this could have been done by Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea - prominent Jerusalem nobles and secret disciples of Christ. But even they, apparently, did not know all the details of this case and, in particular, the name of the secret agent for a very long time. “Beware! - they obviously sent this kind of message to Jesus. - There is an enemy around you! True, we don’t know his name yet, but as soon as we find out anything, we’ll let you know right away!”

One important circumstance should be noted: Jesus, not considering it necessary to hide from the apostles information about the presence of a traitor among them, did not immediately name him, limiting himself at first to hints: “Have I not chosen twelve of you? but one of you is the devil” (John 6:70). It is unlikely that Jesus’ task was to intrigue his disciples. Most likely, he himself did not yet know the whole truth. And only during the Last Supper - this was approximately 5 months later - did he finally reveal the name of the traitor to the Apostle John (John 21:26). Such a long delay can perhaps be explained by the fact that Jesus learned this terrible secret only after appearing on his last visit to Jerusalem. It was during these few days that his Jerusalem friends were able to somehow find out the name of the secret agent Caiaphas and inform Jesus.

John's account of the scene goes like this: “Jesus was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you will betray Me. Then the disciples looked around at each other, wondering who he was talking about. One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ breast. Simon Peter made a sign to him to ask who it was that he was talking about. He fell to the chest of Jesus and said to Him: Lord! who is this? Jesus answered: the one to whom I dip a piece of bread and give it. And, having dipped a piece, he gave it to Judas Simon Iscariot.” And after this piece Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, “Whatever you are doing, do it quickly.” But none of those reclining understood why He told him this. And since Judas had a box, some thought that Jesus was telling him: buy what we need for the holiday, or to give something to the poor. Having accepted the piece, he immediately left; and it was night” (John 13:21-30).

According to Matthew, the apostles, after Jesus announced to them that one of them was a traitor, began vying with each other to ask: “Is it not I?” Even Judas could not resist asking: “Isn’t it me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered the traitor: “You said” (Matthew 26:25).

To modern ears, the expression “You say” or “You said” sounds evasive. But at that time it was often used when an answer that was not entirely pleasant for the interlocutor was implied. The then, different from the present, concepts of politeness forbade saying directly “yes” or “no.”

That's what endurance Jesus had! Knowing that there was a traitor in front of him, he not only did not shout, not only did he not slap the scoundrel, but answered politely, as if trying not to offend him!

None of those present, with the exception of John and perhaps Peter, understood the meaning of Jesus' words to Judas. Many of the disciples thought that Jesus gave him, as the treasurer of the “party,” some orders regarding current economic affairs.

Why didn't Jesus publicly expose the traitor? It's hard to say. Perhaps he was afraid that the apostles would immediately carry out lynching on the traitor? Or was he counting on Judas’ possible repentance?

And these words: “What are you doing, do it quickly”? What could they mean? A great variety of interpretations have been proposed, even such absurd ones as the possibility of a secret conspiracy between Jesus and Judas. Jesus, allegedly planning to certainly suffer in Jerusalem, agreed with Judas to hand him over to the authorities. And with these words I wanted to support him morally, so as not to doubt him.

It would be superfluous to say that this and similar hypotheses simply look offensive to Christ. Judge for yourself: like two farce actors, Jesus and Judas, secretly from everyone, are setting up some kind of cheap performance... Brrr!

I think everything can be explained much more simply: Jesus simply physically could not bear the presence of the traitor, and under any pretext he tried to remove him from the house where the Supper took place.

Delete - deleted, but then what? What else could you expect from Judas? Will he immediately run after the guards or will he be ashamed of his vile intention? Just think, it depended on Judas the traitor how much longer Jesus had left to live!

Will he betray or not? This question greatly troubled Jesus until his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

And the traitor did not even think of repenting! Leaving Jesus, he went in haste to the house of Caiaphas. It is unlikely that a detachment of warriors ready for action could be waiting for him there. If this were so, then Jesus would probably have been captured during the Last Supper. And the evangelists unanimously claim that quite a lot of time passed between Judas’ departure from the Supper and his arrest in Gethsemane. Jesus managed to address the disciples with a long sermon, washed the feet of all the apostles, instituted the Eucharist, after which, having “sung” the psalms, which means without haste, they all went together out of town, to Gethsemane (Matthew 26:30; Mr. 14:26). It is clear that all this took several long hours.

During this time, the high priest gathered his servants, arming them with clubs and stakes, and for greater reliability sent to the Roman procurator for help. After all the preparations, the “capture group” set off for Jesus. Judas was the guide - as he knew the habits of his former teacher well. Perhaps the guards first raided the house where the Last Supper took place, and not finding anyone, then they went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where, as Judas knew, Jesus often spent the nights: “And Judas, his betrayer, knew this place, because that Jesus often met there with His disciples” (John 18:2).

In fact, Jesus was there. Tormented by anxious forebodings, he prayed fervently, hoping that the “cup” of suffering would, if possible, pass from him (Matthew 26:37-42; Mark 14:33-36; Luke 22:42-44).

Why didn’t Jesus make the slightest attempt to save himself if, apparently, he understood perfectly well that this night could be his last? Why did he remain in place, knowing that the traitor could appear at any moment along with the guards in the garden?

We can only guess about this now. The evangelists do not tell us anything about this, and perhaps they themselves do not know. From their stories it is only clear that Jesus, firstly, had no intention of leaving the Garden of Gethsemane and, secondly, did not want to be captured at all. What did he expect then?

Perhaps Jesus hoped that the traitor’s conscience might speak and he would renounce his vile intention? Or that the high priests would postpone the arrest until after the festival, and thus he would still have time to elude them? Or did Jesus believe that it was on this night that the ancient prophecy about the suffering Messiah (Is. 53), which he completely attributed to himself, was destined to be fulfilled, and decided this time not to run from fate?

One way or another, his hopes for deliverance or at least a reprieve were not justified. Soon the Garden of Gethsemane was illuminated by the wavering light of many torches, and Judas Iscariot appeared at the head of the armed men...

The Gospels say that for all his “exploits” Judas received 30 pieces of silver as a reward (Matthew 26:15). Not too much! Many researchers are very confused by this fact. It seems to them that for such deeds they need to pay much more, and if the evangelists insist on this exact amount, then it means that the whole episode with the silver coins is fictitious, completely tailored to the ancient prophecy: “And they will weigh out thirty pieces of silver as payment to Me” ( Zechariah 11:12).

Meanwhile, all doubts can be easily dispelled by assuming that the 30 pieces of silver were not a one-time reward, but a payment received by Judas regularly. Let's say, once a month he reported to the high priest, after which he received the due 30 pieces of silver. For a one-time reward, this is, in fact, not much, but if you receive such a bribe regularly, then it is, in principle, possible to live without much luxury. By the way, according to the Book of Acts of the Apostles, after the execution of Jesus Judas did not even think of repenting, much less committing suicide. Planning to live happily ever after, he “acquired the land with unrighteous bribes” (Acts 1:18).

It is unlikely that it would have been possible to purchase a decent plot of land with 30 pieces of silver. Most likely, Judas took the money he received over several years from the high priest, added to it what he managed to gather from the “cash drawer,” and when a more or less significant amount was reached, he went to buy real estate. According to Acts, he died by pure chance, falling from a height: “And when he fell, his belly was split open, and all his entrails fell out” (Acts 1:19).

This version of the death of Judas is strikingly different from the one we know from Matthew. According to his story, Judas, tormented by repentance, “threw the pieces of silver in the temple” and “hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). Many interpreters have attempted to combine these two testimonies into one coherent episode, presenting the matter in such a way that first Judas hanged himself, and then his corpse fell from the rope and “disintegrated” when it hit the ground. Let's assume that this was the case. But then what kind of money did Judas throw around in the Temple if he had already purchased land? Or did you sell the newly purchased plot specifically for this purpose?

In general, if you choose from these two versions, then, in my opinion, the story of the death of Judas, told by the author of Acts, is much more plausible. There are no far-fetched melodramatic moments and dubious psychological torments, which are hardly characteristic of a traitor who decided to profit from this matter. Everything is much simpler and cruder: I sold the teacher and bought land! And the death of Judas, described in Acts, is more natural: he died not in a fit of repentance, but as a result of an accident, falling from a height. There were, however, attempts to portray his fall as revenge on the part of the supporters of Christ, who allegedly pushed the traitor off a cliff, but this is already pure water conjectures that cannot be proven by anything.

As the Gospel story says, after betraying Christ, Judas repented: he returned the ill-fated 30 pieces of silver and even took his own life, unable to bear the weight of his sin. Thus, the question arises: if Judas's repentance was so strong, did the Lord forgive him? The act of Judas determined the course and course of the history of the Christian religion: crucifixion, resurrection. Was his action predetermined by God? Could Judas not have done it? If this betrayal had not happened, does this mean that the religion of Christianity would not exist in the form in which we have it at the moment? The plot of “Prayer for the Cup” confirms the idea that this act is predetermined. What is the role of Judas? Is he a doer of God's will?

Answers Abbot Feodor Prokopov, rector of the Parish of the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands. Kargasok, Dean of the Northern District: Thank you for the deep and important question. However, this question contains two separate and quite serious issues. Therefore, we will analyze them separately.

1. “If Judas’s repentance was so strong, did the Lord forgive him?”

The whole point is that, according to the thoughts of all the holy interpreters of the Holy Scriptures, Judas’s repentance was not combined with hope for God’s mercy. Such repentance is nothing more than a terrible remorse, the beginning of that hellish torment about which the Word of God warns us. Let's compare two gospel stories - the story of Judas and the denial of Peter. Both of these events have something in common: both betrayal and renunciation are sins, in general, of the same order. Both characters repented. But the huge difference is that Peter believed in the possibility of his forgiveness, and Judas did not. Each was given “according to his faith.” There is such an apocrypha that as if during His descent into hell, Christ, leading repentant sinners out of hell, extended his hand to Judas. But Judas rejected this possibility too. Although the Church does not consider apocryphal narratives as trustworthy, this apocrypha contains some important idea. Let's imagine a situation where a man mortally insulted his greatest benefactor. Is it easy for such a person to be close to someone he has offended? Perhaps in such a joint stay lies even greater torment than the remorse of being away from the offended person. If a person could not open his heart to forgiveness, the possibility of bliss, that is, salvation, simply will not exist for him. Without a doubt, the Lord would have forgiven Judas if he had not himself rejected this forgiveness. From here a very important conclusion is drawn for us: repentance alone is not enough; repentance, dissolved in faith and hope in God’s mercy, is required. It is these sinners that Christ came to save.

Albrecht Durer. Betrayal of Judas. Engraving

2. “The act of Judas determined the course and course of the history of the Christian religion: the crucifixion, the resurrection. Was his act predetermined by God, could Judas not have committed it? If this betrayal had not happened, does this mean that there would not have been Christianity in this form , in which we have it at the moment? The plot of the “Prayer of the Cup” confirms the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe predestination of this act. What is the role of Judas? Is he the executor of God’s will?

No, Judas’s action was not predetermined. Otherwise, Judas could not bear any moral responsibility for him. It is very important to understand the meaning of two terms: predestination and foreknowledge. Example: I see that a person with eyes closed runs towards the pit. When I say that he will fall into this hole, I do not predetermine his fall, but I foresee it, based on the data that I see. This is how we should talk about God's foreknowledge. The Lord, in His omniscience, sees infinitely more than we do, which is why He can say through the prophets that such and such will happen. But He does not predetermine by this, but only predicts. In this sense, Judas's act was predicted by the prophets. “The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed” (Matthew 26:24). That is why most prophecies are conditional: if you hear and do such and such, then such and such will happen; and if not, then so and so... It is impossible to say what would have happened if Judas had not committed his betrayal. History does not know the subjunctive mood. What happened happened.

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MS Note. What would have happened if Judas had not betrayed Christ? Everything is the same, only another person would betray him. Alas, then dozens, if not hundreds of people “lined up” to betray and kill the Lord. If Judas had not betrayed, someone else would have betrayed, and if this second one changed his mind or could not, a third would have done so, etc.

***

In Orthodoxy there is the concept of Divine Providence. The providence of God is the action of God in the world, which is manifested in the preservation of creatures, in assisting or allowing creatures, and in governing the world and creatures. But God's Providence does not limit the God-given freedom of man, although it directs the evil and sinful acts of people to good. An example from the Word of God: the story of Patriarch Joseph. He was sold by his brothers out of malice and envy - of course, this was certainly a sinful and dishonest thing. But later, when Joseph went through many trials: slavery, prison, etc., he was elevated by the Providence of God to the point that he began to rule over the entire land of Egypt and was able to save his entire family from hunger. Thus, the act itself, morally extremely low, thanks to the Providence of God, had the most important consequences for the history of the economy of our salvation. The same must be said about the betrayal of Judas. This is definitely gravest sin, conditioned by the free choice of Judas, but the Providence of God used this dirty deed for the most important events in the history of the world and mankind.

Since the time of the Gospel events, humanity has not known a name more shameful and base than the name of Judas Iscariot. The story of how one of Christ’s closest disciples betrayed his Divine Teacher to crucifixion for thirty pieces of silver is known today even to people who have never read the Bible in their lives. But those who have read the Gospel story about the betrayal of Judas inevitably have a number of questions. The actions of Judas strike with some amazing internal inconsistency. After all, even in betrayal there must be a certain logic. And what Judas did is so contradictory and senseless that it does not even fit into the logic of betrayal. However, up to a certain point his actions are understandable.

Having decided to betray Christ, Judas goes to the high priests and says: “What will you give me if I betray Him to you?” They offered him thirty pieces of silver; and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to betray Christ.

The opportunity came the very next night. Judas leads an armed detachment of soldiers and servants of the high priests to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Christ and the apostles usually spent the night. “The one who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying: Whomever I kiss, He is the One, take Him. And immediately approaching Jesus, he said: Rejoice, Rabbi! And kissed Him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

And here the question arises: why did Judas choose such a defiantly impudent method in order to point to Christ? After all, usually a traitor is ashamed to even just look into the eyes of his victim. And here he openly welcomes Christ, without in the least hiding his intentions to give Him into the hands of the servants of the high priests. This behavior could be explained by Judas’s complete indifference to the fate of Christ, whom he betrayed. But there is a circumstance that does not allow such a simplified interpretation of the Kiss of Judas. Because upon learning of Christ’s condemnation to death, Judas hanged himself. This is how Evangelist Matthew describes it.

“Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying: I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They said to him: What is that to us? See for yourself. And, throwing away the pieces of silver in the temple, he went out, went and hanged himself.”(Matt. 27:3-5).

Judas Iscariot throwing pieces of silver

It turns out to be a paradox. If Judas hated Jesus or was simply hardened in heart and indifferent to Him, then why did he commit suicide? After all, only the death of someone without whom life loses all meaning can push a person to commit suicide. It turns out that Judas loved Christ? But then why did he so easily deliver Jesus into the hands of those who condemned Him to death?

The story of payment for betrayal only deepens the bewilderment. The Gospel text clearly testifies that Judas betrayed his Teacher for thirty pieces of silver. But if they were the goal and reason for Judas’s betrayal, then why, after fulfilling his plan, does he so easily return these pieces of silver? And if they were not valuable for Judas, then why did he commit the betrayal that cost him his own life?

All these questions arise because betrayal is the secret of a sick soul. A traitor harbors his criminal plans in his heart and carefully hides them from others. Judas did not reveal his intentions to anyone until his inglorious death. And the Evangelists, of course, could not know exactly what was happening in his soul. The Gospel talks about betrayal very sparingly and this is quite natural, because the Gospel is the story of our salvation, and not the story of the betrayal of Judas. Evangelists are interested in Judas only in connection with the Savior’s Sacrifice on the Cross, but not in itself. Therefore, the story of the fall of Judah will forever remain a mystery. However, this mystery has always worried people. Even the apostles at the Last Supper, when the Lord warned that one of them would betray Him, each began to excitedly ask about himself: “Isn’t it me?”

Judas leaving the Last Supper

And every Christian, reading the Gospel, asks this question: “Have I never betrayed Christ with my sins?” Ancient Christian interpreters also addressed the topic of betrayal, but it began to sound especially often in the works of modern theologians and philosophers. This is not surprising, because the time is now “very unfaithful”, traitors are honored, and loyalty is not in fashion.

However, since very little is said about Judas in the Gospel, an attempt to comprehend his betrayal always requires the reconstruction of missing facts with varying degrees of probability. Such an interpretation, of course, cannot claim finality or unambiguity, but some information about Judas given in the Bible can shed light on his dark history. And one most important fact, without knowing which it is impossible to understand the inner motives of Judas, is given in his Gospel by the Apostle John.

The point is that Judas was a thief.

...And I will acquire the collected estates...

Here's what the Bible says about Judas' theft: “Mary, taking a pound of pure precious ointment, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the world. Then one of His disciples, Judas Simon Iscariot, who wanted to betray him, said: Why not sell this ointment for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor? He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a cash drawer with him and carried what was put in there.”(John 12:3-6). In the Greek original of the Gospel this is stated even more categorically, because the usage of the Greek language allows us to understand the word translated as “carried” to mean “stole.”

Judas was the treasurer of the apostolic community. He had quite significant sums at his disposal, since among the admirers of Jesus there were rich women who were healed by Him from evil spirits and incurable diseases. They all served Christ with their property. But since the Lord was absolutely indifferent to wealth, the donated money was mostly distributed to the poor, with the exception of small expenses for the food of Christ himself and his disciples. Judas was in charge of the financial affairs of the apostles. The amounts distributed to the poor were not accountable; no one could check whether Judas distributed the money or appropriated part of it for himself. This lack of accountability, obviously, seduced the money-loving Judas at an evil hour. Of course, he could not spend the stolen money openly. Transferring them from the box to your pocket would be stupid and inconvenient. Apparently he had some kind of secluded place where he kept the stolen wealth. This treasure is directly mentioned as the reason for the betrayal of Judas in the liturgical tradition of the Church. This is what the Church sings on Holy and Maundy Thursday in Holy Week in one of the stichera of the morning service: “Judas, the slave and the flatterer, the disciple and the accuser, the friend and the devil, appeared from his works: he followed the Teacher, and learned from tradition, saying within himself: “I will betray Him, and I will acquire the collected wealth (wealth) ...”

It is impossible to find out exactly when he first put his hand into the apostolic treasury. But there is no doubt that Judas stole from there much more than thirty pieces of silver. It is also clear that Judas could use the stolen wealth only under one condition: if the apostolic community ceased to exist. And he achieved his goal. After the arrest of Christ, even the most faithful and devoted disciples fled in fear in all directions. And here a new series of inconsistencies arise. Instead of taking the collected treasure, adding to it the payment for betrayal, and finally living for his own pleasure, Judas suddenly commits suicide.

This can be explained in different ways. It is only absolutely clear that neither the thirty pieces of silver nor the stolen treasure he collected were no longer for Judas main value in life. But what could devalue in the eyes of the thief the fortune that he had been systematically accumulating over three years? The answer suggests itself. The only thing more valuable to a thief and a money-lover... is very big money.

Royal Treasurer

The disciples recognized Christ as the Messiah. But just like all Jews, they saw in the Messiah an earthly ruler who, having come to power, would make Israel the strongest and richest country on earth. According to their ideas, the Messiah-king was supposed to subjugate all the nations of the world. And all the numerous parables and explanations of Christ that His Kingdom is not of this world could not convince the apostles. Until His Ascension, they were confident that the Lord would finally become the earthly king of Israel. The disciples of Christ saw themselves as the closest assistants and co-rulers of the Messiah and even argued about which of them would be more important in the new government of the Kingdom of Israel. The money-loving Judas, of course, was no exception here.

If Christ becomes king, then he, Judas, will become the royal treasurer, that is, the most influential person in Israel after the Messiah. In his dreams, he already imagined how he managed not the apostolic cash box, but the treasury of the richest state in the entire history of mankind.

Having become a thief, Judas initially made plans to betray Christ in order to acquire the collected money, as the Church sings about this. But the name of Christ became more and more glorious among the people of Israel. After an unprecedented miracle - the resurrection of the dead Lazarus - even those Jews who had previously tried to stone Christ saw in Him the Messiah. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the inhabitants of the capital showed Him royal honors, covering His path with their clothes. After such a reception, it became simply unprofitable for the practical and greedy Judas to betray the future king for the sake of stolen money. The love of money and theft burned his soul to the ground. He was going to use even the Messiah-king as a means to satisfy his passion for wealth.

AND suddenly it turned out that Christ was not going to reign. Israeli treasury, to which there were only a couple of steps left, again became unattainable for Judas. It was necessary to urgently make some decision to correct the situation. And the decision was made.

And it was suggested to the traitor by the one whom Christ called “a murderer from the beginning.” True, Judas did not know then that this tipster would eventually drive him into a noose.

Satan's Advice

All interpreters of Holy Scripture unanimously assert that Judas betrayed the Savior at the direct inspiration of the devil. The Gospel text directly testifies to this: “And Satan entered into Judas, who was called Iscariot, one of the Twelve, and he went and spoke with the chief priests and rulers, how to betray Him to them.”(Luke 22:3-4).

In Orthodox asceticism, the action of the devil on the human soul is described as follows. An evil spirit gains access to a person through his passions (that is, the sick inclinations of the soul). Mentally he whispers how better man satisfy his sick desires, and step by step leads his victim to death. Moreover, first the devil assures the person that the sin, they say, is not so great, and God is merciful and will forgive everything. But then, after committing a sin, evil spirit plunges a person into the abyss of despair, instilling in him that his sin is immeasurable, and God is inexorable. But what did Satan whisper to Judas, with what promise did he seduce him into betraying Christ?

Judas's greatest passion was the love of wealth - the love of money. And his most cherished desire, perhaps, is the position of Minister of Finance in the kingdom of the Messiah, where he would be able to steal such sums that the most successful thieves in the world could not even dream of. And this cherished goal was already very close.

But Christ was in no hurry to become the religious and political leader of Israel. Having come to Jerusalem, He did not expel the high priests and elders in order to rightfully take their place. All of Judas's plans collapsed.

At this moment Satan, obviously, and gave him a thought that pushed him to betrayal. Judas knew that the chief priests and Pharisees, fearing Jesus, gave orders that “If anyone knew where He would be, he would announce it in order to take Him.” Judas also knew that Christ avoided direct conflict with the authorities.

Judas and Satan

And so, incited by Satan, he decides to betray Christ in order to provoke an open clash between the high priests and the Messiah. Jesus' victory in this conflict does not give him the slightest doubt. After all, he saw all the power of the Messiah, saw how the dead were raised at His command, how the storm obeyed Him, how evil spirits unquestioningly obey Him... Who can kill the Messiah? One word from Him is enough, and even the indestructible iron legions of Rome will scatter without a trace, like dry leaves!

Blinded by the lust for wealth and the whispers of Satan, Judas betrays Christ. But at the same time, he does not even admit the thought that He could be killed. After all, in Jesus, who defeated the high priests, was all his hope, all his hope for the future.

Did Judas want Christ to die? No, because it was unprofitable for him. Did Judas love Christ? No, Jesus was just a means for him to become fabulously rich. With such a motive for betrayal, the strange method chosen by the traitor to point out Christ to the guards at night in the Garden of Gethsemane becomes clear. With a kiss, Judas simply showed his respect to the king, who was about to defeat his enemies.

“...and has nothing in Me”

Satan inspired Judas that Christ would certainly accept the challenge, sweep away the high priests, the Roman occupiers, and Himself reign in Israel.

But he deceived Judas, just as the father of lies should have deceived the unfortunate man, mired in the swamp of his passions and blinded by the brilliance of the ghostly treasures of a man. The idea that the Savior would renounce the Labor of the Cross, tempted by the earthly kingdom, is truly satanic. With this thought the Devil tempted Christ in the desert, before He went out to preach the Gospel. The evil spirit tried to instill this same thought in the Apostle Peter when he began to dissuade Christ from Redemptive suffering, and immediately received a harsh rebuke from Him: “...Get away from me, Satan! You are a temptation to me! Because you think not about what is God, but about what is human.” The Savior knew well who was trying to speak to Him through his most devoted disciple.

He also knew who Judas believed. Just before the arrival of the traitor with a detachment of guards, Jesus said to the disciples: “It’s not long for me to talk to you; For the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me.”Christ called him the prince of this world, of course, not Judas, but Satan. Who once again, now through a traitorous disciple, wanted to tempt the Savior with the temptation of earthly dominion. But the Lord walked the Way of the Cross, for which he came into this world. Satan was left with nothing, and Judas went bankrupt with him.

Christ really threw down the soldiers who came to take him to the ground. But he did this only to let the students escape, who could also get hurt. And then he allowed himself to be tied up, obediently proceeded to the place of trial and by the morning, in violation of almost all the norms of Jewish law, he was condemned to death.

An inglorious end

When Judas learned of the death sentence imposed on Christ, he realized that all his plans had collapsed. He became the culprit in the death of the greatest righteous man, he lost the right to be called a disciple of the Messiah... But the most terrible loss, probably, was the unfulfilled wealth that Judas already considered his own. In his dreams, he was already distributing financial flows going to the treasury of the Messiah from all over the world. What, in comparison with this wealth, is the pitiful treasure that was accumulated by the thief and traitor over the years of preaching Christ? And, moreover, thirty pieces of silver... He took them only so as not to frighten off the high priests, so that they would believe in the sincerity of his desire to give them the Teacher.

It was all over for Judas, everything for which he lived turned out to be a ghost and a lie, the mocking mockery of the devil. And when we read in the Gospel that Judas repented, we should not be deceived by the noble sound of this word.

The traitor did not mourn the Messiah, who was innocently given over to death. He mourned his failed position as treasurer of the Messiah, which, as it seemed to him, he had taken away from himself by betraying Christ to death. He could not survive this loss. But he was incapable of true repentance.

I would like to end the sad story about the betrayal of Judas with the words of St. John Chrysostom: “Notice this, you money lovers, and think about what happened to the traitor? How did he lose his money, sin, and ruin his soul? Such is the tyranny of the love of money! I didn’t use the silver, neither the present life nor the future life, but... I hanged myself.”

Biblical stories are the most studied part of world literature, yet they continue to attract attention and cause heated debate. The hero of our review is Iscariot, who betrayed Iscariot as a synonym for betrayal and hypocrisy has long become a household name, but is this accusation fair? Ask any Christian: “Who is Judas?” They will answer you: “This is the man guilty of the martyrdom of Christ.”

A name is not a sentence

We have long been accustomed to the fact that Judas is. The personality of this character is odious and indisputable. As for the name, Judas is a very common Jewish name, and these days they often name their sons. Translated from Hebrew, it means “praise the Lord.” Among the followers of Christ there are several people with this name, therefore, to associate it with treachery is, to say the least, tactless.

The Story of Judas in the New Testament

The story of how Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ is presented extremely simply. On a dark night in the Garden of Gethsemane, he pointed out Him to the servants of the high priests, received thirty silver coins for this, and when he realized the horror of what he had done, he could not stand the torment of his conscience and hanged himself.

To narrate the period of the Savior’s earthly life, the hierarchs of the Christian church selected only four works, the authors of which were Luke, Matthew, John and Mark.

The first in the Bible is the Gospel attributed to one of the twelve closest disciples of Christ - the publican Matthew.

Mark was one of the seventy apostles, and his gospel dates to the middle of the first century. Luke was not among the disciples of Christ, but presumably lived at the same time with Him. His Gospel dates back to the second half of the first century.

The last is the Gospel of John. It was written later than the others, but contains information missing in the first three, and from it we learn the most information about the hero of our story, the apostle named Judas. This work, like the previous ones, was selected by the Church Fathers from more than thirty other Gospels. Unrecognized texts began to be called apocrypha.

All four Books can be called parables, or memoirs of unknown authors, since it has not been established for certain who wrote them or when it was done. Researchers question the authorship of Mark, Matthew, John and Luke. The fact is that there were at least thirty Gospels, but they were not included in the canonical Collection of Holy Scripture. It is assumed that some of them were destroyed during the formation of the Christian religion, while others are kept in strict secrecy. In the works of the hierarchs of the Christian church there are references to them, in particular, Irenaeus of Lyons and Epiphanius of Cyprus, who lived in the second and third centuries, speak of the Gospel of Judas.

The reason for the rejection of the apocryphal Gospels is the Gnosticism of their authors

Irenaeus of Lyon is a famous apologist, that is, a defender and in many ways the founder of the emerging Christian faith. He is responsible for establishing the most basic dogmas of Christianity, such as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, as well as the primacy of the Pope as the successor of the Apostle Peter.

He expressed the following opinion regarding the personality of Judas Iscariot: Judas is a man who held orthodox views on faith in God. Iscariot, as Irenaeus of Lyons believed, was afraid that with the blessing of Christ, the faith and establishment of the fathers, that is, the Laws of Moses, would be abolished, and therefore he became an accomplice in the arrest of the Teacher. Only Judas was from Judea, for this reason it is assumed that he professed the faith of the Jews. The rest of the apostles are Galileans.

The authority of the personality of Irenaeus of Lyons is beyond doubt. His writings contain criticism of the writings about Christ that were current at that time. In “Refutation of Heresies” (175-185), he also writes about the Gospel of Judas as a Gnostic work, that is, one that cannot be recognized by the Church. Gnosticism is a way of knowing based on facts and real evidence, and faith is a phenomenon from the category of the unknowable. The Church demands obedience without analytical reflection, that is, an agnostic attitude towards oneself, towards the sacraments and towards God Himself, for God is a priori unknowable.

Sensational document

In 1978, during excavations in Egypt, a burial was discovered that contained, among other things, a papyrus scroll with a text signed “The Gospel of Judas.” The authenticity of the document is beyond doubt. All possible studies, including textual and radiocarbon dating methods, concluded that the document was written between the third and fourth centuries AD. Based on the above facts, it is concluded that the found document is a copy of the Gospel of Judas that Irenaeus of Lyons writes about. Of course, its author is not the disciple of Christ, the Apostle Judas Iscariot, but some other Judas, who knew well the history of the Son of the Lord. This Gospel presents the personality of Judas Iscariot more clearly. Some events present in the canonical Gospels are supplemented in detail in this manuscript.

New facts

According to the text found, it turns out that the Apostle Judas Iscariot is a holy man, and by no means a scoundrel who ingratiated himself into the trust of the Messiah in order to enrich himself or become famous. He was loved by Christ and devoted to him almost more than the other disciples. It was to Judas that Christ revealed all the secrets of Heaven. In the “Gospel of Judas,” for example, it is written that people were created not by the Lord God Himself, but by the spirit Saklas, the assistant of the fallen angel, having a formidable fiery appearance, defiled with blood. Such a revelation was contrary to the basic doctrines that were consistent with the opinion of the Fathers of the Christian Church. Unfortunately, the path of the unique document before it fell into the careful hands of scientists was too long and thorny. Most of the papyrus was destroyed.

The Myth of Judas is a Gross Innuendo

The formation of Christianity is truly a mystery behind seven seals. The constant fierce struggle against heresy does not look good on the founders of the world religion. What is heresy in the understanding of priests? This is an opinion contrary to the opinion of those who have power and strength, and in those days power and strength were in the hands of the papacy.

The first images of Judas were made by order of church officials to decorate temples. It was they who dictated what Judas Iscariot should look like. Photographs of frescoes by Giotto di Bondone and Cimabue depicting the kiss of Judas are presented in the article. Judas in them looks like a low, insignificant and most disgusting type, the personification of all the most vile manifestations of the human personality. But is it possible to imagine such a person among the Savior’s closest friends?

Judas cast out demons and healed the sick

We know well that Jesus Christ healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons. The canonical Gospels say that He taught the same to His disciples (Judas Iscariot is no exception) and ordered them to help all those in need and not take any offerings for this. Demons were afraid of Christ and at His appearance they left the bodies of the people they were tormenting. How did it happen that the demons of greed, hypocrisy, betrayal and other vices enslaved Judas if he was constantly near the Teacher?

First doubts

Question: “Who is Judas: a treacherous traitor or the very first Christian saint awaiting rehabilitation?” millions of people have asked themselves throughout the history of Christianity. But if in the Middle Ages voicing this question inevitably resulted in an auto-da-fé, in our days we have the opportunity to get to the truth.

In 1905-1908 The Theological Bulletin published a series of articles by Mitrofan Dmitrievich Muretov, a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, Orthodox theologian. They were called “Judas the Traitor.”

In them, the professor expressed doubts that Judas, believing in the divinity of Jesus, could betray Him. After all, even in the canonical Gospels there is no complete agreement regarding the apostle’s love of money. The story of the thirty pieces of silver looks unconvincing both from the point of view of the amount of money and from the point of view of the apostle’s love of money - he parted with them too easily. If the craving for money were his vice, then the other disciples of Christ would hardly have trusted him to manage the treasury. Having the community's money in his hands, Judas could take it and leave his comrades. And what are the thirty pieces of silver that he received from the high priests? Is this a lot or a little? If there is a lot, then why didn’t the greedy Judas leave with them, and if there is a little, then why did he take them at all? Muretov is sure that the love of money was not the main motive for Judas’ actions. Most likely, the professor believes, Judas could have betrayed his Teacher due to disappointment in His Teaching.

The Austrian philosopher and psychologist Franz Brentano (1838-1917), independently of Muretov, expressed a similar judgment.

Jorge Luis Borges also saw self-sacrifice and submission to the will of God in the actions of Judas.

The coming of the Messiah according to the Old Testament

In the Old Testament there are prophecies telling about what the coming of the Messiah will be like - He will be rejected by the priesthood, betrayed for thirty coins, crucified, resurrected, and then a new Church will arise in His name.

Someone had to deliver the Son of God into the hands of the Pharisees for thirty coins. This man was Judas Iscariot. He knew the Scriptures and could not help but understand what he was doing. Having accomplished what was commanded by God and recorded by the prophets in the books Old Testament, Judas accomplished a great feat. It is quite possible that he discussed what was coming with the Lord in advance, and the kiss is not only a sign to the servants of the high priests, but also a farewell to the Teacher.

As Christ's closest and most trusted disciple, Judas took upon himself the mission of being the one whose name would be cursed forever. It turns out that the Gospel shows us two sacrifices - the Lord sent His Son to the people, so that He would take upon Himself the sins of mankind and wash them away with His blood, and Judas sacrificed himself to the Lord, so that what was spoken through the Old Testament prophets would be fulfilled. Someone had to complete this mission!

Any believer will say that, professing faith in the Triune God, it is impossible to imagine a person who felt the Grace of the Lord and remained not transformed. Judas is a man, not a fallen angel or demon, so he could not be an unfortunate exception.

The history of Christ and Judas in Islam. Founding of the Christian Church

The Koran presents the story of Jesus Christ differently than the canonical Gospels. There is no crucifixion of the Son of God. The main book of Muslims claims that someone else took the form of Jesus. This someone was executed instead of the Lord. Medieval publications say that Judas took the form of Jesus. In one of the apocrypha there is a story in which the future apostle Judas Iscariot appears. His biography, according to this testimony, from childhood was intertwined with the life of Christ.

Little Judas was very sick and when Jesus approached him, the boy bit him in the side, in the same side that was later pierced with a spear by one of the soldiers guarding those crucified on the crosses.

Islam considers Christ a prophet whose teachings were distorted. This is very similar to the truth, but the Lord Jesus foresaw this state of affairs. One day He said to his disciple Simon: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it...” We know that Peter denied Jesus Christ three times, in fact, betrayed Him three times. Why did He choose this particular person to found His Church? Who is the greater traitor - Judas or Peter, who could have saved Jesus with his word, but refused to do so three times?

The Gospel of Judas cannot deprive true believers of the love of Jesus Christ

It is difficult for believers who have experienced the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to accept that Christ was not crucified. Is it possible to worship the cross if facts are revealed that contradict those recorded in the four Gospels? How to relate to the sacrament of the Eucharist, during which believers eat the Body and Blood of the Lord, who accepted martyrdom on the cross in the name of saving people, if there was no painful death of the Savior on the cross?

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” said Jesus Christ.

Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ know that He is real, that He hears them and answers all prayers. This is the main thing. And God continues to love and save people, even despite the fact that in churches, again, as in the time of Christ, there are shops of merchants offering to buy sacrificial candles and other items for the so-called recommended donation, many times higher than the cost of the items being sold. The cunningly composed price tags evoke a feeling of closeness to the Pharisees who brought the Son of God to trial. However, one should not expect Christ to come to earth again and drive the merchants out of His Father’s House with a stick, as He did more than two thousand years ago with the merchants of sacrificial doves and lambs. It is better to believe in God’s Providence and not fall into, but accept everything as a gift from God for the salvation of immortal human souls. It is no coincidence that He commanded the triple traitor to found His Church.

Time for change

It is likely that the discovery of the artifact known as the Chacos Codex containing the Gospel of Judas is the beginning of the end of the legend of the villainous Judas. It's time to reconsider the attitude of Christians towards this man. After all, it was hatred towards him that gave rise to such a disgusting phenomenon as anti-Semitism.

The Torah and the Koran were written by people who were not attached to Christianity. For them, the story of Jesus of Nazareth is just an episode from the spiritual life of mankind, and not the most significant. Is Christian hatred of Jews and Muslims compatible (details about crusades make you horrified by the cruelty and greed of the Knights of the Cross) with their main commandment: “Love each other!”?

The Torah, Koran, and well-known, respected Christian scholars do not condemn Judas. Neither will we. After all, the Apostle Judas Iscariot, whose life we ​​briefly touched upon, is no worse than other disciples of Christ, the same Apostle Peter, for example.

The future is a renewed Christianity

The great Russian philosopher, the founder of Russian cosmism, who gave impetus to the development of all modern sciences(cosmonautics, genetics, molecular biology and chemistry, ecology and others) was a deeply religious Orthodox Christian and believed that the future of humanity and its salvation lay precisely in the Christian faith. We should not condemn the past sins of Christians, but strive not to commit new ones, to be kinder and more merciful to all people.

Everyone knows that Judas betrayed Jesus Christ. The name “Judas” even became synonymous with the word “traitor.” Therefore, when they want to say about someone that he is a traitor, they may well call him “Judas.” The betrayal of Judas is spoken of in all four Gospels. For example, in Mark (Mark 14:10,43–46) it is written like this: “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. ... (And after a while - V.K.) Judas, one of the twelve, comes, and with him a multitude of people with swords and staves, from the chief priests and scribes and elders. He who betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying: Whomever I kiss, He is the same; take Him and lead Him carefully. And he came immediately and came to Him and said: Rabbi! Rabbi! And kissed Him. And they laid their hands on Him and took Him.”

There are, however, interpretations of this event in which attempts are made to “rehabilitate” Judas, to present him as not such an inveterate villain. An example of such an interpretation is the story of the Russian writer Leonid Andreev “Judas Iscariot”.

In this story Judas is presented as a patriot Jewish people, who believed that Jesus, indeed, is the messiah, but the messiah in the old, Jewish Old Testament understanding, that is, the leader, high priest and prophet of the Jewish people only, who must deliver his people from the oppression of foreigners and ensure their prosperity here on this earth. By the way, from the text of the Gospels it is clearly clear that all the other apostles, right up to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, thought in exactly the same way, that is, they considered Jesus the messiah in the traditional, Old Testament sense. Leonid Andreev’s Judas was ardent and impatient; he sincerely wondered why Jesus was delaying in speaking out against the Roman occupiers, especially after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when “many ... people spread their clothes along the road, and others cut branches from trees and spread them on road; The people who preceded and accompanied exclaimed: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (Matt. 21:8–9). “How can one hesitate to rebel against the Romans in a situation so favorable to rousing the people to revolt? Now the people are ready to do anything for His sake. But the state of affairs may change, and the moment favorable for an uprising, for the liberation of the homeland from the hated occupiers, may be irretrievably missed. If Jesus is a true patriot, then He must come forward now before it is too late! But He is unjustifiably slow. And in general, what right does He have to hesitate?! The interests of the people come first!” - Leonid Andreev gives approximately these thoughts to his hero, Judas Iscariot. Jude concludes: “We need to provoke Jesus to speak out against the Romans, we need to push Him to show all His messianic power, so that He calls the people to revolt. But how to provoke? What can be done so that Jesus stops wavering and stands decisively at the head of a popular uprising? But this is what: deliver Him into the hands of the lawless, that is, into the hands of the Romans. When they take Him into custody, He will be forced to show decisiveness.”

The famous Russian Orthodox philosopher, theologian and priest Fr. interpreted the betrayal of Judas in approximately the same way. Sergius (Bulgakov). He pays special attention to the words of Judas addressed to the armed men who were supposed to take Jesus into custody. He asks that, having arrested Jesus, they “lead” Him “carefully,” that is, according to Bulgakov, carefully. In these words Fr. Sergius saw Judas’ concern for Jesus, his desire not to harm Him.

How should we relate to such interpretations of Judas’ betrayals, to such attempts at his “rehabilitation”, “justification”? I think that they need to be treated with the utmost caution, especially since Jesus Himself quite clearly called Judas a traitor: “The Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him; but woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed: it would have been better for this man not to have been born” (Matthew 26:24). So, Jesus says that it would have been better for Judas not to have been born than to commit his betrayal. Thus, we see that Jesus Himself, unlike Andreev and Bulgakov, is not at all inclined to “rehabilitate” Judas.

Let us ask ourselves this question: what is the necessary and sufficient condition for committing betrayal? Under what circumstances does someone A betray someone B? I think that a necessary and sufficient condition for betrayal is the cessation of love on the part of A for a given relative, I emphasize again, relative B. When does a person become, for example, a traitor to his parents, his Motherland, his Church, a traitor to God? He betrays them when he stops loving them, when he violates the natural law of love, the natural law of kinship. They betray only their own, they betray only their relatives. And, I repeat, a necessary and sufficient condition for betrayal is the cessation of love, the unnatural interruption of a deep, organic, family connection, family solidarity.

And what could be more dear and close to us than our Creator, than Jesus Christ? “God is love,” said the Apostle John, “and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Thus, by refusing love, we refuse God and betray our Creator. I am convinced that any, so to speak, “private” betrayal, for example, betrayal of a mother or father, wife or husband, betrayal of a friend, Motherland, etc., is ultimately a betrayal of God, a betrayal of Jesus Christ.

A truly loving person is incapable of betrayal. He will accept any test, even death, but will not retreat from his beloved, will not betray him. To betray, you need to turn away from your previously loved one, you need to stop loving him. Someone who has not loved someone is in principle unable to betray him. Therefore, if, say, someone kills someone whom he obviously considered his mortal enemy, he does not betray him, because in order to betray, one must first love and then unlove.

Betrayal is always treason. Judas is a traitor. Consequently, he truly loved Jesus for some time, and then fell out of love with Him: Satan took the place of Jesus in his heart. This is written about in the Gospel of Luke in these words: “And Satan entered into Judas... And he went and spoke with the chief priests and rulers, how to betray Him to them” (Luke 2:3-4). And John writes that Satan entered Judas after Jesus gave him bread at the 11th Last Supper (John 13:26–27). I think that what John said can be understood as a symbolic expression: Jesus fed Judas the Bread of Life, that is, Himself, and he snatched this Bread from himself - refused It, sold It. Judas drove Jesus out of his heart, and the empty throne of Judas’s heart was immediately occupied by Satan. Satan became the “vicar of God”; in the heart of Judas, betrayal was accomplished! The choice in favor of betrayal is always made in the depths of a person’s heart! Therefore, there is no justification for traitors, either “external” or “internal.”