Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve men closest to Jesus, and his name became a word for betrayal. This is his story as the ancient texts tell it, and the texts do not agree on why he did it. Shortly before the Jewish Passover, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Judas went to the chief priests on his own. He did not wait to be asked. He made an offer. "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" The priests counted out thirty pieces of silver. Scholars estimate that was about four months of wages for an ordinary laborer. Judas had his silver, and from that moment he watched for a chance to hand Jesus over. So what drove him? Greed, politics, or something darker?
Judas Iscariot: Why Did He Do It?
Judas asked the priests for a price and got 30 pieces of silver. Why he did it, the ancient sources never agree.
Chapter 1
The Price
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much were the thirty pieces of silver worth?
Scholars estimate thirty pieces of silver equaled about four months of wages for a common laborer. Under Old Testament law in Exodus, thirty shekels was also the price paid for a slave killed by an animal.
Why do the Gospels give different motives for Judas?
John names greed, saying Judas stole from the group's money bag. Luke and John also say Satan entered him. Scholars add a political theory based on the name Iscariot, but it remains a guess and no text settles the question.
What is the Gospel of Judas?
It is a Gnostic text from around 150 AD, found in a papyrus codex in Egypt in the 1970s and first translated for the public in 2006. It portrays Judas as the closest friend of Jesus, who obeyed an order to hand him over.
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