Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot (died April AD 29–33, Hebrew יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ) was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus, and the one who ultimately betrayed him.

Etymology of "Judas Iscariot"

In the Greek of the New Testament, Judas Iscariot is called Ιουδας Ισκαριωθ (Ioudas Iskariôth) and Ισκαριωτης (Iskariôtês).

Related Topics:
Greek - New Testament

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"Judas" is the Greek form of the common name Judah (יהודה, Yehûdâh, Hebrew for "praised"). In English translations of the Bible is also found the name Jude, however there is no such distinction in the original Greek or in the Latin Vulgate translation. King David united the Kingdom of Israel and King Solomon built the First Temple, however the kingdom split into two in 928bce, namely the northern kingdom Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah. In 722bce, the Assyrian King Shalmaneser V conquered Israel and renamed it Samerina (Samaria). In 586bce, the Babylonian King Nebuchadrezzar II conquered Judah, destroyed the First Temple, and exiled the "Judeans" to Babylon. Cyrus II of Persia conquered Babylon in 539bce and granted the Judeans the right to return and to rebuild their Temple (Second Temple). For this reason Isaiah 44:25-45:4 proclaimed Cyrus to be the Messiah. Hence, to make a long story short, Judah, Judean, and Jew are almost synonymous. Technically, for the context of the New Testament, Judean is correct, as the Roman Emperor Augustus created Iudaea Province (6-64,73-132ce) in Latin which is generally translated into English as Judea, hence its people were called Judeans.

Related Topics:
Judah - Jude - Greek - Latin - Vulgate - King David - Kingdom of Israel - King Solomon - First Temple - Kingdom of Judah - Assyrian - Shalmaneser V - Samaria - Babylonian - Nebuchadrezzar II - Judean - Cyrus II of Persia - Second Temple - Isaiah - Messiah - Augustus - Iudaea Province

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What "Iscariot" signifies is unclear, other than its Greek suffix -otes, like English "-ite" or "-ian". No territory "Iscaria" has ever existed. A birthplace is sometimes offered at the Karioth that is mentioned only once, in a long list of cities in the time of Joshua (Joshua 15:25), concerning which The Classical Gazeteer tactfully remarked "of uncertain position" http://www.ancientlibrary.com/gazetteer/0194.html. Karioth is not mentioned in any text of the centuries before or after Judas Iscariot. (Compare Cana and Arimathea.)

Related Topics:
Karioth - Joshua - Cana - Arimathea

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There are two major theories on the meaning of this name, each of which must satisfy certain expectations in order to be credible:

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One etymology, accepted by the majority, and credited to Jerome, derives "Iscariot" from Hebrew איש־קריות, Κ–Qrîyôth, that is "man of Kerioth", the Judean town (or, more probably, collection of small towns) of Kerioth, not otherwise related to any person or event in the New Testament, nor mentioned in any document of the period. As Aramaic was the main language of the time, and all other biblical characters have Aramaic surnames and nicknames, this Hebrew Judaean name would have marked out Judas as different from the Galilean disciples.

Related Topics:
Jerome - Hebrew - Kerioth - Judean - Aramaic

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In the second etymology, "Iscariot" is considered to be a transformation of the Latin sicarius, or "dagger-man". The Sicarii were a cadre of assassins among Jewish rebels intent on driving the Romans out of Judea. It is possible then, that this Latin name might have been transformed by Aramaic into a form more closely resembling "Iscariot". But many historians maintain that the sicarii only arose in the 40's or 50's of the 1st century, so Judas could not have been a member. Brown, Raymond E. (1994). The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the Grave: A Commentary on the Passion Narratives in the Four Gospels v.1 pp. 688-92. New York: Doubleday/The Anchor Bible Reference Library. ISBN 0-385-49448-3; Meier, John P. (2001). A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus v. 3 p. 210. New York: Doubleday/The Anchor Bible Reference Library. ISBN 0-385-46993-4 (v.3).While Judas may or may not have actually been a sicariote, the term may have been used for him pejoratively. Therefore, if Judas is largely synonymous with Judean and if Iscariot means Sicarius, then Judas Iscariot would mean Judean Assassin.

Related Topics:
Latin - Dagger - Sicarii

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"Iscariot" could also be derived from the Aramaic sheqarya' or shiqrai, indicating a person who is a fraud; "the false one" would usually be written as ishqaraya. It could also have been derived from the Hebrew sachar. It also has been theorised that Iscariot could mean deliverer, derived from the Hebrew sakar.

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But one factor arguing against "Iscariot" deriving from Judas' betrayal of Jesus is the reference in John 6:71 to Judas as "son of Simon the Iscariot." In light of this, Iscariot appears to be a family name, which would make the Kerioth theory more likely.

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Because of Judas' role in betraying Jesus Christ, the name Judas—which was common during the time of Christ—has almost entirely fallen out of use as a name among Christians, though its Hebrew equivalent Yehuda remains common among Jews, and the etymologically equivalent name Jude is not unknown among Christians.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Jude

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