Judas Iscariot (?-AD 28)

In the New Testament, apostle who betrayed Jesus Christ to the Sanhedrin.

Said to be a native of Kerioth, possibly a town in Judea, he served as steward to Jesus and his other disciples.

In the Gospel of John (see 12:6), Judas is portrayed as covetous and dishonest. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, greed made him betray Jesus to the chief priest for 30 pieces of silver. The Books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke represent Jesus as conscious of the meditated treachery, which he foretold.

When Judas saw the consequences of his guilt, he was filled with despair and killed himself. The New Testament contains two different accounts (see Matthew 27:3-5; Acts 1:16-20) of his death.

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