What is the biography of Judas Iscariot?

Answer 1

Nothing certain is known about Judas Iscariot other than what is in the New Testament. The gospels say that he was chosen to be a disciple of Jesus. The Gospel of John says that he was given the bag containing the communal money. Then all the gospels agree that he went to the priests to betray Jesus in return for money. The betrayal took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthewsays that Judas repented and returned the money to the priests and then went away and hanged himself. Acts says that Judas bought land with the money, but fell down headlong and died.

An extra-biblical suggestion is that Judas Iscariot was a literary invention. First century Jews did not normally have surnames at all, making "Judas Iscariot" an unlikely name for a real Jew. But the name Judas is synonymous with Jews, while the name Iscariot could be a derivation of the Latin word Sicarius, which means 'assassin': so Judas Iscariot can be read as "Jewish assassin", just what he did become.

Answer 2

Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ who famously betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver. After betraying Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas later regretted his actions and attempted to return the money. He ultimately hanged himself, and his name has since become synonymous with betrayal and treachery.