What really happened to Judas

[Pbuschur]

Dear Forum,

I am a new member, and I was reading in the Bible this morning in Acts 1:18 where it says that Judas bought land with the money he received for betraying Jesus, this seems to directly condract Matthew 27:5 where it says Judas threw the money into the temple and hanged himself.

I had never heard this before, and it is bothering me,

Does anyone have an explanation?

Thanks, PJ

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Acts 1:18:

Now this man [Judas] bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

Matthew 27:5-8:

And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he [Judas] departed; and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” So they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

While Matthew makes clear that the temple priests acted in Judas’ name when they bought the field, Acts merely ascribes the purchase to Judas since the money used to buy the field was the money he was given for Jesus’ betrayal. It’s a similar concept to making a donation in someone else’s name: it is equally valid to say that Smith gave a donation in Thompson’s name and to say that Thompson gave a donation (paid for by Smith’s money).