Judas Iscariot is an enigma — a man close to Jesus Christ and one of the 12 disciples, yet vilified as one of the most evil men in history, the great betrayer of Christ. Indeed, in Dante’s Inferno he is said to dwell in the lowest form of hell as the worst of all traitors: ‘“…that soul up there which has the greatest pain,” the Master said, “is Judas Iscariot.”’ But what is the truth about Judas — was he indeed a traitor, or just an innocent man caught up in events beyond his control?
The Bible offers confusing evidence: we know that Judas was a disciple and that the religious authorities paid him 30 pieces of silver to take them to where Jesus was spending the night. We also know that Jesus was aware of what Judas was going to do and took no action to stop him. Judas led the authorities to Jesus and they arrested him. Then, mysteriously, Judas is filled with remorse and commits suicide.
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