Editing Judas Iscariot (section)

==Historicity==
Although Judas Iscariot's historical existence is generally widely accepted among secular historians,{{sfn|Ehrman|1999|pages=216–17}}{{sfn|Gubar|2009|pages=31–33}}<ref name="Stein">{{cite book |first=Robert H. |last=Stein |chapter=Criteria for the Gospels' Authenticity |editor1=Paul Copan |editor2=William Lane Craig |title=Contending with Christianity's Critics: Answering New Atheists & Other Objectors |publisher=B&H Publishing Group |location=Nashville, Tennessee |date=2009 |isbn=978-0805449365 |page=93}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=John P. |last=Meier |chapter=Criteria: How Do We Decide What Comes from Jesus? |editor1-first=James D.G. |editor1-last=Dunn |editor2-first=Scot |editor2-last=McKnight |title=The Historical Jesus in Recent Research |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaljesusr00dunn |url-access=limited |publisher=[[Eisenbrauns]] |location=Warsaw, Indiana |date=2005 |isbn=978-1575061009 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historicaljesusr00dunn/page/n143 127]–28}}</ref> this relative consensus has not gone entirely unchallenged.{{sfn|Gubar|2009|pages=31–33}} The earliest possible allusion to Judas comes from the [[First Epistle to the Corinthians]] {{bibleverse-nb||1 Corinthians|11:23–24|9}}, in which [[Paul the Apostle]] does not mention Judas by name{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=29}}{{sfn|Stanford|2015|page=}} but uses the passive voice of the Greek word ''paradídōmi'' (παραδίδωμι), which most Bible translations render as "was betrayed":{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=29}}{{sfn|Stanford|2015|page=}} "...the Lord Jesus on the night when he ''was betrayed'' took a loaf of bread..."{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=29}} Nonetheless, some biblical scholars argue that the word ''paradídōmi'' should be translated as "was handed over".{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=29}}{{sfn|Stanford|2015|page=}} This translation could still refer to Judas,{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=29}}{{sfn|Stanford|2015|page=}} but it could also instead refer to God metaphorically "handing Jesus over" to the Romans.{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=29}}

In his book ''Antisemitism and Modernity'' (2006), the Jewish scholar [[Hyam Maccoby]] suggests that, in the [[New Testament]], the name "Judas" was constructed as an attack on the Judaeans or on the Judaean religious establishment held responsible for executing Jesus.<ref>{{cite book |first=Hyam |last=Maccoby |title=Antisemitism and Modernity |url=https://archive.org/details/antisemitismmode00macc |url-access=limited |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=London, England |date=2006 |isbn=978-0415553889 |page=[https://archive.org/details/antisemitismmode00macc/page/n28 14]}}</ref>{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=27}} In his book ''The Sins of Scripture'' (2009), [[John Shelby Spong]] concurs with this argument,<ref name="Spong">{{cite book |first=John Shelby |last=Spong |title=The Sins of Scripture |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |location=New York City |date=2009 |isbn=978-0060778408 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/sinsofscripture00john}}</ref>{{sfn|Gubar|2009|pages=27–28}} insisting, "The whole story of Judas has the feeling of being contrived&nbsp;... The act of betrayal by a member of the twelve disciples is not found in the earliest Christian writings. Judas is first placed into the Christian story by the [[Gospel of Mark]] ({{bibleverse-nb||Mark|3:19|9}}), who wrote in the early 70s AD."<ref name="Spong"/>

Most scholars reject these arguments for non-historicity,<ref name="Stein"/><ref name="Oropeza">{{cite journal |first=B.J. |last=Oropeza |title=Judas' Death and Final Destiny in the Gospels and Earliest Christian Writings |journal=Neotestamentica |issue=2 |date=2010 |volume=44 |pages=342–61}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=B.J. |last=Oropeza |author-link=B. J. Oropeza |title=In the Footsteps of Judas and Other Defectors: Apostasy in the New Testament Communities Volume 1:The Gospels, Acts, and Johannine Letters |publisher=Cascade/[[Wipf & Stock]] |location=Eugene, Oregon |date=2011 |pages=149–50, 230}}</ref>{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=28}} noting that there is nothing in the gospels to associate Judas with Judeans except his name, which was an extremely common one for Jewish men during the first century,<ref name="Oropeza"/>{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=31}}{{sfn|Stanford|2015|page=}} and that numerous other figures named "Judas" are mentioned throughout the New Testament, none of whom are portrayed negatively.<ref name="Oropeza"/>{{sfn|Gubar|2009|page=31}}{{sfn|Stanford|2015|page=}} Positive figures named Judas mentioned in the New Testament include the prophet [[Judas Barsabbas]] (Acts 15:22–33), [[Brothers of Jesus|Jesus's brother]] [[Jude, brother of Jesus|Jude]] (Mark 6:3; Matt 13:55; Jude 1), and the apostle [[Jude the Apostle|Judas the son of James]] (Luke 6:14–16; Acts 1:13; John 14:22).<ref name="Oropeza"/>