Judas Iscariot (died 30 AD) was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. He was the man who betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing him and calling him "rabbi", and, wracked by guilt after Jesus was crucified, he hanged himself.
Biography[]
A young Judas
Judas Iscariot was born in Kerioth, Judea, and he became one of the original followers of Jesus, being appointed one of his "Twelve Apostles". Judas was an active minister, but many of Jesus' other disciples abandoned him because of his difficulty in accepting Jesus' teachings. In 30 AD, Judas secretly agreed to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin in exchange for 30 silver pieces, and he identified Jesus by kissing him. After learning that Jesus was to be crucified, a remorseful attempted to return his blood money, but the priests refused to accept it; Judas went on to hang himself.