The Jewish name Judas is mainly associated with only one biblical character - Judas Iscariot. Everyone remembers how he betrayed Master for thirty pieces of silver. Therefore, this name in the view of most people is associated with a traitor, a traitor. In fact, this is a stereotype that (like any other) should be eliminated by understanding the true meaning of the name Judas.
Praise the Lord
This is how the name Judas is translated from Hebrew, where it has the appearance of Yehud. The first time it is mentioned in the book of Genesis, where the interpretation of this name is given. There, Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, saying: “Now I praise the Lord,” which sounded like “ode.” And so she called him Judas. Here we are talking about the first bearer of the name in question, who was the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob.
The Bible tells us that the tribe of Judah was the most numerous of all. It was from him that the name of the Jewish people “Jews” came. And their religion, as you know, is called Judaism.
Many names come from the name of Judah. It is, for example, about:
- Yudins;
- Yudanovs;
- Yudasovs;
- Yudasinikh;
- Yudovs;
- Yudachevs;
- Yudintsevs;
- Yudashkin;
- Yudkins;
- Yudenichakh;
- Yudrins.
Thus, the Hebrew origin of the name Judas is in no way associated with betrayal, as some think. The Latin form of this name is Judas, pronounced "Judas."
Female name
There is a female form of this name, which looks like Yehudith or Judith. In the Bible she is mentioned earlier than the male one. Thus, the book of Genesis says that when Esau was forty years old, he married Yehudifi, who was the daughter of Beer the Hittite. The female version of Judith has spread widely in many European languages. In English, it sounds like Judy, in German - Edith, in Polish - Edith.
Negative connotation
The erroneously negative meaning of the name Judas is firmly rooted in the Christian tradition, giving rise to a stable stereotype. If you take an interest in the name in the dictionary, you can see that there Judas means “traitor, traitor”, acting under the guise of friendliness. This refers to the name of one of the apostles of Jesus Christ, who betrayed him.
The name Judas turned into a swear word, which is used to call traitors, traitors. So they say about the Judaic kiss, the Judaic tree - aspen. There are a number of sayings of this kind:
- Passing the light of Judah, you will still be strangled.
- Than to live in the world of Judah, it is better not to be born.
- Believe Judah - it does not matter and pay.
The name Judas is present in the Saints, but the children are not so called. In Russian literature, only Judas Golovlev from the "Golovlevs" Saltykov-Shchedrin is recalled. Yes, and that was just a nickname. Considering the meaning of the name Judas, it would be appropriate to say about the most famous of its carriers.
Ambiguous figure
Despite the negative attitude towards this biblical character, his figure is not unambiguous. It cannot be said about him that he was completely devoid of conscience. After all, he did not take the money to spend it or invest in any business. After hesitating for a certain time, Judah came to the high priests and returned the coins to them.
Rather, Judas Iscariot can be called a miserable person. Rev. Neil the Myrrh-streaming Athos hermit, who lived in the 17th century, wrote of him like this: “Judas’s father was a robber and his mother a harlot, but still the Lord called him. And he didn’t do this because someone had to play the role of traitor and bear a heavy cross, as seen in some assumptions.
The Lord expected Judas to change. He showed him his confidence by making the treasurer of the community of apostles. Even when Jesus was dying in agony on the cross, he looked towards Judah with the hope that he would come, if he would repent. And in case of repentance, the Lord would undoubtedly forgive him and leave him among the twelve apostles to preach the gospel. But Judas did not have the courage; he killed himself in despair. "
The gospel of judah
In Christianity, there is an ancient apocryphal manuscript under this name. It is written in Coptic and is part of the papyrus Codex Chakos. It was found in 1978 in Egypt and dates from 220 - 340 years. This was revealed using the radiocarbon analysis method. The first modern translation was published in 2006.
Here, Jesus Christ and Judah are shown by like-minded people. According to this manuscript, Judas Iscariot was by no means a traitor, but gave the Romans Jesus only at his request. On the contrary, Iskariot was the most beloved student and the only one to whom all truth was revealed. Jesus understood the purpose of Christ, agreeing to play an unenviable but important role in it. He renounced good fame and even life.
In continuation of the consideration of the meaning of the name Judas, another disciple of Jesus Christ will be described.
Not iscariot
Not many people remember that among the disciples of Christ there was another Judas. To separate him from Judas the traitor, John in his Gospel calls him "Not Iscariot." The church commemorates the Apostle Jude, brother of the Lord, on July 2. He is Judas Thaddeus, Judas Jacob or Levway. During the Middle Ages, he was often identified with Judas, who was the brother of Jesus Christ, which is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. Some of the modern biblical scholars think these are different faces.
In the Orthodox tradition, identifying the apostle Jude with Judah, “the brother of the Lord”, it is said that he did not have the audacity to call himself this nickname. This was preceded by the following events. The sons of Joseph the Betrothed, who decided to share his property between the heirs, did not support him. And only Judas wished to share his share with Jesus, for which he was named the brother of the Lord.
However, at the beginning of Christ's earthly journey, Judas, like his brothers, did not believe in his divine essence. Later, he believed in the Messiah, addressed him wholeheartedly, having been elected among the closest disciples, of whom there were twelve. Remembering his sin, Judah Thaddeus called himself the brother of Jacob.
Gospel preaching
After the Lord ascended to heaven, the apostle Judas began to preach the gospel in different lands. First in Judea, Edom, Samaria, Galilee, and later in Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia. While in Persia, he writes a conciliar epistle. Despite its brevity, it contains many deep truths. It contains the doctrine of such Christian concepts as:
- The Holy Trinity;
- the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ;
- distinction between good and evil angels;
- future Doomsday.
The apostle calls upon believers to avoid the impurity of the flesh, to work regularly in their posts, to turn the lost on the saving path, to protect themselves from heretical teachings. He says that just believing in Jesus Christ is not enough, you still need to do good deeds that are characteristic of the teachings of Christians. Around the year 80, in the Armenian city of Arat, the holy apostle Judas died a martyrdom. He was crucified on the cross and pierced by arrows.