Origin and meaning of the name Judas

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The Hebrew name Judas is mostly associated with only one biblical character - Judas Iscariot. Everyone remembers how he betrayed the Teacher for thirty pieces of silver. Therefore, this name, in the minds of most people, is associated with a traitor, a traitor. In fact, this is a stereotype that (like any other) should be got rid of by understanding the true meaning of the name Judas.

Praise the Lord

This is how the name Judah is translated from Hebrew, where it looks like Yehuda. For the first time it is mentioned in the book of Genesis, where the interpretation of this name is also given. There Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, saying, "Now I praise the Lord," which sounded like "ode." And so she named him Judas. Here we are talking about the first bearer of the name in question, who was the fourth son of Patriarch Jacob.

The Bible tells that the tribe of Judah was the most numerous of all. It was from him that the name of the Jewish people "Jews" came from. And their religion, as you know, is called Judaism.

On behalf ofJudah comes from many surnames. It is, for example, about:

• Yudin;
• Yudanovs;
• Yudasov;
• Yudasinih;
• Yudovykh;
• Yudachev;
• Yudintsev;
• Yudashkins;
• Yudkins;
• Yudenichakh;
• Yudrins.

Thus, the Hebrew origin of the name Judah is in no way related to betrayal, as some people think. The Latin form of this name is Judas, pronounced "Judas".

Female name

There is also a female form of this name, which looks like Jehudith or Judith. In the Bible, she is mentioned earlier than male. Thus, the book of Genesis says that when Esau was forty years old, he married Jehudith, 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 it's Edith, in Polish it's Edita.

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 has turned into a swear word, which is used to call traitors, traitors. So they say about the Judas kiss, the Judas tree - the aspen. There are a number of sayings of this kind:

• After passing the light of Judas, you still hang yourself.
• It is better not to be born than to live in the world as Judas.
• Believing in Judas is not a problem and you will pay.

The name Judas is present in the Saints, but children are not called that. In Russian literature, only Iudushka Golovlev from S altykov-Shchedrin's "Lords of the Golovlevs" is remembered. And yes, it was just a nickname. Considering the meaning of the name Judas, it would be appropriate to say about the most famous of its bearers.

Ambiguous figure

Despite the negative attitude towards this biblical character, his figure is not unambiguous. It cannot be said of him that he was completely devoid of conscience. After all, he did not take the money to spend or invest in some business. After hesitating for a certain time, Judas went to the high priests and returned the coins to them.

Rather, Judas Iscariot can be called a miserable person. The Monk Nil the Myrrh-Streaming, a hermit of Athos who lived in the 17th century, wrote about him this way: a traitor and bear a heavy cross, as is seen in some assumptions.

The Lord expected Judas to change. He showed his confidence in him by making him treasurer of the community of the apostles. Even when Jesus was dying in agony on the cross, he looked in the direction of Judas with the hope that he would not come, if he would repent. And in case of repentance, the Lord would undoubtedly have forgiven him and left him among the twelve apostles to preachGospel. But Judas did not have the courage, he committed suicide in despair."

Gospel of Judas

In Christianity there is an ancient apocryphal manuscript with this name. It is written in Coptic and is part of the papyrus Codex Chakos. It was found in 1978 in Egypt and dates back to 220 - 340 BC. This was revealed using the method of radiocarbon analysis. The first modern translation was published in 2006

Here Jesus Christ and Judas are shown as like-minded people. According to this manuscript, Judas Iscariot was by no means a traitor, but betrayed Jesus to the Romans solely at his request. On the contrary, Iscariot was the most beloved student and the only one to whom the whole truth was revealed. Jesus understood the plan of Christ, agreeing to play an unenviable but important role in it. He gave up fame and even life.

In continuation of the consideration of the meaning of the name Judas, another disciple of Jesus Christ will be told.

Not Iscariot

Not many people remember that there was another Judas among the disciples of Christ. To separate him from Judas the traitor, John in his Gospel calls him "Not Iscariot". The Church celebrates the memory of the Apostle Jude, brother of the Lord, on July 2. He is Judas Thaddeus, Judas Jacoblev or Levvey. During the Middle Ages, he was often identified with Judas, who was the brother of Jesus Christ, who is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. Some of today's biblical scholars believe that these are different faces.

In the Orthodox tradition, identifying the Apostle Judas with Judas, “brotherthe Lord,” it is said that he did not have the audacity to call himself by this nickname. This was preceded by the following events. The sons of Joseph the Betrothed, who decided to divide his property among the heirs, did not support him. And only Judas wanted to share his share with Jesus, for which he was called the brother of the Lord.

However, at the beginning of the earthly path of Christ, Judas, like his brothers, did not believe in his divine essence. Later, he believed in the Messiah, turned to him with all his heart, being chosen among the closest disciples, of which there were twelve. Remembering his sin, Judas Thaddeus called himself the brother of James.

Preaching the Gospel

After the Lord's ascension to heaven, the Apostle Judas began to preach the Gospel in different lands. First in Judea, Idumea, Samaria, Galilee, and later in Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia. While in Persia, he writes a conciliar epistle. Despite its brevity, it contains many profound truths. It teaches about such Christian concepts as:

• Holy Trinity;
• Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ;
• distinguish between good and evil Angels;
• future Doomsday.

The Apostle calls on believers to avoid the impurity of the flesh, to work diligently in their position, to turn the erring to the saving path, to protect themselves from heretical teachings. He says that faith in Jesus Christ alone is not enough, you still need to do good deeds, which are characteristic of the teachings of Christians. Around the year 80, in the Armenian city of Arat, the holy Apostle Jude diedmartyrdom. He was crucified and pierced with arrows.