The kiss of Judas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to the Synoptic Gospels, Judas pointed out Jesus to those he led to arrest him by means of a kiss. This is the kiss of Judas, also known (especially in art) as the Betrayal of Christ.
Contents |
[edit] In the Bible
Both Matthew (26:47-50) and Mark (14:44-45) use the Greek verb kataphilein, which means to kiss firmly, intensely, passionately,tenderly or warmly. It is the same verb that Plutarch uses to describe a famous kiss that Alexander the Great gave Bagoas. According to Matthew, Jesus responded by saying "Friend, do what you are here to do." This has caused speculation that Jesus and Judas were actually in agreement with each other and there was no real betrayal.[citation needed]
Luke (22:47-48) presents a very different picture: Jesus sees Judas coming and stops him by asking: "Judas, with a kiss do you betray the son of man?" The kiss is apparently not delivered at all. The expression "Son of man" is widely believed to refer to an apocalyptic figure. Geza Vermes, however, in his book Jesus the Jew, presents a very different view: The Aramaic word barnasha—literally "son of man" but meaning "this person"—is used in Rabbinic literature as a humble, self-effacing way to refer to oneself, to the speaker. It corresponds exactly to the Japanese word sessha, "this one," an old-fashioned way to say "I" or "me" when talking to a superior. Jesus would be saying "You would use a kiss to betray me?"
The kiss of Judas is one of the omissions in the Gospel of John.
[edit] In art
The scene is nearly always included, either as the Kiss itself, or the moment after, the Arrest of Christ, or the two combined (as above), in cycles of the Passion of Jesus in various media. Probably the best known is from Giotto's cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.
[edit] In music
- The moment is represented in Bach's St Matthew Passion and other Passion settings by many composers.
- In Bob Dylan's "With God on our side," he says "Jesus Christ was betrayed by a kiss."
- Petra (band), the first Christian rock group, had a hit in 1982 with a song called Judas' Kiss. The song was controversial with anti Christian rock critics for having a back-masked track before the song at a time when a witch hunt was conducted for back masking messaging in rock albums. However, the message contained one of a Christian message and was aimed at the critics.
- Dave Barnes, a Christian singer/songwriter, uses it in his song "On a Night Like This."
- Finnish power metal band Stratovarius describes the events around Judas betrayal from a first-person perspective in the opening song "The Kiss of Judas" from its album Visions.
- The politically progressive Canadian grindcore/punk band Propagandhi mentions the kiss in the song "With friends like these, who the fuck needs CoIntelPro?" in the line "I'm punch drunk on ... the crippling Judas Kiss to christen thee a sinking ship".
- The Academy Is...created a song called "Judas Kiss" about betrayal of a loved one.
[edit] Further reading
- Nancy Grubb. The Life of Christ. Abbeville Press, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0-7892-0144-5
