How Did Judas Die?

How Did Judas Die?

Among skeptics, a common claim arrives. This being the Bible contradicts itself over how Judas died. So let us speak on the subject.  The verses used to make this claim comes from the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Acts.

"And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:5).

"Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out" (Acts 1:18).

In Matthew, it is said Judas hanged himself while in Acts it is said he fell making his bowels gush out. Now perhaps this sounds like a contradiction, but in reality, they enhance each other. A peer-reviewed report by Science Focus reports this, "...cells break down as the lack of oxygen and nutrients prevents them from replenishing themselves. When bacteria in the gut can no longer be kept in check, they start to reproduce and feed on the body. This produces gas that causes the abdomen to bloat. Gas building up increases pressure within the body, pushing fluids in between the layers of skin and causing the outer layers to slough off. With no oxygen to bind to, haemoglobin in the blood binds to sulphur instead, filling the arteries and veins with a greenish-black substance...Increasing pressure forces the body’s fluids and liquefied organs out of any available orifice. Eyeballs can be dislodged and bodies have even been known to explode," (BBC Science Focus Magazine).

So what happened? Judas hanged himself as reported by Matthew, then he fell "headlong...and all his bowels gushed out" as reported in Acts. Judas' body simply exploded from the gasses in his body when he fell from his noose. 

Works Cited:

Banino, R., 2022. Here's what happens when your dead body is left to rot (plus a few, more practical, uses for it). [online] BBC Science Focus Magazine. Available at: <Link>[Accessed 19 February 2022]

Image by Francesco Alberti