Skeptics Call Judas's Death a Bible Contradiction

Question

Berean.ai · Accepted Answer

Did you know skeptics cite Judas's death as one of the "clearest Bible contradictions" — Matthew says he hanged himself (Matt 27:5), Acts says he fell headlong and burst open (Acts 1:18)? Read carefully. Both accounts fit together, and both are describing the same historical event from different angles. The Two Accounts: Matthew 27:3-5 — "Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests... And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself." Acts 1:18 — "Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out." Two different actions? Or two aspects of the same event? Matthew's Focus — Judas's Actions: Matthew tells you what Judas DID:— Changed his mind (Greek metamelomai — remorse, not saving metanoia)— Returned the thirty pieces of silver to the priests— Threw them down in the temple— Went out and hanged himself Acts's Focus — The Body's Fate: Peter's speech (Acts 1) tells you what happened to the body AFTER Judas's death:— Fell headlong— Burst open in the middle— Bowels gushed out The Harmonization: If Judas hanged himself in an isolated location, the body likely wasn't recovered quickly. Ropes decay. Branches break. Bodies swell during decomposition and eventually fall. Falling from a hanging position, especially after decomposition, would produce exactly the described bursting. Josephus (Wars of the Jews) records many unrecovered bodies during the Jewish-Roman conflict with similar decomposition outcomes. Not improbable. Common for the era in bodies left exposed. The Field — Second Apparent Contradiction: Matthew 27:6-8: The priests take the returned silver and buy a field (potter's field) as a burial ground for foreigners.