Judas Iscariot, or Judas of Iscariot or Kerioth is the correct rendering of this lost disciple. Many additional names have been ascribed to Judas, such as, "the traitor", "the son of perdition", and "the betrayer". Either way, Judas is most known for his betrayal of Jesus. He was probably from the tribe of Judah and was possibly named after Judas Maccabeus, a famous Jewish heroin. He was born in a town named Ish Kerioth which is possibly today Khirbet el-Quaryatein in the rugged southeast Judean wilderness. This could possibly mean he was the only disciple that was not a Galilean. He is the son of Simon Iscariot (John 6:71). The identity of his mother is unknown.

Outside of the gospel accounts about Judas, not much else is known concerning his life. He was obviously called a disciple and was entrusted with handling the group's money as treasurer (John 13:29). For the most part, not much is mentioned about Judas besides the horrible events leading up to his betrayal.

Caiphas and the chief priests desperately wanted to get their hands on this Jesus on the grounds of blasphemy and possibly inciting an insurrection against the Romans. Judas went to them and offered to betray Jesus (Matt. 26:14-16) and accepted thirty pieces of silver - the equivalent of twenty dollars, the price of a slave (Ex. 21:32). From that point on, the rest of the events transpired leading up to his crucifixion and are clearly depicted in all four of the gospel narratives. Why Judas committed such an act remains a mystery. Many scholars have attempted to figure out the mind of Judas and his motives and intentions. The New Testament clearly says that Satan had entered into him (Luke 22:3, John 6:71). However, I'm sure there were many additional reasons for this act. Perhaps he was disappointed with his Master after learning that he would have to suffer a death. Or he might've seen an opportunity to gain even more money from not only the Jewish authorities but the Romans as well.

After Jesus' arrest, Judas realized what he had done wrong and attempted to make restitution by returning the "blood money" (Matt. 27:3) only to be turned down. He then rushed into the Temple, threw the money down on the floor and later hung himself (Matt. 27:3, Acts 1:18-20) in a field either he himself purchased or the authorities. The field in which he hung himself in is called "the field of blood" but is probably called Aceldama, on the southern slope of the Valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem. There are two brief accounts of Judas' final demise, Matthew 27:3-5 and Acts 1:18. In Matthew, it says he hung himself. Dr. Luke however, the author of Acts, says that, "he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." Do these two passages contradict one another? No, the best explanation is that the limb in which he was hanging broke, and the resulting fall split open his body. Nevertheless, Judas suffered the consequences for his unrepentant betrayal. Apparently, his end was prophesied in Psalms 69:25 and 109:8.

Shortly after his death, the remaining eleven disciples gathered to cast lots to determine an adequate replacement for Judas (Acts 1:22-26). The lot fell on Matthias, and the Apostles were restored to the original number of twelve. Despite the views of Judas as being the foreordained instrument in carrying out the crucifixion and ultimately Christ's resurrection and is therefore resolved of any wrongdoing, it is safe to say that Judas has instead suffered the eternal torments of the great lake of fire. Judas might've repented, but only proved his repentance to be false by committing another sin, suicide.