The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-18
The Motives Of Judas...Why He Be-
trayed His Master.

trayed His Master.
The following article, published in the
Chicago Inter Ocean, was submitted to
my consideration by one of the proprie-
tors Of the INTELLIGENcER. I have
! read it with much interest, and suggest
its publication. The verses Of Messrs.
Story and De Quincy are certainly origi-
nal, and, as such, worthy of our conside-
ration. I have long ago discarded the
popular idea that Judas Iscariot was the
vilest of the vile and blacklist and basest
of men. That he was an unregenerate
man, I freely admit; that he was lost in
perdition, I have no doubt; but that he
coolly and hellishly and calculatingly
sold his Lord, wishing and knowing that
that Lord should go to the cross and die
as a slave, I do not believe. With some
notifications, the theory set forth in the
following poem may be the true one.
Most likely Judas was covetous, and
didn't object to the twenty pieces OF
silver" Herein I disagree with the
theory below, put I think Judas was mis-
led, as were the other eleven, with the
idea of the temporal nature of the Mes
slabs Kingdom. He wanted to see the
Nazarene mount the throne of Judah,
liberate the descendants of Abraham,
drive away the Romans and establish an
Universal Kingdom on the throne of his
"father, David" He was impatient that
his Master was so slow in assuming the
rule. He believed in his Messiahship
and Divinity, felt that the sword of con.
quest once drawn would not be put up
till Jesus had "made his foes his foot
STOOL" To hasten on this time of deliv-
erance, Judas determined to bring about
collision between Jesus and the Ro-
mans, knowing, as he thought, that his
Master would be victor, and that he,
Judas, with the other Disciples, would
get positions as generals and ministers
and cabinet officers in the new govern
ment.
The Scriptures say he was thief I
know; they call him demon, 1 know;
but others were possessed of demons and
were cured, and others who had stolen
ceased to be dishonest and "stole no
more" When Judas, amazed, saw that
his Master, who possessed all power in
Heaven and earth, did not exercise that
power for his defense, but calmly submit
ted to his captors, he feD to the rulers and
cast do,cn the money and said, "Ihaue be-
trayed the innocent blood" He saw, ap-
palled, his great mistake, and tried, vain
ly tried, to correct it. Failing in that,
in utter black despair, he hurried himself
out of existence, and thus lost his soul.
Had Judas repented towards God," and
gone to Jesus and confessed his sin, I be-
tlieve mercy would have been shown him
as to other sinners. The great sin of the
man was ~ failure to improve great
and distinguished privileges, (2) pre-
suming to accomplish seemingly good
ends by unlawful means. But I will not
add further words to this introduction,
but commend the poem and its thought
to the readers.
WIN. HENRY STRICKLAND.
Public attention is again called to w.
w. Story's poem "Judas Iscariot," first
published in 1870, and to the De Quin-
cey theory of the moties which Influenced
Judas in betraying the Lord. Several
papers have re-published the poem as it
was printed in Riack7ooods Magazine,
and recently reference has been made in
the pulpit to the idea of the character Of
Judas as pictured by Mr.. Story. -
The republication of the poem revives
interest in the theory that the motives of
Judas were as pure as those of the other
Disciples of Christ, and that Paul and
Others, misunderstanding his motives,
have misrepresented him, and called
down on the head of trash and vision
ary man whose faith was firm" the ha-
tired of all Christians.
The theory is not new; but Mr.. Story's
dramatic treatment of the speculative
and the mystical is always attractive, and
in this case it makes vivid picture more
acceptable than would the argument COW
ering the same ground.
A Roman lawyer in Jerusalem writes
to his best friend in Rome, and tells the
story of Judas, as related by Lysias, the
centurion, long after the cruci6xion, and
after the death of PLATE and other actors
in the memorable scenes. 'Lysias speaks
as Roman soldier and an unbeliever,
and one who knew John, James, Peter,
"and Judas" best of all. Judas is de-
scribed as the only man that followed
Christ who thought that He was God
as zone in whom the Masters words took
root and grew and fowered." Judas, as
the story is told, believed that Christ was
the King of Kings, and he longed for the
day when his Master should reveal him
self as the living God. After dwelling
on this controlling thought in the mind
of Judas, Lysias proceeds to tell the story
of the betrayal:
SlCll WAS WhOu dG IiiO peL'SVfSA
The Lord with His disciples met and
supped;
And Christus saw the trouble in his mind,
And said, "Behold, among you here is one
That shall betray me-he to whom 1 give
This sop," and He the sop to Judas gave:
And added, "That thou doest quickly do"
And Judas left Him, hearing these last
words,
Now shall the Son of Man be Glorified."
All, yes! his Master had OWNED his
thought;
His Master should be glorifed through him.
Straight unto me and the high priest he
came,
Filled with this hope, and said, "Behold me
here,
Judas, q follower of Christus Come!
I will point out my Master whom you