Why Judas’s Death Isn’t a Bible Contradiction

Bible contradictions are one of skeptics’ favorite issues to raise when objecting to Christianity. It makes sense. If you can undermine the reliability of the New Testament, you can call the entire Christian story into question. And they’re right—if the Bible is riddled with contradictions, it shouldn’t be trusted.

One of the most common examples of an alleged contradiction concerns Judas Iscariot’s death. Both Matthew and Luke mention Judas’s demise. Matthew says Judas “threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself” (Matt. 27:5 ). In Acts 1:18 , Luke says, “Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out.”

You see the problem. The authors seem to present contradictory accounts. Judas cannot have died by hanging and died by falling and bursting open. Is this a contradiction? Not at all. Here’s why.

There are two important principles to keep in mind when investigating alleged Bible contradictions. Both apply in the case of Judas’s death and help bring clarity to the passage.

First, a difference isn’t necessarily a contradiction. Contradictions, by nature, are impossible to reconcile, while differences can be reconciled, at least in principle. In this case, ask yourself if it’s possible that Matthew and Luke work together to describe a single, non-contradictory event. Let’s look.

Matthew says Judas died by hanging. Luke, though, makes no mention of how Judas died. Instead, he merely adds some colorful postmortem details. As a doctor, Luke knew full well that Judas didn’t die by falling. Why? Because Luke understood that people don’t usually fall, burst open, and have their internal organs spill out, even with a bad fall. It simply doesn’t happen.

Instead, Luke describes what happened to Judas’s dead body as it hung in the hot Jerusalem sun. Based on what we know about biology, the bacteria inside Judas’s corpse were breaking down the tissue and organs. As this happened, gas filled the body cavity, creating pressure. As a result, the body became bloated like an over-inflated balloon. If the rope Judas hung himself with broke, his body would have burst when it hit the ground.

Also, keep in mind the timing of Judas’s death. Judas died close to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus was crucified on Passover and resurrected on the Feast of First Fruits. Both are Sabbath holidays, and the Israelites were forbidden to work on those days. If Judas hung himself during this time (which seems likely), it’s possible no one would have cut him down. Instead, he would have hung there decomposing until either the rope or the branch he hung from broke. At which point, Judas’s body would have fallen to the ground and burst open.

Clearly, there is no necessary contradiction between the two accounts of Judas’s death—just two descriptions given by two different authors including different details of the same event, which brings us to the second principle to remember.

Second, a mystery is not a contradiction. Do we know with certainty what happened to Judas? Not at all. Is there some mystery surrounding his death? Absolutely, but that’s okay, because just like a difference, a mystery is not the same thing as a contradiction. Remember, a contradiction cannot be reconciled, while a mystery can be reconciled—at least in principle—even if we can’t say with certainty what that reconciliation is. Not having a definitive answer is not the same as saying an answer doesn’t exist.

So, do Matthew and Luke stand at odds when it comes to the death of Judas? Hardly. Matthew tells you how Judas died, and Luke adds to the account. It’s okay if you don’t have all the details. Anytime an alleged contradiction surfaces, remember that even a possible explanation is enough to deflect the challenge.

The same principle applies to other supposed Bible contradictions. When your skeptic friend brings one up, investigate it. Dig in. When you do, you’ll find there are often good answers, just like we discovered in the case of Judas’s death.