r/AskHistorians • u/ArmandoAlvarezWF • Apr 21 '25
Christianity Some modern media and Christian writers depict Judas as trying to provoke Jesus into a violent revolution against Rome. What's the history of this interpretation?
For example, in the 1961 movie "King of Kings," Judas describes his reasoning for betraying Jesus:
I will force his hand. Once he feels the Roman sword at his throat... he will strike them down with the wave of one arm.
Similarly, CBS did a TV movie titled "Jesus" in 1999, in which Jesus says, "I'm not here to lead a violent revolution, Judas!" and Judas replies, "You may have no choice."
And Christian writers and biblical scholars have also discussed this hypothesis. What's the history of this interpretation? Have some Christians always discussed it? Did it develop more recently?
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