Judas and the field?

[angelofmercy]

Matthew 27:4  But the chief priests having taken the pieces of silver, said: It is not lawful to put them into the corbona, because it is the price of blood. 7 And after they had consulted together, they bought with them the potter's field, to be a burying place for strangers. 8 For this cause the field was called Haceldama, that is, The field of blood, even to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was prized, whom they prized of the children of Israel. 10 And they gave them unto the potter's field, as the Lord appointed to me.
 BUT THIS ONE SAYS Acts 1:16 Men, brethren, the scripture must needs be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus: 17 Who was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18 And he indeed hath possessed a field of the reward of iniquity, and being hanged, burst asunder in the midst: and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
God cannot contradict himself.but one of these verses says that Judas bought that field,another says that the leader bought it.well...I know that it is unimportant but after reading theses verses I was tempted against the faith.I just asked this question to overcome temptation.

[shirhamalot]

Hello,

From what I understand, the silver Judas was paid was used to buy the field (see the context of this verse; Matt 27:1-5). The money seems to change hands a couple of times. So it was finally the chief priests physically bought the field with the money that was Judas'. When Peter says, as recounted in Acts, that "this man" (Judas) acquired (ektisato, in Greek) a field, we can take this to be a further revelation of the intentions of the chief priests--in Matthew, it is bought "to bury strangers in. It's blood money, so it can't be used for a really holy purpose; the field is tainted, it's the field of blood, and they bought it to bury Judas. So there's maybe a double meaning in Acts--both that it was originally his money that the field was bought with, and also that he killed himself and was buried there.
Similarly, the way he killed himself is apparently ambiguous. Did he hang himself or did his inards gush out? But again, notice that they aren't contradictory concepts--it's a common explanation that he did indeed hang himself, but that after death, he fell from the tree or wherever he was hanging and onto some kind of jagged rock or something that cut him wide open.

I hope that helps! Ask Mary for her intercession with Scriptural ambiguities; she perfectly heard the Word of God and kept it in her heart and in her body, and she can also help you to defend the Faith against those who are taunting you.

Pax
SH

[LaRoza]

Ask Mary for her intercession with Scriptural ambiguities; she perfectly heard the Word of God and kept it in her heart and in her body, and she can also help you to defend the Faith against those who are taunting you.

Pax
SH

She perfectly hears the Word of God :-)

Remember, the Gospels often have slightly different versions of similiar events. Many times, it is just a different emphasis. It is stated that too much happened to record, and that the events listed are just some of them.