Day 21 - Judas’s Remorse

Judas’s Remorse | José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior (1850–1899) | Museu Nacional de Belas Arte, Rio di Janeiro

In Judas’s Remorse by José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior (1850–1899) displayed in the Museu Nacional de Belas Arte, Rio di Janeiro, Judas is painted in a red outer robe. If the accusation in John’s Gospel that Judas was a thief is true, then Judas could have afforded a red-dyed fabric but it is far more likely that this is a symbolic dressing by the artist. Almeida is not the only artist to use this device, which is relatively common in Christian art from the Renaissance and earlier.

Why red? The obvious link is with blood – that Judas was an agent in spilling Jesus’ blood and referring to the dramatic way Judas committed suicide: Judas, you see, had bought a field with the money his wickedness had brought him, where he fell headlong and burst open, with all his innards gushing out. This became known to everyone who lived in Jerusalem, so that the field was called, in their local language, “Akeldamach,” which means “Blood-place” - Acts 1:18-19 (NTFE). I love this translation by Tom Wright. The Acts of the Apostles is introduced with these words: Here comes the sequel!

But this is art: one interpretation is never enough. Red is also associated with sin; we continue this today with the phrase scarlet woman but once again this is rooted in Scripture. In Revelation 17 the whore of Babylon is described as wearing purple and red. A simpler reason Judas was often portrayed in red is that it distinguished him from the other apostles. Two stained glass windows in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Yeovil, dating back to the 1860s, depict Judas Iscariot with a black halo! Extending the symbolism even further, Judas is also seen in medieval art with red hair, meaning treachery. Cain, who murdered his brother and Salome who asked for John the Baptist to be beheaded, were also depicted as redheads. (By a curious coincidence, Almeida Junior also suffered a violent death at the hand of someone close – he was stabbed by his cousin, José de Almeida Sampaio, in a crime of passion.)

Unfortunately, when I preach on Judas, I sometimes get my names muddled and Judas and Jesus become interchangeable. To avoid this problem in art, while Jesus might be seen in a red inner tunic he has a blue outer garment. In this case the red is for Jesus’ humanity, while the blue shows his divine nature. In the late Middle Ages, many illuminated psalters used other devices to designate Judas – in the Breslau psalter he is shown with a grinning black devil over his head.

Moving our focus away from the obvious red robe in the Almeida painting, we note that Judas’s pose displays agony and despair. And, in case we are not that familiar with the subject matter, we see the crucifixions in the background and a purse leaking coins at his feet. It is an uncomfortable image that forces us to think of our own actions.

Elaine Kinchin