1. The Trial of Judas Can you clear Judas’s name
Can you show that Judas deserves his reputation

2. The Trial of Judas
As a class we will decide whether Judas was to blame for the death of Jesus. To do this we need to decide on his motive for the betrayal.
We will split into groups and each group will defend a different theory, detailing the motive of Judas

3. The Trial of Judas Split into groups and
Write a defence of your theory, citing evidence to support it
Anticipate possible problems with your theory and prepare to defend against them
Write criticisms of the other theories

4. Possible Motives
Felt let down- Jesus was not a warrior Disagreed with Jesus- wanted him dead
Money Spy from leaders
Possessed by the devil/ Mad
Fulfil the prophecy- Jesus/God told him to
Force Jesus to fight
For a laugh

5. Some Evidence to consider
John 12:6
Luke 22:3
Matthew 26:14-16
Matthew 27:3-5
Acts 1:18
Yet some people still argue that Judas shouldn't be blamed. Several scholars have suggested that he was merely the negotiator in a secret prearranged surrender, and that his later portrayal as a traitor is a historical distortion. Variations on this idea were put forward in the book The Passover Plot by Hugh J. Schonfield, and also in the controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ.
The Gospel of Judas. This book appears to depict Judas as the most trusted of all the disciples. It also says that Jesus told him about the necessity for a betrayal and asked him to take the blame for it. But the only existing copy of this gospel is badly damaged, and much guesswork is involved in determining the correct translations of some key passages. As a result, questions have arisen as to how it really depicts Judas. In any case, because it probably wasn't written until the second century, most scholars doubt that it is a trustworthy source of information.
According to another theory, the name Iscariot comes from the Latin word "sicarius", meaning "dagger-man". The Sicarii were a group of rebel assassins who were resisting the Roman occupation of the country. Thus Judas might have originally been a member of this group. (The released prisoner Barabbas also may have belonged to this group.)