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-** Summary About ten years ago I read" in a German journal, the “Fremdenblatt," an article on Judas, in which the author showed that the informer had been the best friend of Jesus. It was for love of his master that Judas had betrayed him, believing blindly in the words of the Saviour who said that his kingdom would come after his death. But when he beheld him on the cross, Judas, after having vainly awaited the promised resurrection, could not overcome his overwhelming remorse, and tiling himself. It is useless to elaborate on this lucubration, though it is certainly original enough
But to return to the scriptural narrative and to the Buddhist chronicle, it is quite probable that the hired informer was Judas, although upon this point the Buddhist version is silent. As to the theory that remorse of conscience led the informer to take his own life, I do not attach any credit to it, A man capable of commuting1 such a cowardly act and of accusing a friend falsely and that without any spirit of envy or revenge, but only for a handful of silver such a man, I say is psychologically valuless and incapable of knowing what honestly or conscience is, therefore remorse is unknown to him. It is probable that the Governor acted in this matter, as is done sometimes in our own day when it is necessary to conceal from the people a grave secret at any cost, and had Judas hanged immediately, to prevent the truth from ever being revealed to the public that the testimony which condemned Jesus emanated from Pilate alone.
On the day of the execution, a large detachment of Roman soldiers was stationed around the cross to prevent the crowd from rescuing the object of their worship. In this Pilate displayed extraordinary firmness and resolution. Owing to these precautions, sedition was arrested; he could not, however, hinder the people weeping over the death of their cherished idol, he being the last branch of the descendant of David.
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