A reader asks: Judas blew up? (Acts 1:18)
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Here’s one translation. With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.
And here’s King James Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
Sounds more like he fell from a great distance and when he hit his body broke open. The Greek word translated as “burst asunder” or “burst open” means to burst asunder with a crack, crack open.
Here’s a good article on the two references to the death of Judas in the four gospels (one mentions hanging and the other mentions falling)
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/143
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Concerning Judas: First Judas bought a field. Then he hung himself. He owned the field. No one else was concerned that there was a dead guy in the field. His body went unburied because it was Passover. One who touches a dead body has to go through a period of purification. No one cut him down. Everyone wanted to participate in the feasts/festivals. He fell and his body burst open
I think this to be a plausible explanation as there appears to be a difference between hanging (as in hanging to commit suicide) and bursting assunder. In such heat and among the elements there is a strong possibly, so I think, that he may have hung there for some time. It would make more sense that both happened and your idea of waiting until Passover was over leaves a strong possiblity that both happened.
The actual location of the event may give some clues as to how far he dropped and whether or not he may have fallen so far as to snap whatever he hung himself on and the material he used to hang himself.
I suppose it does not make a lot of difference other than validatiing both accounts. My verdict would be that we accept both and realize that the actual sequence of events is impossible to trace.
The other question is who bought the field and what meaning the idea of it being a potter’s field (which has been used for pauper’s burial places) has to really do with any doctrine or dogma that effects our beliefs.