d it is inconsistent with the tone of moral repulsion in which
they speak of Judas. Besides, they assign a totally different motive.
They affirm that Judas was a thief and stole out of the bag from which
Jesus gave to the poor and supplied His own wants--a sacrilege which
most thieves would have scorned. It is in entire accordance with this
that the word with which he approached the Sanhedrim was, "How much
will ye give me?" That he was willing to accept so little proves how
strong his passion was.

It is altogether impossible that a character of this kind can have been
combined with the generous although mistaken enthusiasm which the
theory attributes to him.[1] But, on the other hand, the passion of
avarice may easily have been nourished by brooding with disappointment
on Messianic visions; and the theory of De Quincey may supply important
hints for unravelling the mystery of his career.

There can be no doubt that at one time the life of Judas seemed full of
promise. Jesus, who was so strict about permitting any to follow Him,
would not have chosen him into the apostolic circle unless he had
exhibited enthusiasm for His person and His cause. He well knew,
indeed, that in his motives there was a selfish alloy; but this was the
case with all His followers; and fellowship with Himself was the fire
in which the alloy was to be purged out.

In the other apostles this process actually took place: they were
refined by fellowship with Him. Their worldliness, indeed, remained to
the end of His earthly career, but it was growing less and less; and
other ties, stronger than their hopes of earthly glory, were slowly but
surely binding them indissolubly to His cause. In Judas, on the
contrary, the reverse process took place: what was good in him grew
less and less, and at last the sole bond which held him to Christ was
what he could make out of the connection.

When the suspicion first dawned on him that the hope of a Messianic
kingdom was not to be fulfilled, the inner man of Judas underwent a
critical change. This happened a year before the end, on the occasion
when Christ resisted the attempt of His followers to take Him by force
and make Him a king, and when many of His disciples went back and
walked no more with Him. At that time Jesus warned Judas against the
evil spirit which he was allowing to take possession of his mind by the
strong saying, "Have I not chosen you twelve? and one of you is a
devil." But th