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The
two "fields of blood"
(Based
on the analysis of E.W. Bullinger: The Companion Bible, Appendix 161:
"The purchase of "the Potter's field". All work of E.W.
Bullinger is in the public domain)
As you may remember
last October's issue (October 1996) was devoted to the
time that Judas
died. Though in that issue we covered, I believe, most that had to do
with the time aspect of Judas' death, we didn't touch every aspect of
this event. Among the aspects of the relative records of Matthew and
Acts that we didn't examined was the purchase of what is called
"field of blood". This name appears in two places of the New
Testament: in Matthew 27:8 and in Acts 1:19. Both of these records are
given below together with their context:
Matthew 27:3-8
"Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that he had been condemned,
was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief
priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent
blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to
it!" Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and
departed, and went and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the
silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the
treasury, because they are the price of blood." and they consulted
together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
Therefore that field has been called the field of blood to this
day."
Acts 1:15-19
"And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples
(altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and
said, Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the
Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who
became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; "for he was numbered
with us and obtained a part in this ministry." Now this man
purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he
burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became
known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in
their own language, Akel Dama, that is field of blood."
For
most people the two pieces of land referred in the above two passages
are identical and the "wages of iniquity" of Acts 1:18 are the
thirty pieces of silver of Matthew 27:3-5. However, we have the
following reasons to believe that none of these happens:
1. Different buyers
The buyers of the piece of land
referred in Matthew 27 were different from the buyer of the piece of
land referred in Acts 1. Indeed, the piece of land referred in Matthew,
was bought BY THE CHIEF PRIESTS (Matthew 27:6-7). On the other hand, the
piece of land referred in Acts was bought by JUDAS (Acts 1:18).
2. Different money
The money that was used for the
purchase of the piece of land referred in Matthew 27 was different from
the money that was used for the purchase of the piece of land referred
in Acts 1. Indeed, the purchase of the former was done with the thirty
pieces of silver that Judas threw down in the temple (Matthew 27:5-7).
Therefore, the "wages of iniquity" that Judas used to buy his
piece of land (Acts 1:18) could not be the thirty pieces of silver,
since he threw them down in the temple and therefore it was impossible
for him to make use of them.
Regarding the identity and the
source of the "wages of iniquity", the phrase itself declares
money that was obtained unrightseously. The same phrase is also used in
II Peter 2:15 where the same Greek words are translated as "wages
of unrightseousness". There, the reference is to the gifts that
Balaam loved (Numbers 22:7) and for which he disobeyed what God had
commanded him1.
Generally therefore, the "wages of iniquity" is a title for
ill-gotten money. Regarding now our specific case of Judas, John 12:6
makes clear that he "was a thief, and had the money bag; AND HE
USED TO TAKE WHAT WAS PUT INTO IT". Therefore, since Judas was a
thief that used to take what was put into the money bag, we can easily
understand that the ill-gotten money, the "wages of iniquity"
of Acts 1:18, was no other than money stolen from the money bag. It was
with this money that Judas bought his piece of land.
3. Different Greek words
Another point that makes clear
that the two pieces of land are different, is the fact that different
Greek words, are used for each of them. Unfortunately this is lost in
the English transation that translates both of these pieces as
"field of blood". Nevertheless, the Greek text makes clear
that only the piece of land referred in Matthew could be characterised
as a field. Indeed, the Greek word that is used for this piece is the
word "agros" that means "field".
However, the Greek word that is
used in Acts 1:19 is the word "chorion" that means "a
particular place, landed property, estate2".
Therefore whereas the priests and the elders bought an "agros",
a field, Judas bought a "chorion", a property. Following the
Greek text, what the priests bought was called "agros of
blood" while what Judas bought was called "chorion of
blood".
4. Different reasons for their names
In addition to all the above,
the two pieces of land were respectively called "agros of
blood" (Matthew 27:8) and "chorion of blood" (Acts 1:19)
for different reasons. Indeed, the "agros of blood" that the
chief priests bought was called like this because it was bought with the
"price of blood" (Matthew 27:7, 9) i.e. with the thirty pieces
of silver paid for the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, the
"chorion of blood" that Judas bought was called like this
because Judas committed suicide there (Acts 1:19).
5. Conclusion
From the above it is evident
that Acts 1:15-20 and Matthew 27:3-8 speak for two different pieces of
land.
Matthew 27 speaks for a field,
"agros", that was bought by the priests with the thirty pieces
of silver that Judas threw down. It was called "agros of
blood" because it was purchased with the "price of blood"
i.e. with the thirty pieces of silver paid for the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Acts 1 on the other hand speaks
for a property, an estate, a "chorion", that was bought by
Judas with the "wages of iniquity" i.e. with money stolen from
the money bag. It was called "chorion of blood" because Judas
committed suicide there.
Tassos Kioulachoglou
References
The Companion Bible: Kregel
Publications, Michigan 49501, This printing 1994.
Footnotes
1. For more about
Balaam see Numbers 22, 23, 24 (press here to return
where you stopped).
2. See:
E.W. Bullinger: "A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the
English and Greek New Testament", Zondervan Publishing House, this
printing 1975, p. 283 and Liddell - Scott: "A Greek - English
Lexicon" (I quote this by memory and for this I cannot give number
of edition and page number) (press here to return where
you stopped).
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