The Penance Of Judas.
1. NOW Judas (who had betrayed him) when he saw that he was condemned, penitence himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying,
I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.
2. And they said,
What is that to us? See thou to that.
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and went out and hanged himself.
3. And the chief priests took the pieces of silver and said,
It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
4. And they took council and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called Aceldama (that is, the field of blood) unto this day.
5. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Zachariah (the prophet) saying,
They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price (of him) that was valued, whom they of the children (of Israel) did value, and gave them for the potteries field, and cast them to the potter in the House of the Lord.
6. Now, Iesus had said to his disciples, Woe unto the man who receiveth the mysteries, and falleth into sin thereafter.
7. For such there is no place of penitence in this cycle, seeing they have crucified afresh the Divine Offspring (of God and man) and put the Christ within them to an open shame.
8. Such are worse than the beasts (whom ye ignorantly affirm to perish) for in your Scriptures it is written, That which befalleth the beast befalleth the sons of men.
9. All live by one breath, as the one dieth so dieth the other, so that a man hath no preeminence over a beast, for all go to the same place—all come from the dust and return to the dust together.[1]
10. These things spake Iesus concerning them which were not regenerate, not having received the Spirit (of Divine Love) who once having received the Light crucified the Son (of God) afresh putting him to an open shame.
LECTION 80. 1. -The heading of this Lection in the A. V. is most misleading. "Penance," implying reparation of some kind (even though not of the right kind), is the more correct description of the act.
Read: Ecclesiastes 3:19