The Bible
Matthew and Acts contradict each other about how Judas died.
Short answer
Matthew says Judas hanged himself (Matthew 27:5); Acts says he fell headlong and burst open (Acts 1:18). These fit together: a body hanging for some time can fall. Both accounts agree on the key details: Judas died soon after the betrayal, the money bought a field, and it was called the Field of Blood (Matthew 27:8; Acts 1:19).
In simple words: Matthew and Acts tell the same sad story from different angles, and they fit together.
Response
This is one of the most often cited "contradictions" in the Bible, so it's worth looking at carefully.
Matthew says that Judas, "filled with remorse," threw the silver into the temple, "went away and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:3-5). The priests couldn't put blood money into the treasury, so "they used the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day" (Matthew 27:7-8).
Luke, in Acts, says, "with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle" (Acts 1:18). The people "called that field in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood" (Acts 1:19).
How did he die? Matthew tells us how Judas killed himself; Luke describes what happened to his body. A body left hanging would eventually fall, and a fall onto rocky ground would do exactly what Luke describes. That fits both texts without forcing either one.
Who bought the field? The priests made the purchase, but with Judas' money. Luke, writing briefly and with some irony, says Judas got a field for his wickedness: the only land he gained was the place of his death. Notice what the two accounts agree on independently: the money, a field bought with it, Judas' death there, and the name Field of Blood. Differences in detail with agreement on the core are what we expect from independent accounts, not a sign of invention.
Key evidence
- Matthew 27:5 says Judas hanged himself; Acts 1:18 describes his body falling and bursting open.
- Both accounts link Judas' money to a field called the Field of Blood (Matthew 27:8; Acts 1:19).
- Matthew says the priests bought the field with Judas' money; Acts says Judas acquired it, the same purchase described from two angles.
- Independent accounts usually differ in detail while agreeing on the core.
Bible passages
- Matthew 27:3-8 Judas hangs himself; the priests buy the field.
- Acts 1:16-19 Judas falls headlong; the Field of Blood.
Discussion questions
- What details do Matthew and Acts agree on?
- Why might two writers describe the same event from different angles?
- How should we approach a passage that seems to contradict another?