The problem of personal freedom in the story of Judas Iscariot. Judas: why do they make a hero out of a traitor? Andreeva is concerned about questions

"Judas Iscariot"

"Judas Iscariot"

Andreeva is concerned with the following questions:

10. Origin of Judas Iscariot

11. Judas Iscariot in the story by L. Andreev

12. Judas Iscariot

13. Head

14. Hair color

15. Hair color

16. Hair color

17. Face

18. Hands and fingers

19. The story begins with the words:

20. Negative

21. "Judas Iscariot"

22.

23. "Judas Iscariot"

24. Judas suddenly becomes

25. Disciples of Christ

26. The difference between Judas and the apostles

27. Jesus changes his attitude towards Judas

28. Path to crime

29. Path to crime

30. Climax - scene of betrayal

31.

32.

33. How do the students behave?

34.

35. Scene of Christ's crucifixion

36.

37. Working with text

38. Conclusions:

39.

40.

Essay on Cultural Studies

Leonid Andreev “Judas Iscariot”

Topic: The problem of the boundaries of love in L. Andreev’s work “Judas Iscariot”

There are many retellings of the biblical legend of Judas of Kerioth. It seems to me that “Judas Iscariot” by Leonid Andreev is the most extraordinary option in this regard. The story reveals to us a picture of the betrayal of Jesus Christ, but this is only the external meaning of the work. The author poses questions to his readers, but does not give clear answers to them. The peculiarity of the story lies in the versatility of the author's perception of the characters. What is this work about? I think this book is primarily about love. About the sincere love of man for man and the love of man for God. About what a person is ready for for the sake of love, what tests a lover faces and about those who are ready to pass these tests.

According to the traditional interpretation, Judas of Kariot betrayed Jesus Christ, and therefore the son of God was crucified, and the Name of Judas became synonymous with betrayal. Judas, according to Leonid Andreev, loved Jesus so much that he even betrayed him to prove it. Among the disciples of Christ, so open and understandable at first glance, Judas from Kariot stands out for the duality of his image, the author shows this even in his appearance: his face seemed to be sewn from two halves, “one side of it, with a black, sharply looking eye, was alive, mobile, willingly gathering into numerous crooked wrinkles, the other is deathly smooth, flat and frozen, seeming large from the wide open, sightless, eyesore covered.” On the one hand, Judas is selfish, cunning, prone to pretense and lies; Jesus’ disciples reacted negatively to his appearance in their close circle. On the other hand, he loves Christ and Jesus believes him; by the end of the story, Judas appears before us as the only truth-seeker, striving to find the truth, to open people’s eyes to what they are doing. Judas' betrayal is natural. He hoped that at least such a shake-up would make people really believe in the chosenness of Jesus, that Christ “was innocent and pure,” and even animals would mourn his death. Judas is already accustomed to deceit, so he has his own means and methods, this partly forces him to choose the path of betrayal in the name of a higher goal. Having already betrayed, Judas hoped that he would be stopped. He cried out to God, asking him to give him a sign, but the sky was silent. Judas tried to incite Christ's disciples to help their teacher, but Judas did not understand. No one even tried to free their teacher. And after the death of Jesus, this outraged Judas most of all, these people who swore to Christ in their eternal love and fidelity, they can live in complete peace. Judas is indignant and says words that explain his action: “He who loves does not ask what to do! He goes and does everything." It seems to me that with this phrase the author tells us that love cannot be limited by any boundaries, it has no boundaries. Judas decided to follow Christ because he loves him, he committed suicide and believes that he will meet Jesus and return to earth with him.

Judas' feelings are brought to a critical point and Judas, the eternal symbol of betrayal, suddenly becomes the embodiment of sincere love, selfless and merciless. The disciples of Christ in the story also love Jesus, but their love is passive, it is incapable of death in the name of the object of worship. Jesus is submissive to fate and, out of love for people, does not try to change anything, so Judas remains alone.

I believe that this book immerses us in a world where only sincere feelings exist at the limit of human capabilities. I took a different look at this legend and realized how different love can be, and how important it is not to blame a person for what he has done, but to try to understand him. I would like to recommend reading this book to everyone, especially believers, it will help you look at what you have known for a long time from a slightly different angle.

L. N. Andreev’s story “Judas Iscariot” attracts with its unusualness. The author tried to comprehend the gospel story in a new way. The Bible concerns any person, which is why the author does not address a simple plot. The Gospel helps us reach a universal human perspective and understand problems that concern all of humanity.

In the story, Judas is endowed with a terrible appearance, thereby distinguishing him from the other disciples. One side of the face “was mobile,” the other “deadly smooth.” His appearance combines both the living and the dead. The portrait can be called psychological, as it shows the duality of the hero. Also, the hero’s actions are two-faced, he says nasty things, lies, but the only thing bright feeling- this is love towards Jesus. Using the example of Judas, the author shows the essence of man, the contradictory nature of his nature.

The purpose of Judas' betrayal is to find out the value of people, to test the students, whether the students will defend their teacher. The disciples did not stand up for Jesus. “Like a bunch of frightened lambs, the disciples crowded together, not hindering anything, but disturbing everyone, even themselves...” The disciples are not ready to stand up for their beliefs, for the good that Jesus personifies. They won't be able to sacrifice themselves. While Jesus is being mocked, tortured, and tortured, Judas constantly hopes that people will understand their actions and stop. Waiting for someone to save. With one hand he betrays, and with the other he tries in every possible way to save him. In order for people to believe in Christ and appreciate his deeds, he had to be killed, because the crowd needs a victim. The hero comes to the sad conclusion that love is helpless and faith is unreliable. The author gives value to people. Everyone is guilty of death, since they kill an innocent person.

Judas calls the rest of the disciples cowardly dogs who run away as soon as a person bends down to pick up a stone. Andreev shows the horror of the dark side of human nature. People shrug their shoulders, not taking concrete actions, making excuses that the circumstances are stronger. “He who loves does not ask what to do, he goes and does everything...” Having committed treason, he accuses the rest of the students of treason. He, the only one of the apostles, cannot come to terms with the death of his beloved teacher. Judas reproaches the disciples for the fact that they can eat and sleep, and can continue their previous life without their teacher. “True love turns out to be betrayal; love for Christ of the other apostles - through betrayal and lies"

Judas commits suicide. The hero cannot stand his action. His death is explained by the fact that he cannot remain on the land where his teacher is not present.

Judas’s betrayal is forced, since betrayal is the other side of love. He loves Jesus, but betrays him to show that his love is absolute. The question arises: Is it possible to justify a traitor against his will? Andreev does not justify Judas. The author tries to evaluate those who facilitate this betrayal. The most terrible betrayal, which is dictated by imaginary love. Judas Iscariot is needed to show people, i.e. This is the measure he imposes, because every person is responsible for his actions.

This work was written with a high psychological understanding of human actions. The author reveals the essence of the lifestyle of all the heroes, looking into their souls and tears off all the masks from the heroes of the story.

After publication, critics attacked the author and said that his works were imbued with increased pessimism and drama. Activists of the Orthodox Church reacted negatively to this story because Judas was portrayed as the main character of the story.

Since Judas is painted here and examined under a microscope. The story highlights all his strengths and weaknesses. His life is examined in detail over the years. From the most early years until he began to serve as an apostle to Jesus Christ.

After Judas learned that the apostles of Jesus regretted that their teacher would soon die on the cross. But they do nothing to save the teacher; he openly condemns all of Jesus’ helpers. Although it is Judas who is to blame for the future execution of the teacher.

But he doesn’t realize this, he considers himself a positive and correct person. Although in fact Judas is cruel, low moral and scary man. The author in the story describes him as a terrible person both inside and out in his soul. So his external appearance confirms the same qualities, both mental and physical qualities.

Andreev openly and without embellishment describes all people and removes masks from all of society. It does not decorate any of the heroes, but on the contrary shows all the negative aspects of the character of each member of society.

Therefore, Andreev is often accused of increased psychologism and drama in all his works. But the author himself calls this work teaching aid on social ethics, teaching psychology, and a textbook on betrayal.

The author writes openly about all the advantages and disadvantages of Judas. He also openly describes all the actions of Jesus’ disciples, who later, after the death of their teacher, will become apostles and will bring the light of faith to all the inhabitants of our planet.

The author also finds flaws in the actions of the apostles, primarily in their in-depth study of holy teachings and the Bible. The disciples brightly and sincerely honor all the rules and vows of the church, but they do not notice simple everyday human life.

Not everyone sees the simple needs of the average person. There are daily problems and difficulties in every person's life. But preserving all your best character traits is not possible for every person.

At the end of the story, Judas dies by hanging himself from a tree over an abyss in order to unite with his teacher after death. And repent of your sins. Before this, he cruelly condemned the disciples of Jesus for not saving their teacher and not helping to recapture him from the guards.

Several interesting essays

• The main characters of the story About Peter and Fevronia of Murom

  The story of Peter and Fevronia of Murom, perhaps, can be called a story about true and bright love, which everyone tries to find in their lives.

Rethinking the image of the traitor in the story “Judas Iscariot”

In 1907, Leonid Andreev, returning to the biblical problem of the struggle between good and evil, wrote the story “Judas Iscariot.” Work on the story about Judas preceded work on the play Anathema. Criticism recognized the high psychological mastery story, but had a negative attitude towards the main position of the work “about the baseness of the human race” (Lunacharsky A. Critical Studies).

L.A. Smirnova notes: “In the Gospel, a sacred text, the image of Judas is the symbolic embodiment of evil, a character, from the standpoint of artistic representation, conventional, purposefully devoid of a psychological dimension. The image of Jesus Christ is the image of a righteous martyr, a sufferer, who was destroyed by the selfish traitor Judas” (26, p. 190). Biblical stories tell about the life and death of Jesus Christ, about the miracles that he performed on earth. The closest disciples of Jesus were preachers of the truths of God, their deeds after the death of the Teacher were great, they fulfilled the will of the Lord on earth. “Very little is said about the traitor Judas in the Gospel teaching. It is known that he was one of Jesus' closest disciples. According to the Apostle John, Judas performed the “earthly” duties of treasurer in the community of Christ; It was from this source that it became known about the price of the Teacher’s life - thirty pieces of silver. It also follows from the Gospel that Judas’ betrayal was not the result of an emotional outburst, but a completely conscious act: he himself came to the high priests, and then waited for the right moment to fulfill his plan. The sacred text says that Jesus knew about the fatal predetermination of his fate. He knew about Judas’s dark plans” (6, p.24).

Leonid Andreev reinterprets the biblical story. Gospel sermons, parables, and the Gethsemane prayer of Christ are not mentioned in the text. Jesus is, as it were, on the periphery of the events described. Sermons are conveyed in dialogues between the Teacher and students. The life story of Jesus the Nazarene is transformed by the author, although the biblical plot in the story is not changed. If in the Gospel central character- Jesus, then in L. Andreev’s story - Judas Iscariot. The author pays great attention to the relationship between the Teacher and students. Judas is not like the faithful companions of Jesus, he wants to prove that only he is worthy to be next to Jesus.

The story begins with a warning: “Judas of Kariot is a man of very bad reputation and one must beware of him” (Vol. 2, p. 210). Jesus kindly receives Judas and brings him closer to himself. Other students do not approve of the Teacher’s affectionate attitude towards Iscariot: “John, the beloved disciple, and all the others moved away with disgust<…>looked down disapprovingly” (Vol. 2, p. 212).

The character of Judas is revealed in his dialogues with the other disciples. In conversations, he expresses his opinion about people: “Those who know how to hide their deeds and thoughts are called good people” (Vol. 2, p. 215). Iscariot talks about his sins, that there are no sinless people on earth. Jesus Christ preached the same truth: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her (Mary)” (Vol. 2, p. 219). All the disciples condemn Judas for his sinful thoughts, for his lies and foul language.

Iscariot confronts the Teacher on the issue of attitude towards people, towards the human race. Jesus completely distances himself from Judas after an incident in one village, where Iscariot saved Christ and his disciples with the help of deception. But his act was condemned by everyone. Judas wants to be close to Jesus, but the Teacher does not seem to notice him. Judas' deception, his betrayal - the desire for one goal - to prove his love for Jesus and expose the cowardly disciples.

According to the Gospel story, Jesus Christ had many disciples who preached the Holy Scriptures. Only a few of them take an active role in L. Andreev’s work: John, Peter, Philip, Thomas and Judas. The plot of the story also mentions Mary Magdalene and the mother of Jesus, women who were also close to the Teacher during the events of two thousand years ago. The rest of Christ's companions do not participate in the development of the action; they are mentioned only in crowd scenes. It is no coincidence that L. Andreev brings these students to the fore; it is in them that everything important that is necessary for understanding the problem of betrayal, which is fundamental in the work, is concentrated. The evangelists recognized by the church are depicted in detail by the author; it is their revelations that are the truth; The Gospels of John, Thomas, Peter, and Matthew became the basis of the Christian faith. But L. Andreev offers a completely different point of view on the events of that time.

L. Andreev portrays the disciples of Jesus realistically; as the plot develops, the images of the evangelists are revealed. The author leaves ideal image a martyr recognized in the Bible, and “Judas was entirely created from destroyed habits, and not even merged, but only ugly clung to impressions” (3, p. 75). For L. Andreev, Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot are, first of all, real images in which the human principle prevails over the divine. Judas becomes the author's personality who played greatest role in history. In Jesus, L. Andreev sees, first of all, the human essence, affirms the active principle in this image, equates God and man.

All L. Andreev's heroes make a choice between sacrifice in the name of saving the human race and betrayal of the Son of God. It is on this choice that the author’s assessment and resolution of the conflict depends: loyalty to a spiritual ideal or betrayal. The author destroys the myth about the disciples' devotion to Jesus. Through mental trials, the writer leads all the characters to the highest point in the development of the plot - the choice between serving a higher goal and betrayal, which will remain in the history of peoples for centuries.

In L.N. Andreev’s description, the character of Judas is full of opposites, which corresponds to his appearance. He is at the same time not only selfish, angry, mocking, insidious, prone to lies and pretense, but also smart, trusting, sensitive and even gentle. In the image of Judas, the author combines two seemingly incompatible characters and inner worlds. According to Andreev, the “first half” of Judas’s soul is a liar, a thief, a “bad person.” It is this half that belongs to the “moving” part of the face of the hero of the story - “a sharply peering eye and a loud voice, like a woman’s.” This is the "worldly" part inner world Judas, which is addressed to people. And short-sighted people, of whom the majority, see only this open half of the soul - the soul of a traitor, curse Judas the thief, Judas the liar.

“However, in the tragic and contradictory image of the hero, the author seeks to create in our minds a more complete, holistic inner world of Judas. According to Andreev, no less important for understanding the soul of Judas is the “reverse side of the coin” - that part of his soul that is hidden from others, but from which nothing can escape. After all, nothing could be read on the “frozen” half of Judas’s face, but at the same time, the “blind” eye on this half “did not close either day or night.” It was this wise and hidden Judas who had a “courageous and strong” voice, which “I wanted to pull out of my ears like rotten, rough splinters.” Because the words spoken are the merciless, bitter truth. A truth that has a worse effect on people than the lies of Judas the thief. This truth points people to mistakes they would like to forget. It was with this part of his soul that Judas fell in love with Christ, although even the apostles could not understand this love. As a result, both the “good” and the “bad” rejected Judas” (18, pp. 2-3).

The relationship between Jesus Christ and Judas is very complex. “Judas was one of the “rejected and unloved,” that is, those whom Jesus never rejected” (6, p. 26). At first, when Judas first appeared among the disciples, Jesus was not afraid of evil rumors and “accepted Judas and included him in the circle of the elect.” But the Savior’s attitude towards Iscariot changes after an incident in one village, where Jesus was in mortal danger, and Judas, risking his own life, with the help of deception and prayer, gave the Teacher and disciples the opportunity to escape from the angry crowd. Iscariot expected praise and recognition of his courage, but everyone, including Jesus, condemned him for deception. Judas accuses the disciples of not needing Jesus, and they don’t need the truth.

From that moment on, Christ’s relationship with Judas changed dramatically: now Jesus “looked at him, as if not seeing him, although as before, even more persistently than before, he looked for him with his eyes every time he began to speak to his disciples or to the people” (T .2, p.210). “Jesus is trying to help him with what is happening, to explain his attitude towards him with the help of the parable of the barren fig tree” (6, p. 27).

But why now, besides Judas’s jokes and his stories, Jesus began to see something important in him, which made the Teacher take him more seriously and turn his speeches to him. Maybe it was at that moment that Jesus realized that only Judas, who loved Jesus sincerely and pure love, is able to sacrifice everything for the sake of his Teacher. Judas experiences this turning point in the consciousness of Jesus very hard; he does not understand why no one will appreciate his such a bold and wonderful impulse to save his Teacher at the cost of own life. This is how Iscariot speaks poetically about Jesus: “And for everyone he was a tender and beautiful flower, a fragrant rose of Lebanon, but for Judas he left only sharp thorns - as if Judas had no heart, as if he had no eyes and nose and was no better than he understands everything about the beauty of tender and immaculate petals” (Vol. 2, p. 215).

Commenting on this episode, I. Annensky notes: “L. Andreev’s story is full of contrasts, but these contrasts are only tangible, and they arise directly and even inevitably in the floating smoke of his fantasy” (3, p. 58).

After the incident in the village, a turning point is also outlined in Judas’ consciousness; he is tormented by heavy and vague thoughts, but the author does not reveal to the reader Iscariot’s secret experiences. So what is he thinking about while others are busy worrying about food and drink? Maybe he is thinking about the salvation of Jesus Christ, or is he tormented by thoughts of helping the Teacher in his difficult ordeal? But Judas can help only by committing betrayal, and betrayal involuntarily. Iscariot loves the Teacher with pure, sincere love, he is ready to sacrifice his life, his name for the sake of a higher goal. “But for Judas, to love means, first of all, to be understood, appreciated, recognized. The favor of Christ is not enough for him; he still needs recognition of the correctness of his views on the world and people, justification for the darkness of his soul” (6, p. 26).

Judas goes to his sacrifice with great suffering and understanding of all the horror, because the torment of Judas is as great as the torment of Jesus Christ. The name of the Savior will be glorified for centuries, and Iscariot will remain in the memory of peoples for many hundreds of years as a traitor, his name will become the personification of lies, betrayal and baseness of human actions.

Many years passed before evidence of the innocence of Judas appeared in the world, and for a long time there will be disputes about the reliability of the gospel information. But L.N. Andreev in his work does not write a historical portrait; in the story, Judas is a tragic hero who sincerely loves his Teacher and passionately desires to alleviate his suffering. The author shows real events two thousand years ago, but “Judas Iscariot” is a work fiction, and L. Andreev rethinks the problem of the betrayal of Judas. Iscariot occupies a central place in the work, the artist depicts a complex, contradictory character during a period of great life upheaval. We perceive Judas' betrayal not as betrayal for the sake of selfish interests; the story depicts the complex emotional trials of the main character, the sense of duty, and Judas's readiness to sacrifice for the sake of his Teacher.

The author characterizes his hero with the following epithets: “noble, beautiful Judas”, “Judas the winner”. But all the disciples see only the ugly face and remember the bad reputation. None of the companions of Jesus Christ notices Judas’s devotion, fidelity and sacrifice. The teacher becomes serious and strict with him, as if he begins to notice where true love, and where is false. Judas loves Christ precisely because he sees in him the embodiment of immaculate purity and light; in this love “admiration, sacrifice, and that “feminine and tender” maternal feeling are intertwined, which by nature prescribes to protect her sinless and naive child” (6, p.26-27). Jesus Christ also showed a warm attitude towards Judas: “With greedy attention, his mouth half-opened like a child, his eyes laughing in advance, Jesus listened to his impetuous, loud, cheerful speech and sometimes laughed so much at his jokes that he had to stop the story for a few minutes” ( T.2, p.217). “It seems incredible, but L. Andreev’s Jesus does not just laugh (which would already be a violation of Christian tradition, the religious canon) - he laughs (18, pp. 2-3). According to tradition, cheerful laughter is regarded as a liberating principle that cleanses the soul.

“Between Christ and Judas in L. Andreev’s story there is a mysterious subconscious connection, not expressed verbally and nevertheless felt by Judas and by us, the readers. This connection is felt psychologically by Jesus, the God-man; it cannot help but find external psychological expression (in the mysterious silence in which hidden tension and expectation of tragedy are felt), and absolutely clearly on the eve of the death of Jesus Christ” (18, pp. 2-3) . The Savior understands that a great idea may be worth the suffering of other people. Jesus knows about his divine origin, knows that he must go through difficult trials in order to carry out “God’s plan”, in the implementation of which he chooses Judas.

Iscariot is experiencing mental anguish, it is difficult for him to decide to betray: “Judas took his entire soul into his iron fingers and, in its immense darkness, silently began to build something huge. Slowly, in deep darkness, he raised some mountain-like masses and smoothly laid one on top of the other; and raised it again, and put it on again; and something grew in the darkness, expanded silently, pushed the boundaries. And somewhere distant and ghostly words sounded tenderly” (Vol. 2, p. 225). What were those words? Perhaps Judas was considering Jesus' request for help in carrying out the "divine plan", the plan for the martyrdom of Christ. If there had been no execution, people would not have believed in the existence of the Son of God, in the possibility of heaven on earth.

M.A. Brodsky believes: “L. Andreev pointedly rejects the Gospel version of selfish calculation. The betrayal of Judas is, rather, the last argument in his dispute with Jesus about man. The horror and dreams of Iscariot came true, he won, proving to the whole world and, of course, first of all, to Christ Himself that people are unworthy of the son of God, and there is nothing to love them for, and only he, a cynic and an outcast, is the only one who has proven his love and devotion , must rightfully sit next to Him in the Kingdom of Heaven and administer judgment, merciless and universal, like the Great Flood” (6, p. 29).

It is not easy for Judas to decide to betray the man whom he considered the best on earth. He thinks long and painfully, but Iscariot cannot go against the will of his Teacher, because his love for him is too great. The author does not directly say that Judas decided to betray, but shows how his behavior changes: “So simple, gentle and at the same time serious was Iscariot. He did not grimace, did not make malicious jokes, did not bow, did not insult, but quietly and imperceptibly did his business” (Vol. 2, p. 229). Iscariot decided to betray, but in his soul there was still hope that people would understand that before them was not a liar and a deceiver, but the Son of God. Therefore, he tells the disciples that they need to save Jesus: “We need to take care of Jesus! We need to take care of Jesus! We need to intercede for Jesus when that time comes” (Vol. 2, p. 239). Judas brought the stolen swords to the disciples, but they replied that they were not warriors, and Jesus was not a military leader.

But why did the choice fall on Judas? Iscariot experienced a lot in his life, he knows that people are sinful by nature. When Judas first came to Jesus, he tried to show him how sinful people were. But the Savior was faithful to his great goal, he did not accept the point of view of Judas, although he knew that people would not believe in the Son of God; They will first put him to death as a martyr, and then only realize that they killed not a liar, but the Savior of the human race. But without suffering there would be no Christ. And the cross of Judas in his trial is as heavy as the cross of Jesus. Not every person is capable of such a feat; Judas felt love and respect for the Savior, he was devoted to his Teacher. Iscariot is ready to go to the end, to accept martyrdom next to Christ, to share his suffering, as befits a faithful disciple. But Jesus orders differently: he asks him not for death, but for a feat, an involuntary betrayal, for the sake of a higher goal.

Judas experiences severe mental anguish, having taken the first step towards betrayal. From that moment on, Iscariot surrounds his Teacher with tenderness and love, he treats all his students very kindly, although he himself experiences mental pain: “And going out to the place where they went to relieve themselves, he cried there for a long time, writhing, writhing, scratching his chest with his nails and biting his shoulders . He caressed the imaginary hair of Jesus, quietly whispered something tender and funny, and ground his teeth. And for so long he stood, heavy, determined and alien to everything, like fate itself” (Vol. 2, p. 237). The author says that fate made Judas an executioner and placed a punishing sword in his hand. And Iscariot copes with this difficult test, although he resists betrayal with all his nature.

In the work of L.N. Andreev’s “Judas Iscariot” the biblical plot is completely rethought. Firstly, the author brings to the fore a hero who in the Bible is considered a great sinner guilty of the death of Jesus Christ. L. Andreev rehabilitates the image of Judas from Kariot: he is not a traitor, but a faithful disciple of Jesus, a sufferer. Secondly, L. Andreev relegates the images of the evangelists and Jesus Christ to the background of the narrative.

L.A. Smirnova believes that “turning to myth made it possible to avoid particulars, to make each hero a bearer of the essential manifestations of life itself at its breaking point, a sharp turn.” “Elements of biblical poetics enhance the weight of each small episode. Quotes from the sayings of ancient sages give an all-epochal meaning to what is happening” (26, p. 186).

In the work, the author raises the question of the hero’s betrayal. L. Andreev portrays Iscariot as a strong, struggling personality in a period of great mental turmoil. The writer gives comprehensive psychological characteristics to his hero, which allows him to see the formation of Iscariot’s inner world and find the origins of his betrayal.

L. Andreev solves the problem of betrayal this way: both the students who did not protect their teacher and the people who condemned Jesus to death are to blame. Judas occupies a special position in the story; the gospel version of betrayal for the sake of money is completely rejected. L. Andreev’s Judas loves the Teacher with sincere, pure love; he cannot commit such a cruel act for the sake of selfish interests. The author reveals completely different motives for Iscariot’s behavior. Judas betrays Jesus Christ not of his own free will; he remains faithful to his Teacher and fulfills his request to the end. It is no coincidence that the images of Jesus Christ and Judas are perceived by the writer in their close contact. Andreev the artist paints them crucified on the same cross.

Scientists interpret the theme of betrayal in L. Andreev’s story “Judas Iscariot” in different ways. A.V. Bogdanov, in his article “Between the Abyss Wall,” believes that Judas had only one option left - to go to the slaughter with all his aversion to the sacrifice, “suffering for one and shame for all,” and to be remembered in the memory of generations only as a traitor (5, p. 17) .

K.D. Muratova suggests that the betrayal is committed by Judas in order to test, on the one hand, the strength and correctness of the humanistic teachings of Christ, and on the other, the devotion to him of his disciples and those who so enthusiastically listened to his sermons (23, p. 223).

V.P. Kryuchkov in his book “Heretics in Literature” writes that the divine and human principles appear in interaction in L. Andreev’s story. According to Kryuchkov, Judas becomes a personality in the paradoxicalist Andreev, who played a huge role in history; Jesus is presented in his human flesh, physicality, in this image the active principle, the equalization of God and Man, predominates (18, 2-3).

Despite the difference in views, researchers agree on one general opinion - Judas’ love for Jesus was great in its strength. Therefore, the question arises: could a person so faithful to his Teacher betray him for the sake of selfish interests. L. Andreev reveals the reason for the betrayal: for Judas it was a forced act, a sacrifice for the sake of fulfilling the will of the Almighty.

L. Andreev boldly reshapes biblical images in order to force the reader to rethink the established opinion in the world and in the Christian religion about the traitor, the villain Judas. After all, the blame lies not only with the individual, but also with people who easily betray their idols, shouting “Crucify!” as loud as “Hosanna!”