Only two passages in the New Testament describe the death of Judas: Acts 1:18-19 and Matt 27:3-10. In Matthew, Judas tries to return the thirty pieces of silver that he was paid to betray Jesus. When the priests refuse to take them, he throws them down in the Temple and goes out and hangs himself. The priests are unable to use the silver for the Temple treasury because it is tainted with the blood of Jesus' execution, so they decide to use it to purchase a piece of property to bury strangers. From that time on, the place was called the "Field of Blood".

In Acts, Judas's death is associated with the Field of Blood but for a different reason. Peter says that he fell headlong and burst in the middle so that his intestines "gushed out". The author, Luke, believes the Field of Blood obtained its name from Judas's blood being spilled on it.

In both accounts, the Field of Blood is associated with the death of Judas. Scholars question if there was actually a field in Jerusalem made up of red clay and called the Field of Blood because of its color. Evidence exists for this in Matthew, who indicates that it was a "potter's field" (27:10), a field where clay is extracted for pottery. In any event, later Christians came to associate this clay lot with the disciple who had betrayed his master. Rumors that Judas later went on to write a gospel. Why there are two totally contradictory accounts of Judas' death is beyond the scope of reason, that is a matter of faith.

(Adopted from Bart D. Ehrman's The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Fourth Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.)

See Peculiarities Of The Gospels