The story of Judas is in all four gospels, however the story changes between each of them. However all these stories have the same key plot points essential to the Crucifixion story. But these plot points are expanded upon and narrativized to create a coherent and interesting story. These additions, which were probably added because of the fluid nature of oral tradition, we can call “nodes”.

In the gospel of Mark Judas is portrayed to “give up” Jesus, which is inherently different than intentionally betraying him.  Mark still notes the reward Judas received; White claims Judas did this with no expectation of reward, and possibly did so to pressure Jesus into making a messianic claim.

Matthew expands upon this original story, by directly quoting Judas demanding compensation if he turns in Jesus. The addition seems to only serve for dramatic purposes, so presumably this was a node of oral tradition. Although Matthew portrayed Judas as malicious, he still humanized him. Judas was a greedy friend, but not a source of evil.

Luke furthers this villainization by adding Satan to the story. Judas becomes possessed by the evil spirit in order to capture Jesus. This addition makes for an incredibly compelling story, but contradicts the savior claims made by John. Because, if the Crucifixion and resurrection were essential for Jesus’s ascension into a messianic figure, then Judas’s role was unavoidable.

The Gospel of John depicts an incredibly detailed narrative of the last supper and Judas story. His Gospel is particularly interesting because his use of non-linear story telling. He interrupts his narrative story to explain what Judas will spend the blood money on, and how he will be accidentally killed (in a gruesome way). This addition or “node” is similar to the ones in Luke and Matthew in their discursive frames. Adding dialogue to increase drama and credibility, villainization of Jesus’ betrayer to confirm his benevolence, and tangent stories to exemplify Judas’ maliciousness, all are indicative of oral story telling, which was the foundation for christian belief, before the Gospels were even written.