How did the heavy metal band Judas Priest acquire their name?

Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million copies of their albums, and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time.

The band's membership has seen much turnover, including a revolving cast of drummers in the 1970s and the departure of singer Rob Halford in 1992. The American singer Tim "Ripper" Owens replaced Halford in 1996 and recorded two albums with Judas Priest, before Halford returned to the band in 2003. The current line-up consists of Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis.

The band came up with the name Judas Priest from Bob Dylan's song 'The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest' on the album 'John Wesley Harding'. 'John Wesley Harding' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on December 27, 1967.

Judas Priest were inducted into the Hall of Heavy Metal History at the Wacken festival in August 2018.