The term potter’s field comes from Matthew 27 in the New Testament Bible, according to the Old City Cemetery Museums and Arboretum in Lynchburg, Virginia, website. “After Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and learned that Jesus had been condemned to death, his remorse led him to return the money to the high priests. “However, the priests could not return the money to the church coffers, because the law would not allow the church to benefit from blood money. Instead, they used the coins to purchase a field, called the potter’s field, for the purpose of burying the poor and unknown. “Historians and scholars believe that the field was available for cheap because it had been used by a potter to harvest clay, and as such, was no longer valuable for farming or development.”