Introduction to the Book of Jude

÷÷÷Jude

INTRODUCTION TO JUDE

OPENING STATEMENTS

Jude is a frightening book about the recurrent danger of error, rebellion, and judgment. Believers must always be on guard. Their protection is
1. the Father's call, v. 1
2. the Father's love, v. 1
3. the Father's keeping power, v. 1
4. knowledge of the Scriptures
5. godly living (the opposite of the false brothers)
6. praying in the Spirit, v. 20
7. mercy toward wounded fellow believers, v. 22
Yet, even amidst the warnings, the conclusion of Jude (cf. Jude 1:24-25) is one of the strongest affirmations in the NT of the keeping-power of God (also note 1 Pet. 1:3-5)
The relationship between Jude and 2 Peter is uncertain as to:
1. which one was written first
2. why they are so similar yet different
3. how one describes a coming heresy (cf. 2 Peter 2) and the other a present heresy (Jude)
4. whether there was an early church document from which both authors drew
5. whether any of the examples of rebellion involved believers
This book illustrates the theological balance between
1. the keeping power of God (Jude 1:1,24)
2. believers keeping themselves (Jude 1:20-23)
3. this is similar to Phi. 2:12-13
  SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT
  SPECIAL TOPIC: KEEP
  SPECIAL TOPIC: ELECTION

AUTHOR

Jude (Hebrew, Judah, or Greek, Judas) characterizes himself by two designations
1. "a bond-servant of Jesus Christ" – This is not exactly the same as Paul's usual designation, although they look the same in English. Paul always puts the noun "slave" first, followed by the GENITIVE descriptive phrase. This is also true of 2 Peter. However, the word order in Jude is the same as the word order in James (descriptive GENITIVE phrase first).
2. "a brother of James" – There are many persons in the NT named James (Jacob), but the name by itself, without any description, reminds one of James 1:1. James, the half-brother of Jesus, was the leader of the Jerusalem church during Paul's missionary journeys (cf. Acts 15). It has been speculated that both half-brothers chose, out of humility, not to identify themselves as biologically related to Jesus.
  SPECIAL TOPIC: JAMES, THE HALF-BROTHER OF JESUS
The simple opening reflects someone who was well-known and active (cf. 1 Cor. 9:5) in the early church, but about whom no information has survived. If someone writing at a later period wanted to write in the name of a famous person from the past (pseudography), Jude would not be a good candidate.
The ancient tradition that Jude was a Hebrew Christian and half-brother of Jesus (cf. Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) rests on several assumptions
1. a family relationship to James (cf. James 1:1)
2. the extensive use of the OT
3. the characteristic Hebrew literary use of threes
  1. three OT events of apostasy
  2. three OT characters
  3. opening greeting
    (1) three VERBS: "called," "beloved," "kept"
    (2) three prayer requests: "mercy," "peace," "love"
The Greek style and form of Jude is not normal Koine Greek (cf. The Cambridge History of the Bible, vol., 1, p. 336), possibly denoting that Greek was his second language.
As far as personality, he is much like James; he uses a no-nonsense, straight-forward approach to the mandate for godly living in this world of sin and rebellion.

DATE

There is no certainty, only speculation.
Let us list some of the parameters
1. during Jude's lifetime if he was the younger brother of James (i.e., Josephus, Antiq. 20.9.1., says he was stoned by order of the Sanhedrin in A.D. 62) and half-brother of Jesus
2. the book of Jude's literary relationship to 2 Peter. Of the twenty-five verses in Jude, sixteen (Jude 1:3-18) have some association with 2 Pet. 2:1-18. If Peter is the author of 2 Peter, then the date is close to his lifetime (he died in A.D. 64).
3. It is, however, uncertain who quotes who:
  1. 2 Peter quotes Jude
  2. Jude quotes 2 Peter (NET Bible)
  3. both use early catechistic documents or church tradition (because of their similarity and dissimilarity, this is my best guess)
The contents of the book imply a mid-first century date. Enough time had elapsed for
1. heresy to develop
2. the physical presence of the Apostles had just passed (v. 17)
3. a uniform doctrine had not developed
Jude mentions the moral problems of the false teachers, but does not discuss the doctrinal errors. He uses OT examples,
not Jesus' teachings (quotes or stories).
In Historical Ecclesiasticus III:19:1-20:6, Eusebius (4^th century Christian historian) mentions a tradition.
1. that Jude's grandsons were taken to Rome to face Domitian (reigned from A.D. 81-96) on charges of treason
2. that they were descendants of Jewish royalty and may start another Davidic dynasty
3. that they were relatives of Jesus of Nazareth
A date from the A.D. 60's to the 80's is possible.

RECIPIENTS AND OCCASION

The early church was not theologically monolithic; even the Apostles emphasized different aspects of the gospel. As the Apostles began to die (or at least were too few and too far away to be consulted) and the Second Coming continued to be delayed, the early church faced the challenge of "standardizing" acceptable parameters for gospel teachings in light of the rise of several heretical groups within the church. Here is what formed the parameters of "the rule of faith."
1. the OT
2. the words and stories of Jesus
3. the preaching of the Apostles became the standard
SPECIAL TOPIC: CANON

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE KERYGMA OF THE EARLY CHURCH
Jude was written in a day of flux and disruption of clear authority. The believers (whether a local church or geographical area is uncertain) were facing massive invasion of error through speculative theology/philosophy. What is known of the heresy:
1. the heretics were part of the church meetings ("love feasts" cf. Jude 1:12; 1 John 2:18-19)
2. the heretics were immoral, manipulative teachers who were causing divisions among God's people (cf. Jude 1:19)
3. the heretics seem to have used or discussed "angels" (or aeons) in their theology
4. the heretics seem to have emphasized "knowledge" (gnosis)
  If one is familiar with the Greco-Roman world of the first and second centuries, these characteristics imply the philosophical/theological movement known as "Gnosticism." We know the specific doctrines of Gnosticism from their second century writings, but aspects of their theological system were a common element of much Near Eastern thought. Elements of the dualism so characteristic of Gnosticism is present in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many of the NT books (the Gospel of John, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John) were written to combat a similar type of false teaching/teachers.
  SPECIAL TOPIC: GNOSTICISM

PURPOSE

The author desired to write about their common salvation (cf. Jude 1:3).
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE GOSPEL
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE KERYGMA OF THE EARLY CHURCH
The invasion of false teachings and teachers into the inner fellowship of the church (cf. Jude 1:12) caused the author to address the burning issue of "the faith once and for all given to the church" (cf. Jude 1:3,20). His goal was orthodoxy, but he approached the subject through godly living (orthopraxy), not doctrine (very similar to James 2:14-24). How people lived was a clear window into their theology.
1. beware of flase teachers, Matt. 7:15-23
2. parable of the soils, Matt. 13:1-23
3. James and 1 John
  SPECIAL TOPIC: ORTHODOXY OF THE PASTORALS
The author wants to encourage believers to
1. contend earnestly for the faith (cf. Jude 1:3,20)
2. be prepared for mockers and false teachers (cf. Jude 1:18-19)
3. build yourselves up on your most holy faith (cf. Jude 1:20)
4. pray in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20)
5. keep yourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:21)
6. wait anxiously for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life (Jude 1:21)
7. have mercy on some of those who are doubting (Jude 1:22-23)
8. be assured of your salvation (Jude 1:24-25)

CANONIZATION

This book was initially accepted (cf. quote by Clement of Rome about A.D. 94), then later disputed (i.e., Syrian Church) and finally fully accepted (Council of Nicea, A.D. 325 and Carthage, A.D. 397).
Its major problem in acquiring canonical status was Jude's quote of non-canonical books (I Enoch and the Assumption of Moses). These books, especially I Enoch, circulated widely among the believers of the first century and were theologically influential.
1. Why is this a problem? Does it imply that the non-canonical books are authoritative?
  1. the OT quotes non-inspired writing
    (1) Numbers 22-23 (prophecies of Balaam)
    (2) Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18-27 (book of Jasher)
    (3) 1 Kgs. 11:41 ("the book of the acts of Solomon")
    (4) 1 Kgs. 14:19; 15:21 ("the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel")
    (5) 1 Kgs. 14:29; 15:7,23 ("the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah")
  2. Jesus used non-canonical sources as illustrative material (Jewish traditions, cf. Matt. 23:35)
  3. Stephen used non-canonical sources (rabbinical traditions, cf. Acts 7:4,14-16)
  4. Paul often used non-canonical sources
    (1) Rabbinic Midrash concerning Christ as a rock that followed the children
    of Israel during the wilderness wandering period (cf. 1 Cor. 10:4)
    (2) the names of Pharaoh's magicians from the Jewish traditions related to
    Exod. 7:11,22; 8:7 (cf. 2 Tim. 3:8) were taken from some intertestamental Jewish writings
    (3) Greek writers
    (a) the poet Aratus (Acts 17:28)
    (b) the poet Menander (1 Cor. 15:33)
    (c) the poet Epimenides or Euripes (Titus 1:12)
  5. James used rabbinical tradition in James 5:17 about Elijah
  6. John used the mythology of ANE cosmologies in Rev. 12:3, "a great red dragon"; see SPECIAL TOPIC: GREAT RED DRAGON
2. Why did Jude use these non-canonical sources?
  1. possibly they were freely used by the false teachers
  2. possibly they were respected and read by the recipients
Support for Jude's canonicity is supported by
1. quoted or alluded to by
  1. Clement of Rome (A.D. 94-97)
  2. Polycarp (A.D. 110-50)
  3. Irenaeus (A.D. 130-202)
  4. Tertullian (A.D. 150-220)
  5. Athenagoras (A.D. 177)
  6. Origen (A.D. 185-254)
    (These are taken from International Critical Commentary, pp. 305-308)
2. named in
  1. Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-215)
  2. Cyril of Jerusalem (A.D. 315-386)
  3. Jerome (A.D. 340-420)
  4. Augustine (A.D. 400)
3. listed in the canonical lists of
  1. Muratorian fragment (A.D. 200)
  2. Baroccio (A.D. 206)
  3. Athanasius (A.D. 367)
4. affirmed by Councils
  1. Nicea (A.D. 325)
  2. Hippo (A.D. 393)
  3. Carthage (A.D. 397 and 419)
5. present in the translations of
  1. Old Latin (A.D. 150-170)
  2. Syriac Revision, the Peshitta (5^th Century A.D.)
The later church was unsure of Jude's canonical (inspired) status. Eusebius listed it among the "disputed books" (Hist. Eccl. III.25). Both Chrysostom and Jerome mention Jude's quoting from non-canonical sources as the reason it is disputed by some as canonical. It was rejected by the early Syrian church along with 2 Peter, II and 3 John. This is probably because it was this area of the Empire which was affected by Gnostic use of Jewish angelology. Therefore, Jude and 2 Peter added fuel to the false teachers' arguments.
Just a word about I Enoch. It was
1. originally written in Hebrew (but is now lost except for fragments in Aramaic among the Dead Sea Scrolls)
2. translated into Greek (only fragments survive)
3. by A.D. 600 copied into Ethiopian (one copy survives)
4. The book was written in the inter-biblical period, but was edited many times, as the Ethiopian copy shows.
5. It was very influential in the early church.
  1. Tertullian quotes it as Scripture (along with the other non-canonical books and authors quoted by NT books).
  2. It was cited in the Epistle of Barnabas (as Scripture) and by Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria.
6. It had lost favor in the early church by the fourth century.