Bible Reading for the Letter of Jude

The Alphabetic character of Jude

by Felix But, S.J., Ph.D.

Introduction | Outline | Problems | Questions | Bibliography

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Introduction to the Letter of the alphabet of Jude:

• The Letter of Jude within the NT Canon
• The Epistolary Construction of Jude
• A Literary and Historical Overview of Jude
• NAB Introduction and Total Text of Jude (from USCCB)

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An Outline of the Letter of Jude:

1. Letter Opening (vv. 1-ii):

   1: Sender & Recipient: "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James... to those who are called, beloved in God..."
   2: Formal Greeting: "may mercy, peace, and love be yours in affluence."

2. Letter Trunk (vv. 3-23):

3-iv: Occasion and Theme: "Argue for the faith" confronting "ungodly intruders"

5-seven: Three examples of the penalization of unbelief and defiance: Israelites, rebellious angels, Sodom & Gomorrah

8-10: Three charges against the "dreamers": they defile the flesh, reject authority, slander the angels

11: Iii more biblical examples of people who cause sin, error, rebellion: Cain, Balaam, Korah

12-13: Polemic descriptions of the ungodly: waterless clouds, fruitless trees, wild waves, wandering stars

14-fifteen: Prophecies of Enoch confronting those who are ungodly in deed and oral communication

16: More accusations against the "malcontents": grumbling, lust, boasting, flattery

17-18: Predictions of Jesus' Apostles against the ungodly: scoffers who indulge their lusts

19: These people are worldly, devoid of Spirit, and cause divisions

xx-23: Appeal to the "beloved" to build themselves upwardly and assistance others, with organized religion, prayer, love, mercy, etc.

3. Letter Closing (vv. 24-25)

   24-25: Concluding Doxology

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Main Issues with Jude:

Authorship/Authenticity:

• This alphabetic character is attributed to "Jude" (really, Ioudas or "Judas" in Greek), the "slave/servant" of Jesus and "blood brother" of James (5. 1). Merely who is this?
  • The name was very popular amidst starting time-century Jews, since it is a variation of the name "Judah," ane of the 12 sons of Jacob, patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel. Thus, in that location are several people named "Jude/Judas" in the NT; which one is meant hither?
  • Certainly not "Judas Iscariot," since he was already expressionless (Matt 27:3-10; Acts 1:16-20; to avoid the negative associations, many NT translations call the others "Jude," rather than "Judas").
  • Probably not the " apostle " Jude/Judas, the son of James" (named in Luke 6:16 only), since Jude 17 refers to the "apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" as a group distinct from himself.
  • Probably non the " prophet " Jude/Judas (likewise chosen Barsabas), who was sent with Silas from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 15:22-33).
  • The most likely candidate is the Jude who is named in the Gospels along with James and two others as the " brothers " of Jesus (Mark 6:3; Matt 13:55), since their families became prominent leaders of the early Christians in Palestine (Eusebius, EH 1.vii.fourteen; three.19-20).
• Many scholars have doubted that it was really written early and/or by someone so close to Jesus;
  • They advise that it was more likely written pseudepigraphically in the late first or early 2nd century.
• However, more recent studies suggest that the alphabetic character might well be authentic and early on (from the fifty'south?).
  • The family and descendants of Jude were influential early on Christians leaders, who would have wanted to preserve his letter of the alphabet.
  • The letter seems to rely on the Hebrew versions of the Jewish scriptures, rather than the Greek Septuagint quoted in the rest of the NT.
  • It presupposes strong familiarity with early Jewish apocalyptic traditions and the oral teachings of the apostles.
  • Nothing in the alphabetic character itself forces united states to conclude that it must be late and pseudepigraphic.

Apply of Scripture and Non-Biblical Texts:

• The Letter of Jude never directly quotes from the Old Testament, but it alludes to several OT characters:
  • v. 5: the Israelites in the desert, who died in the wilderness due to their faithlessness (Num 14:1-35);
  • five. 6: the angels (or "sons of God"), who mated with mortal women (Gen 6:one-4; as interpreted by 1 Enoch 6-nineteen);
  • 5. 7: people of Sodom and Gomorrah, who sought to accept sexual relations with the angels visiting Lot (Gen 19:4-11);
  • 5. xi: Cain, who non only slew his brother Abel (Gen 4:1-16), but was the starting time "heretic," co-ordinate to ancient Jewish traditions;
  • v. 11: Balaam, who led Israel into apostasy (Num 25:1-four; 31:8, 16);
  • five. eleven: Korah, who led a rebellion confronting Moses (Num 16:1-35).
• It as well quotes from some and alludes to some not-biblical ancient Jewish sources:
  • the apocryphal "1 Enoch" is alluded to in v. six, and directly quoted in vv. fourteen-15;
  • the apocryphal "Assumption of Moses" is quoted in v. 9, and may have influenced the polemic of v. 16.
• Finally, it quotes from some "predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ," namely:
  • "In the concluding time there will exist scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts" (vv. 17-18);
  • however, this quotation is non plant anywhere in the canonical NT books;
  • instead, information technology must belong to other oral traditions that were not included in the NT.

Rhetorical Techniques:

• The Letter of Jude makes its points not simply by quoting from and alluding to popular ancient Jewish literature (both canonical and non-approved), only information technology also uses several other interesting rhetorical techniques, including parallelisms and triadic (iii-fold) illustrations:
• Direct accusations against the "ungodly":
  • socially: they have infiltrated the community (five. 4a), but only seek their own benefit (v. 12), and dissever the community (v. 19);
  • morally: they pervert the grace of God into licentiousness (v. 4c, 18), and do other immoral actions (vv. viii, 16a);
  • theologically: they "deny our only Main and Lord, Jesus Christ" (v. 4d); their speech is slanderous and flatulent (vv. 10, 16b).
• Harshly polemical descriptions of the ungodly:
  • comparison them with evil people of the past (see "Employ of Scripture" above)
  • describing them with metaphorical images: waterless clouds, fruitless copse, wild waves, wandering stars (vv. 12-13)
• Direct appeals to the recipients of this letter:
  • "fence for the faith that was one time for all entrusted to the saints" (5. iii)
  • "remember the predictions of the apostles" concerning the ungodly (5. 17)
  • "build yourselves upwards on your most holy faith..." (vv. xx-21)
  • "take mercy on some who are wavering, save others..., accept mercy on withal others" (vv. 22-23)
• Encouragement, prayers and blessings for the recipients of the letter of the alphabet:
  • Recipients: "to those who are called, who are beloved in God the Male parent, and kept rubber for Jesus Christ" (5. 1b);
  • Initial Approving: "May mercy, peace, and beloved by yours in affluence" (five. 2);
  • Last Doxology: "Now to him who is able to keep yous from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his celebrity with rejoicing..." (5. 24).
    

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Questions for Review and Discussion:

• Was the author'south main complaint confronting the "ungodly intruders" that their theology was incorrect (denying Jesus), or that their morals were wrong (licentiousness, slander, etc.)?
• What is the bespeak of all the mentions and allusions to Sometime Testament characters? Can nosotros understand these without knowing the OT texts well?
• If you could revise the Lectionary for Mass, would yous include more of the Letter of Jude in the readings for Sunday or weekday Masses? Why, or why not? If aye, then which verses?

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For Farther Reading and Report:

• Brown, Raymond East. An Introduction to the New Testament . New York: Doubleday, 1997. - "Letter of the alphabet (Epistle) of Jude" (pp. 748-60).
  
• Hartin, Patrick J. James, First Peter, Jude, 2d Peter . New Collegeville Bible Commentary, NT x. The Liturgical Press, 2006.
• Senior, Donald, and Daniel Harrington. 1 Peter, Jude, ii Peter . Sacra Pagina. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2002.
• Neyrey, Jerome H. 2 Peter, and Jude: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary . Anchor Bible Commentary, 37C. New York: Doubleday, 1993.
• Bauckham, Richard J. Jude and the Relatives of Jesus in the Early Church. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1990. (esp. ch. 3)
• Bauckham, Richard J. 2 Peter, Jude . Discussion Biblical Commentary, l. Dallas, 1983.

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