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Jude Place Written: Palestine (?) Place Written: c. 65 C.E. The Christian brothers of Jude were in danger! During the time that had elapsed since the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, foreign elements had wormed their way into the Christian congregation. The enemy had infiltrated for the purpose of undermining the faith, just as the apostle Paul, about 14 years previously, had warned. (2 Thes. 2:3) How should the brothers be alerted and placed on guard against the danger? The letter of Jude, vigorous and robust in its forthright statement, provided that answer. Jude himself stated his position clearly in verses 3 and 4: 'I found it necessary to write you because certain men have slipped in, ungodly men, turning the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for loose conduct. The very foundations of sound doctrine and morality were being threatened. Jude felt called upon to fight for the interests of his brothers, that they, in turn, might put up a hard fight for the faith. Who was Jude? The opening words tell us that the letter was written by "Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James, to the called ones." Was Jude, or Judas, an apostle, since 2 of Jesus' original 12 apostles were named Judas? (Luke 6:16) Jude does not speak of himself as an apostle, but instead he speaks of the apostles in the third person as "they," manifestly excluding himself. (Jude 17+18) Moreover, he calls himself "a brother of James," evidently meaning the writer of the letter of James, who was a half brother of Jesus. As one of the "pillars" of the congregation in Jerusalem, this James was well-known, and hence Jude identifies himself with him. This makes Jude also a half brother of Jesus, and he is listed as such. (Gal. 1:19; 2:9; Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) However, Jude did not make capital of his fleshly relationship with Jesus, but he humbly placed the emphasis on his spiritual relationship as "a slave of Jesus Christ." (1Cor 7:22; 2Cor 5:16; Matt 20:27) The authenticity of this Bible book is supported by mention of it in the Muratorian Fragment, of the 2nd century C.E. additionally, Clement of Alexandria, 2nd century C.E., accepted it as canonical. Origen referred to it as a work of "but a few lines, yet filled with the healthful words of heavenly grace." (The Canon of the New Testament, 1987, by B.M Metzger, p. 138) Tertullian also considered it to be authentic. There is no doubt that it belongs to the other inspired Scriptures. Jude writes "to the called ones," specifying no particular congregation or individual, so his epistle is a general letter to be circulated widely to all Christians. Though it is not stated, the most likely place of writing is Palestine. It is also difficult to fix the date with certainty, however, it must have been well along in the development of the Christian congregation, for Jude calls attention to "the sayings that have been previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" and apparently quotes 2Pet 3:3. (Jude 17+18) Moreover, there is a strong similarity between Jude and the second chapter of 2Peter which indicates that he wrote at about the same time as Peter, both being deeply concerned over the danger to the congregation at that time, hence, 65 C.E. is suggested as an approximate date. This date is also supported in that Jude does not mention Cestius Gallus' moving in to put down the Jews' revolt in 66 C.E., nor does he mention the fall of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Jude in his epistle refers to specific divine judgements executed against sinners, it is therefore logical that had Jerusalem already fallen, he would have reinforced his argument by mention of this execution of judgment, especially since Jesus foretold the event. (Jude 5-7; Luke 19:41-44) Yours, Katidid. |
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