Jude: How to Keep YourSelf from Error!
Let's take a look at Jude, a little book that is overlooked
on our way to Revelation, but is packed with some powerful dynamic stuff. Where
you see a Bold word. Click for more
information.
Read the text of Jude in
The
Message.
Introduction
To Jude
Jude is a small book with a powerful message. That is a candid and
equitable evaluation of the letter of Jude. The church has always had its
problems. The early church was no exception. Jude's responsibility as a pastor
was to confront the church with the problems it had. No doubt it was a painful
task. Some of these people who were problems in the church were his friends.
Some of them may have even been his converts. To have children go astray is
traumatic. To correct them is demanding.
When the church gets into the world, it is fulfilling its
commission. However, when the world gets into the church, it is devastating.
This ad hoc problem was what Jude was delegated by the Spirit to correct.
It should not come as a surprise that the church would have
problems, given the understanding that it is made up of people from all walks
of life. In any local congregation one can find an assortment of different
kinds of people. From the rich to the poor; the uneducated to the educated; the
power mongers to the oppressed; the list is endless, but they are all
there.
The early church to which Jude wrote had allowed forces
within its own ranks to take a commanding leadership role. These individuals
were threatening to destroy the church with corrupt teaching. Jude was called
by God to intervene and call the church back to its source. Even the church can
become and idol which is worshipped.
Over the next few days, we will cover eleven properties that
will introduce us to Jude and make the reading and study of Jude more
rewarding. One must remember that the book was set in a historical setting and
its readers had criteria by which they understood things. A study of the
background of the book puts us into close contact with some of their precepts.
It makes us less of a stranger to the author and to those to whom Jude was
writing.
Acknowledgement As Canon
Scripture did
not come to us by overnight express. The church lingered long in determining
what was Scripture and what was not Scripture. The word
canon
was often used as an equivalent for what we call The Bible. Its simple meaning
was "measuring rod." By the end of the 3rd century, the church had adopted the
canon that we now accept in the Protestant church.
Within church scholarship there are questions that are
raised even today about the authenticity of Jude. The earliest traces of Jude
being cited by writers outside of the First Century can be found in the Second
Century where the
Didache
ii.7 has a similarity in thought to
Jude 22-23 and Didache iii.6 to Jude 8-10, but not direct vocabulary.
There are traces of Jude in books of the
Shepherd
of Hermas and Barnabas as well as
Clement
of
Rome and
Polycarp.
These writers and writings indicate that Jude was known from
an early period. In the last quarter of the Second Century, the canon of
Muratori included Jude. The
Muratorian
Canon was a list of books known at Rome about A.D. 200. The document
attested to the books which were received in the Catholic Church in the West
and were authorized to be read in public. Different Church Fathers had
different views.
Origen
did not appear to question its authenticity.
Eusebius did not appear to question its authenticity. The Muratorian
Canon classified it as a disputed book. By the end of the Third Century it was
accepted in three important church centers: Alexandria, Carthage, and Rome.
Athanasius
included Jude as the last of the seven Catholic Epistles.
The opinions which were raised, and caused Jude to be
disputed by some, centered around his use of Apocryphal writings. Jude quoted
from the Assumption of Moses and 1 Enoch. But, this is not any different than
Paul quoting from the pagan poets of the day (Acts
17.28;
1
Cor. 15.33;
Titus 1.12).
Authorship
Jude begins his letter with
his name. The question to ask is which Jude? Jude was a common name. You could
call the writer Judas if you were speaking in
Greek.
Or, you could call him Judah if you were speaking
Hebrew.
Jude is the English translation. So the author of this book gives a further
identification as "the brother of James." It seems that he wanted his
readership to understand that reference as James of Jerusalem, the brother of
Jesus.
There are five individuals named Jude that appear in the
NT:
Most evangelical scholars hold to the view that Jude the
brother of Jesus was the author of this book. There are some exceptions. J.
Sidlow Baxter in Explore The Book believes that Jude the son of Alpheus
was the author.
Age Written (Date)
The dating of the
book of Jude certainly affects the authorship considerations. Evangelical
scholars like F.F. Bruce, Donald Guthrie and William Barclay are working from
the presupposition that the date of Jude is within the first century. Suggested
dates for the writing of Jude vary between AD 60-140.
Trying to determine a date sometimes amounts to little more that an educated
guess. There are two main periods which scholars labor to place the writing of
Jude.
First Part of the Second Century: Those who embrace
this point of view believe that the author of Jude is pseudonymous, i.e.,
written by someone else and calling himself Jude the brother of James. This was
not an uncommon occurrence in the ancient world. The first fifty years of the
Second Century appears to be held in highest regard. The defense for this
position is Jude’s conception of Christianity in credal terms, i.e., the
use of the words “the faith”
(v.
3) to indicate a collection of beliefs and his tendency to accord
scriptural authority to the word of the apostles. These same tendencies are
found in the Didache and the Letter of Barnabas which are from the middle of
the century. A date of AD 125 has often been
offered.
Latter Part of the First Century: Authors like Donald
Guthrie and F.F. Bruce argue for this period. There are three arguments which
appear conclusive to those holding dating in this period.
- Terms like "the faith"
(v.
3) do indicate a crystallization of belief. One does not have to wait
until the first part of the Second Century for this to occur. The idea is used
in the early writings of Paul (Gal.
1.23). Other Scriptures indicate that there was a clear indication of
Christian orthodoxy which was well-established by the '50s of the First
Century. (Rom
6.17;
1
Thess 2.13;
2
Thess. 2.15;
3.6).
- There is reference to the passing of the Apostolic Age in
verse
17. It looks like Jude is suggesting that he was not an apostle and was
calling his readers' attention to what had been spoken by the apostles. He is
drawing their attention to what the apostles had spoken, not what they had
written. This would indicate a period close to the actual time the apostles
lived.
- There is a feeling when reading Jude that
Gnostic
beliefs were being attacked. If this were true, then a later date would
have to be actual. Gnosticism was not full-blown until the Second Century. Jude
was not reflecting an elaborate Gnosticism of the Second Century, but was
reflecting a development which had striking similarities with those situations
faced by Paul in Corinth. There is evidence of an incipient Gnosticism within
the First Century.
The last part of the First Century appears to be the date
for the writing of this book with an actual date between AD 65 and AD 80, although it could have
been as late as AD 90.
A Look At The False Teachers
Two
extremes must be avoided when trying to determine who the false teachers that
Jude was alarmed about are. The first is to understand these teachers as early
Palestine Christians who have relapsed into moral laxity. The second is to
infer that they were members of the fully developed Gnostic system of the
Second Century. Since Jude did not bother to tell us who they were, we must
make deductions from the letter itself. There are three things that one can
observe from the letter about these teachers.
They were
Antinomians.
Antinomians were a group that believed and practiced perverting grace. Their
position was that the law was dead and one lives under grace only. Since the
law no longer applies, one can do as he wishes under grace. Grace can forgive
anything. The more one sins the more opportunities for grace will abound (vv.
4,
7,
8,
12,
16).- These teachers denied Jesus. They somehow had developed a
conclusion that was contrary to orthodoxy about Jesus. Paul had to address
these same tendencies in the church at Colosse. This was the beginning of
Gnosticism. Gnosticism was the belief brought into the church from the Greek
philosophical teaching of the day. This philosophy was built on a premise of
dualism where Spirit was perceived as good and Material was perceived as evil.
Salvation was an escape from the realm of matter to spirit via knowledge. The
conflict became most acute in the understanding about the person of Jesus. How
could Christ be God in the flesh, since evil matter could not have anything to
do with spirit good? Some ways of answering this question were: He only
appeared to be in the flesh while in reality he was a ghost. Or, Jesus was a
kind of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One could not know whether Jesus was spirit or
flesh.
- The denial of angels was also taught by these intruders
(cf.
v. 8). In Jude's opinion these teachers, who were coercing the saints
into untruthfulness, were not orthodox believers.
Choose carefully.
Audience
The opening of Jude’s
letter gives no clear indication as to whom Jude was writing. Such a general
salutation could cover any Greek speaking community. But, Jude apparently knew
some of the people to whom he was writing (those who infiltrated the church,
whose behavior is given in vivid language). Jude must have had a concrete
situation in mind while at the same time believing that the church in general
needed the same message. It is believed that the Antinomian character of the
false teachers places the destination of the book in a predominantly Jewish
Christian community within a Gentile environment. Certain text point to a
district within the region of Palestine. Antioch of Syria could fit the bill.
Both Jews and Greeks would have been involved if Antioch were the destination.
Verses
17-18
suggest that some of the readers had at least heard of the apostles and that
they may have had some acquaintance with Paul. The exact area is only guesswork
and the specific audience should be left as an open question.
Apocryphal Books
Jude’s use of
Apocryphal books calls two questions to attention:
- Are we to take 1 Enoch as inspired because Jude quoted
from it?
- Do we dismiss Jude from Scripture because of his use of
Apocryphal material?
What Jude does is no different than a modern speaker,
quoting from an outside source to give clarification to his topic. The books of
1 Enoch and the Testament of Moses were well-known books to his readers. Other
authors use Apocryphal books in their writings. Here are a few examples: Paul
writes about the rock which followed the Israelites (1
Cor. 10.4); He names Jannes and Jambres as the two magicians who
withstood Moses before Pharaoh (2
Tim. 3.8); He writes about the instrumentality of angels in the giving
of the law (Gal.
3.19, cf.
Heb. 2.2;
Acts 7.53); Stephen speaks of Moses as learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians (Acts
7.2); James limits the drought predicted by Elijah to three and a half
years (James
5.17). All of these illustrations come from Apocryphal material.
William Barclay sums it up best: “Jude is simply doing what all the New
Testament writers do, and which every writer must do in every age; he is
speaking to men in language which they recognize and understand.” The use
of Apocryphal material confirms that Jude was a well-versed, well-lived
individual and not some ignorant farmer from Palestine.
Analogy Between Jude And 2 Peter
The
priority of
2
Peter's position argues that Jude makes reference to 2 Peter based on
verses
4
and
17.
The arguments against such are:
First, the writing which Jude is referring
to in verse 4 is not 2 Peter. The word which is translated various ways by
different translations means "old" and not "lately." Jude is not referring then
to 2 Peter, but to a much older writing, i.e., the Old Testament.
- It would have been simple for Jude to have used the name
of Peter if he was quoting or using him.
- The statement of verse 17 is an attribute to a group of
apostles and not just one apostle.
- The use of the future tense in 2 Peter and the present
tense in Jude would suggest that Jude took what was future to Peter as being
enacted in his time.
Second, the priority of Jude. The argument is that Jude is
more brief than 2 Peter which indicates that Jude is the source rather than the
borrower. One tends to extend rather than reduce when copying. Jude appears to
know the false teachers personally.
Third, the use of a common source. This was used often in
the ancient world. The use of illustrations of the heretics could have come
from a common pool.
Analysis Of Literary Character
Jude's
vocabulary shows considerable similarity to the Septuagint (LXX) and to
Hellenistic literature. His style is direct and vigorous. He likes to put
things into sets of "threes." He has an orderly mind. His extensive comparison
of false teachers was natural.
Appraisal Of Jude
It is apparent that an
understanding of Jude is still needful today. Sound doctrine and right practice
go hand in hand and error must be resisted and exposed. Let the church hear
what Jude has to say!
An Extended Outline of Jude
Introduction
1-2
Contend for the Faith: Why?
3-16
The
common salvation that all believers shared was to be the topic of Jude's
letter. However, because of the influence of false teaching which was outright
heresy, he wrote to believers to hold on to the firm foundation of "the faith"
and not embrace the damnable instructions of the false teachers, which is
summarized in verse four. He used illustrations from the Old Testament to
support his thesis (vv.
5-7), illustrations from nonbiblical material (v.
9), additional Old Testament illustrations (v.
11), vivid metaphors (vv.
12-13); and finally another nonbiblical illustration (vv.
14-15), to demonstrate why these believers should stand firm in what
they had been taught.
Contend for the Faith: How?
17-23
It is good to know why you should not embrace false
teaching. But, knowing how to resist improves the chances of not continuing in
deceit. Jude then turned to tell the believers how to defend the faith they had
been given. They should remember the teaching of the Apostles. They should
build themselves up in the most holy faith. They should pray in the Holy
Spirit. They should keep themselves in the love of God, wait for mercy, be
merciful, snatch away from destruction those who are close to destruction, and
finally continue to have mercy on sinners while not getting involved in their
sin.
Conclusion
24-25
Next, we turn to the text of Jude.
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