THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE
A pastoral leader in the early church delivers a constructive but firm
warning to a community under his care to be prepared and vigilant in
confronting false teachers. Selfish in their motivations, distorters of
sound doctrine, and immoral in character, these teachers are to be
vigorously opposed and resisted, rather than listened to or welcomed.
Vivid examples of similar challenges from the past are cited from both
canonical and noncanonical literature, with the aim of providing models
of constancy, faithfulness, and resilience within the community. The
author lifts up the love, mercy, and steadfastness of God as a
foundation for hope and celebration.
There are two views: either the author is in fact the brother of Jesus
(following a literal reading of the letter's first verse) or a
pseudonymous writer who felt it necessary to employ the authority and
name of Jude in dealing with doctrinal conflict.
If the author is (according to the letter's first verse) "Jude, a
servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James," a likely date of
authorship is between 50 and 60 C.E. If this is a case of pseudonymous
authorship, the date could be later.
An early Christian community receives an urgent warning to be on its
guard against false teachers, to heed the warnings and examples from the
past, and to rely on the grace and steadfastness of God to prevail
against falsehood and immorality.
As with any correspondence, in reading a New Testament letter we are
being permitted a glimpse into someone else's life, times, and
circumstances. We have no way of knowing whether this letter constitutes
part of a longer sequence of correspondence, or whether it stands on
its own. Likewise, we are left to wonder how (if at all) the recipients
responded to the content of the letter. But we have enough in this short
letter to impress upon us something of the relationship between writer
and recipients and the issues at hand for this community in its
formative stages.
AUTHOR: David Stewart, Director of Library Services
Jude
Chapter 1
1 Jude,
the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
3 Beloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it
was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints.
4 For
there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained
to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ.
5 I will
therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the
Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyed them that believed not.
6 And the
angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto
the judgment of the great day.
7 Even as
Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving
themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set
forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet
Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about
the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but
said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But
these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know
naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe
unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after
the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These
are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding
themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of
winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked
up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To
execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and
of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against
him.
16 These
are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their
mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration
because of advantage.
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now
unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
