Introduction
Overview
As in 2 Peter, the threat that Jude’s audience faces is from the inside (false teaching), rather than the outside (persecution). Jude urges believers facing this challenge to “contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (v. 3).
Authorship
The Letter of Jude identifies the author as “Jude . . . brother of James.” The Jude (or Judah or Judas, which are all transliterations of the same name) intended here is the younger brother of the James (Jacob) to whom the Letter of James is attributed. This James in turn was the leader of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem from at least AD 44 to 61 and the James whom Mk 6:3 identifies as a younger brother of Jesus himself. That would make Jude Jesus’s youngest (Mt 13:55) or second-youngest (Mk 6:3) brother. Much later, the canonical arrangement of the seven Catholic Epistles, or General Epistles, put James as the first letter in the collection and Jude, written by the brother of James, as the last, bracketing the works of the others with letters attributed to brothers of Jesus.
We know nothing about Jude’s life or his role in the Jesus movement after Jesus’s resurrection. It is clear, though, that the writer believes he has authority to speak to those whom he addresses, not least because he is the brother of James, but also because he is “a servant of Jesus Christ” (v. 1). Thus, as a servant, while not having any rank of his own, he speaks with the authority of his master, as Moses did for God and slaves of Caesar did for Caesar.
A number of scholars question whether the traditional author did write Jude. In reality, there is no way to prove or disprove whether or not Jude the brother of James wrote this work or whether it was written in his name, for we know nothing of his education (the author of the letter has at least a good Greek primary education), nor do we have other work by him to indicate his writing style and theology. All one can say about the author is that he is very familiar with Second Temple Jewish literature, that he has an excellent Greek vocabulary and decent Hellenistic education, and that it is not clear whether or not he knows either Hebrew or Aramaic. If one doubts that this author is Jude, then one must ask why someone would write in the name of such an “unknown” rather than pick the name of a more famous leader in the Jesus movement.
Audience and Date
No information is given about either those to whom the letter is addressed or the historical circumstances of Jude’s composition, except that the author expects the recipients to be familiar with Second Temple Jewish literature. Furthermore, any extrabiblical traditions we have about the brothers of Jesus connect their lives and descendants with Palestine, so that would be consistent with a Palestinian provenance for the letter and would perhaps indicate that the addressees were not too far away (although far enough from the author that a letter was needed). It is also clear that the letter is not really a “general,” or “catholic,” epistle since it is clearly written to a specific group of followers of Jesus whom the author knows and who know the author (e.g., he refers to them as “dear friends”; v. 3). The author views his addressees as at risk because of a group of others (they are never given a name) who have entered the community and are introducing destructive practices, probably on the authority of their prophetic dreams (v. 8).
We therefore do not know when Jude was written. If it had a Palestinian origin, then it was probably written before 66, the outbreak of the war against Rome, although a date a decade or so later—when life was becoming more normal after the destruction of Jerusalem—is possible. Knowing that 2 Peter made use of Jude’s letter only helps to place Jude in the first century, for 2 Peter has been variously dated from 64 to 90 (though sometimes much later). Given the reference to James, who was martyred in 61, a date after James’s death and before the war with Rome may be as likely as any.
Jude was valued early in its history, because, as noted above, it was used as the basis of 2 Pt 2:1–3:3; the same topics are discussed in the same order, some phrases and illustrations are identical, and the issues addressed are similar. But after that we do not hear of Jude for over a century. In the third and fourth centuries, the work was disputed, but we are not told the reasons, although it is speculated that Jude’s use of noncanonical literature may have been part of the reason. Jude does appear in fourth-century biblical collections, and by the end of the century it is included in canon lists. However, despite official acceptance, the work has been neglected for much of its history.
Structure and Content
The structure of the work is relatively clear. The letter opens with a salutation (vv. 1–2), then the body consists of an opening to the main topic (vv. 3–4), a discussion of the intruding teachers (vv. 5–16), and a conclusion (vv. 17–23). A benediction closes the letter (vv. 24–25).
The short letter is a contrast between those “dear friends” who are faithful (v. 1), whose job it is to build themselves up in the faith (v. 20), and those others who have left the faith, their departure meaning that by word and action they are living in opposition to the ethical teaching of Jesus.
Outline
1. Salutation (1–2)
2. Letter Body (3–23)
A. Opening: Reason for Writing (3–4)
B. Main Discussion: Denunciation of the Intruding Teachers (5–16)
C. Conclusion: Response of the Believers (17–23)
3. Benediction (24–25)