JUDAS is merely the Greek form of the He brew name JUDAH. The Septuagint, however, represents Judah by 'look, jurla, and this we find also in the N. T. [JuDAJ.
r. The son of Mattathias [111AccABEEs].
2. The son of Calphi, a Jewish officer under Jonathan (I Maccab. xi. 70).
3. A Jew high in office at the time when the letter was sent by the Jews in Jerusalem to Aristo bulus and to their brethren in Egypt (2 Maccab.
ro). Some identify this Judas with Judas the Essene mentioned by Josephus (Antig. xiii. ri. 2; Bell. jud. i. 3. 5), but Josephus speaks of the letter as 'IotCaas rts, phraseology which he would hardly have applied to one holding so eminent a position as the Judas before us. Grotius makes him a -re lation of John Hyrcanus and his lieutenant, refer ring to Joseph. Anliq. xiii. 16. 17 ; but there is no such passage, nor does Josephus anywhere men tion such a person. De Wette concludes that this Judas is otherwise unknown, while a large number of interpreters identify him with Judas Maccabmus. Calovius objects to this that the chronology is against it, Judas Maccabmus having died in 152, that is, thirty-six years before the writing of this letter. This of course would be a fatal objection were it well founded ; but no precise date is borne by the letter itself, and from the statement in ver. It it seems probable that it was written soon after tidings had come of the death of Antiochus IV. Epipbanes. But this occurred in the year 164 B.C., so that Judas was alive at tbe time the letter was written. Calovius was betrayed into mistake by
taking the date in ver. 9 as the date of the second epistle whereas it belongs to the first (Grimm, Exeg.'Handb., in loc.) 4. A son of Simon and brother of John Hyrcanus, who was murdered along with his father, or, accord ing to Josephus soon afterwards (1 Maccab. xvi. 2, 15, ff. ; Josep'h, Antig. xiii. S. 1).
5. One of the twelve apostles, called also LEB BiEUS or THADDJEUS (Matt. x. 4 ; Mark iii. IS), and commonly named Jude. We are not in formed as to the time of the vocation of the Apostle Jude to that dignity. Indeed, the only circumstance relating to him which is recorded in the Gospels consists in the question put by him to our Lord ( John xiv. 22). Judas saith unto him (not cariot), Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self to us, and not unto the world ?' Nor have we any account given of his proceedings after our Lord's resurrection, for the traditionary notices which have been preserved of him rest on no very certain foundation. It has been asserted that Ile was sent to Edessa, to Abgarus, king of Osrocne (Jerome, Annot. in Matt.), and that he preached in Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Persia ; in which latter country Ile suffered martyrdom (Lard ner's Hist. of the Apostles). Jude the apostle is commemorated in the Western church, tog,ether with the Apostle Simon (the name, also, of one of our Lord's brethren), on the Sth of October.