JUDE, Epistle of. One of the so-called Catholic (i.e., general) epistles' of the New Testament, whose author names himself 'Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, but a brother of thus reverently contrasting his blood relationship to James, the head of the Jerusalem church (Acts xv, 13; xxi, 18; Gal. ii, 9, 12) with his higher relationship to Jesus (Mark iii, 34-35), who also was his and James' own brother (Matt. xiii, 55; Mark vi, 3; Gal. i, 19; 1 Cor. ix, 5) according to the flesh. The au thor describes his document as being an exhor tation to his readers to "contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints," (3) and as taking the place of a treatise of a more general doctrinal character, on which he was engaged when occasion arose for this more direct form of address. That a dangerous situation had developed quite as ominous as that of which Paul forewarned both- the Ephesians (Acts xx, 29-31) and the Philip pians (iii, 18-19) "with tears,' is obvious from the heightened tone of indignation, grief loathing in which he refers to these latter day ((wolves" who have "entered in, not sparing the flock.) By what new system of theological doctrine the contagious immorality of the in truders was supported, the author assumes as too well known to his readers to require any detailed statement, but only a delineation of its fruits in resultant character and retribution. Only a precarious basis' can, therefore, be found for any identification of the heresy with that of the Cainites, the Carpocratians or other Gnostic sects of the post-apostolic age. Simi larly indecisive as to a late date are the cita tions in verses 9 and 14f. from such apocryphal books as The Assumption of Moses (7 to 30 A.D.) and The Boek of Enoch (written before 170 s.c.); the necessary uncertainty as to the local habitat of the readers, whether Palestine, Syria or the Diaspora; and, the intimate rela tion of this document to the text of 2 Peter, in casting suspicion upon the claim made' in verse 1 as to authorship.
In its biting invective and hortatory fervor this epistle equals if it does not surpass Gala tians and 2 Corinthians. The interlopers are characterized as ungodly persons who, profes ing godliness, have "crept in privily). to the "love-feasts' of the readers (iv, 12) only to the grace of our God into lasciviousness' and to "deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ' (consult Phil. hi, 18r-19); as pretend ing to have received divine revelations, which their conduct demonstrates to have been vile, lascivious dreams (8); as flouting all authority, even that of angels, and railing at sacred mys teries which their carnal minds cannot under stand (8-10)•, 'as continually swayed by un godly lusts (16, 18) and sensual rather than spiritual in their judgments (19); as compar able therefore, to sunken reefs in a ship's chan nel or a foaming surf (Is. lid, 20) casting up mire and dirt; to clouds that bring no rain, or to fruit-trees fruitless in autumn, and fit only for winter's fire-wood (12) and to meteors dis appearing in eternal night (13). The dissolute character and the impending doom of these cor rupters of the Church, prefigured in the punish ment of Israel in the wilderness (5) • the fall of, the angels (6) ; the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (7); the legend of the archangel Michael (8-9) ; and the history of Cain, Ba laam and Korah (11); were foretold in the prophecy of Enoch (14-15) and were explicitly confirmed to them by the apostles of Christ (17-18). Re-enforced by this tragic warning, the epistle ends with a tender exhortation and a triumphant doxology (20-25).
Bibliography.— Introductions : T. Zahn (Eng. tr., 1909) ; H. J. Holtzmann (1892); A. Juelicher (Eng. tr., 1904) ; J. Moffatt (1911). Commentaries: Meyer (Kuehl 1897); von Soden in (3d ed., 1899); C. Bigg (in International Critical Commentary, 2d ed., 1902); J. B. Mayor in Expositors' Greek Testament (1910).