Who wrote Jude, and when?
Jude, brother of James and of Jesus. About AD 65–80.
The writer calls himself Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. The James who could be named without further explanation in the early church was the leader in Jerusalem and the brother of Jesus, so Jude is traditionally taken to be another of Jesus' brothers, listed in Mark 6:3. Most scholars accept that identification, though some think a later writer used the name. Jude himself is modest about it, calling himself a servant rather than a relative. The date is uncertain and is usually set somewhere between AD 65 and 80, depending partly on whether Jude was used by 2 Peter or whether both drew on the same material.
Who was Jude written to?
Christians in general, likely Jewish believers, facing false teachers inside the church.
Jude names no city and no province, writing instead to those who are called, loved by God and kept for Jesus Christ. The way he argues suggests Jewish Christians, since he expects his readers to recognise Cain, Balaam and Korah without explanation, and to know Jewish writings outside the Old Testament such as the book of Enoch. Their problem was not persecution from outside. Certain people had slipped quietly into the fellowship, joining the shared meals, teaching that God's grace left them free to do as they liked with their bodies and their money, and brushing aside any authority that questioned them.
What was happening at the time?
Jude wanted to write about salvation but had to write instead about danger: people had slipped into the church turning grace into licence and denying Christ. He piles up examples of judgment from the Old Testament and Jewish tradition, describes the intruders vividly, and closes with one of the Bible’s most loved benedictions: to him who is able to keep you from stumbling.
Why was Jude written?
To urge believers to defend the faith and keep themselves in the love of God.
Jude says he had planned a warm letter about the salvation they all shared, then changed course because of the danger (see verse 3). He writes to get believers to contend for the faith, meaning the body of teaching handed down from the apostles, and he does it by showing what God has done before with people who presumed on his mercy. The examples pile up quickly, then the language turns to pictures: waterless clouds, dead trees, wild waves, wandering stars. The aim is care rather than fear. He tells readers to build themselves up, pray, stay in God's love and rescue others gently (see verses 20 to 23), and he ends by pointing to the God who is able to keep them from falling, a promise the whole Bible rests on.
How to read Jude today
Jude is twenty five verses and can be read in three minutes, yet it rewards slow reading. Go through it once for the shape, then again with a Bible that has cross references, because almost every line points back to an Old Testament story. Read 2 Peter 2 alongside it. The references to the book of Enoch and to a dispute over the body of Moses come from Jewish tradition outside the Old Testament, and Christians explain that in different ways, so do not let it unsettle you. End with verses 24 and 25, which many churches still use as a blessing. While reading, pray for someone who has wandered, and for your own footing.
The key verse in Jude
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
Passages worth knowing in Jude
- Jude 1:3-4
Contend for the faith
The faith once for all delivered to the saints.
- Jude 1:5-16
Warnings from the past
Egypt, the angels, Sodom, Cain, Balaam, Korah.
- Jude 1:17-23
Keep yourselves in the love of God
Building yourselves up, praying in the Spirit.
- Jude 1:24-25
The benediction
Able to keep you from stumbling.
The main themes of Jude
- Contending for the faith
- False teachers
- Judgment
- Perseverance
- God who keeps us
An outline of Jude
| Section | Chapters |
|---|---|
| Warning, examples and benediction | 1 |