CONTENT

Topic: JUDE

1. Introduction

2. Authorship

3. Situation or context

4. Recipient

5. Date of writing

6. Purpose of writing

7. Message of the book

8. Literary character of the book

9. Conclusion

Bibliography

1
1. Introduction
The Book of Jude is a brief letter found in the New Testament of the Bible. Despite its short
length, it delivers a potent message. The primary theme of the Book of Jude is to warn believers
about false teachers and the importance of standing firm in their faith. Jude urges readers to be
vigilant and to fight earnestly for the faith that was entrusted to the saints once and for all. The
paper provides an explanation about the Book of Jude, including the author's identity, the context
in which the book was written, its intended audience, the time of its writing, and the book's
purpose and message. This will help readers gain a deeper understanding of the Book of Jude.

2. Authorship
Jude is derived from Judas, but it was changed to distance it from Judas Iscariot. There are a few
people with the name Judas mentioned in the New Testament, but the writer of the Epistle of
Jude was not Judas Iscariot or the apostle Judas. The writer is identified as the "brother of
James," and it's most likely that he was Jesus' brother Judas, also known as Jude. Although it
wasn't explicitly stated, the connection between Jude and Jesus is made through James.1

3. Situation or Context
The letter opposes false teachers whose sexual lifestyles are immoral and who teach arrogantly.
The thought world of Jude and his readers is popular Judaism, his opponents may be rooted in
the same Jewish Christian tradition that Jude’s, but they have also sought to fit in many values of
immoral pagan culture. Given Jude’s heavy use of Enoch, that book may represent a tradition
cited by his opponents, who appeal to their mystical visions as divine revelations like Enoch.2

4. Recipients
Jude 3 identifies the target audience of this epistle as believers by addressing them as "beloved"
in the vocative case. It is further established in Jude's expression of his original intent in writing
to them that he wanted to write to them about their "common salvation" (Jude 3). The utilization
of these and other similar terms towards Jude's recipients within the epistle makes it clear that he
is writing to believers in Christ. However, it is unclear which specific group of believers Jude is
writing to, as the epistle lacks identification of a particular body of believers in the early church.
3

5. Date of writing
The time in which the epistle was written historically is a challenging date in history to pinpoint.
Many believe that it was written within a couple of years of Peter’s writing of his second epistle

1
David Noel Freedman, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1992), 1101.
2
Merrill C. Tenny and Steven Barabas, eds., The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Michigan:
Zondervan Publications, 1976), 733.
3
Charles F. Pfeiffer, Howard F. Vos and John Rea, eds., Wycliffe Bible Dictionary (Massachusetts: Hendrickson
Publishers, 1975), 968.

2
(2 Peter), which places the writing of Jude around 68 A.D. However, there is not much in the
way of information readily available to agree with this information and assumption.

Jude identifies that “the saints” had already received the information of the faith. Jude 17
identifies that the apostles had already widely expressed the Word to the general body of
believers in Christ. Because of these identifications, it would appear that sometime between 60
A.D. and 100 A.D. the epistle of Jude would have been written. 4

6. Purpose of writing
Jude sheds light on the nature and purpose of his epistle. The church was under attack from
within, and this epistle was Jude's way of sounding the alarm to the believers. Like Peter's
second epistle, the Epistle of Jude reminds the believers of the truth expressed by Jesus and His
apostles. Satan and his associates attacked the early church from the outside, but when this attack
was ineffective, they shifted their focus to infiltrating the body with false teachings. Both Peter
and Jude wrote about this issue specifically, bringing confidence to believers by reminding them
of the truth and instructing them on how to combat heresy and heretics alike.
Jude's concluding remarks offer encouragement and confidence to the believers when he says,
"Now to Him who can keep you from stumbling and make you stand in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory,
majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." 5

7. Message of the book

The Book of Jude contains several important messages for Christians. Some of these messages
include the need to actively defend and uphold the core doctrines of the Christian faith, resist
false teachings, and remain true to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jude also warns against false
teachers who infiltrate the Christian community, spreading destructive and misleading doctrines.
He describes them as ungodly individuals who pervert the grace of God and deny Jesus Christ.
Jude provides examples from the Old Testament, such as the rebellion of Israel and the
punishment of angels, to illustrate the consequences of disobedience and the judgment that
awaits those who reject God's truth. Despite the challenges posed by false teachers, Jude
encourages believers to remain steadfast in their faith, building themselves up in their most holy
faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. Finally, he concludes the letter with a doxology, expressing
confidence in God's ability to keep believers from stumbling and to present them blameless
before His glorious presence with great joy.6

8. Literary character of the book

Jude's literary character can be characterized by the following elements:

4
James Hastings, ed., The Speaker’s Bible (Michigan: Baker Book House, 1987), 434.
5
Bruce Wilkinson and Kenneth Boa, Talk Thru The Old Testament (London: Thomas Nelson Publishers,1983), 503.
6
Edwin H. Palmer, The NIV study Bible (London: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1980), 2421.

3
  Urgency and Warning: The tone of the letter is urgent and cautionary. Jude is
warning the readers about the presence of false teachers and the danger they pose to
the faith.
 Knowledge of Scripture: Jude demonstrates a deep knowledge of the Old Testament
scriptures, referencing events and figures from the past to make his points and
reinforce his warnings.
 Doctrinal Emphasis: The letter focuses on defending and contending for the faith
against false teachings. Jude is concerned with maintaining the purity of the
Christian doctrine and ensuring that believers stand firm in their beliefs.
 Illustrative Language: Jude uses vivid and dramatic language, drawing on historical
and metaphorical examples to make his case. He refers to the rebellion of Israel, the
punishment of angels, and other events to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
 Exhortation to Believers: Jude encourages believers to remain faithful and steadfast
despite the challenges posed by false teachers. He urges them to build themselves up
in their faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, and keep themselves in the love of God.7

9. Conclusion
The Book of Jude delivers an important message of trust in God's power to preserve and present
believers as blameless before God. The book also expresses a profound sense of worship and
praise for God's eternal and unchanging glory and authority. It serves as a valuable resource to
help believers stay strong in their ministry for God.

Bibliography
Freedman, David Noel. ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday Dell
Publishing Group, 1992.

Hastings, James. ed., The Speaker’s Bible. Michigan: Baker Book House, 1987.

Orr, James. The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. America: Hendrickson

Publishers.

Pfeiffer, Charles F, Howard F. Vos and John Rea. eds., Wycliffe Bible Dictionary.
Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1975.

Palmer, Edwin H. The NIV study Bible. London: Zondervan Bible Publishers, 1980.

Tenny, Merrill C. and Steven Barabas. eds., The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the
Bible. Michigan: Zondervan Publications, 1976.

Wilkinson, Bruce and Kenneth Boa, Talk Thru the Old Testament. London: Thomas
Nelson Publishers,1983.

7
James Orr, The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (America: Hendrickson Publishers, 1939), 1769.