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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780687057627 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Abingdon Press |
| Publication date: | 09/01/2002 |
| Series: | Abingdon New Testament Commentaries Series |
| Edition description: | New Edition |
| Pages: | 190 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.24(w) x 8.96(h) x 0.56(d) |
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Read an Excerpt
Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Jude, 2 Peter
By Steven J. Kraftchick
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2002 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-687-05762-7
CHAPTER 1
Commentary: Jude
Prescript (1-2)
The letter begins with two typical ancient epistolary conventions: an opening by which the author identifies himself and his recipients, followed by a greeting.
* * *
The author introduces himself as Jude, a doulos ("servant") of Christ. It is probable that he was using a pseudonym (see Introduction). The name he has chosen was common in the ancient world, so he specifies his identity as a "servant of Christ" and the "brother of James." "Servant of the Lord" often designated those whom God chose for leadership or specific tasks (e.g., Moses, Neh 9:14; Abraham, Ps 105:42; David, Ps 89:3). Jude has adopted the term to indicate that God had called him into the service of Christ, and his letter should be understood as an instance of his obedience to that call.
"Jude's" status may have been no more authoritative than that of the teachers he calls "intruders." If so, his self-identification as a "servant of Christ" is an attempt to establish his authority with the audience (see Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; Phil 1:1). As a "servant of Christ," Jude implies that Christ has designated him to act as his representative. The self-identification also contrasts with that of his opponents who "deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 4). Jude thus establishes his God-granted authority to speak for the faith, his own fidelity to Christ, and implicitly questions the validity of the intruders' interpretations of the gospel. In effect, this simple designation begins the process by which Jude will challenge their character and teaching.
Jude also refers to himself as "the brother of James." There are a number of people named "James" in the New Testament including James the son of Alphaeus (Mark 3:18), and James the son of Zebedee (Mark 1:19). The only likely candidate is "James, the brother of the Lord" (Gal 1:19). This James was the only one the early church consistently called "James," and Jude is named specifically as the brother of James and Jesus in Mark 6:3 and Matt 13:54.
According to tradition, James was an influential interpreter of the faith from the earliest days of the Church's existence. As an eyewitness of the resurrected Jesus (1 Cor 15:7), and as one of the prime developers of the Church's corporate ethical responsibilities (Acts 15:13-21; 21:18, 25), any teaching gleaned from James would have found wide acceptance. As his brother, Jude is identified with a leading authority of the foundational church; a status the opposition cannot claim.
Jude's decision to call himself "the brother of James" rather than the "brother of Jesus" is perplexing. If the author expected his relationship to James to supply force for his claims, then calling himself "brother of Jesus" could only do so to a greater degree. Why did he not simply use the term "brother of the Lord"? An answer is not easily provided. Perhaps it was a matter of deference, since "'Brother of the Lord' was not an official designation, and, if used by Jude himself, might seem to imply a claim to an authority above that of an apostle" (Bigg 1961, 319). It is more likely, however, that the title "brother of the Lord" combined with the opening phrase "slave of Jesus Christ" would have been incongruous, a semantic anomaly (Bauckham 1983, 25). Further reference to the human filial relationship might have suggested that the author did not show proper deference to Jesus' status as the Christ.
The specificity of Jude's self-identification does not carry over to the addressees. Epistolary conventions typically included geographic information about the audience, but Jude instead identifies the audience using only religious language. He replaces the identification of geographical location with a reference to God's love ("those who are called, who are beloved in God"), and the standard calendar date gives way to the transhistorical moment of Christ's second coming, which is above and beyond calendrical, historical measurement. Jude repeats the language of the opening phrases in verse 21 so that at both the beginning and the conclusion of the letter, he reinforces the relationship of the audience to God's love and care through Christ.
It is critical to Jude's argument that the addressees recognize themselves as "called people," created by God's love expressed in Christ. Since God has called the community into existence, it must rely upon God for its continued existence, both in the present and for the future. Even though Christian proclamation gave it a particular hue, the concept of "God's called people" has its roots in ancient Israel. Israel was chosen by God through divine initiative to serve God's purposes for the world. The call of Israel involves God's promise to strengthen and protect the people, but required a response of allegiance to God's covenant (Isa 42:6-7). The "call" is not one of right, but conferral of privilege. Jude uses the language of "call" not only to affirm the congregation's security, but also to remind them of their responsibility.
As Jude will show (vv. 5-16), failure to live according to the responsibility of the call results in a loss of this privileged status. These themes of fidelity and responsibility recur throughout the letter, as does the fact that the status can be forfeited by disobedience. These ideas are the basis for his refutation of the opposition (vv. 4-16) and the foundation of his exhortations (vv. 17-22).
Jude modifies the identification "called ones" with two participial phrases, "beloved in God the Father" and "kept safe for Jesus Christ." The passive forms of the participles imply divine action and the fact that the called ones have done nothing to merit their favored condition. God's graciousness conveys it and God's divine power maintains it. "To be called" is to be redeemed by God through the event of Christ (see 1 Cor 1:2) and thus to be "loved by him" (see Rom 5:8). The participle "beloved" has a perfect tense: God's loving actions, once having begun, remain constant. God will not retract favor unless the recipients refuse it.
Jude uses the noun "beloved" or a cognate form when he addresses the readers (vv. 1, 2, 3, 17, 20, 21). This description distinguishes them from Jude's opponents who are "ungodly persons, who pervert the grace of God," and who are "designated for judgment" (v. 3). In this verse, the verb "kept" indicates God's eschatological protection of believers. Elsewhere, the author uses the same term for affirming the effect and extent of God's power for punishment (v. 6), maintaining a proper relationship with God (v. 6), and for the eternal protection shown to God's followers (v. 24).
God's love also involves God's protection: the believers are "kept safe," i.e., established by God and maintained for the second coming when the ultimate consummation will occur (v. 24). At the beginning of the letter (v. 1) and at its end (vv. 21, 24), the author establishes this eschatological perspective. The promise of "being kept by God" underlines the certainty that God's will is to sustain and protect them from harm.
New Testament letters typically include an opening wish for "grace and peace" (e.g., Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:3; Gal 1:3; Phil 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2). In verse 2, Jude offers a similar wish, but his triadic formulation is unique. First and 2 Timothy also use a triple greeting ("grace, mercy, peace," 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2) but Jude alone uses "mercy, peace, and love." Ancient Jewish letter writers used the phrase "mercy and peace" to express their desire that the divine blessings of hesed and shalom rest on the letter's recipients always and everywhere. Jude's formulation "May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance" bears a close resemblance to these Jewish blessings, but it adds the term "love" to their typical dyad. This addition provides Christian overtones to the wish and emphasizes a fundamental theme (vv. 1, 2, 3, 17, 20, 21), "the love of God," as a foundation for God's community. The blessing also signals other important themes of the letter. The readers must show mercy to others, since they enjoy it themselves (vv. 22-23). They must be vigilant about the church's wellbeing, especially since there are some who wish todestroy it by causing division (vv. 19-20). Finally, and in contrast to the opposition, who care only for their own gain (v. 16), the congregation must remain attentive to its members, keeping themselves in the love of God (v. 21; so Neyrey 1993, 46).
Thematic Statement (3-4)
By their placement and content, these verses are the most important statements for interpreting the letter. In them the author expresses the goal and strategy of his argument. Jude had a two-fold purpose: (1) to warn the community of the invasive and dangerous teachers whose presence threatens its existence, and (2) to strengthen the community so that it can resist the intruders and retain their divinely-ordained condition of redemption.
Linguistic and conceptual links between these verses and the rest of the letter reflect their dual purpose. The readers are addressed as "beloved" in verse 3 and verses 17, 20; see also 21. The terms "faith" (v. 20), "salvation/save" (v. 23), and "holiness" (v. 20) all echo the concern that the community of saints "contend for the faith." Jude connects verse 4 to verses 519 by the repetition of the terms "judgment" (vv. 6, 9, 15) and "ungodly" (vv. 15, 18). References to immorality (vv. 6, 7, 8, 12, 16, 18) and to the denial of proper authority (vv. 5, 6, 8, 9, 16, 18, 19) also underscore the connection. Thus, from the outset, Jude displays two goals: to expose the false teachers and to exhort the believers to a life of faith.
The author begins his own "contention" for the faith by displaying the fate of those who transgressed their relationship with God, i.e., those who did not respond with obedience to the status divinely granted to them (vv. 4b-19). Once he has underscored the serious nature of maintaining a covenant with God, the author then encourages his readers to exhibit mutual edification, to pray, to act from love, and to maintain a stance of hope (vv. 20-21). This is behavior he considers contending for the faith, for by these actions the faithful community is preserved for eternal glory (v. 24).
* * *
Verse 3 suggests that the present letter was not what the author originally intended to write. Initially intending to write about "their shared salvation," he realized that a letter of another sort must be drafted first. How he came to this realization is not clear. The phrase "I found it necessary" sounds a note of urgency and importance; other issues had to be postponed to deal with the emergency. Verse 4 reveals the stimulus for his change of course: the appearance of "intruders" who "deny our only Master and Lord" by "perverting" God's grace. It is doubtful that the audience recognized these people as intruders or as dangerous, and the letter was written to alert them to these realities.
So, in place of remarks on "our common salvation," Jude appeals to his readers to "continue to contend for the faith." In its cultural context, the term "to contend" referred to athletic contests, but philosophical and religious thinkers also used it to depict life as a moral contest. This metaphor emphasizes that the congregation must see the "intruders" as opponents to the gospel, and, unless the members act with skill, endurance, and savvy, their opponents will overcome them (see 2 Cor 10:3-6). The early church was a fragile institution, dependent on the confession of an extraordinary and unusual narrative. "Contending for the faith" entails maintaining fidelity to the founding narrative: clarifying it and acting upon it (v. 20). It involves both a defense against false or faulty understandings of the gospel (Gal 1:8-9, 2:14) and efforts to maintain the social fabric of the community (Rom 12:1-13).
The congregation is to contend for "the faith that was once and for all entrusted to the saints." The term hapax ("once for all") does not mean a calcified or rigid construction of doctrine, but a narrative of faith that is complete. The term is used here, as it is in Heb 9:12, 26-28 and in 1 Pet 3:18, to mean that God's saving actions in Christ are sufficient and final, in need of no additional efforts or repetition. The narrative of those acts delivered to the community contains everything necessary for a life of faith and recounts truthfully everything required for salvation. Jude uses "once for all" to underscore that the instruction the audience initially accepted is a sufficient and complete narration of the gospel message.
This "faith entrusted to the saints" concerns the common salvation to which Jude has just referred. It is "the message or body of saving beliefs accepted as orthodox in the Church" (Kelly 1981, 247), so when the author uses the term pistis ("faith") to signify a body of belief, he is not at odds with other New Testament writers (e.g., Paul uses pistis to describe his early preaching [Gal 1:23, Rom 10:8], and Luke refers to the gospel message as "the faith" [Acts 6:7]).
"Entrusted" is a technical term, taken over from Judaism, referring to an authoritative chain of tradition that guarantees the truth of the teaching passed down from one generation to the next. Thus Jude was emphasizing the legitimate nature and true content of the faith. It is clear that the authoritative transmission of "the faith" also was important to other New Testament writers (e.g., Luke 1:1-4), for, like Jude, they refer to a transmission of fundamental traditions (1 Cor 11:2, 23; 2 Thess 2:15, 3:6) and frequently make use of them (1 Cor 11:23, Phil 2:5-11, 1 Tim 3:16, 2 Tim 2:1113). In all these cases, they reflect a movement toward refining the faith and providing guarantees of its authenticity.
In verse 4, Jude describes the opposition. Most certainly they considered themselves believers. Jude, however, never refers to them that way, but only as "those who have stolen in among you" or simply as "those" or "they" (vv.8, 10, 11, 12, 14). Jude does not mean that the opposition has physically entered the congregation by stealth, but that they have entered the community's life like viruses that infect a body, which, if left untreated, will eventually kill their hosts. The intruders' teaching, seemingly innocuous, is actually a hidden danger, which God has already condemned (v. 4b). Jude aims to make their real identity apparent, and the fact that his readers were oblivious to the danger created by intruders explains the letter's harsh tone.
Elsewhere Jude refers to the opposing intruders as "these people" (vv. 8, 10, 11, 12, 14), suggesting that they merit neither a name nor a mention of what they actually taught. Indeed, the author never engages the intruders' teaching directly. Instead, he employs arguments against their character and behavior, exposing them as disingenuous and hypocritical. While Jude and the addressees are "obedient and loved by God" (v. 1), the opposition perverts "grace into licentiousness" and denies "divine lordship." While these phrases are stereotypical, and likely are exaggerated, the charges contained some truth, since otherwise the audience would not have accepted them. Thus, the innovators probably promoted some form of liberty from external constraints, including those that pertained to social and personal behavior.
Jude claims that the innovators "long ago were designated (in writing) for this condemnation as ungodly." Although the adverb "long ago" can simply mean an event that occurred "prior to this time" (e.g., 2 Cor 12:19), it typically suggests that the object under consideration was long held or established (e.g., Heb 1:1). This meaning fits Jude's context: from the very beginning, well before they entered this community, these teachers were designated for condemnation.
Although the author's general meaning is clear, the phrase as a whole poses significant difficulties. What did Jude intend by "this condemnation," and to what source was he referring when he stated that it had been "already designated"? Commentators have suggested sources such as the Old Testament, pre-Christian prophecy (e.g., 1 Enoch), or even the "list kept in heaven of those saved and condemned," but probably Jude was making a general reference to the authority of ancient tradition. Taken in this generic sense, their "prewritten condemnation" serves as a topic sentence that categorizes the examples of disobedience (vv. 5-7, 11), the prophecy from 1 Enoch (vv. 14-15), and the citation of the apostolic predictions (vv.17-18; so Bauckham 1983, 27; Kelly 1981, 249).
The term "were designated" contains an obvious note of predetermination, particularly in the light of the other two instances of "before" language in Jude: Enoch's prior prophecy (v. 14) and the predictions of the apostles (v. 17). In all three, Jude stresses that, on the basis of the knowledge provided by ancient authority, the current opposition has already been identified as deniers of God's truth, hence their fate has been sealed. The saints, those beloved by God, are "kept for Christ" (v. 1) and preserved safe until the second coming (vv. 20, 24). By contrast, the infiltrators are destined only for judgment.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: Jude, 2 Peter by Steven J. Kraftchick. Copyright © 2002 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword,Preface,
List of Abbreviations,
Introduction: Jude,
Commentary: Jude,
Introduction: 2 Peter,
Commentary: 2 Peter,
Select Bibliography,
Index,