Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, (and younger half-brother of the Lord Jesus). Jude also targets Jewish Christians in danger of false teachers.
His epistle will probably play a spiritual role during the Tribulation for Jewish believers. Jude warns of false teachers and has the unusual discussion of:
- angels that sinned (Jude 6, see 2 Pet 2:4)
- Sodom and Gomorrha (Jude 7, see 2 Pet 2:6)
- Balaam (Jude 11, see 2 Pet 2:15)
Peter probably wrote 2 Peter with the help of a scribe who may have been Jude. This type of connection between Peter and Jude would explain the sharp similarities between the two books. It would also mean that 2 Peter and Jude should be dated to essentially the same time.
When would this time be? 2 Peter 3:16 carries a reference to Paul’s letters, thereby negating the possibility of a very early date for the book. Since James was executed in 62 A.D., and no hint of such an event is in 2 Peter. It was also around 62 A.D. that Peter went to Rome. For Jude to be Peter’s scribe, both would probably need to still be in Jerusalem. The most likely date window for 2 Peter and Jude therefore narrows to around 62 A.D.
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