Jude

Author: Jude, the brother of James and of Jesus Christ
Place of writing: unknown
Time of writing: 65-70 A.D.

In his letter, Jude calls himself the brother of James, who was the brother of Jesus (see Galatians 1:19). Of course, this would make Jude the brother of Jesus as well, even as we read in Mark 6:3. Jude addresses the letter to believers, but emphasizes that it is only for genuine believers, who have been loved and called by God and are being kept by him; this is likely because of the rise of many false teachers in the church who claimed to be believers but were only imposters. It is difficult to determine the precise time and place that Jude wrote his letter; but if Peter made use of it in his second letter, as many believe, then it cannot have been later than 66 A.D. – and in any case, it must not have been much after that.

In his letter, Jude explains that he had hoped to write about the nature of salvation, but he was forced instead to write a strong warning, since many false teachers had arisen in the Church. He speaks of the terrible punishment awaiting these false teachers, and describes them in detail so that genuine believers might recognize and resist them. Finally, he encourages the believers to continue steadfast in the truth, and praises God who is able to keep them from falling until they stand before him in all his glory.

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