Warnings From Ancient Rebellions
After the letter’s opening appeal, Jude (or Judah) begins warning corrupt members of a Jewish messianic church community who cast off restraint and live openly immoral lives. He does so with an ancient rhetorical technique found in both the Hebrew Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Jude shares three stories of rebellion in the Hebrew Bible: the spies fearful of the promised land in Numbers 13-14, the “sons of God” in Genesis 6, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. Then he draws comparisons to the corrupt church members, promising they’ll receive the same judgment. Why does Jude write this way about the moral crisis in a church? What is he trying to communicate? In this episode, Jon and Tim explore verses 5-8, unpacking the dense biblical references and what they would have meant to Jude and his audience.
Show Notes
Bibleproject Jude Translation
View our full translation of the Letter of Jude.
Reflection Questions
How does Jude use stories from the Hebrew Bible to frame the moral crisis in this church community?
What do the promised land spies, rebellious spiritual beings, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah have in common with the corrupt church members?
How does Jude’s use of the Hebrew Bible and apocryphal texts like 1 Enoch shape our understanding of an early Jewish messianic worldview?
Chapter 1: A Jewish Rhetorical Technique
In the main body of his letter, Jude uses a common Jewish rhetorical technique. He refers to stories from the Hebrew Bible and applies them to “these people,” the church members who are out of control and causing trouble. This rhetorical technique can be found in the Hebrew Bible itself and also in the literature of the Dead Sea Scrolls community (Gen. 41:25-27; Zech. 1:8-10).
Chapter 2: Rebellion Of The Spies, Sons Of God, And Sodom And Gomorrah
In Jude 1:5-7, the author reminds his audience of three rebellion stories from the Hebrew Bible: the promised land spies who rallied the Exodus generation to turn against God and Moses (Num. 13-14), the “sons of God” who took human women (Gen. 6:1-4), and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who tried to sexually abuse angels (Gen. 19). In each case, Jude says that God will judge the corrupt church members for their illicit behavior and rebellion against God.
Chapter 3: Concluding Thoughts On The First Triad
Jude concludes this first triad of Hebrew Bible references by again condemning the corrupt church members for their false prophetic dreams and immoral behavior (Jude 1:8). While it may seem strange to compare morally compromised Christians with rebel spies and fallen angels, this was a natural way for Jude and his Jewish messianic community to apply the wisdom of the Scriptures to a moral crisis.
Referenced Resources
- The Dead Sea Scrolls (Pesharim). Tim notes that Jude’s pattern of citing Scripture and applying it to “these people” mirrors a rhetorical technique found in the Dead Sea Scrolls literature. Those writers cite biblical texts and directly interpret them as referring to the community’s present situation.
- 1 Enoch. Tim notes that 1 Enoch, an apocryphal Second-Temple-period work, adds commentary to the story of the sons of God in Genesis 6.
Interested in learning more? Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.
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Show Music
- “Fellowship” by Lofi Sunday, Cassidy Godwin
- “Peace With You ft. Oly.Lo” by Lofi Sunday
- BibleProject theme song by TENTS
Show Credits
Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey is our supervising engineer, who also edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie. Powered and distributed by Simplecast.