Jude 8-16
We’ve been reading Paul for so long that Peter seemed quite a change and Jude even more so! For example, Jude has two non-Biblical citations in today’s reading: But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses… (v. 9a) and It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied… (v. 14a). Jude is citing Jewish history here for which we have no Biblical account. There were a few occasions where Paul cited external sources of unknown origin, but (as I recall) not with a Biblical connection. So with Jude, since his letter was deemed inspired writing (canonical) by our Christian forefathers many years ago, we don’t dispute the truthfulness of his claims, but we also tend not to cite these two verses in building any theological arguments, as these verses do not stand up to the standard set long ago in the Pentateuch: …on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. (Deuteronomy 19:15, NASB) Journalists and detectives today do not accept a story or a witness unless they can corroborate one person’s testimony with second sources. Jude, alone, makes these two claims.
Small item – I couldn’t help but notice the word “ungodly” used for times in one verse (15). Unusual!
Slava Bohu!