J. Daryl Charles on The Use of Tradition-Material in the Epistle of Jude

The following article is now available online in PDF:

J. Daryl Charles, "The Use of Tradition-Material in the Epistle of Jude," Bulletin for Biblical Research 4 (1994): 1-14.

I have always been fascinated by Jude's use of extra-biblical material in his letter, yet (as the author notes) it has rarely been adequately addressed by scholars. I am very pleased, therefore, to be able to make this article available, with the kind permission of the journal editor and publisher.

Summary:

The history of the interpretation of Jude, broadly speaking, is one of omis­sion or misunderstanding. Most commentary on the epistle over the last hundred years, while being highly derivative in nature, has lacked thought­ful inquiry. One factor that has discouraged serious study is the writer’s use of OT and extrabiblical tradition-material. Surviving Jewish literature from the last two centuries B.C. and first century A.D. is decisive in helping to explain the religious thought-world reflected in the NT This is particu­larly the case in Jude. The use of Jewish tradition-material in the epistle invites the reader to give attention to the writer’s exegetical methodology—a methodology owing to a distinctly Palestinian Jewish-Christian cultural milieu. In Jude, significant theological truth is wrapped in literary argu­ments of the day. Literary sources, all part of a well-calculated literary strategy, are marshalled for the purpose of addressing urgent pastoral need. Lessons from the past bear forcefully on the present as a means of admonishing the Christian community.