Who Wrote Jude?
Quick Summary
The Letter of Jude identifies its author as “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James.” Early church testimony, internal evidence, and modern scholarship widely agree that this Jude was the brother of Jesus and sibling of James, the leader of the Jerusalem church. The letter’s authority rests on its close connection to Jesus’ family, its early acceptance in the church, and its strong alignment with apostolic teaching.
Introduction
The Letter of Jude is short, urgent, and forceful. Though consisting of only twenty-five verses, it addresses serious theological and moral threats facing the early Christian community. The author writes with confidence and authority, calling believers to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.
Unlike some New Testament letters, Jude clearly identifies himself, offering valuable insight into authorship. Understanding who Jude was, and why his voice carried weight, helps clarify how this brief letter came to be recognized as Scripture.
Internal Evidence from Jude
The opening verse reads: “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” (Jude 1). Rather than claiming authority based on familial ties to Jesus, Jude emphasizes his relationship to James, a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church. This restraint suggests humility and a desire to ground his authority in recognized leadership rather than personal status.
The letter assumes the author has the right to exhort, warn, and instruct believers across communities. Jude speaks decisively about false teachers and appeals to shared apostolic tradition, indicating that his authority was already established and acknowledged.
Relationship to James and the Jerusalem Church
The reference to James is significant. James, widely identified as the brother of Jesus, was a central figure in the early church (Acts 15:13; Galatians 1:19). By identifying himself as James’s brother, Jude situates himself within the leadership circle of the Jerusalem church.
Early Christian tradition consistently understood Jude to be another brother of Jesus, listed alongside James in the Gospels (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). This familial connection explains why Jude’s letter was received with seriousness and preserved within the canon.
Use of Jewish Traditions
Jude makes reference to Jewish traditions not found in the Hebrew Bible, including the dispute over Moses’ body (Jude 9) and imagery associated with 1 Enoch (Jude 14–15). Rather than undermining the letter’s authority, these references reflect Jude’s deep engagement with Jewish interpretive traditions familiar to his audience.
The early church did not view these allusions as problematic but understood them as rhetorical tools used to communicate truth within a shared cultural framework.
Early Church Testimony
Early Christian writers consistently attributed Jude to Jude, the brother of Jesus. Clement of Alexandria and Origen treated the letter as authentic and authoritative. Eusebius acknowledged that Jude was among the books that had been questioned by some due to its brevity, yet he affirmed its widespread use in the churches.
By the fourth century, figures such as Athanasius and Jerome fully affirmed Jude as part of the New Testament canon. Notably, no alternative author was ever proposed in early Christian literature.
Scholarly Assessment
Modern scholars largely agree that Jude was written by Jude, the brother of Jesus. Richard Bauckham argues that the letter’s author intentionally identified himself in a way that would be recognizable and authoritative within early Christian communities. Douglas Moo emphasizes that Jude’s close ties to James and the Jerusalem church strongly support traditional authorship.
While some scholars propose a later pseudonymous author, this view struggles to account for the letter’s early acceptance and its specific self-identification.
Date and Historical Context
Jude is commonly dated between 60 and 80 CE. The letter reflects internal threats from false teachers rather than external persecution, suggesting a period when Christian communities were defining boundaries of belief and behavior.
Its urgent tone reflects a leader responding quickly to protect the faith of vulnerable congregations.
Conclusion
The combined evidence strongly supports Jude, the brother of Jesus and James, as the author of the Letter of Jude. His careful self-identification, early church reception, and alignment with apostolic teaching establish the letter’s authority.
Though brief, Jude remains a powerful call to faithfulness, reminding believers that truth must be defended with both conviction and humility.
Works Consulted
Bauckham, Richard. Jude, 2 Peter. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word Books, 1983.
Moo, Douglas J. 2 Peter and Jude. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
Green, Gene L. Jude and 2 Peter. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.
Eusebius of Caesarea. Ecclesiastical History.
Jerome. On Illustrious Men.
