Key Learnings from Wednesdays
June 2025
Wednesday Bible Study
The Book of Jude is a letter (an Epistle), traditionally attributed to Jude, the brother of James and half brother of Jesus. It encourages Christians to remain steadfast against false teachers infiltrating the their community by highlighting the dangers of immorality and rebellion. Meets in the Cafe.
⁃ Authorship Questions
• Brother of James and Half Brother of Jesus?
• The disciple Thaddeus also called Jude?
⁃ Jude 5 - Jesus saved the people out of Egypt (ESV) vs the Lord saved the people out of Egypt (NIV).
• Long time debated in manuscript circles going back centuries
• No universal acceptance on which word is the original
⁃ Variations in the view of Scripture
• ELCA; a container of God’s Word along with the words of man - You are the arbitrator, select what you like
• LCMS; the inherent Word of God - God is the arbitrator, deal with it.
⁃ References
• Out of Egypt - God Himself rescued us
• Fallen Angels - Overstepping authority
• Sodom and Gomorrah - Unrighteousness; Sinful desires
• Archangel Michael, Moses, & the devil - Even the prophets were flawed but God still intervened (?)
• Often Contributed to the Assumption of Moses which has long been lost to time
• Dubious as the early church never made that connection
• Cain (Genesis 4) - faithlessness & jealousy
• Balaam’s Error (Numbers 22-24) - Corruption, following false gods
• Korah Rebellion (Numbers 16) - Revolting against God’s church
⁃ Enoch
• Great grandfather of Noah
• Commemorated as having lived a faithful life (as in LSB Hymn 611, 494)
• Walked with God instead meeting death first (Genesis 5:24, Hebrews 11:5)
• The Book of Enoch falsely ascribed “pseudepigrapha” to Enoch
• Neither Christians nor Jews considered the book(s) as part of scripture (i.e. Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, etc.)
• A collection of writings over a period of 300 years written as late as the 1st century
• A quote from Enoch (Jude 1:14-15) for emphasis: Even before the flood, in the ancient world, they had a righteous prophet who spoke out against a wick generation; They did not go without a warning.
⁃ Jude 1:5 - Jesus or Lord
• Manuscript differences does not change the meaning of the text
• Angel of God = Pre-incarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity (Exodus 14:19)
• Jesus Christ is Master and Lord (Jude 1:4) ∴ Jesus=Lord