📖 Biblical Definition
Jude was a brother of James the Lord's brother (Jude 1:1, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James) and therefore another biological half-brother of Jesus (Mt 13:55, called Judas). Like James, he did not believe during Christ's ministry but became a follower after the resurrection. His brief Epistle (25 verses) is a fierce defense of the faith against false teachers, citing the apocryphal Enoch and an episode involving Michael and Moses.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Half-brother of Jesus; brother of James; author of the Epistle of Jude.
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Matthew 13:55 lists him as Judas among Christ's brothers (with James, Joses, and Simon). The author of the Epistle identifies as brother of James rather than directly as brother of the Lord — a humble preference for the family relationship that survived through faith rather than the biological one.
His Epistle (25 verses) is densely allusive: Cain, Korah, Balaam, Sodom, Egypt, fallen angels, Michael disputing with Satan over Moses' body (citing 1 Enoch), Enoch's prophecy. The brevity and intensity make it one of the New Testament's sharpest texts.
📖 Key Scripture
Jude 1:1 — "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father."
Jude 1:3 — "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
Jude 1:14 — "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these."
Jude 1:24 — "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christianity often skips Jude as obscure; the 25-verse Epistle is one of the New Testament's sharpest defenses against doctrinal compromise.
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Jude 1:3's earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints is the church's charter for theological vigilance. Once delivered: the faith is fixed; contend: vigorous defense is required.
The closing doxology (Jude 1:24-25) is one of the New Testament's most beautiful: now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. The Epistle's severity ends in glory.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek Ioudas; from Hebrew Judah.
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Greek Ioudas — transliteration of Hebrew Yehudah, Judah / praise.
Note: distinct from Judas Iscariot, Judas son of James (an apostle), and various other Judases.
Usage
"Earnestly contend for the faith once delivered."
"The Epistle's severity ends in glory."
"He preferred to identify as brother of James rather than brother of the Lord."