Scripture is a dialogue which we are invited to join

Johannes Vermeer, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary — c. 1654–55

Scripture preserves the voices of apostles, prophets, and others who did not always agree with one another and who spoke from within the limitations of their own time and cultural perspective. The relationship between Jude and Second Peter offers a striking example of how early Christians reworked inherited texts, argued over competing understandings of the gospel, and responded to expectations that did not unfold as anticipated. These diverse perspectives remind us that scripture is not the inerrant voice of God but a dialogue—one we are invited to join with responsible discernment, guided by our Enduring Principles. By John Hamer, Director of Outreach & Innovative Mission

Second Peter and the brief Epistle of Jude are related texts in the same way that the gospels of Matthew and Luke are literarily dependent on the gospel of Mark: Jude and Second Peter share literary dependence. Jude is 25 verses long. Second Peter directly quotes or reworks 19 of these verses. And because Jude makes a coherent argument and the verses from Jude seem to be spread about in Second Peter, most Biblical scholars agree that the author of Second Peter had a copy of the Epistle of Jude in hand and decided to expand it — giving the new message the pretended authority of the leader of the Twelve Apostles, Simon Peter.

The Epistle of Jude is written in the name of Jude the brother of James, who was, in turn, the brother of Jesus. “Jude” like “Judas” is a Greek rendering of the name “Judah” — all three Jude/Judas/Judah are the same name. Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in the gospels, and we have seen that James was the leader of the Jerusalem church after Jesus’ crucifixion. According to later Christian tradition, after James was martyred in the year 62, another of Jesus’ brothers, Simon, took over leadership of the Jerusalem church. With the outbreak of the First Roman Jewish War, the Christians fled Jerusalem, settling in Pella — a city of the Decapolis on the east bank of the Jordan. Three centuries later Pella remained one of the last centers of Jewish Christianity — Christians who continued to adhere to the Law of Moses — before the tradition died out.

Like the Epistle of James, the Epistle of Jude seems to reflect the attitude of this church: Jewish Christians who continue to obey the Law of Moses. The author of Jude is writing a bitter condemnation of the leadership of a rival Christian faction, whom he calls “certain intruders” who “have stolen in among you” (1:4). According to Jude, “It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions” in the Christian community (1:19). The sign of their error is that they “pervert the grace of our God into debauchery” (1:4). This perversion or misinterpretation of God’s “grace” may be telling given the debate between the churches inspired by Paul and those inspired by James on the subjects of grace and works of the Law. The author of Second Peter is writing after the end of the apostolic age. He has a copy of Paul’s letters which have begun to be considered authoritative, but he does not draw from their ideas. The debate over Christian adherence to the Law of Moses has ended with Paul’s position having won out.

The author of Second Peter has a new worry. He fervently believes in a literal apocalypse. The author of First Peter referred to the idea of Christ’s Second Coming as a “revelation,” but the author of Second Peter calls it an “advent” — using the same word Romans used for an Emperor’s ceremonial arrival at a city. Concerning the world’s end, apocalyptic literalists put the saying on Jesus’ lips, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place” (Mark 13:30). The problem for the author of Second Peter is that this promise, read literally, has already failed. That generation has now passed away and many Christians have begun to rethink what the ideas of revelation, resurrection, a new heaven, and a new earth might mean. The author of Second Peter will have none of it, reworking Jude, he writes: “First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!’” (3:3–4). He hastens to remind his readers, “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance” (3:8–9).

The generation of the apostles who heard Jesus’ words passed away and the author of Second Peter’s generation has passed away. And 80 generations or more have passed away coming to our time. But the canon preserves texts and perspectives from long ago. Each apostle, prophet, revelator, and evangelist had their own testimony, their own vision of the faith, and their own limitations. They shared their perspectives — at times, using heated language and invective for their opponents. Taken as a whole, we are reminded that scripture is a dialogue which we are invited to join. To become revelatory in our day, it must be approached responsibly, and read with discernment, to discard or apply principles with meaning that endures for our time. May this be our goal, as we move onward together in Community of Christ.