Jude 1-4
Despite the popular Beatles’ song (which has nothing to do with this letter whatsoever), I always assumed this letter was written to Jude from the Apostle Paul, like many other books in the New Testament. Obviously, once you start reading it, you discover he actually wrote the letter himself to other Christians. Also the half-brother of Jesus, he and James became believers of the Christian faith and in this letter works to address a specific issue that is arising. It is why this letter has become part of the canon, because just upon reading the first few verses, we can see how easily this message applies to us today. It is a part of our religious doctrine, a warning and exhortation to beware of false “Christian” teachings. Specifically, he was speaking out against Gnostics.
What are Gnostics, you say? My study software has provided a comprehensive summary of their beliefs and reveals why it was so dangerous to the faith:
Gnosticism was a second-century religious movement centered on the belief that salvation came through revealed knowledge (gnōsis)[1], though incipient forms appeared in earlier New Testament writings like 1 John and Colossians[2]. The movement’s core appeal lay in its syncretic flexibility—it could attach itself readily to various religions without being bound to fixed doctrines[2].
[1] Zachary G. Smith, “Gnosticism,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [See here, here, here.]
At its foundation lay a radical dualism. Gnostics viewed spirit as good and matter as evil, with the highest god being pure spirit[2]. This transcendent God produced divine offspring (aeons) who themselves generated further divine beings, creating a hierarchical spiritual realm increasingly distant from the ultimate source[3]. The material world was not created by God but by a lesser deity (the demiurge) resulting from the fall of divine Wisdom, leaving the physical realm entirely isolated from the divine[1].
Within this cosmic framework, humans possessed a divine spark—their true self or soul—naturally belonging to God’s realm but imprisoned within the material body[1]. Salvation meant liberating this divine spark from its material prison and returning it to the divine sphere[3]. This liberation came through direct knowledge (gnōsis), available only to an enlightened few[2].
The incarnation posed a theological crisis for Christian Gnostics. Docetists claimed Jesus only appeared to have a human body[2], while Cerinthus distinguished between the human Jesus and the divine Christ-spirit, teaching that Christ descended at baptism but departed before crucifixion[2]. The belief that matter was evil also produced contradictory moral responses: some practiced extreme asceticism to subdue the body, while others indulged fleshly appetites, reasoning that the body’s actions were spiritually irrelevant[2].
[2] Dale Leschert, The Flow of the New Testament (Fearn, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2002), 472–473.
[3] Robert A. Kugler and Patrick J. Hartin, An Introduction to the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 527–528.
Now, I know that’s a bit to read, but it certainly isn’t more than you can handle, as I sometimes write more exhaustive reflections. I wanted to make sure I at least know what Gnosticism is, and of course, you, the reader, as well! It is important we understand how different belief structures work so we can identify them when they surface. This letter was, after all, written to help Christians identify false teachings that tend to sway and mislead people without them even knowing it! This is why we must keep watch over our hearts and minds and be mindful of what other people are saying, instead of just accepting it as truth.
Comment below if you believe you have been exposed to Gnosticism in the past and what happened.
Share these thoughts!:
Discover more from The Thoughts of a Simple Man
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.