Query.

By:
B.B. — WHO WROTE THE EPISTLE OF JUDE? The principal if not the only direct evidence that we have for the identification of the writer is his own statement that he was the “brother of James” (ver. 1). Now we find that there were two among the apostles named James and Jude (that is, Judas or Judah) who are classed together. And from the various references we gather that the latter had the additional names of Thaddeus and Lebbæus. Matthew gives the pair as “James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbæus, whose surname was Thaddeus” (Matt. 10:33Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thaddeus; (Matthew 10:3)). Mark reads “James the son of Alphæus, and Thaddæus” (Mark 3:1818And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite, (Mark 3:18)). Luke however, in the Gospel and in the Acts, joins Simon Zelotes with James of Alpheus, and the brother with Judas Iscariot. But as both are named Judas, the former is carefully distinguished from the traitor by being called “Judas the brother of James” (Luke 6:1616And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. (Luke 6:16); Acts 1:1313And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. (Acts 1:13)). For the same purpose of distinction from the betrayer, John speaks of him as Judas “not Iscariot” (John 14:2222Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? (John 14:22)). It is therefore fairly conclusive that the writer of the Epistle for apostate times was the apostle Judas, once a companion of that other Judas who was himself such a notorious apostate. The argument that Jude could not be an apostle because he does not call himself such is of little or no weight; neither does the apostle John in his Epistles, nor Paul in writing to the Thessalonians and the Philippians.