discouraging report from their exploration of Canaan ["kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation" (see Jude 6, and comp. Numbers xiii. 25-33)]. At all events, he refers to something nowhere found in the Old Testament. And he refers to it in terms precisely equivalent to those in which, in the rest of the passage, he refers to certain narratives in Genesis (vii. 17-24, xix. 4-25). The correct inference appears to be, that no more in the one case than in the other can it be maintained from his language that he expresses his belief in historical facts.

II. 15, 16.

They have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, forbade the madness of the prophet.

Another reference of the same class as those last remarked upon. (See Numb. xxii. 7, 21-33; and comp. "Lectures," &c., Vol. I. pp. 381-384.)

II. 22.

It is happened unto them according to the true proverb, "The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire."

A form of language common in all times, and distinctly illustrative of more formal verbal accommodations. (See above, pp. 20 et seq.)

III. 5-8.

This they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water; whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished; but the heavens and the earth which are now, by his word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition

of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

In opposition to some who maintained (comp. 4) that all earthly things were permanent, the writer says that the earth had once been destroyed by water, and would again be destroyed by fire. The latter opinion he certainly did not derive from Old Testament Scripture. Whether he drew the former from that, or some other source, he does not say. In the last verse is a sort of quotation from a Psalm (xc. 4).

III. 13.

We, according to his promise, look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

The phraseology in which the promised blessing (comp. iii. 4, 9) is described, appears to be borrowed from the book of Isaiah (lxv. 17, lxvi. 22).

SECTION IV.

EPISTLE OF JUDE.

THE Epistle of Jude bears so strong a resemblance, not only in topics, but in language, to the second chapter of the Second Epistle of Peter, as to suggest the idea of their having been but different copies of the same work, which, having circulated for a time without a fixed character as to authorship, finally took the names respectively of those two disciples, the one remaining as a distinct piece, the other being inserted into the midst of a composition of different origin.

The Epistle professes to have been written by a

Jude,
"the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of
James" (1). These titles have been differently under-
stood to indicate the Apostle Judas, otherwise called
Lebbeus, and also surnamed Thaddeus (Matt. x. 3;
Mark iii. 18; Luke vi. 16; John xiv. 22; Acts i. 13),
or Judas, called, with James, Joses, and Simon, the
"brother" of Jesus (Matt. xiii. 55; Mark vi. 3).

The main defect in the historical evidence of the
genuineness of this Epistle is its absence from the
Syriac version. Of the three great early authorities
on such questions, Irenæus does not appear to have
referred to it (Lardner, "Supplement," &c., Chap.
XXI. § 2); but Tertullian (alluding to Jude 14)
says "De Cult. Femin.," Lib. I. Cap. iii. p. 151, edit.
Rigalt.), "Enoch is quoted by the Apostle Jude";
and Clement of Alexandria distinctly quotes from it
two or three times (" Pæd.," Lib. III. Cap. viii.; "Stro-
mat.,” Lib. III. Cap. ii. sub fin.), and calls it a work
of Jude. It is repeatedly quoted by Origen, who also
said of it ("Comment. in Mat.," p. 463, edit. Delarue),
"Jude wrote an Epistle, of few lines indeed, but full
of the powerful words of the heavenly grace, who at
the beginning says, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ
and brother of James."" He however said in another
place (ibid. p. 814), "If any one receives also the
Epistle of Jude, let him consider what will follow
from what is there said," &c. As late as the time
of Eusebius, after which there could be no testimony
to settle the question, the genuineness of the work
was still contested. 66
Among the disputed books,"
says he (Lib. III. Cap. 25), "though approved by
many, is reckoned that called the Epistle of ...
Jude."

6

Supposing the work to have originated in the Apostolic age, there would still remain the important ques

tion respecting its authority, whether it was written by the Apostle Jude, which it does not declare itself to have been, or by one of those "brethren" of Jesus who had no such commission to speak in his name, and who, down to a late period of his ministry, at least, had taken no part in his work. (John vii. 5.) And this is a question which antiquity has not transmitted to us sufficient means for solving.

5.

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. See above, p. 270.

6, 7.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

See above, p. 337.

9.

Michael the archangel, when, contending with the Devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee."

There is no more than a partial verbal similarity between this passage and one in the prophecy of Zechariah (iii. 1, 2). The writer is evidently referring to a popular legend, from which, agreeably to a well-authorized practice of all times, he draws a moral. Origen ("De Princip.," Lib. III. Cap. 2, sub init.) refers for the fable to a book called the "Ascension of Moses."

11.

They have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

That is, they have shown a malignity like that displayed in the legendary history of Cain (Gen. iv. 8), and a rapacity and an intractable spirit like those of ancient adversaries of Moses, and rebels against Jehovah. (Numb. xvi. 32, xxii. 7.)

14, 15.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Referring to this text, Tertullian says, in the passage quoted above (p. 340), that Jude quoted from the Book of Enoch, a book which, I suppose, no tolerably informed person, whether Jew or Christian, of the Apostolic age, esteemed as a writing of authority.

The material remark to which the text gives rise relates to the manner in which the word "prophesied is used, consonant to what I have argued at large to be a familiar and well-authorized application of such phraseology. (See above, pp. 28, 49.) The writer rebukes contemporaries of his own, and proceeds to say, "Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these." It is impossible to imagine him to have meant that the author of the words which he then quotes as prophesying "of these," had "these" in his mind when he so "prophesied." The sense of Jude clearly was, that the words were applicable to "these."