Jude and 2 Peter

The letter of Jude is less than two pages in length, and has little to offer. The author of the letter claims to be Jude, the brother of James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, and by implication a brother of Jesus. This family connection is doubtful. Jude, the brother of Jesus, was a Galilean peasant who spoke Aramaic. This letter was written in Greek with no claim to have been dictated. There is also no evidence that Jude ever left Palestine. In addition, the letter defines religion in terms of correct belief, a characteristic of the late first and early second century, rather than in Paul’s terms as faith in the power released by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

As a result, the letter is almost certainly pseudonymous. It also has little to offer modern Christians. The letter is a polemic against false teachers, and is filled with nasty name calling and vitriolic. It’s amazing that it was included in the canon.

2 Peter has similar problems. The vast majority of scholars agree that this letter was not written by Peter, the disciple of Jesus, despite the claim of the author that this was so (1:1). The author further claims to have been with Jesus at the Transfiguration (1: 16-18), and asserts that this was his second letter to the faithful (3:1). Several arguments are presented to deny these claims. The letter is in Greek, and Peter was an illiterate peasant. There is no suggestion that the letter was dictated. In addition, much of chapter 2 is taken directly from Jude. Why would an eye witness copy material in this way? The author, like Jude, defines the Christian faith as a set of beliefs, rather than trust in the power of God (Paul). Finally, there is no reference to the letter until 220 C.E., and it was not widely circulated until the end of the third century.

Like Jude, much of the letter is a polemic against false belief. It does contain one interesting section, however (see 3: 1-15). Apparently there were some members of the Christian community who began to harbor doubts about the impending Judgment and the return of Jesus. They even went so far as to deny that God was in control of history. The author of 2 Peter responds forcefully to these heretical beliefs. He argues that God both controls history and the Judgment is coming, but that God’s time is not like our time. With God, one day can be a thousand years, and a thousand years can seem like one day (3:8). Be patient, the delay has been ordered by God to allow the maximum number of people to come to Christ, and by implication this resolution to history will come within their lifetimes.

I have argued in several places in these blogs that Christians believed that the kingdom was coming in the first century, that most believers in Jesus thought that it would come within their lifetimes. I have also argued that there was no dissent, that this was the near unanimous view presented in the New Testament. I still stand by that position. Although 2 Peter provides evidence to the contrary, this letter does not belong in the canon. It is a forgery. The author obviously lies about his presence at the transfiguration, and by doing so destroys his credibility. As with Jude, I am amazed that 2 Peter was allowed to become a part of the canon.

1 Peter

1 Peter is a general letter addressed to a wide group of churches. Although the author claims to be a disciple of Jesus, there are reasons to doubt this claim. We know that Peter, the disciple, was illiterate (Acts 4: 13), and that his native language was Aramaic. The letter under his name is written in highly literate Greek with the author using the Septuagint when making reference to Jewish scriptures. The letter also assumes a level of church organization (5:11) that probably did not exist until after the death of the disciple Peter.

On the other hand, the letter claims to be dictated by Peter to Silvanus (5: 12). One thing we do know is that the letter was most likely written in Rome (5:13), and Peter was reported to have been there. As a result, it is possible that Peter was the author, but it could also have been written by one of his disciples there or by an admirer. Though I am not fully convinced one way or the other, I lean toward pseudonymity because the letter does not have the ring of a Palestinian peasant. There is also no attempt to suggest that the author was with Jesus when.

With the question of authorship set aside, it is apparent that the letter states several well known Christian positions. Jesus’ death on the cross is seen as a once and for all atoning sacrifice for the defeat of sin (1:18 and 3: 18-19). Jesus is also proclaimed to be God’s preexistent son whom God raises from the dead (1:20-21). Salvation is defined as a future hope which is attained through faith (1:3-6). The letter also contains a great deal of practical advice for ethical living and for dealing with specific problems of concern to the addressed communities.

One important reason for the letter is that Christians are being persecuted. In a spirit that reminds me of Mohandas Gandhi, Christians are urged to respond to persecution with reverence and gentleness (3: 15-16). The goal of such a strategy is to shame your enemies into changing their behavior (3: 17). The author also reassures his readers that there will be an end to their suffering. Salvation is coming soon (4: 7) for those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ (4: 17 and 5: 10).

One final note of interest is the question of worldview. Jesus dies in his body, and is raised to life as spirit. In spirit form, he descends into hell, a place beneath the surface of the earth, to preach to those in prison there (3: 18-19). Why? Because judgment comes to all humanity—both those who are dead and those who are alive. It is important that the dead receive the good news of the gospel so that they too might be saved ( 4: 5-6). This scenario presents an interesting picture. The earth is seen as a flat surface. Heaven is a place where God lives above the earth, hell is a place below the earth’s surface where the dead are held in chains. I have asked several committed Christians how such an arrangement works. They don’t want to answer the question. They just want to believe it.

The Letter of James

The letter of James contains a powerful moral exhortation directed toward the early church. The author is James, but who is that? There were many James’ living in the late first century. Christian tradition claims that this James was the brother of Jesus, and the first leader of the Jerusalem church. Most scholars dispute that claim, arguing instead that the author was either a disciple of James or an admirer of him. To support this position, these scholars argue that the letter is written in Greek. While there are many references to the Jewish scriptures in the letter, these references come from the Greek translation, the Septuagint, of these scriptures and not the Hebrew translation. It is very unlikely that the brother of Jesus could read or write Greek. Finally, the level of church organization implied within the letter suggests a dating for the letter toward the end of the first century. James, the brother of Jesus, was stoned in the early 60s.

Though referred to as a letter, this work is more like a sermon. It reflects the piety of the early Jewish-Christian community living in Palestine. The author defines the essence of religion in terms of the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (2: 8-9). The central thrust of the letter is to urge those with faith to demonstrate it by the way they live (1:22-25). You must express your faith in action by controlling your speech (3: 1-12), helping the poor and oppressed (1: 27), treating people from different classes equally (2: 1-4), being merciful (2: 12-13) and living as a peacemaker (3: 18).

Martin Luther hated this letter because he saw it as conflicting with Paul’s doctrine of justification by faith. The key offending passage reads: “Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead (2:17).” A person is justified by doing something good, not only by what he believes (2: 24-25). Some scholars disagree that there is a fundamental difference between Paul and the author of James on this issue. They point out that Paul and James are not talking about the same thing. For Paul, the central issue is salvation. One is saved by faith in the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The central issue for James is the difference between talk and action. You cannot be a Christian without acting as one. Paul, these scholars note, would agree.

While there is some truth to this position, I think that the weight of evidence supports Luther. To begin with, the author of James seems to deliberately attack Paul when he says that: “Abraham our father was justified by his deed, because he offered his son on the altar (2:22).” Paul clearly makes the point in Romans that Abraham was justified by his faith (4: 1-17). In addition, the author of James seems to suggest that humans can act morally (3: 13-14, 4: 7-8, and 4: 17). He also urges his listeners to keep the Law (4: 11). For James, the whole point about religion is ethics. Much of what he says in his letter reminds me of the Sermon on the Mount. As I pointed out in an earlier blog, Jesus and Paul differ on the issue of justification. I come down on the side of Jesus and the author of James.

The Letter to the Hebrews

The Letter to the Hebrews is a writing of beauty and power. Because the author doesn’t name himself, he remains unknown. Early Christian tradition attributed the letter to Paul, but that is highly unlikely because of the many differences between Hebrews and the Pauline letters. These differences include both writing style and theology. Among the many differences in theological emphasis, an interesting one concerns the role of faith as the way to salvation. For Paul, faith related to trust in the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to save. For the author of Hebrews, faith refers to confidence that God’s promises will be fulfilled (11: 1-40).

Although billed as a letter, this New Testament document reads more like a theological sermon. The target audience was probably a church within the Jewish-Christian community sometime toward the end of the first century. The theme of the sermon is clear: Jesus Christ replaces Judaism. The religion brought into the world by the death and resurrection of Christ is superior in every way.

The word of God is eternal and unchanging. Throughout history, God has chosen specific individuals through which to communicate his word. At one point, God chose the prophets. Now he speaks through his own son. The revelation brought into the world by Christ is superior to that of the prophets (1: 1-3). Christ also brings to the world the new and perfect covenant promised by the prophets (8:6-13).

Likewise, Christ is superior to Moses and Joshua. While Moses brought the Law to Israel, Christ brings salvation (3: 1-6). With regard to Joshua, he brought peace to Israel for a time while Christ brings perfect and everlasting peace (4: 1-11).

Jesus also replaces the Jewish priesthood. Sadly, the Levitical priests were unable to make people right with God. Their repeated sacrifices could not defeat the vicious cycle of sin (4: 14-5: 10). Jesus makes an atoning sacrifice for all time and for all people. Because of his act of obedience on the cross, sin is defeated once and for all, and humans are made right with God (10: 1-18). I often wonder how much has changed. There doesn’t seem to be much evidence that the power of sin has been broken for Christian believers.

Finally, Jesus is the new High Priest, the ruler of the faith. He is the supreme High Priest, the High Priest in heaven (4: 14). The Jewish High Priest who presided over the Temple was unable to bring the people of Israel to perfection. Only Christ has the power to do that (9: 1-28). When, I wonder? Maybe in heaven at some time in the future because things haven’t changed much around here.

The sermon also contains several exhortations to the congregation. People will only attain the salvation promised by God if they remain faithful to the church. Those who reject the faith will be judged and consumed by fire when Jesus returns to reward the faithful with salvation (10: 29-30).

Many scholars have pointed out the influence of Plato on the author of Hebrews. There is a sharp distinction made between the phenomenal world of sin and corruption and the spiritual world which is pure and eternal. Law and Judaism only reflect a shadow of the spiritual world. What is truly real is only found in Christ (10: 1-2).

The Pastoral Letters

The Pastoral Letters include First and Second Timothy, and Titus. Although the claim is made that all three letters were written by Paul, the vast majority of scholars believe them to be pseudonymous (written by someone other than Paul). The letters assume an established church, not the missionary movement which was the work of Paul. In addition, religion is about correct belief. One is saved by belief in doctrine, not by faith in the experience of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

I myself wonder why these letters are part of the Christian canon. It is one thing to name a work after a well known figure to support the ideas of that figure. That was a common practice in the ancient world. These letters go well beyond that. In each case, a deliberate attempt is made to trick the reader into thinking that the letter is from Paul. The author of First Timothy has Paul recall events in his early life (1: 13) while the author of Second Timothy invents what sounds like a farewell speech by Paul (4: 6-8). For me, such deception represents fraud.

All this wouldn’t make much difference except that some controversial ideas are found in these letters. First Timothy was written toward the end of the first century after Paul had died. The historical Timothy was a traveling companion of Paul. We know that the letter was not written by Paul because of the attention to church officers—Bishops, Deacons, and Elders—which did not come until after Paul’s time (3: 1-13). The letter contains a rather nasty polemic against false teachers (1: 3-7). More troubling are some well known teachings about the role of women in the church (2: 8-15). Women are not allowed to teach, or to have authority over men, and will be saved by childbearing. These unfortunate second century views continue to determine policy in some churches today.

The author of Second Timothy congratulates Timothy on being a third generation Christian—his grandmother and mother preceded him (1:5). Obviously this Timothy was not the traveling companion of Paul, and the apostle was not the author of this letter. As I indicated above, this letter contains the famous farewell speech of Paul. “I have fought the good fight to the end. I have run the race to the finish (4:6-8).” The letter is also directed against false teachers (2: 14-26) with an emphasis on correct belief. The one idea of interest to me is the author’s claim that all scripture is the inspired word of God (3:6). People will obviously differ as to the precise meaning of inspired. As I have suggested throughout this blog, the books of the New Testament are very human creations. The deliberate use of deception by the author of Second Timothy helps to make this point.

The historical Titus was a Gentile who Paul converted to Christianity. Paul brought him to the famous meeting in Jerusalem where questions concerning the conditions under which Gentiles would be admitted to the faith were decided. The Titus of this letter is not the one who traveled with Paul to Jerusalem. Again, the letter deals with matters of interest to an established church, rather than the household churches founded by Paul as part of his missionary movement (1: 5-9). The letter contains a vicious attack against false teachers (1: 10-16), and an emphasis on sound doctrine as the path to salvation. Beyond that, the letter offers little else of interest.

I recommend that Church leaders meet together as a Council, and vote these three letters out of the canon. Please read them yourself. You may have a different opinion.

Ephesians

The letter to the Ephesians is not addressed to a specific church, but is written as a circular letter, a letter to be read in several churches. Many of the central ideas are very Pauline. Christians are reconciled to God by Jesus’ death on the cross (1: 7 and 5: 1-3). Salvation comes as a gift. It is not accomplished through obedience to religious law. Rather it results from belief in Jesus Christ (2: 7-10). Finally, ethical living flows from a spiritual revolution that takes place in the human heart. Christians become a new creation (4: 22-24). The letter contains a major focus on the type of living that results from this new self (4: 25-5:20).

Despite these similar themes, it is highly unlikely that the letter was written by Paul. To begin with, the writing style and vocabulary are very different from the language usage in the authentic letters. In Ephesians, the sentences are longer and far more complex than what is found in the authentic letters. Different expressions are also used in Ephesians. Saved by faith replaces justified through faith in the authentic letters. The church is also referred to in the singular. All churches are seen as one with Christ as the head (1:23). In the authentic letters, Paul did not write about a universal church, but several churches. When speaking of the church, Paul always used the plural.

There are also subtle differences in the ideas expressed. The conflict between Jews and Gentiles seems to be healed which suggests a later date for the letter after Paul’s death (2: 11-18). The view of marriage is greatly changed. Love between husbands and wives is described as a thing of beauty. The marriage between a man and a woman is compared to the relationship between Christ and the Church (5: 21-33). This exalted view contrasts quite sharply with Paul’s attitude in 1 Corinthians where he counsels couples not to get married unless they are unable to contain their sexual passion. Finally, Ephesians contains hints of a realized eschatology in which Christians participate in Christ’s resurrection now (2:4-6). This contrasts sharply with Paul’s view in the authentic letters that Christians are saved only in the future when Christ returns to meet them in the air.

Ephesians contains a wonderful vision of the Christian church (4: 1-16). It is the place where people are reconciled to God through mutual love. It is also the place where a realized eschatology is achieved. The mutual love practiced among the members is what defeats the forces of evil. Finally, the church is the body of Christ where members use their individual gifts to build up their brothers in Christ rather than to seek their own self aggrandizement.

The letter to the Ephesians claims to be written by Paul. It has a similar organizational scheme as the authentic letters with a greeting in the beginning, the main body of the letter, and comments of a personal nature at the end. Despite these similarities, the many differences from the authentic letters noted above, suggest that the author is probably a member of Paul’s school and not the apostle himself.

Colossians

Colossians is a tough call for me. Although a growing number of scholars believe that the letter is not authentic to Paul, I am not sure.

The central issue that the letter addresses is the development of mystical views within the church. There seems to be a group of people who worship angels and are deluded with visionary experiences (2: 18-19). The author of the letter points out that this love of higher experience is really a form of self-centeredness. It is based on human achievement, and has nothing to do with the unity of Christ which comes as a gift from God. This argument could certainly have come from Paul.

Within the letter, there is so much that sounds like Paul. Christians are reconciled to God by the death of Christ on the cross (1: 22). Christ overrides the Law (2: 14). Rules no longer play a role in religious life (2: 20-23). With regard to circumcision, one is circumcised not by a human hand, but the whole body is stripped of flesh through a relationship with Christ. (2: 11-12) Good behavior flows from a recreated self (3:10). Finally, church meetings take place in a house (4: 16). There is no hint of an established church organization which came after Paul, and is an important factor in declaring other letters to be not authentic.

Scholars who suggest that the letter was not written by Paul point out that the vocabulary and sentence structure are different from the original letters. They also suggest that there are hints of a realized eschatology, the idea that the kingdom has already arrived in some form. The author claims that Christian believers have both died and been raised with Christ (2: 12-13). In the authentic letters, Paul insists that Christians are not raised to heaven until the second coming of Christ.

Another hint that the author may not be Paul comes in 3:11. The author states the famous Pauline formula that all are one in Christ—Jew/Gentile, slave/free—but omits male/female. This omission may point to a different author or may be nothing more than an omission. When all the evidence is taken together, I think it is safe to conclude that the letter was written by Paul or by a close disciple shortly after Paul’s death.