ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Person

Jude Thaddaeus

One of the Twelve apostles, named variously in the lists as Thaddaeus (Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18), Lebbaeus (some MSS), and Judas son of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13; John 14:22, Ioudas ouk ho Iskariōtēs, "Judas, not Iscariot"). The variant naming likely reflects the early church's practice of distinguishing him from Judas Iscariot by an alternate cognomen. According to strong tradition, Jude evangelized Edessa (Syriac tradition) and Armenia (with Bartholomew the Apostle), and was martyred in Persia ~AD 65-80. Author of the canonical Epistle of Jude, though disputed whether the apostle or Jude the Brother of Jesus wrote it.

Biographical sketch

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  • Name complexity: the Synoptic lists have Thaddaeus (Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18) or, in some early MSS, Lebbaeus (which is what the Textus Receptus retained, leading to the "Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddaeus" reading in the KJV). Luke / Acts has Judas son of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). The simplest harmonization: same person, multiple names, Judas his given name, Thaddaeus / Lebbaeus affectionate cognomens ("breast" / "heart").
  • The other Judas: John 14:22 explicitly distinguishes "Judas, not Iscariot", the apostolic Judas asking the question that prompts Jesus's response on the disclosure of love and obedience.
  • Origin: Galilean, otherwise unattested. The "son of James" Lukan designation (the genitive in Greek can mean either "son of" or "brother of") has been read by some as identifying him as the brother of James the Brother of Jesus / author of Epistle of James, but most scholarship reads it as "son of."
  • In the canonical narrative: aside from the John 14:22 question and the apostolic-list inclusions, no individual narrative material.

The Epistle of Jude

The General Epistle of Jude (one chapter, 25 verses) opens "Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" (v. 1). The author identifies himself as brother of James, which could mean either:

The majority modern view, accepting the more natural reading "brother of James," takes the author to be Jude the Brother of Jesus, not the apostle. The minority view (some patristic traditions) takes the apostle. Both Judes are minor enough biographically that the question is hard to settle. The codex treats them as separate persons, with the epistle attributed to Jude the Brother of Jesus.

Post-resurrection ministry

  • Edessa (Syriac tradition): Eusebius of Caesarea (HE 1.13) preserves the Edessa correspondence, a Syriac document tradition in which King Abgar V of Edessa writes to Jesus requesting healing; after the resurrection, the apostle Thomas sends "Thaddaeus, one of the seventy" (note: "of the seventy," distinct from the Twelve, in Eusebius's telling) who heals Abgar and converts the city. The Edessan tradition has been received in various forms: as referring to the apostle Thaddaeus (one of the Twelve), as referring to a distinct "Addai" of the seventy disciples (Syriac tradition), or as legendary embellishment.
  • Armenia: Armenian tradition holds Jude / Thaddaeus preached in Armenia AD 43-66, partly overlapping with Bartholomew, and was martyred at Artaz. The Armenian Apostolic Church regards Jude as a co-founder (with Bartholomew).
  • Persia / Mesopotamia: a parallel tradition has Jude and Simon the Zealot preaching together in Persia and being martyred together there ~AD 65-80. Iconographic depictions of Jude often pair him with Simon.
  • Manner of death: variously given as clubbing, beheading, being shot with arrows, or being sawn asunder (the last possibly conflated with Simon).
  • Confidence level: the Armenian / Edessa traditions are early-patristic and have continuous local support; the specific manner of death is iconographic-traditional rather than securely attested.

Patron of lost causes

In Western (especially Catholic) devotional tradition, Jude is the patron saint of lost causes / desperate situations. The popularity of this devotion is medieval: because his name was so similar to Judas Iscariot, early Christians avoided invoking him, leaving him as the "last-resort" intercessor whom only the most desperate would call upon. The devotion is particularly strong in Mexico, the Philippines, and Catholic America (the National Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago).

Theological themes

  • The John 14:22 question: "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?" prompts Jesus's response that the disclosure is through love-and-obedience to His commandments (John 14:23-24). Jude's question is the entry-point to one of the Fourth Gospel's most important sections on the indwelling of the Father and Son in the believer.
  • The Epistle of Jude themes (assuming traditional attribution): the danger of false teachers ("certain persons have crept in unnoticed"), the necessity of contending earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3, a key text for the closed-canon-of-apostolic-doctrine principle), the certainty of judgment, and the doxology "now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling" (Jude 24-25).

See also