Writer: Jude

2. (a) Who was Jude? (b) What relationship with Jesus did Jude esteem the most?

² But who was Jude? The opening words tell us that the letter was written by “Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James, to the called ones.” Was Jude, or Judas, an apostle, since 2 of Jesus’ original 12 apostles were named Judas? (Luke 6:16) Jude does not speak of himself as an apostle, but instead he speaks of the apostles in the third person as “they,” manifestly excluding himself. (Jude 17, 18) Moreover, he calls himself “a brother of James,” evidently meaning the writer of the letter of James, who was a half brother of Jesus. (Vs. 1) As one of the “pillars” of the congregation in Jerusalem, this James was well-known, and hence Jude identifies himself with him. This makes Jude also a half brother of Jesus, and he is listed as such. (Gal. 1:19; 2:9; Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3) However, Jude did not make capital of his fleshly relationship with Jesus, but he humbly placed the emphasis on his spiritual relationship as “a slave of Jesus Christ.”​—1 Cor. 7:22; 2 Cor. 5:16; Matt. 20:27.