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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Jud_1:4. Compare 2Pe_2:1-3.
παρεισέδυσαν γάρ ] the reason of ἀνάγκην ἔσχον . παρεισέδυσαν marks the entrance of false teachers into the church as a secret and unauthorized creeping in of such as do not properly belong to it, but are internally foreign to it (comp. Gal_2:4 : παρείσακτοι , explained by the scholiasts by ἀλλότριοι ); it is synonymous with παρεισέρχεσθαι ; comp. 2Ti_3:6.
τινες ἄνθρωποι ] In the same indefiniteness the false teachers are also mentioned in 1Ti_1:6. Arnaud observes: le mot τινες a quelque chose de méprisant, comme dans Gal_2:12; so also Wiesinger and Schott; this is possible; but the appeal to Gal_2:12 is unjustified. That the expression ἄνθρωποι is used in order to bring forward the fact that they “with their entrance into the church remained in their natural state” (Schott), is highly improbable. Hofmann unnecessarily separates τινες from ἄνθρωποι , taking ἄνθρωποι , οἱ κ . τ . λ ., as in apposition to τινες .
οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα ] By the participle with the article a peculiar circumstance worthy of remark concerning these men is brought forward (Winer, p. 127 [E. T. 167]); but not, as Schott, after Rampf, arbitrarily maintains, “a mark perfectly clear to the readers is given for the recognition of those who are meant;” the article being equivalent to isti, those notorious men.
προγεγραμμένοι ] The preposition προ in this verb indicates either antea, earlier, before; thus always in the N. T.; see Gal_3:1 (comp. Meyer in loc.); Rom_15:4; Eph_3:3; or palam. If it has this last meaning, then προγράφειν signifies “to announce something publicly by writing;” thus in an entirely special sense proscribere; accordingly Wolf explains it: qui dudum sunt accusati et in hoc judicium ( εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα ) vocati. Yet this is inaccurate, as the peculiar idea of proscribere is not retained; for, if retained, it would not suit εἰς τ . τ . κρίμα . Yet more arbitrarily Wahl explains προγράφειν by designare. Oecumenius, Hornejus, and others have correctly taken προ here as a preposition of time. According to Isa_4:3, LXX.: οἱ γραφέντες εἰς ζωήν , the sense might be: those who are written before (as in God’s book of fate, and consequently destined) εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα (Calvin: haec metaphora inde sumpta est, quod aeternum Dei consilium, quo ordinati sunt fideles ad salutem, Liber vocatur); but the term πάλαι is unsuitable, as it is never in the N. T. used of God’s eternal counsels. προγράφειν is here rather to be understood entirely as in the adduced passages of the N. T.; and with de Wette a pregnancy of expression is to be assumed; thus: those who are already before by writing destined to this judgment. Hofmann explains προγεγραμμένοι according to Joh_1:46 compared with Joh_5:46 ( γράφειν τινα = γρ . περί τινος ): “those of whom it is written before;” and then εἰς τοῦτο τ . κρ . = “in reference to this judgment;” but with regard to the former it is to be remarked, that the form of expression here is different from Joh_1:46; and with regard to the latter, that by it a weakening of the preposition in its direct connection with προγεγραμμένοι takes place.[11] Oecumenius refers this to the prophecies concerning future false teachers contained in the Epistles of Paul and Peter. Grotius, Schott, Hofmann, and others point particularly to 2 Peter 2. But πάλαι combined with προγεγρ . evidently points back to an earlier period,[12] so that only older prophecies can be meant, namely, the prophecies and types of the O. T., and perhaps particularly the prophecies contained in the Book of Enoch: see Jud_1:14 (so also Wiesinger). Against Calvin and Beza, who find the idea of the decretum aeternum here expressed, Bengel remarks: non innuitur praedestinatio, sed scripturae praedictio.
εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα ] Although κρίμα in itself is not equivalent to κατάκριμα , yet here a condemnatory judgment is meant; τοῦτο , namely, that which Jude has in view, and which is indicated in the following verse; Stier: “for this judgment, which I now announce to them;” Arnaud: il y a τοῦτο , parceque cette punition est l’objet qui l’occupe. It is incorrect, with Wiesinger and Hofmann, to refer τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα to παρεισέδυσαν , as something including judgment in itself; or, with Schott, to the “damnable error of those men,” specified in the words τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κ . τ . λ .; for neither the entering in nor the error can in themselves be called a κρίμα .
ἀσεβεῖς ] to be taken by itself; not to be united with οἱ προγεγραμμένοι (against Tischendorf, who has placed no comma before ἀσεβεῖς ). The ungodliness of these men is further indicated, according to its nature, by the participial clauses which follow (comp. 2Pe_2:6).
τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριν κ . τ . λ .] who pervert the grace of our God into lasciviousncss. χάρις , not = doctrina gratiae (Vorstius), nor evangelium (Grotius), nor fides catholica nobis gratis data (Nicolas de Lyra); but grace itself as the proffered gift of God in the forgiveness of sin and redemption from the law; so also Wiesinger, Fronmüller, Hofmann. It is incorrect to explain the idea by “the life of grace” (de Wette-Brückner), or by “the ordinances of grace” (Schott). ἡμῶν , belonging to τοῦ Θεοῦ , is to be understood as an expression of the feeling of sonship; Bengel: nostri, non impiorum.
In μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν , ἀσέλγ . is either the purpose of the change of the grace of God, or that into which grace is changed. In the former case μετατίθημι here would in itself have a bad subsidiary meaning (de Wette: “who pervert the grace of our God for the purpose of licentiousness”); but it never elsewhere so occurs in the N. T. Accordingly, the second explanation is better (Brückner), according to which the meaning is: they have converted the χάρις , which God gave to them, into something different, namely ἀσέλγεια ; inasmuch as liberty was converted by them into lasciviousness; comp. Gal_5:13; 1Pe_2:16; 2Pe_2:19.
καὶ τὸν μόνον δεσπότην καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰ . Χρ . ἀρνούμενοι ] In 2Pe_2:1 the epithet δεσπότης is used of Christ; this favours the combination of τὸν μόνον δεσπότην as an attribute with Ἰησ . Χρ . (so de Wette, Schmidt, Rampf, Wiesinger, Schott, Fronmüller, Hofmann). But, on the one hand, in every other place this word denotes God; and, on the other hand, δεσπότης would hardly be distinguished from the word κύριος , if both were to be referred to Christ;[13] add to this that μόνος elsewhere expresses the unity of the divine nature; comp. Jud_1:25; Joh_5:44; Joh_17:3; Rom_16:27; 1Ti_1:17; 1Ti_6:15-16; Rev_15:4; against which view Schott incorrectly urges 1Co_8:6 and Eph_4:5. For these reasons, it is more probable that τὸν μόνον δεσπότην is not an appellation of Christ, but a designation of God (Brückner); comp. 1Jn_2:22 : ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱόν (also Enoch xlviii. 10 is to be compared: “they have denied the Lord of the spirits and His Anointed”). No argument against this explanation can be drawn from the want of the article before κύριον ; see author’s commentary on Tit_2:3 (Winer, p. 121 ff. [E. T. 162]),[14] which is in an unjustifiable manner denied by Hofmann. The denial may be considered as either practical (comp. Tit_1:16) or theoretical. Since throughout this Epistle the carnal and godless disposition of these men is brought forward, it is most probable that Jude at least had the first kind of denial specially in view. At all events, such explanations as those of Grotius: “abnegabant Jesum, quia eum dicebant hominem natum ex homine,” are to be rejected, as Jude never reproaches his adversaries with such a definite erroneous doctrine.
[11] Luther’s translation: “there are certain men crept in, of whom it is written before, to this punishment,” by which προγεγρ . is separated from εἰς τ . τ . κρ ., is contradicted by the natural verbal connection.
[12] Schott aud Hofmann contest the fact that πάλαι points to an earlier period. πάλαι , which “generally indicates the past in contrast to the present” (Pape), may certainly be used when that past is not distant (comp. Mar_15:44); but, on the one hand, this use of the term is rare; and, on the other hand, it is not here applicable, as the reference to the past generally is already contained in the προ of the compound verb; πάλαι here can only be put to mark this past as lying in the distance.
[13] Hofmann gives the distinction of these two ideas as follows: “Christ is our δεσπότης , as we are His property bound to His service; He is our κύριος , as His will is the standard of ours.” But if this be correct, it is not in favour of Hofmann but against him, because Jude would then in an incomprehensible manner make the weaker idea to follow upon the stronger.
[14] When Wiesinger and Schott appeal for their explanation to the fact that the relation to God is already expressed in the preceding clause, and that therefore it would be unsuitable to express it here again, it is to be observed that in that clause the relation to Christ is also indicated, since the grace of God is communicated through Christ; also, there is no reason why Jude should not have indicated μετατιθέναι as a denial both of Jesus Christ and of God. Whilst Schott grants that the expression “the only master” may only refer to God, he so interprets the article τόν before μόνον δεσπ . that he explains it as equivalent to “he who is.”