The Pulpit Commentary — Jude — Section 7

of epirilual moLive; the objection to tmnslating, with the Revised V craion, "To whiob ie that it ie out of harmony with them tlrnt are called, beloved in God the the other deeignatione, which describo the Father, and kept for Jeans Christ." But it readers from U10 view-point of the Divine perhaps best represents both the force and oarr. 'l'ho idea, therefore, eecms to be the order of the original to render it, "To that they CHO tho objects of fhe Divina them that are beloved in Gnd the Father lovo, that they hovo been that ancl con- and kept for Je9Us Christ, caller! ones." ' tinuo to be that in the way of e. gracious Ver. 2.-The greeting. This takes the union nncl fellowship with himself, into form of e. prayer or benediction in three which they have been introclucccl by God articles. It is rendered in precisely the the Father. 'rhe preposition, therefore, has same terms-mercy unto you e.:id peace and the mystical force which it has in the love be multiplied-in Tyndale, Cranmer, familiaq,hre.se, "in Christ"-a force which the Genevnn, the Authorized Version, ancl it mny also have whcro God is the subject. tlie Revised Version. In Paul's Epistles All the more so that the title "Goel the the opening salutations usually mention Fnther" seems to refer usually, if not only "grace and peace," and these aa exclusively, to God as the Father of Christ. proceeding from " God the Father and the The third clnuse describes the readers, Lord Jesus Christ." But in the pastoral according to the Authorized Version, as Epistles (as also in 2 John) the three bless- preserved in J' esus Chriet. Here the ings, "grace, mercy, and peace," appear, Authorized Ve1·sion follows Tyndale, Cran- and these as coming from the same twofold mer, and the Rhemish Version. That source of Father and Son. In the Petrina rendering he.a also been adopted by some Epistles we have age.in the two Pauline recent interpreters of imports.nee. It is blessings of grace and peace, but with the wrong, nevertheless. For there is no distinctive addition of the "be mnltiplied." instance elsewhere of tho carrying over of Here, in Jude, we have the characteristic e. preposition from one clause to another in Petrine " be multiplied," but this con- such a connection ne this. Not less mis- nected with three blessings, and these taken is Wicklifle's "kept of Jesus Christ." somewhat different from those which appear 'rhe Genevsu Version, however, gives the in the Pastoral Epistles-" mercy, peace, oorrect rende1·ing, "reserved to Jesus and love,n instead of "grace and mercy Christ," and the Revised Version translates and peace." Wha.t the writer desires, there- it very aptly, "kept for Jesus Christ." The fore, on behalf of the readers is an abound- ,·erb is the one which is used in I Pet. i. 4 ing measure of the three great qualities of to describe the 'inheritance as "reserved." grace, which refer respectively to the case It occurs frequently in the Gospels, Rome- of the miserable, the case of the hostile, and what rarely in the Pauline Epistles, e.nd the ca.se of the unworthy. Are these there oftenest in those of latest date regarded as subjective qualities in Illllil, or (I Tim. v. 22; vi. 14; 2 Tim. iv. 7). It as objective gifts from God? The former occurs with marked frequency in the view is favoured by some, who point C,stholic Epistles and the Apocalypse. It especially to the closing benediction in the is most characteristic of I John, 2 Peter, Epistle to the Ephesians (vi. 23) as a case and Jude among these Epistles. The idea. in point. But the latter view is sustained is that of being preserved by the Divine by the force of the " beloved" in the power until the coming of Christ-a previous verse, and the mention of" love" preservation of which there was the more in ver. 21, as well as by the general analogy need to be assured in fo.oe of the fo.lling of the inscriptions of Epistles. What Jude away which threatened the Churches, and prays for, therefore, is not that his readen bad indeed begun in some. Christ prayed me.y be helped to exhibit in large measure his :l<'e.ther to keep, through his own Name, a merciful, peaceful, and loving disposition those that were given him (John xvii. 11). to others, but that they may enjoy in liberal Paul prays God to keep hie converts blame- degree the grent blessings of God's mercy, less unto the coming of Christ (1 Thess. v. peace, and love bestowed upon themselves. 23). These designations tell us nothing of Ver. 3.-The atuhor'a reason for tcriling. the locality or circumstances of the reade1·s, The statement of this is introduced by the but limit themselves to spiritual charac- conciliatory address, beloved-a. form of teristics. The relations in which the address found t,vice a.gain in this short 5,everal clauses etaud to each other is also Epistle (vers. 17, 20). It occurs e.t great a matter of dispute. The Authorized turning-points in all the Catholic Epistles., V !lreiou makes them co-ordinate clauses, except for an obvious reason in 2 John. " To them tlu1t e.ro sanctified .•• and pre- (See Jas. i. 16,-19; ii. 5 (who couples the eel'ved ... and called." It is better to term" brethren" with it); 1 Pet. ii. 11; iv. tu.ke the "called" as the subject, and the 12; ~ Pet. iii. 1, 8, 14, 17; 1 John iii.; two participles us the qualifying epithets, 21; lV, 1, 7, 11; 3 John 2, 5, ll.) H ir  THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. [1-26.