Please read all of Jude and II Peter for the Tuesday after spring break. In what way are these books similar? In what way are they different? How do you account for the similarities/differences?
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- Ancient Art
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- Professor of History, NSU
19 comments:
2 Peter and Jude are similar in that both warn against false prophets. However, 2 Peter and Jude differ in their descriptions, length, and the author and each of their personal details.
2 Peter, written by Simeon Peter, writes in the first chapter on how to lead a godly live and that the author is close to death. Chapter 2 goes into detail how these false prophets rise up, gather followers through powerful persuasion, and then will be destroyed by the righteousness of God. Peter goes into the characteristic of these false prophets: greedy, selfish, uncompassionate, like irrational animals, slanderous, and liars, among other things. 2 Peter concludes with the promise of Christ's return and that God will fulfill His promises, even if they take a while to fulfill.
Jude, in contrast, is very short and to the point on the issue of false prophets. Jude states that these false prophets will be judged by God and suffer an eternity of punishment. The examples of the false prophets being irrational animals also exists in Jude and he uses Cain, Balaam, and Kosh to characterize the false prophets as those that share their unholy desires.
Jude concludes, like 2 Peter, with a message to his fellow followers of Christ that they should stay vigilant and wait patiently for the day of Jesus's return and the promise of eternal life.
These two are similiar because they are both telling people to be strong in their faith. That they should know the acts of Jesus along with others in the old testament. The main differance that I saw was that While Peter is writing in a more angelic sort of style just telling people to worry about themselves and just be strong in their faith and God will deal with the others. Jude is almost combative in his way of telling people to stay strong in their faith. He uses examples that are combative and agressive. Perhaps that is why it is closer to the book of Revelations than the other book.
It is evident that 2 Peter and Jude are fairly similar and they may have borrowed from each other. One of the most important similarities is the focus on the coming of false prophets. For example, both Jude and 2 Peter harshly condemn false prophets, “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them…” 2 Peter 2 and similarly, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you”. Jude 3. Obviously, both 2 Peter and Jude are concerned that the church will be corrupted by false teachings and are trying to warn against such evils. Furthermore, both Jude and 2 Peter warn against “mockers”. For example, Jude 17 warns, “In the last time there will be mockers” and 2 Peter 3:3 states, “In the last days mockers will come with their mocking”. These two accounts are intensely parallel. While, these two documents are comparable, I tend to think that Peter was written first, because his letter is longer and more detailed. Although both send warnings, Jude describes these “mockers” as a general group just as those “certain people” that had secretly penetrated the church, while 2 Peter distinguishes to a certain degree between the false prophets and the mockers. Another difference is shown in 2 Peter’s foreshadow of the mockers’ last day, whereas Jude seems to already have predicted such destruction. Despite the differences in possible dates, both Jude and 2 Peter believe that this certain people condemnation has been coming for a long time.
While there may be possible discrepancies between historical context and dates, both 2 Peter and Jude contain the essential warnings against false prophecies and the final days of mockers. Yet, it is certain that Jude and 2 Peter call for faith to be as strong as ever.
Kirsten Saunders
Jude tells stories of the past and, referring to the leaders of the temples, says they know the evil they are doing but continue to do it with a blind eye. Jude also mentions E’-noch (whether this is referring to the book of E’-noch, and the war between the angels, I don’t know).
II Peter: chapter 1-20 says, “No prophesy of this scripture is of any private interpretation. 21- for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of men but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Peter discusses false prophets and their ability to destroy or corrupt the path God set for humanity. Peter tells of those who have accepted God and his word and then are entangled in the corruption of man afterwards. It will be harder for them in the afterlife because they stood in God’s light and walked away from it. Peter discusses the fall of angels but doesn’t mention E’-noch. Peter is more descriptive in his passages than Jude. I believe Jude was there at the tail end of the life of Jesus and didn’t quite grasp the whole (or remember it).
II Peter and Jude are similar in that they both talk about the importance of having a strong faith and avoiding things that may lead a person astray from their faith. They both also address the matter of false prophets and how to avoid them. They also both begin by stating that they are a slave of Jesus Christs. In both of them they dwell on Sodom and Gomorrah as being places without morals. As far as differences within the two, Peter's is longer and flows more, where as Jude's seems very direct and to the point. In the final exhortation of in II Peter, he talks only about saving oneself, however in Jude he talks about not only saying yourself but also to try to save others, but be careful in doing so.
Eric Saathoff
Both Peter 2 and Jude talk about "His divine power" Peter talks about the "Day of the Lord",while Jude doesn't. What I see in this reading is that Peter 2 and Jude strongly talk about the strength and the power of god. They scoff at false teachers and prophets. Jude talks about the doxology, while I do not see that in the reading of Peter 2.
Alex Mason
II Peter and Jude carry a similar message and one that seems to be left out of church sermons. That message is that Judgment Day is coming.
Following false teachers, practices, or beliefs was a guaranteed trip to the fiery place known as hell. God did not discriminate against those who did not follow his teachings. For example, he kicked out angels for having sex with humans- defiling themselves. They also mention different people who were holy and then turned to a life of sin and how they also met the fires of Hell. It was a warning to the early Christians and to us currently that we should not doubt God, but instead believe.
However, they both show the love and compassion that God has for those who are faithful to him and follow the true message by saving them from the sinners that are all around them.
These passages are warnings to the human race that we cannot try to justify our actions. We also must realize that God does not want to hear our excuses. He only wants to us to have clear thoughts and actions. In addition, these two separate letters also show the link back to the Old Testament and then relating it to the current day. The message is clear in both of them is that God will return in fire and cleanse the earth of evil like he has done in the past with water and we all will be waiting judgment.
As people have stated above, Jude and 2 Peter are quite similar. Both are heavily dedicated to talking about and warning of false prophets. Both books tell how these false prophets will be eventually punished by God for all eternity, and how we need to stay strong in our faith. The only real differences seem to be because of length, because 2 Peter is longer it is able to go into more details as Jude is shorter and gets right to the point. The topics that these two books cover makes them very guiding and important to those who will need to stay strong in their faith in the face of false prophets and teachers.
both of them peter 2 and jude talk about how judgement day will be comeing and we have to be ready for it because those who are not ready will meet the dark abyss.
peter however goes more indepth with explaining what he means were as jude goes right to the point and that is it.
dave potts
The similarities between Peter and Jude are pretty obvious, and have been previously stated by others on the blog many times. The interesting thing to me was the form of their writings. Peter being more full and Jude being the direct approach. It seems like the author of each book was targeting an audience that in each of their cases was most receptive to their writing format.
John Schirado
Jude and 2 Peter are similar in that both letters warn against false teachers. Text from the two is practically repeated, especially Jude 4-16 and 2 Peter 2:1-18. Although, there are differences between the two. The letter of Jude brings up the “Assumption of Moses” in Jude 9, where 2 Peter leaves this out, and 2 Peter is more ornate than Jude. I would account for the similarities between the two letters by arguing that the authors had known and associated with each other, or that one letter was written earlier than the other.
There is one distinct similarity between these two. The importance of having and trusting in ones Faith for nothing is more important thatn ones judgement day. This is what drives people to follow the lords word and be the people that god wants us to be. it give our lives purpose. I found that jude is much more brief but has many more colorful metaphors. Jude talks about peace and love through mercy. Peter is much more detail oriented and talks about grace and peace through knowlege
-Maggie Madrid
One similarity I noticed between Peter 2 and Jude was that both talk about false prophets and teachers. Both discuss what defiles a teacher (with an emphasis on greed and lust) and that false ones will be punished. One difference I noticed between the two books was their style in writing. While Peter is lengthier and detailed, Jude is less detailed while still getting his message across.
Alyson Guthrie
Of course, both books are filled with several differences when looking at specific details like the author's vocabulary land also the length one goes to explain ceratin accounts.
One thing that was strikingly similar in both accounts dealt with the identification of false prophets. I am sure the early church was growing in popularity and many other people were coming to the surface to try and gain support or a group of believers. The author in each book mentioned how God will ultimately crush these false prophets when the moment is right. In 2 Peter, the author goes into specific detail discussing actual human qualities of such a prophet. It should also be noted that both of these books conclude with a reminder of Christ's return and the promise of eternal life for all of those true and real believers. This is a core belief for the young and growing church, and one that they probably relied upon to spread to message of Jesus.
Kyle Schwan
II Peter and Jude have some similarities. They both speak of false prophets and how to avoid falling to their lies. They remind us to be ever watchful, waiting for the day that Jesus Christ returns.
Jude seems more blunt than II Peter. I think that this comes from having a similar problem as Matthew, Luke, and John. They may have had a lot to say but not enough room to say everything. Jude may be restating what Peter says in his book. Almost seems as though Jude may be saying that all this is important but so is this information on doxology.
--Amanda Blood
As countless others have said, Jude and 2 Peter are very similar in that they both warn against and speak harshly of fasle teachers. They both use examples from the Old Testament to show how God is capable of rescuing those caught up in the sinful snares of other people, like Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. Also, they both warn that the end times are coming and that believers should be on the guard against evil and should be trying hard to be found "spotless, blameless, and at peace with [the Lord]" (2 Peter 3:14).
However, the two books have their differences as well. As pointed out by others, 2 Peter is much more lengthy in its explanations, whereas Jude seems to be summarizing. This is especially true in the sections about the end times--Peter takes almost the whole third chapter of his letter to teach about the end times and their suddenness, while Jude speaks of the same thing for only a few verses, and in much less detail. I also thought that Jude's language was more attractive, at least in parts like verses 12 and 13, a section full of nice metaphors.
I think that these two share so much in common because Peter and Jude (Judas the brother of James) worked together closely during the life of Jesus and probably after his ascension as well. Possibly, since Peter was such a leader among the twelve, Jude was using the things Peter constantly taught as subject matter for his own letter. However, since each man is his own person, differences will arise, just as Matthew, Mark, and Luke are all somewhat different, even though they all teach of the same basic things.
Rachelle Rasmussen
These two books are similar in the fact that they both address the issues of false teachers. They are very firm in their pronouncements against them. They also stress the fact that God's people can rely on God's word.
These books are different in the fact that one says what he wants to say in a few words (Jude) and Peter says a little more.
One of the most important things though that I think can be said about the issue of false teachers is what Jude said.
The final word on this subject is:
Keep yourselves in the love of God
Show mercy
Rescue the perishing (ususally you can only rescue those who want to be rescued!)
Hate the sin (love the sinner)
Know that God is able to do what he has promised, present you to himself (so don't worry about false teachers, just love God)
Donna Baskins
Jin-Seop Lee
There are many similarities between II Peter and Jude. First they referred about apostasy of heralds of God directly. In II Peter 2:1 and Jude 1:4~6, they wrote about false ministers who broke the faith of Church. And also they referred together about judge of angels who went to apostasy. In II Peter 2:1 and Jude 1:4~6, we can find this points.
Thus, two articles referred about apostasy of heralds of God.
It is hard to find the difference between them for me. In Jude, it was quoted from Jude’ literature and Bible, especially, chapter 5,7,9,11,14, but in II Peter, it was quoted from mostly Bible, in 2:5, 6, 7, 15, 16.
Jude and 2Peter are similar because they both talk about the end time prophesies. They also revert to using Sodom and Gomorra as examples.
They are different because Jude talks about perseverance in your Christian walk. He helps us focus on being and becoming holy and being merciful. However, 2Peter talks about making sure on what your calling is. It also gives reference to the election of believers.
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