2 Peter and Jude

Abstract

Abstract While often overlooked in New Testament scholarship, 2 Peter and Jude provide unique insights into the world of early Christianity. This relative neglect is partly on account of their brevity and polemic-filled content, along with the oft-repeated claims that they reflect the emergence of early Catholicism. These pseudonymous epistles, which display an intertextual relationship, represent attempts to mediate theological conflict by polemicizing against their respective opponents. This essay addresses how the letters have been interpreted over the past few decades and details some of the more important interpretive disputes that have arisen. The point of departure is the publication of the groundbreaking commentary of Richard Bauckham, which marked a turning point in scholarship on 2 Peter and Jude and set the interpretive framework for most subsequent treatments. Within the study of Jude, recent interpreters have been divided over the outlook of the author’s opponents, the letter’s use of various source materials, and the identity of the group(s) to whom mercy is directed. As for the study of 2 Peter, the contested issues include the epistle’s relationship to the Apocalypse of Peter, the nature of the scoffers’ objections to the parousia, and the Petrine author’s strategy for responding to these arguments.