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Jude

Man living at the time of the New Testament

Jude, a brother of Jesus, was the author of the Epistle of Jude and is mentioned in the lists of Jesus' siblings.

🗺 Places mentioned alongside Jude on the map →

Also known as Jude,Judas · Judas · Juda

Jude, also known as Judas (not Iscariot), was one of the brothers of Jesus Christ and the author of the Epistle of Jude. He is mentioned in the lists of Jesus' siblings in the Gospels (Mat.13.55; Mrk.6.3) and identifies himself as "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" in his epistle (Jud.1.1).

As one of Jesus' brothers, Jude would have grown up in the same household as Jesus in Nazareth. The Gospels mention that during Jesus' earthly ministry, His brothers did not believe in Him (Jhn.7.5). However, after the resurrection, they are found among the believers (Act.1.14), indicating that they came to faith in Christ.

Jude's epistle is one of the shortest books in the New Testament, consisting of only 25 verses. In it, he urges the believers to contend for the faith and warns against false teachers who have crept into the church (Jud.1.3-4). He employs various examples from the Old Testament and Jewish literature to illustrate the consequences of unbelief and rebellion against God (Jud.1.5-16).

The epistle of Jude emphasizes the importance of persevering in the faith, building up oneself in the love of God, and showing mercy to those who doubt (Jud.1.20-23). It concludes with a doxology, praising God for His ability to keep believers from stumbling and to present them blameless before His presence with great joy (Jud.1.24-25).

Apart from his epistle and the mention of his name in the lists of Jesus' brothers, no other details about Jude's life or ministry are provided in the Bible.

Family

Father
Joseph
Mother
Mary
Siblings
JesusJamesJosesSimon

Connections

Part of: The Jerusalem Church · Jesus and His Family Circle

Who are the brothers of Jesus?

FamilyDebated

Mark names James, Joses, Simon, and Jude as brothers of Jesus. Protestants usually hold they were younger half-siblings, Catholic and Orthodox traditions (Hieronymian and Epiphanian views) hold they were cousins or Joseph's sons from an earlier marriage.

JesusSon of JosephJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Mark 6:3 — Brothers namedMatthew 13:55 — Same listGalatians 1:19 — James the Lord's brotherActs 1:14 — Brothers with the disciples
Ways people read this (3)
  • Half-brothers, sons of Joseph and Mary (Helvidius; most Protestants).
  • Step-brothers, sons of Joseph from an earlier marriage (Epiphanius; Eastern tradition).
  • Cousins (Jerome).

Read more: Grokipedia: James, brother of Jesus (AI-written, unreviewed) ↗

Sources: Scripture

Jude, brother of James

FamilyWidely accepted

The letter of Jude opens by calling its author a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. If he is the Jude of Mark 6:3, the letter comes from another brother of Jesus.

JudeSon of JosephJamesSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Jude 1 — Servant of Jesus Christ and brother of JamesMark 6:3 — Jude named among the brothers

Sources: Scripture

Judas as brother of James (Hieronymian reading)

FamilyDebated

Jerome read "Judas of James" as "brother of James" and linked Judas to the author of Jude, who calls himself brother of James. Others read "son of James", and some distinguish the apostle from the letter writer.

JudasAn apostleJamesAn apostleJudeSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Luke 6:16 — Judas of James.Jude 1 — Jude, brother of James.Jude 1:17 — The writer speaks of "the apostles" as a group he seems to stand apart from.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Brother: fits Jude 1 and Jerome's identification of James of Alphaeus with the Lord's brother.
  • Son: the normal Greek genitive reading; the brother reading takes it as an ellipsis.
  • Jude 17 has been taken to show the writer was not one of the Twelve.

Sources: Luke 6:16 · Jude 1 · Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383)

Thomas "the twin"

FamilyHypothesis

John twice glosses Thomas as Didymus, "the twin". Later Syriac tradition calls him Judas Thomas and some texts connect him with Jude the brother of Jesus; the Gospels do not name his twin.

ThomasAn apostleJudeSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: John 11:16 — Thomas, called the Twin.John 21:2 — Thomas called the Twin.
Ways people read this (2)
  • Tradition: the name Judas Thomas appears in early Syriac writings.
  • Caution: Thomas and Didymus are the Aramaic and Greek words for twin; a nickname, not a proof of kinship to any apostle.

Sources: John 11:16 · John 21:2

Jesus' "brothers" James, Joses, Simon and Judas

FamilyStated in the text

Mark and Matthew say the people of Nazareth called Jesus the son of Mary and named four "brothers" (adelphoi). The word can mean full or half brothers, or another relative, which is the core of the traditional debate.

JesusSon of JosephJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Mark 6:3 — Brothers named, and sisters.Matthew 13:55 — James, Joseph, Simon and Judas.John 7:3-5 — His brothers did not believe.Acts 1:14 — Brothers with Mary among the believers.
Ways people read this (1)
  • The Greek adelphos is normally "brother" but is also used more broadly.

Sources: Mark 6:3 · Matthew 13:55

The Hieronymian view: the brothers as cousins

FamilyChurch tradition

Jerome argued that the four "brothers" were Jesus' cousins, sons of Mary of Clopas, whom he took to be Mary's sister or relative. He held that Mary remained a virgin. This became the standard view in the Latin church.

JesusSon of JosephJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of JosephMaryAlphaeus or Cleopas' wife
Where the text shows it: John 19:25 — Mary of Clopas at the cross.Mark 15:40 — Mary mother of James the less and Joses.Galatians 1:19 — James the Lord's brother.
Ways people read this (4)
  • Hieronymian: cousins via Mary of Clopas.
  • Helvidian: younger children of Mary and Joseph.
  • Epiphanian: children of Joseph from an earlier marriage.
  • Key counter-point: Mark 15:40 names Mary as mother of James and Joses separately from Mary the mother of Jesus.

Sources: Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383) · Jerome, Commentary on Galatians (c. AD 386)

The Epiphanian view: sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage

FamilyChurch tradition

Epiphanius and much of the eastern church held that the brothers were Joseph's children from a prior marriage, which preserves Mary's perpetual virginity. Its early source is the second-century Protoevangelium of James.

JosephMary's husbandJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of JosephJesusSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Matthew 13:55 — Brothers named.John 19:26-27 — Jesus entrusts Mary to the beloved disciple, not to brothers.
Ways people read this (2)
  • Joseph's age and absence from the Gospels after Luke 2 are often cited in support.
  • No text mentions an earlier marriage.

Sources: Epiphanius, Panarion (c. AD 375) · Protoevangelium of James (2nd c.) · Origen, Commentary on Matthew (3rd c.)

The Helvidian view: younger children of Mary and Joseph

FamilyDebated

This reads the brothers as sons of Mary and Joseph after Jesus. Helvidius argued from the plain sense of "brothers" and Jesus as "firstborn"; Jerome wrote against him. Many Protestant scholars hold it today.

MaryMosther of JesusJosephMary's husbandJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Luke 2:7 — Mary's firstborn son.Matthew 1:25 — Joseph did not know her until she bore a son.Mark 6:3 — Brothers and sisters named.
Ways people read this (3)
  • Plain reading of adelphos and the "firstborn" phrase.
  • Against: perpetual virginity held by the early church, and Jesus entrusting Mary to John at the cross.
  • "Until" in Matthew 1:25 does not settle what followed.

Sources: Jerome, Against Helvidius (c. AD 383) · Tertullian, On the Flesh of Christ (early 3rd c.)

Jude, brother of James

FamilyStated in the text

The letter of Jude opens by identifying its author as a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, generally taken as James the Lord's brother.

JudeSon of JosephJamesSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: Jude 1 — Jude, brother of James.Matthew 13:55 — James and Judas both among the brothers.

Sources: Jude 1

The Lord's brothers are distinguished from the Twelve

RoleWidely accepted

John says his brothers did not believe during the ministry, and Acts lists the brothers with Mary separately from the apostles. Both point against simply counting the brothers among the Twelve.

JesusSon of JosephJamesSon of JosephJosesSon of JosephSimonSon of JosephJudeSon of Joseph
Where the text shows it: John 7:5 — His brothers did not believe.Acts 1:13-14 — The Eleven, then Mary and his brothers.1 Corinthians 9:5 — Apostles, brothers of the Lord and Cephas listed separately.
Ways people read this (1)
  • Hieronymian view answers that the brothers James and Jude were among the Twelve but not believing at this time.

Sources: John 7:5 · Acts 1:13-14 · 1 Corinthians 9:5

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Jude Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

= Judas. Among the apostles there were two who bore this name, (1) Judas (Jude 1:1; Matt. 13:55; John 14:22; Acts 1:13), called also Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18); and (2) Judas Iscariot (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:19). He who is called “the brother of James” (Luke 6:16), may be the same with the Judas surnamed Lebbaeus. The only thing recorded regarding him is in John 14:22.

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Jude, Or Judas Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

called also LEBBEUS and Thaddeus, Authorized Version “Judas the brother of James,” one of the twelve apostles. The name of Jude occurs only once in the Gospel narrative. (John 14:22; Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:16; John 14:22; Acts 1:13) Nothing is certainly known of the later history of the apostle. Tradition connects him with the foundation of the church at Edessa.

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Jude Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

JUDE was one of the apostles, and the brother of James the Less, Jude 1. He is called "Judas," Matt 13:55; John 14:22; Acts 1:13, and elsewhere "Lebbaeus," Matt 10:3, and "Thaddaeus." Mark 3:18. Epistle of, was written about a.d. 65. The author calls himself "a servant of Christ and a brother of James," who was a brother of Christ and was also called the Just and the bishop of Jerusalem. See James. The epistle is intended to guard believers against prevalent errors, and to urge them to constancy in the faith once delivered to the saints. This is done by a vivid exhibition of the terrors of God's judgments upon the wicked, and by a recurrence to that great principle of our religion, dependence on Christ alone, to keep us from falling. In Jude 9 we read: "Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said. The Lord rebuke thee." This incident is not elsewhere recorded in Scripture, and is probably quoted from the Apocalypse of Moses. In Jude 14 Jude quotes a prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam. There is a striking resemblance between 2 Peter and Jude. Both are warnings against errorists.

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Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.

Where Jude appears

3 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G2455

Matthew1
Mark1
Jude1

Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.