Question: Does Jude cite uninspired sources in Jude 9,14-15? Are we to infer that Enoch of history (Gen 5:21-24), spoke the words attributed to him in this prophecy? (Ca.)

Answer: The verses in question read as follows "But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, the Lord rebuke thee." "And to these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam prophesied, saying, Behold the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly wrought and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." There has been a great amount of speculation regarding the origin of these two statements. The question is where did Jude get his information? Was his source human or divine? There are several notable commentators who claim the information from v.9 came from the Assumption of Moses. Plummer cites statements from Origen, Clement, and Didymus as the basis of his conclusion that the quotation came from The Assumption. However, as Lenski points out, the three ancients cited did not say that Jude received his information from human sources, but that the information reminds one of the little book", or that the same information is found in both places. The point needs to be made right here that even though two sources contain similar or identical information, this is no proof that one author drew from or quoted the other. The information in v.14-15 has been said, by some, to come from The Book of Enoch, which is an apocryphal hook. This book was discovered about 1773 in a copy of the Ethiopic Bible and first translated into English in 1821. Many scholars believe its origin to be postapostolic, the exact date that it was written, however, is uncertain. Regarding the matter at hand: sharp differences exist between the statement allegedly cited by Jude and what Jude actually says in his hook. If indeed Jude were to have quoted from this book, we would have him citing an uninspired source, and there would be no way of determining whether Enoch ever actually made the prophecy attributed to him. If the statement recorded by Jude is merely a legend, then his letter is not inspired, and consequently does not belong in the canon of scripture. Without doubt there were in existence at the time Jude wrote, books of ancient history, traditions (some mixed with fiction), legends etc. The inspired writer, however, did not receive his information from such sources, but rather from God. (Gal 1:8-12) The remarks of Guy N. Woods seem appropriate here, "Jude an inspired writer, affirmed that the event occurred. It is sufficient for us simply to believe it; it is surely unnecessary for us to vindicate Jude's veracity by proving that the facts related occurred and are testified to by others." Did Enoch of Gen 5:21-24 actually speak the words attributed to him? I believe he did. If he did not then Jude lied about it, and therefore cannot be inspired. If he misrepresented this, how do we know he did not misrepresent something else? If he relied on an uninspired source for his information, then how do we know other things in his book did not come from such sources? Either we accept Jude as an inspired book which accurately gives us the message God intended, or we reject it on the basis of questionable content or uninspired information.

Send all questions to Ronny F. Wade, P.O. Box 10811, Springfield. Mo. 65808