(from Ezek. xxxiv. 2) and ver. 22 f. (from Zech.
iii. 2 f.) suggest this.

[Sidenote: To whom written.]

The Epistle is simply addressed "to them that are called, beloved in
God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ." It seems that these
Christians must have been natives of Palestine or Syria. They had been
personally instructed by the apostles (ver. 17), which makes this
region probable. No place seems more likely than Antioch and its
neighbourhood. The libertinism which was endangering the Church would
not be likely to arise except in a district where the Christians were
in close contact with heathenism. Extreme critics now usually maintain
that it was written either in Asia or in Egypt. If written in Asia, it
can hardly have been written by the Lord's brother, as we know that his
descendants lived in Palestine. If written in Egypt, it can hardly
belong to the age of the apostles. These two sceptical theories as to
the place where the Epistle was written contradict one another
effectively.

[Sidenote: Where and when written.]

The style and contents of the letter show that it was probably written
in Palestine and at Jerusalem. The date is probably soon after the
martyrdom of St. James in A.D. 62. St. Jude was dead before his
grandsons had their interview with Domitian. The Epistle must
therefore be before A.D. 81.

[Sidenote: Character and Contents.]

The Epistle is remarkable as containing references to two Jewish books
of an apocalyptic character which are not mentioned in the Old
Testament. This caused some writers in early days to hesitate to
ascribe the Epistle to a brother of St. James, and in recent times the
same argument has been revived in a new {268} form. But these
quotations seem quite compatible with a belief in the genuineness of
the Epistle. The books quoted were in existence in the apostolic age,
and would be likely to be valued by a devout Jew. In ver. 9 there is
reference to Michael, which Origen says was derived from the
_Assumption of Moses_, a Jewish work written at the beginning of the
Christian era. In 2 Pet. ii. 11 the allusion to Michael is so
modified, that the origin of the reference is no longer obvious. In
vers. 4, 6, and 14, there are quotations from the _Book of Enoch_, a
Jewish book composed of sections written at various dates, the latest
being written in the century before Christ.

The purpose of the Epistle is to warn the Church against certain
depravers o