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How the Epistle of Jude Illustrates Gnostic Ties with Jewish Apocalypticism Through Early Christianity

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How the Epistle of Jude Illustrates Gnostic Ties with Jewish Apocalypticism Through Early Christianity JUDE IN THE MIDDLE: HOW THE EPISTLE OF JUDE ILLUSTRATES GNOSTIC TIES WITH JEWISH APOCALYPTICISM THROUGH EARLY CHRISTIANITY _______________________________________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board _______________________________________________________ in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY _______________________________________________________ by Boyd A. Hannold May, 2009 i ABSTRACT Jude in the Middle: How the Epistle of Jude Illustrates Gnostic Ties with Jewish Apocalypticism through Early Christianity Boyd A. Hannold Doctor of Philosophy Temple University, 2009 Vasiliki Limberis Ph.D. In the mid 1990’s, Aarhus University's Per Bilde detailed a new hypothesis of how Judaism, Christianity and Gnosticism were connected. Bilde suggested that Christianity acted as a catalyst, propelling Jewish Apocalypticism into Gnosticism. This dissertation applies the epistle of Jude to Per Bilde’s theory. Although Bilde is not the first to posit Judaism as a factor in the emergence of Gnosticism, his theory is unique in attempting to frame that connection in terms of a religious continuum. Jewish Apocalypticism, early Christianity, and Gnosticism represent three stages in a continual religio-historical development in which Gnosticism became the logical conclusion. I propose that Bilde is essentially correct and that the epistle of Jude is written evidence that the author of the epistle experiences the phenomena. The author of Jude (from this point on referred to as Jude) sits in the middle of Bilde’s progression and may be the most perceptive of New Testament writers in responding to the crisis. He looks behind to see the Jewish association with the Christ followers and seeks to maintain it. He looks forward to what he perceives as a shift from early orthodoxy and battles that shift. My thesis is to use the text of the epistle of Jude to uncover its historical situation. I posit that it portrays an early church leader grounded in Jewish Apocalypticism and facing the beginnings of a new “heretical” movement. This is a thesis of connections, and the work lies in using the epistle of Jude to illustrate those connections. ii This study is significant in two respects. First, it will clarify background issues of Jude. Earlier scrutiny of Jude focused on its unique aspects, such as Jude’s use of the non- canonical texts of 1 Enoch and the Testament of Moses. More recent scholarship has centered on the literary and rhetorical analysis of the text. I will concentrate on using the text of Jude within the context of this theory in order to determine a clearer view of the historical setting in which Jude wrote. Second, this work will further the theory of connections between Jewish Apocalypticism, early Christianity, and Gnosticism. Although much work has been done to validate the connections between Judaism and Gnosticism, less has been done specifically with regard to Jewish Apocalypticism and even less with Per Bilde’s theory of the critical middle role of early Christianity. And no one has used Jude in this particular discussion. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There is an obvious reason for including a section for acknowledgements in every dissertation. No dissertation is the work of an individual. This work is no exception. I would be remiss to begin with any other group or individual other than the faculty and staff of the department of Religion at Temple University. The debt I owe this community for the personal growth I experienced through my years of study here would be impossible to repay. I thank them for their patience and input. My special thanks go to the members of my committee, Dr. Vasiliki Limberis, Dr. Robert Wright, and Dr. Ross Wagner. Dr. Wright’s classes were fun and creative and his continuance on my committee after retiring is especially appreciated. Dr. Wagner was one of the first professors who encouraged me in this pursuit during my initial studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. My greatest appreciation, however, is reserved for Dr. Limberis. Her classes were exceptional and challenging. Her personal oversight of my work, however, has enabled me to become a much better reader and writer. Whatever my pursuits in the future, they will always be profitably influenced by her contributions of the last few years. I have pursued this degree while pastoring full-time at Princeton Alliance Church. I owe a statement of gratitude to the Governing Board and staff of the church. Their constant encouragement and support was invaluable. They were as committed as I in the pursuit of completing this degree and without their generous gift of time off, allowing me to write this dissertation, I would not have finished it. I give my most personal thanks to my family. My wife of 28 years, Donna, has maintained a home, worked full-time, and parented three children, mostly in my absence as I iv passed from church facilities to library, sometimes with barely a nod in her direction. I can only thank her for her incredible loving support. I can never repay her. My children, Stephanie, Joel and Eric, have patiently survived this ordeal while never understanding why their father would take on such a project at his age. They may never comprehend the value of this education but they deserve my appreciation for their patient support. Boyd A. Hannold May 2009 v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………….. iv LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………... vii INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………….......viii CHAPTER 1. CONNECTIONS: FROM JEWISH APOCALYPTICISM TO GNOSTICISM THROUGH EARLY CHRISTIANITY.................................................................. 1 The Jewish-Gnostic Connection............................................................ 1 Objections to the Thread of Connection ............................................ 23 Even Closer Ties Between Jewish Apocalypticism and Gnosticism .. 31 Christianity as the Definitive Catalyst ................................................ 41 2. THE EPISTLE OF JUDE: COMBATING AN INCIPIENT GNOSTIC MOVEMENT........................................................................................................ 68 The Letter ............................................................................................ 68 An Introduction to the Letter............................................................... 70 Jude: A Jewish Apocalyptic Convert to Christianity .......................... 86 The oὗτοι as Incipient Gnostics ........................................................ 101 Objections to the Incipient Gnostic Opponent Proposal ................... 121 3. JUDE AND BILDE: IN THE CONTINUUM .................................................... 128 Jude, the Demiurge, and Anti-Jewish Fervor.................................... 131 Dating the Epistle.............................................................................. 134 The Background of the Epistle of Jude ............................................. 149 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 188 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 194 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Jewish Apocalypticism and Gnosticism...............................................................45 2. Jewish Apocalypticism, Early Christianity, and Gnosticism ...............................48 3. Comparison of the Godless and Beloved in Jude.................................................85 4. The Triplets of Jude............................................................................................153 5. Contrast of Recipients and Opponents in Jude...................................................155 vii INTRODUCTION For many years I have had a secret attraction to the epistle of Jude. The way in which the author flirts with non-canonical texts such as 1 Enoch and the even more spectacular Testament of Moses, the vehement attacks on his opponents, the recurring poetic triplets of description, all in the briefest of briefs have kept me wearing its pages thin. I have always been surprised at the lack of consideration given it by scholars. Even so, I was well into my studies at Temple University before I decided to target Jude in my dissertation. In attempting to get a better grasp on Gnosticism and its origins, I read a short article by Aarhus University's Per Bilde, entitled "Gnosticism, Jewish Apocalypticism, and Early Christianity."1 In the article the author was advancing the theory that Gnosticism originated from Jewish Apocalypticism through the medium of early Christianity. There are many well-represented hypotheses concerning the origin of Gnosticism. It has been theorized as a product of Iranian dualism or Hermeticism. It is viewed by some as a further development of Platonic thought or a complex result of Pagan religious syncretism developed over some time. Seemingly, however, the two strongest positions among scholars are that it is either a Jewish or Christian heresy, and much has been written in support, and opposition, of these two positions. What caught my attention from Bilde’s article was the concept that Gnosticism could be tied to both of these related religions and that there is a progression that places early 1 Per Bilde, “Gnosticism, Jewish Apocalypticism, and Early Christianity,” in In the Last Days: On Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic and its Period,
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