Slandering the Angels in Word and Deed

Bibleproject Jude Translation

View our full translation of the Letter of Jude.

Reflection Questions

• How does Jude’s description of “these people” as those who “slander the glorious ones” relate to depictions of angels in the Hebrew Bible?

• What roles do angels play across the Hebrew Bible, from Genesis through the prophets?

• How did Second-Temple Jewish writers develop their understanding of angels from days four to six in Genesis 1’s creation account?

• What significant development do we see in Daniel 7 regarding the Son of Man and spiritual beings? How does the Apostle Paul carry on this thinking in Ephesians 2 and 1 Corinthians 6?

• How does Jude’s reference to Michael the Archangel disputing with the satan over Moses’ body apply to the behavior of the corrupt church members?

Chapter 1: Recap Of Introduction And Setup For Verses 8-10

Jude warns a Jewish Messianic community of house churches about “these people” in their midst who live without moral restraint, reject Jesus’ authority, and promote counterfeit dreams and prophecies (Jude 1:5-7). He uses a uniquely Jewish rhetorical technique to draw on three stories from the Hebrew Bible that feature rebels against God’s rule and created order: the rebel spies in Numbers 13-14, the “sons of God” in Genesis 6, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.

Chapter 2: Angels In The Hebrew Bible And Second-temple Literature

Jude’s next critique centers on “these people” who “slander the glorious-ones,” meaning angels (Jude 1:8). In Second-Temple Jewish thought, angels were God’s delegates over creation and mediators of Israel’s covenant. These ideas came from God ordering the “lights” in the sky in Genesis 1, but also Deuteronomy 33’s vision of Yahweh coming with “myriads of holiness,” delivering a “fiery law” (Gen. 1:14-30; Deut. 33:2-4; Jubilees 17:15-18:16 - apocryphal work). This concept of angels as delegates of creation’s order and Israel’s covenant reveals why slandering angels would be so serious an offense to Jude and his Jewish Messianic audience. In the New Testament, we witness a continued reverence for angels among Jesus’ followers (Acts 7:38, 53; Gal. 3:1). But this is balanced with a view of Jesus as the one greater than angels, ruling all of creation and mediating a new covenant (Eph. 1:20-22, 2:1-2, 6; anticipated by Dan. 7:13-14). Paul even mentions in one letter that Jesus’ followers, as co-heirs of the Kingdom, will even judge angels (1 Cor. 6:2-3).

Chapter 3: Michael The Archangel’s Restraint

In verse 9, Jude cites The Testament of Moses, a well-known Second-Temple period apocryphal work (Jude 1:9). One of its stories builds upon God’s burial of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:5-6. Michael the archangel disputes with the satan about the body of Moses, and Michael refuses to pronounce judgment against the satan. Jude cites Michael’s words as the kind of humble and restrained posture that his audience should adopt. He then contrasts Michael with the corrupt church members who dare to slander angels—mediators of the created order and God’s covenant.