Why this story matters

(commentary on Jude 1:9)

(Page 4 of 4)

 Conclusion

So was this an actual historical event? Well, the epistle of Jude found its way into the Bible and must be given the same weight of divine inspiration as any other book that appears there. Moreover, Jude is at least one of the books of the New Testament where the name of the author is known, because he says he wrote it himself. This is not true of any of the four gospels. The names Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are names that were ascribed by later editors in the second century. This is simply believed as a matter of tradition. The disciples were Aramaic speaking, illiterate, peasants and the gospels were written by educated, Greeks speaking, Christians who recorded oral traditions about Jesus. So the testimony of Jude, for those who take divine inspiration seriously, should carry, at least, similar weight to the gospels.

But if we take Jude at his word, as we should, some questions arise. Did the devil think Yahweh might let him have Moses’ body if he put forward a good argument? Did he think he could persuade Michael by saying that he was the master of matter? And, if Michael buried the body, as the Bible tells us in, “Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor”, would the devil really not be able to find it? Well, we're back to the choice between historical fact and Jewish fable. For those who want to believe these things, no rational arguments will carry much weight. But for those who don’t have any particular stake in the matter, it sure sounds a lot more like a Jewish fable.

END OF COMMENTARY

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