Terrance Callan, «Use of the Letter of Jude by the Second Letter of Peter», Vol. 85 (2004) 42-64
Assuming that 2 Pet 2,1–3,3 is dependent on Jude 4-18, this essay describes in detail the way the author of 2 Peter has used Jude’s material. It is clear that the author of 2 Peter has not simply incorporated Jude, as is sometimes asserted. Rather, 2 Peter has thoroughly reworked Jude to serve its own purposes. 2 Pet 2,1–3,3 is best described as a free paraphrase of Jude 4-18. The relationship between the two texts is similar to the relationship between 1 Clem 36.2-5 and Heb 1,3-13.
60 Terrance Callan
for unusual vocabulary. He also added the qualifier “worthless†to
make the emptiness of their speech more explicit. He omitted the
participial phrase with which the second clause of Jude 16 ends. The
author of 2 Peter then adapted the first clause of Jude 16, i.e., the
statement that the opponents are grumblers and malcontents who
indulge their own desires, into a statement that the false teachers use
licentious desires of the flesh to “entice people who have just escaped
from those who live in errorâ€. The author of 2 Pet took only the word
“desires†from Jude. By adding the conjunction “for†at the beginning
of 2,18, the author of 2 Peter connected this material to the preceding
description of his opponents, so that it became the basis for that
description. 2 Pet 2,17-19 thus forms an enthymeme (48), i.e., a
syllogism in which one of the premises is implicit.
In 2,19-22 the author of 2 Peter went on to describe the false
teachers as ones who tempt Christians to return to the condition from
which they have been saved. This material is not found in Jude.
Thus 2 Pet 2,17-22 made use of parts of Jude 12-16. 2 Pet 2,17
adapted the first and fourth of four metaphors found in Jude 12-13, but
omitted the second and third. 2 Peter omitted Jude 14-15, but adapted
Jude 16 to serve as the premise for 2,17 and the introduction to a long
denunciation of the false teachers for causing Christians to turn back to
their pre-Christian state. One element of this is no doubt abandonment
of vivid expectation that Jesus will come again.
5. Jude 17-18 / 2 Pet 3,1-3
3,1 Tauvthn h[dh, ajgaphtoiv, deutevran
uJmi'n gravfw ejpistolhvn, ejn ai|" diegeivrw
uJmw'n ejn uJpomnhvsei th;n eijlikrinh'
dianoian
v
1,17 uJmei'" dev, ajgaphtoiv, mnhvsqhte twn
' 3,2 mnhsqh'nai twn proeirhmenwn
' v
rhmatwn twn proeirhmenwn upo; tw'n
J v ' v J rhmatwn uJpo; twn aJgivwn profhtw'n kai;
J v '
apostolwn tou' kuriou hJmw'n ∆Ihsou'
j v v th'" tw'n apostolwn uJmw'n ejntolh'" tou'
j v
Cristou' kuriou kai; swth'ro",
v
1,18 o{ti e[legon uJmi'n: ªo[tiº 3,3 tou'to prw'ton ginwvskonte" o{ti
ejp∆ ejscavtou ªtou'º crovnou e[sontai ejleuvsontai ejp∆ escatwn tw'n hJmerw'n ªejnº
j v
ejmpai'ktai kata; ta;" eJautw'n ejpiqumiva" ejmpaigmonh'/ ejmpai'ktai kata; ta;" ijdiva"
poreuomenoi tw'n ajsebeiw'n.
v ejpiqumiva" autwn poreuovmenoi
j'
2 Pet 3,1-3 begins the author’s most direct argument against the
doctrine of the false teachers. The author has adapted Jude 17-18 for
(48) WATSON, Invention, 120.
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