ONE OF THE LORD'S BROTHERS (MARK 6:3)

Jude, the Lord's brother. A name in the family list at Nazareth; Hegesippus tells of his grandsons brought before an emperor.

ALSO CALLED

Juda (Mark 6:3) · Judas (Matthew 13:55)

FROM

He is named among the family the people of Jesus' “own country” knew (Mark 6:1-3).

TRADE

Scripture does not say

FAMILY

He is one of the four brothers the people at Nazareth name: “James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon”.

WRITINGS

The letter of Jude (who wrote it is a question on the Letters page)

BACKGROUND

Home, trade and family

FROM

FAMILY

  • He is one of the four brothers the people at Nazareth name: “James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon”. Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55
  • From the textMark spells the name “Juda”, Matthew “Judas”; the Greek is the same name, which the letter of Jude also uses. Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55 Jude 1:1
  • Paul says “the brethren of the Lord” had the right “to lead about a sister, a wife”, as the other apostles did; he does not say which brothers. 1 Corinthians 9:5
  • Early church · Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1), 1890Hegesippus (about AD 170) knew of grandsons of “Jude, who is said to have been the Lord's brother according to the flesh”.[1]

WITH JESUS

His moments with Jesus

WHERE HE WENT

Acts and after

  • Nazareth · Jesus' “own country” (Mark 6:1), where the people named his brothers; Mark names Nazareth as the town Jesus came from (Mark 1:9). Mark 1:9 Mark 6:1–3
  • Jerusalem · With the other brothers in the upper room after the ascension. Acts 1:12–14

IN ACTS AND THE LETTERS

  • After the ascension the Lord's brothers pray with the apostles, the women and Mary the mother of Jesus. Acts 1:14
  • Paul names “the brethren of the Lord” with the other apostles and Cephas as having the right “to lead about a sister, a wife”. 1 Corinthians 9:5
  • From the textScripture names this Jude only in the two Nazareth lists (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55). Acts 1:14 and 1 Corinthians 9:5 speak of the brothers as a group. Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55 Acts 1:14 1 Corinthians 9:5

COMPANIONS

Who was with him

Each line joins him to someone Scripture places beside him.

  • James, the Lord's brother Named first of the brothers, with Jude. Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55
  • Mary the mother of Jesus Named with the brothers in the upper room. Acts 1:14
  • Simon, one of the brothers Named with him among the brothers. Mark 6:3
  • Joses, one of the brothers Named with him among the brothers. Mark 6:3

HOW THE STORY ENDS

Scripture says, tradition says

SCRIPTURE SAYS

  • From the textScripture names Jude only in the Nazareth lists; after that the brothers appear only as a group (Acts 1:14). It records nothing of his death. Acts 1:14

TRADITION SAYS

  • “Of the family of the Lord there were still living the grandchildren of Jude, who is said to have been the Lord's brother according to the flesh.” Accused of being of David's line, they were brought before the emperor Domitian; they owned only “a piece of land which contained only thirty-nine acres”, and supported themselves by their own labour.[1] Who says so: Hegesippus, quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.19-20, Hegesippus about AD 170; Domitian reigned 81-96
  • Eusebius adds, in his own words, that they showed their work-hardened hands, said Christ's kingdom was “not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly and angelic one”, and were let go. McGiffert notes that the quotation from Hegesippus ends before this part.[1][2] Who says so: Eusebius, Church History 3.20.5-7, about AD 325
  • “They came, therefore, and took the lead of every church as witnesses and as relatives of the Lord”, and lived until the reign of Trajan.[1] Who says so: Hegesippus, quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.32.5-6, Hegesippus about AD 170; Trajan reigned 98-117
  • Writers who took this Jude to be the apostle Thaddaeus gave him that apostle's story. The Golden Legend calls the apostle Judas “brother to James the Less” and has him and Simon cut down in Persia.[26] Who says so: Jacobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend (Caxton's English, ed. Ellis 1900), about 1260

WRITINGS

Writings tied to him

LETTERS

The letter of Jude (who wrote it is a question on the Letters page)

OPEN QUESTIONS

Where readers have differed

Two different men

A. C. McGiffert (1890); J. B. Lightfoot (1890), who notes that the writer of Jude “seems to disclaim for himself the title of an Apostle”

The brothers did not believe in Jesus after the Twelve were chosen (John 7:5), and Acts 1:13-14 names the apostles and then, separately, “his brethren”. Luke's “Judas of James” is, McGiffert argues, the son of a James, not his brother. John 7:5 Acts 1:13–14 Luke 6:16 Jude 1:17 [2][13]

The same man

M. G. Easton (1897, under “Jude”), who lists Matthew 13:55 among the apostle's verses; the Golden Legend (about 1260); it follows from the cousin view, which counts the Lord's brothers among the Twelve, as H. E. Jacobs (ISBE, 1915) describes that view in full

Read with the KJV as “Judas the brother of James” (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), the apostle matches the Jude who calls himself “brother of James” (Jude 1) and the Judas named among the Lord's brothers (Matthew 13:55). Luke 6:16 Acts 1:13 Jude 1:1 Matthew 13:55 [15][26][23]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 8

Mark 6 Matthew 13 Mark 3 John 2 John 7 Acts 1 1 Corinthians 9 Jude 1

PASSAGES · 8

Mark 6:1–6 Matthew 13:54–58 Mark 3:31–35 John 2:12 John 7:2–10 Acts 1:14 1 Corinthians 9:5 Jude 1:1

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture records nothing Jude said or did as a person; he is a name in the Nazareth list and one of “his brethren”.
  • Scripture does not say how he was related to Joseph and Mary (see the question below), whether he travelled, or how he died.
  • Scripture does not say that he wrote the letter of Jude.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textThis page is about the brother named at Nazareth (Mark 6:3). Two other men called Judas appear among the first disciples: Judas Iscariot, and the apostle “Judas the brother of James” (Luke 6:16), where “the brother” is a word the KJV supplies. Mark 6:3 Luke 6:16
  • From the textThe letter of Jude opens “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James”. It does not call its writer the Lord's brother, and it speaks of “the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ” as others (verse 17). Who wrote it is a question for the Letters page. Jude 1:1 Jude 1:17
  • Early church · Origen (trans. John Patrick, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 9, ed. Allan Menzies), 1896Origen (about AD 245 or later) reads the letter's opening as the words of this Jude, the brother of James and of the Lord. Jude 1:1 [5]

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1), Church History (1890), 1.12.1-4; 2.1.1-5, 10-13; 2.15-16; 2.23; 2.24; 3.11; 3.19-20; 3.25.4; 3.31.2-5; 3.32.1-6; 3.37.1; 3.39.9, 15; 4.22.4; 5.8.3; 6.14.6-7; 6.25.5; 6.36.2; 7.19; 7.25.15.
  • A. C. McGiffert, Notes to Eusebius, Church History (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), book 1 ch. 12 notes 201, 212; book 2 ch. 1 notes 235, 239, 241, 244, 246; ch. 15 notes 389-391; ch. 16 note 394; ch. 23 notes 493, 500, 516, 522, 523; book 3 ch. 20 notes 720, 724; ch. 25 note 798; ch. 31 notes 858, 866, 868; book 6 ch. 36 note 2046.
  • Jerome (trans. E. C. Richardson, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 3), Lives of Illustrious Men (1892), chapters 2 (James, with Richardson's note 2343), 4 (Jude), 5 (on Hebrews), 6 (Barnabas, with note 2364), 8 (Mark).
  • Jerome (trans. W. H. Fremantle, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 6), Against Helvidius; Letter 108 (to Eustochium) (1893), Against Helvidius 15 and 19 (the tract dated about AD 383 by the editor); Letter 108, section 8 (dated AD 404 by the editor).
  • Origen (trans. John Patrick, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 9, ed. Allan Menzies), Commentary on Matthew (1896), book 10, section 17, The Brethren of Jesus; ANF vol. 9 first published Buffalo, 1896; checked against the 1903 Scribner reprint (archive.org scan antenicenefather0009unse_s0x0).
  • Alexander Walker (trans.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8, Apocrypha of the New Testament: introduction; Protevangelium of James, chapter 9; The Journeyings and Martyrdom of St. Barnabas the Apostle (1886).
  • Irenaeus (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), Against Heresies (1885), 3.1.1 (also in Eusebius 5.8.3); 3.12.10.
  • A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, Introductory Note to the Epistle of Barnabas (1885).
  • Clement of Alexandria (trans. William Wilson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2), Stromata (1885), book 2, chapters 6 and 20; book 5, chapter 10.
  • Tertullian (trans. S. Thelwall, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4), On Modesty (1885), chapter 20; the editor's note 701 dates the work 'not earlier than a.d. 208'.
  • Hippolytus (trans. J. H. MacMahon and S. D. F. Salmond, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5), The Refutation of All Heresies; and, among the dubious pieces, On the Seventy Apostles (1886), Refutation book 7, chapter 18 in the ANF numbering, with note 873; On the Seventy Apostles, nos. 1, 6-7, 13-14, 24, 56, 65, with note 2027 ('Probably spurious, but yet antique').
  • John Chrysostom (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11), Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles (1889), Homily 14, on Acts 6 (preached AD 400, by the editor's preface).
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 10th edition (1890), note on 1:19, p. 84; 'The Name and Office of an Apostle', pp. 95-96; dissertation 'The Brethren of the Lord', pp. 252-291.
  • Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 6 (Acts to Revelation) (1706-1721), on Acts 7:14-16; 13:13; 15:38.
  • M. G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), entries Barnabas; Jude; Mark; Philip (2); Stephen.
  • William Smith, Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884), entry Mark.
  • Charles Souvay, St. Stephen (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 14) (1912).
  • John Francis Fenlon, St. Barnabas (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2) (1907).
  • Joseph MacRory, St. Mark (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 9) (1910).
  • S. F. Hunter, Philip, the Evangelist (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 4, p. 2369; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan internationalst00orrgoog).
  • J. H. Farmer, Mark, John (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 3, p. 1987; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopedi03orruoft), which reads “815 AD”.
  • H. E. Jacobs, Barnabas (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 1, pp. 405-406; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopaed01unknuoft).
  • H. E. Jacobs, Brethren of the Lord (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 1, pp. 518-519; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopaed01unknuoft).
  • S. D. Press, Stephen (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 5, p. 2851; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopedi05orruoft), which prints “c 36 or 37 AD”.
  • A. T. Robertson, Paul, the Apostle (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), part 3, III. Chronology of Paul's Career, (1) The Death of Stephen; vol. 4, p. 2271; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan internationalst00orrgoog).
  • Jacobus de Voragine (Caxton's English of 1483, ed. F. S. Ellis), The Golden Legend, vol. 6: The Lives of SS. Simon and Jude (1900).
  • C. M. Kerr, Philip (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 4, p. 2368, the apostle's later life; read in the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan).

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