Jude The Obscure: The Letter of Jude and The Enochic Heritage

The use of 1 Enoch in the letter of Jude extends to more than a single explicit citation in vv. 14–15. Jude also contains a series of allusions to 1 Enoch, including several important ones that have previously gone unnoticed. The purpose of this essay is to explore why the author of Jude chose to emphasize Enoch and the Enochic tradition in such a prominent way in his letter. Our thesis is that the author of Jude emphasized Enoch not only because, for him and his community, the Enochic tradition was absolutely foundational to their understanding of both the Lord Jesus Christ and eschatological salvation, but also because the same Enochic tradition was under strong attack by the false teachers whom Jude denounces in the letter. The essay aims to show that 1 Enoch is much more foundational to the interpretation of Jude than previously suspected.