DATE
DATE
Practically nothing in this writing enables us to date it with any precision; most attempts at dating it are largely guesswork. One estimate is that it was written about the turn of the century (Kummel), which is about as late as is consistent with authorship by the Lord’s brother and is accepted by many who deny such authorship. But the brother of Jesus would have been very old by the end of the century, so if we hold that he wrote it, we should probably put the date somewhat earlier than this (Guthrie thinks between 65 and 80). 2 It is not among the earliest Christian writings, for we must allow time for the false teaching to develop. 3 Those who deny that the author was the Lord’s brother sometimes hold to a second-century date. But there is no evidence to support a late date, and a date like Guthrie’s is more probable. Sometimes it is urged that the words of Jude 17 show that the writer is looking back on a past apostolic age and that therefore the letter must be late. But we should not overlook the words "they said to you” (18), which surely means that the readers had themselves heard the preaching of the apostles. The words argue for a comparatively early date.