Ancient Anglican

The first Icon is the Hodegetria – she who shows the way. This Icon creates a circular movement. The Virgin gestures towards the Child, introducing her son to us and pointing us away from herself. The Child gazes at Mary’s face giving loving attention to someone besides himself.

Jude’s only quotation from any source is the Book of Enoch in vv. 14-15.

Jude tells us, that in Christ, we too are being made perfect so that we too may stand upright in the presence of God’s glory so that we too will be without blemish.

Jude is one of the few places in the New Testament where the persons of the Trinity are explictly mentioned together and their unique role is explained.

In his letter, Jude gives us the example of three groups of people who incurred divine judgment and three examples of corrupt teachers all within the Old Testament.

James ends his letter with the themes of being patient in times of trial, being in constant communication with the One in charge, and being responsible to bring back those who have strayed.

James’ condemnation lies with how the rich obtain and retain their riches – by withholding wages, hoarding their wealth, and condemning the righteous. Wealth is not simply a danger because it forms the basis of inequality, but wealth itself corrupts the human soul. 

The one thread that holds this chpater together is that of humility. When we count others as better than ourselves then there is no room left for envy or jealousy, nor for slander or judgment, nor for total self-reliance.

For James, the speech that teachers must control is not doctrinally subversive speech where someone teaches the wrong thing, but ethically subversive speech where someone speaks condemnation and evil.

In this verse, James is telling us that a faith that is not placed into action simply cannot reach its perfect teleological end.

What does it profit, my brother, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?

James makes the connection between (1) respecting the poor and shunning partiality towards the rich and (2) the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.