Bede — Commentary on Scripture

Jude 1:13

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Wandering stars, for whom the storm of darkness is reserved forever. The wandering stars, which are seven, never rise or set in the same place where they did the day before; but sometimes they descend to the lowest part of the winter zone, sometimes they ascend to the highest part of the summer zone, sometimes they return to the middle line of the equinoctial zone. Thus indeed, thus are the heretics, who promising the light of truth, never persist in the same state of teaching; but now in this way, now in that way, shaping their doctrine, they themselves clearly show how contemptible is the display of light which they promise. And indeed among the planets, that is the wandering stars, the most well-known are the moon, the morning star, which is also the evening star. These are sometimes taken in a good sense, when the sun is the Lord, the moon is the Church, the morning star is John the Baptist, who, by being born, preceded the Lord about to be born in the flesh and by providing testimony to the light. But we also read about the sun in a bad sense, as the Lord says about the seeds so…

Wandering stars, for whom the storm of darkness is reserved forever. The wandering stars, which are seven, never rise or set in the same place where they did the day before; but sometimes they descend to the lowest part of the winter zone, sometimes they ascend to the highest part of the summer zone, sometimes they return to the middle line of the equinoctial zone. Thus indeed, thus are the heretics, who promising the light of truth, never persist in the same state of teaching; but now in this way, now in that way, shaping their doctrine, they themselves clearly show how contemptible is the display of light which they promise. And indeed among the planets, that is the wandering stars, the most well-known are the moon, the morning star, which is also the evening star. These are sometimes taken in a good sense, when the sun is the Lord, the moon is the Church, the morning star is John the Baptist, who, by being born, preceded the Lord about to be born in the flesh and by providing testimony to the light. But we also read about the sun in a bad sense, as the Lord says about the seeds sown on rocky ground: And when the sun rose, they were scorched (Matthew 13). Which he himself explains further: When persecution arises because of the word, they quickly fall away (ibid). Therefore, the sun's heat indicates the fervor of persecution. We read about the moon in a bad sense: A fool is changed like the moon (Ecclesiasticus 27). The morning star in a bad sense: How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star (Isaiah 14)? This can be understood not only about the devil’s first fall, but also about his members who fall from the Church through heresy. The evening in a bad sense: You cause darkness to be fall upon the children of earth (Job 38). Because both the Antichrist and his ministers, although they transform themselves as angels of light, do not bear witness to the divine light, like the morning star to the sun; but they rather show the works of darkness to their followers; similar to the star called the evening star, which appearing in the west in the evening, is the precursor of the ensuing night. It says, Wandering stars, for whom the storm of darkness is reserved forever. For rightly they will be sent into the darkness of eternal torment, who were bringing the darkness of errors into the Church of God under the name of light. Deservedly they will be struck by the storm of punishment, who, like sea storms, were disturbing the peace of the faithful.

Jude 1:14

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Prophecies were made about them by the seventh from Adam, Enoch, etc. He does not speak against all men, but against all the impious, leaving none of them unpunished. It is added about them:

Jude 1:15 · 2 passages

To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

And to convict all the impious. He actually states that the seventh from Adam is Enoch, who prophesied these things, to confirm by example what he stated above: Because the impious men who long ago were designated for such judgment had slipped in at his time to subvert the faith of the pious.

And to convict (he says) all the impious of all their deeds of impiety, etc. This sentiment is indeed true, because the Lord, coming in judgment, will convict the impious not only of deeds but also of words, and will judge the wicked; however, it should be known that the book of Enoch, from which this is taken, is classified among the apocryphal Scriptures by the Church, not because the sayings of such a great patriarch can be in any way dismissed or should be considered false, but because the book offered under his name does not seem to have been truly written by him, but published by another person under his title. For if it were truly his, it would not be contrary to sound faith. But now, because it contains many incredible things, among which is the account of the giants not having human fathers but angels, it is clear to the learned that the writings that are tainted with falsehood are not those of a truthful man. Hence, this same Epistle of Jude, because it bears testimony from an apocryphal book, was rejected by many in the early times. However, due to its authority, antiquity…

And to convict (he says) all the impious of all their deeds of impiety, etc. This sentiment is indeed true, because the Lord, coming in judgment, will convict the impious not only of deeds but also of words, and will judge the wicked; however, it should be known that the book of Enoch, from which this is taken, is classified among the apocryphal Scriptures by the Church, not because the sayings of such a great patriarch can be in any way dismissed or should be considered false, but because the book offered under his name does not seem to have been truly written by him, but published by another person under his title. For if it were truly his, it would not be contrary to sound faith. But now, because it contains many incredible things, among which is the account of the giants not having human fathers but angels, it is clear to the learned that the writings that are tainted with falsehood are not those of a truthful man. Hence, this same Epistle of Jude, because it bears testimony from an apocryphal book, was rejected by many in the early times. However, due to its authority, antiquity, and use, it has merited to be counted among the holy Scriptures, especially because Jude took such testimony from an apocryphal book which is conspicuous for the clear truth of its true light rather than being apocryphal and dubious.

Jude 1:16

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

These are murmurers, grumblers, etc. The more anyone murmurs and grumbles about the present labors of the Church, the less they have extinguished the desires of the flesh within themselves. But on the contrary, holy Daniel and other men of heavenly desires, as diligently as they only desire the things above, so much more scornfully do they despise all passing things that seem adverse.

Jude 1:19

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

These are they who separate themselves, etc. Therefore, they reprobate themselves by separating from the lot of the righteous, hence they are sensual, that is, following the lusts of their own soul, because they have not merited to possess the Spirit of unity by which the Church is gathered together, by which it is made spiritual. Therefore, they dissolve, because they lack the bond of charity.

Jude 1:20

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, etc. We pray in the Holy Spirit when, pierced by divine inspiration, we seek heavenly aid to receive the goods which we cannot possess by ourselves. Therefore, the blessed Jude instructs us to build ourselves up on the foundation of holy faith, to thus join ourselves as living stones to the house of God, which is the Church; he thus commands us to keep ourselves in the love of God, so that we never presume on our own strength, but hope in the aid of divine protection. Let no one according to the dogma of Pelagius declare that he can be saved by himself, but let us all seek the coming of the Holy Spirit into us, by which inspired we may be able to pray more fervently, lest perhaps we be separated from the society of the Holy Church with those who do not have the Spirit and therefore continue to be sensual.

Jude 1:22-23

And of some have compassion, making a difference:

And of some have compassion, making a difference: others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh, etc. What he said with fear must be joined to all three things he proposed. Because whoever reproves apostates and shows them as damnable must act in fear, lest perhaps he or his loved ones suffer something similar. And whoever rescues another from the fire of vices by chastising him, must consider himself lest he also be tempted. And whoever shows mercy to a penitent neighbor must also do this carefully, lest perhaps he becomes more severe or more lenient than is just.

Jude 1:23

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Hating even the garment stained by the flesh. By "garment of the flesh" he means our body. However, we should not hate our body, but we should hate this stained condition in every way, and as much as we can act to make it spotless, so that what is carnal may deserve to become spiritual. Since this is not achieved by our own will, but must be accomplished by the grace of God, it is rightly added:

Jude 1:24

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling, etc. It rightly says here that we will be placed in exultation before the presence of God's glory, whom he previously admonished to serve God in fear. For the more fearful we are about our actions in the present, the more we will rejoice about our deserved reward in the future.

Jude 1:25

To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

To the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory and majesty. This clause attributes equal and co-eternal glory and kingdom to both the Father and the Son, before all and through all ages. It also refutes the error of those who believe the Son to be less or posterior to the Father, when it says that glory, majesty, dominion, and power belong to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. And this not from the beginning of any time, but before all ages, and now and for all ages of ages. Amen.

Judges 1:34

And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:

“The waters increased and elevated the ark high above the earth. And the waters drenched the earth, filling it and covering everything.” The increased waters of baptism and faith also elevated the church throughout the world from an appetite for earthly things to the hope and desire for heavenly life. Hence, tossing the church about with great tribulations, the more vigorously these waters fill the earth, the higher they push it toward seeking the joys of the other life. This is well illustrated in sacred history when it is said, “The Amorites held the children of Dan to the mountains, nor did they permit them to descend to the plains.” Amorite, of course, means “bitter,” whereas Dan is translated as “judge” or “judgment.” Who do the children of Dan designate, therefore, if not those who act with diligence that they may be upright, study the book of truth and vow and resolve to observe the revelation of God’s justice, walking by the lamp of his Word? On the other hand, who is indicated by the Amorites if not those who attempt to disturb or even to destroy the sweetness of the life of…

“The waters increased and elevated the ark high above the earth. And the waters drenched the earth, filling it and covering everything.” The increased waters of baptism and faith also elevated the church throughout the world from an appetite for earthly things to the hope and desire for heavenly life. Hence, tossing the church about with great tribulations, the more vigorously these waters fill the earth, the higher they push it toward seeking the joys of the other life. This is well illustrated in sacred history when it is said, “The Amorites held the children of Dan to the mountains, nor did they permit them to descend to the plains.” Amorite, of course, means “bitter,” whereas Dan is translated as “judge” or “judgment.” Who do the children of Dan designate, therefore, if not those who act with diligence that they may be upright, study the book of truth and vow and resolve to observe the revelation of God’s justice, walking by the lamp of his Word? On the other hand, who is indicated by the Amorites if not those who attempt to disturb or even to destroy the sweetness of the life of the saints with the bitterness of tribulations? The Amorites hold the children of Dan to the mountains, nor permit them to descend to the plains, when so great a storm afflicts the elect with persecutions that there is no time for them to indulge in timid thoughts, but they must work hard continuously with prayers, fastings, and meditations on the divine Scriptures, while living in the highest continence, since they will be able to overcome the struggles of great trials only by the exercise of greater virtue.

Judges 7:5-7

So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

Just as the six hundred years of life which Noah completed prior to entering the ark designate the perfection of faith and confession of those who approach the church’s sacraments of heavenly grace and perpetual reward, so also does the three hundred and fifty years that he lived after the great flood typify the perfection of those who, having received the sacraments of life, zealously and faithfully serve the Lord until death. For we say that three hundred, because it is denoted in Greek by the letter tau, which is written in the shape of a cross, most aptly signifies those who resolve not to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence Gideon, at the Lord’s command and with his assistance, conquered the innumerable army of the Midianites with three hundred men, thus teaching figuratively that by faith in the Lord’s cross we will be victorious in the wars waged against us both by this world and by our own vices.

Judges 13:2-7

And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.

Thus Jacob, the patriarch Joseph, Samson, [who was] the bravest of the chieftains, and Samuel, [who was] the most distinguished of the prophets, [all] had as their progenitors [mothers who were] for a long time barren in body but always fruitful in virtues. In this way their dignity would be known from the miraculous nativity of those who were born, and it might be proven that they would be famous in their lives, since at the very outset of their lives they transcended the norms of the human condition.

Leviticus 1:14

And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.

In very many ceremonies of the law one who needed to be cleansed was ordered to be cleansed by [offering] these [birds]. A pigeon indicates simplicity and a turtledove indicates chastity, for a pigeon is a lover of simplicity and a turtledove is a lover of chastity—so that if by chance one loses its mate it will not subsequently seek another.

Leviticus 6:9

Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.

A holocaust is burned on the altar when a good work is performed with the burning fire of charity in the heart of any elect person who is devoted to God completely (that is, with both body and soul). This is done all night until the morning when one does not cease to persevere in good works throughout all the time of his life, until one is taken from the body and merits seeing the morning of the world to come. The fire will be on the same altar, because we ought to be burning with that charity alone which the Lord gives to his church through the Holy Spirit.

Leviticus 6:10

And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.

The priest who offers the holocaust is the Lord who is himself accustomed to kindle in us the fire of his charity and through it to make the sacrifices of our good actions acceptable to himself. And he is clothed in linen garments when he does these things because, in order that he may excite us to works of virtue, he sets before us the examples of his own incarnation, passion and death, which can be signified by linen, as we have frequently said.

Leviticus 10:1

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

This is not far from being a sign of our unhappy time, in which some who have attained positions as priests and teachers—merely to mention it is both distressing and sad enough—are consumed by the fire of heavenly vengeance because they prefer the fire of cupidity to the fire of heavenly love. Their eternal damnation was prefigured by the temporal death of Aaron’s sons.

Leviticus 11:3

Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

Hence it is properly decreed in the law that the only animals which are clean and suitable to be eaten by the people of God are those that have horns. For it is well known that those animals that chew the cud and divide the hoof are also those that have horns. So … it is mystically disclosed that the only people who can be incorporated into a spiritual union with the church of God are those who by the strength of their faith prove that they are unconquered in their battles with the vices.

Leviticus 12:8

And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.

The Lord commanded in the law that those who could were to offer a lamb for a son or a daughter, along with a turtledove or a pigeon. But one who did not have sufficient wealth to offer a lamb should offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons. Therefore the Lord, mindful in everything of our salvation, not only deigned for our sake to become a human being, though he was God, but also he deigned to become poor for us, though he was rich, so that by his poverty along with his humanity he might grant us to become sharers in his riches and his divinity.