Jude 1:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Here is another fault of these most vile men. He says that they not only perish themselves, but also snatch away the children of the Church. This is the meaning of "those who separate," that is, they lead them beyond the bounds of the Church, the bounds of the faith, or even the very enclosure of the Church. They have made their own assemblies into dens of robbers, and they lead others away from the Church and bring them to themselves. They do this because they are soulish men, that is, living according to the manner of the world. We have already observed that Sacred Scripture is accustomed to call life itself by the word soul. The Apostle Paul also says that soulish men cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 2:14). Therefore, being soulish, they also use soulish teaching, of which it is said: "This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, soulish, demonic" (Jas 3:15), not having the Spirit of God.

Those who divide everywhere, for they are psychic and do not have the Spirit of God, dissolve the one Christ, the Son and Lord, into two sons. They will be taken captive by these notions of theirs.

For they pretend to confess one Christ and Son, and say that He has one person. Yet by dividing Him again into two separate and divergent hypostases, they utterly distort the word of the mystery of faith.

That is, two hypostases: the Son of God and the man Jesus.

He who is an enemy of unity does not share in the love of God. Therefore those outside the Church do not have the Holy Spirit. Of them Scripture says: those who separate themselves from the unity of faith, psychic, not having the Spirit.

These, Jude says, are people who separate believers from believers. In accordance with their own unbelief, they refute, and on the other hand they do not distinguish holy things from dogs.

Psychic: those who are guided in their life and activity by the lower powers of the soul, which exist in part even among animals. They are without the Spirit, having no Spirit.

They are not guided in life and activity by the higher spiritual powers, enlightened by the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14-15; Jas 3:15.

After this the Apostle cites the prophecy of Enoch, and also that of Christ's Apostles, concerning the bitter lot awaiting the heretics he denounces. He outlines their manner of life in the darkest colors. Where is the prophecy of Enoch quoted by the Apostle Jude found? It is not in the sacred books of the Old Testament. But it was preserved in Hebrew tradition, which the holy Apostle Jude introduced into his epistle. By this he gave it inspired significance. For New Testament writers often supplemented the Old Testament writers, introducing into their books from the sacred tradition of God's people what the Holy Spirit inspired them to say about it.

From verse 17, one may say, the second, moral and instructive part of the Epistle begins. Here rules are first given to Christians, by which they can protect themselves from the action of false teachers. The first of these rules is to remember the apostolic predictions and warnings concerning heretics. These predictions were uttered by the apostles orally and in writing (see 2 Pet 3:2-4; Acts 20:29; 1 Tim 4:1, 3). Among the properties by which the apostles define heretics, their separation from the other members of the Church is especially worthy of attention. They are schismatics from the unity of Christian faith and life. They do not take part in the most sacred bonds and assemblies of the Church (cf. Acts 11:46; 1 Cor 11:20; Heb 10:25).

These words expose the absence in the false teachers of the life of grace, whose source is the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Holy Spirit abides only in the Church, which is the body of Christ and is animated by the Holy Spirit. They, however, separated themselves from the unity of the faith preserved in the Church, although they did not cease outward communion with the members of the Church. Therefore bodily, or according to another reading soulish, life predominates in them. They live a beastlike life, as though they had no human soul created according to the image and likeness of God. They have completely stifled spiritual needs within themselves.