Special thanks go to logos bible software for making the process of determining the shortest book of the bible by hebrew or greek word count much easier. Jude, the servant of jesus christ, and brother of james, to them that are sanctified by god the father, and preserved in jesus christ, and called. The book of jude inductive bible study guide fiveweek study guide this material is designed to help you achieve correct interpretation and lifechanging application. Epistle of jude encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. There are important lessons and insights to discover in its introduction of the author, its purpose, its target audience and most importantly, its various references from the old testament and a few apocryphal texts today lets focus on the opening lines of the epistle and get to know the author, his audience. The second shortest book of the bible is 2 john with 245 words. Contend for the faith beloved, while i was very diligent to write to. Here are the five shortest books of the bible, beginning with the very shortest. The secondshortest book by word count, 2 john, has 245 words, but it has fewer verses than 3 john. There are only 25 verses in the book and a little over 650 words in it, but in this short letter written by the church leader jude, we can learn a lot about godly leadership. Papyrus 78, containing the epistle of jude verses 4, 5, 7 and 8. Jude does not quote the ot directly, but there are at least 9. Syrian tradition says jude died a martyr in phoenicia.
A bible expert should be able to get most of these questions right. Jude is mentioned as among the brothers of the lord in mark 6. What are the longest and shortest books of the bible. The lord laid this book on my heart to preach through a few weeks back. The number of letters or characters can also be used as a measure of book length, but character count has been traditionally applied to the length of verses and not the length of.
Jude 1 niv bible jude, a servant of jesus christ and a. Study guide for jude by david guzik blue letter bible. Verse 9 assumes you are familiar with the story of the archangel michael battling with the devil over the body of moses. What is the shortest book in the bible that can be read in. Iii john has the fewest number of words of any book in the bible. The bible is a pretty long book, and that might give the impression that every book of the bible is long, too. Asked in the bible, bible statistics and history, new testament. The fourth shortest book of the bible, and shortest book of the entire old testament, is obadiah with 440 hebrew words. The book of jude is one of the shortest books in the bible, being only 25 verses long. Jude is the shortest book of the bible by number of verses 3 john has 4 fewer words in the kjv. The book was composed as an encyclical letter addressed to. The epistle of jude is a tiny book, tragically neglected by students, yet overflowing with fascinating old testament references and allusions. The epistle of jude is a short but fascinating book in the new testament. Jude is the 4th smallest book of the bible yet one of the most potent in exposing doctrinal errors and false teachers.
May 22, 2015 the ten shortest books in the bible 3 john 1 chapter, 14 verses, 299 words 2 john 1 chapter, verses, 303 words philemon 1 chapter, 25 verses, 445 words jude 1 chapter, 25 verses, 6 words obadiah 1 chapter, 21 verses, 670 words titus 3 chapters. Each of these books is only one chapter long, and would take you a few minutes to read, tops. By word count, whats the shortest book in the bible. Why would i spend time researching and studying, preparing and preaching a few thoughts from such a small book. The study chart on the last page of this booklet outlines the entire inductive method. It is important for students of the bible to become familiar with judea seldomread and littleunderstood book. Some are as long as a trade book today, and others dont even take up a full page. It has only twentyfive verses, however the lessons are very important for us so that we can be wary of those who are not honest and would desire to steal the joy of salvation from you. This james was probably the well known james of jerusalemthe lord jesus christs brother 18. The letter of jude is one of the shortest epistles and books in the bible. The fifth shortest book of the bible is jude with a count of 461 words.
Therefore the letter of 2 john written by the apostle john one of the first disciples of jesus christ is the shortest. The ungodly contending against the faith 116 how we should contend for the faith 1725 more pages related to jude. Lessons from the epistle of jude bible study tools. Aug 05, 2017 the criteria typically used to determine the length of the shortest book in the bible is the number of words in the book. The author identifies himself as jude, brother of james v. The epistle of jude, often shortened to jude, is the penultimate book of the new testament and the bible as a whole and is traditionally attributed to jude, the servant of jesus and the brother of james the just. At first glance both of these answers appear unlikely, but i think the answers give testimony to the depth of the bible. Jude did not quote from enoch to tell us anything new, but to give a vivid description of what the bible already teaches. So the gospel of luke is the longest book in the new testament, while 3 john is the shortest. Greeting to the called jude, a bondservant of jesus christ, and brother of james, to those who are called, sanctified by god the father, and preserved in jesus christ. The writer introduces himself as jude, the bondservant of jesus christ, and brother of james verse 1 a.
May 12, 2011 second john is the shortest book in the bible with verses. This third letter of john is the shortest book in the entire bible. It has been said that the book of acts describes the beginning of the institution of the local church. The bible is one of the oldest texts in the history of the world. It is packed with great truths that can impact your life. The second shortest book by word count, 2 john, has 245 words, but it has fewer verses than 3 john. It has been said that the book of acts describes the beginning of the institution of the local church and jude deals with the ending or the end of the church age. The book was composed as an encyclical letter addressed to all churches.
Can you list the books of the bible from shortest to. What is the two shortest book in the bible answers. The ten shortest books in the bible 3 john 1 chapter, 14 verses, 299 words 2 john 1 chapter, verses, 303 words philemon 1 chapter, 25 verses, 445 words jude 1 chapter, 25 verses, 6 words obadiah 1 chapter, 21 verses, 670 words titus 3 chapters. These measurements are by words in the original languages. Jun 01, 2000 this smallest book of the new testament is also, in many ways, the most provocative.
Ii john has the fewest number of verses of any book in the bible it is the shortest book in the bible. Jan 02, 2020 the fourth shortest book of the bible, and shortest book of the entire old testament, is obadiah with 440 hebrew words. The book of jude was written in the period of 7080 a. The author is jude the brother of james, both of who are halfbrothers of jesus christ. There is a consensus that the brother of james identifies the author as the brother of that james who led the community of jesusfollowers in jerusalem from at least 40 ce until his execution in 62 cein other words the same person who wrote the book of james. However do not let the short length of the letter deceive you. As the fourth shortest new testament book philemon, 2 john and 3 john are shorter, jude is the last of 8 general epistles. Generally 2nd and 3rd john are the two shortest books.
The epistle of jude is one of the shortest books in the bible, containing only twentyfive vv. William barclay, in his daily study bible series, makes this meaningful observation. As the footnote in the catholic bible says, the book of enoch is apocryphal. It all depends on what criteria you use to determine length verses, words, etc. As all of the nt epistles, it originated as a personal letter from one of the leaders of the apostolic church to one or more of the congregations dispersed throughout the rom. Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. The more you study the bible, the more you realise the wonders it contains. The epistle of jude is the secondlast book of the new testament, and the last of the epistles. Jude does not here approve the entire book, but only this prophecy.
Second john has only verses, but it has 245 words in greek and 298 words in english, on the other hand thir. Second john is the shortest book in the bible with verses. Jun 18, 2007 obadiah, with 21 verses consisting of 602 words, is the shortest book in the old testament, and the third shortest in the bible. At least three decades had passed since the lord jesus returned to heaven. The date of authorship for jude depends on whether jude used content from 2 peter, or peter used content from jude when writing 2 peter.
Before we look more deeply at the content of the book of jude, lets glance at who wrote it, what time period he wrote it in and what the overall message and purpose of it is. As the fourth shortest new testament book philemon and 2 john and 3 john are shorter. Obadiah, with 21 verses consisting of 602 words, is the shortest book in the old testament, and the third shortest in the bible. At a mere 25 verses, it is one of the shortest books in the bible. The apostle paul also quoted nonbiblical sources on at least three different occasions acts 17.
The book of jude is notoriously difficult to date, primarily because the bible and tradition reveal so little about the personal details of its author while the book itself refrains from naming any particular individuals or places. The purpose of this book is to address false teachings and to illustrate a contrast between the. Jude the apostle, also referred to as jude of james, judas of james, thaddeus, judas thaddeus, and lebbaeus was one of the twelve main disciples of jesus christ. Jude, which is rendered judah in hebrew and judas in greek, was named after its author verse 1, one of the 4 halfbrothers of christ matthew. The third shortest book of the bible is philemon with 335 words in greek. He would not be referring to james the son of zebedee who was martyred at an early date acts 12. Longest and shortest book in the new testament daniel. List of books in the bible from shortest to longest. The shortest book in the bible by word count is 3 john, with only 219 words in the bibles original language. Western tradition says he labored among the persians. Book of jude overview insight for living ministries. This smallest book of the new testament is also, in many ways, the most provocative. The criteria typically used to determine the length of the shortest book in the bible is the number of words in the book. May 02, 2020 the date of authorship for jude depends on whether jude used content from 2 peter, or peter used content from jude when writing 2 peter.
Some scholars believe he is the same person as jude, brother of jesus, who is traditionally regarded as the author of the epistle of jude while his name is sometimes translated as judas jude and judas are english forms of the same. Leadership lessons from the book of jude christian news. When we understand judes thought his letter becomes one of the greatest interest for the history of the earliest church and by no means without relevance for today. The book of jude itself tells us that it was written by jude, slave of jesus the anointed one, and brother of james. It is attributed to jude, a servant of jesus and brother of james the just. The shortest book in the bible by word count is 3 john, with only 219 words in the bible s original language. Jude, which is rendered judah in hebrew and judas in greek, was named after its author v. The book of jude is a general epistle apostolic letter. The one clue available to presentday readers is the striking similarity between the books of jude and 2 peter. The bibles a huge collection of smaller documents, called books. Jude is only one chapter long, and its the fifth shortest book of the bible third john is the shortest. Jude, which is rendered judah in hebrew and judas in greek, was named after its author, one of the 4 halfbrothers of christ matt.
1278 1195 208 1315 1054 739 338 336 1385 825 1100 966 1430 212 493 1311 963 630 1430 61 1367 1260 977 1563 571 959 1570 100 1225 135 663 753 672 587 145 980 511 33 45 102 1249 766 923 1123