The Letters of Jude and Second Peter: An Introduction and Study Guide: Paranoia and the Slaves of Christ

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This Guide surveys the more important historical, socio-cultural, theological, and literary factors we must grapple with in understanding the two letters of Jude and Second Peter, between which there are very strong similarities. It appears that the letter of Jude was almost entirely plagiarized by the letter of Second Peter. George Aicheles main approach is the method of semiotics, examining signifying mechanisms in each of the texts both independently and when they are read together. In both of the letters, Jesus Christ is called the master, with a Greek word that means slave-owner, and the authors of both books refer to themselves and other Christians as the slaves of Christ. Furthermore, both writings report situations of paranoid fear within Christian communities of their time as they picture heretical infiltrators who threaten to pervert and perhaps even destroy the community. In addition to this, in an adventurous excursion, the letter of Jude is read intertextually with the classic science fiction/horror film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Siegel 1956), in order to explore the dynamics of paranoia.

Author Bio

George Aichele was before his retirement Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan, USA.