Is It Pesher? Readdressing the Relationship between the Epistle of Jude and the Qumran Pesharim

The observed midrashic qualities of Jude 5–19 have led many scholars to claim that the author of the epistle is engaging Scripture in ways common to early Jewish exegesis. Some have even gone so far as to claim that, because of its extensive similarities to the Qumran pesharim in both form and hermeneutic perspective, this portion of Jude is actually an example of pesher exegesis akin to texts such as the Habakkuk Pesher. Because a number of new studies have been published on both Jude and the pesharim in the past two decades, it is appropriate to offer a new assessment concerning the validity of this claim. In this study I will analyze pesher as a genre in order to ascertain which features are necessary and sufficient components of pesher exegesis and then address whether Jude 5–19 possesses these essential characteristics and therefore should be referred to as an example of pesher exegesis.