Jude Series: Jude 9-The Account of Michael’s Confrontation with the Devil Appears in the Assumption of Moses

Jude 9 But when Michael, the highest ranking archangel, was arguing with the devil, he was disputing over Moses’ body, he absolutely did not dare present a slanderous accusation. In fact, on the contrary, he said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” (Lecturer’s translation)

Jude 9 presents information regarding the circumstances surrounding Moses’ death which do not appear in the Old Testament account of his death.

The biblical story of Moses’ death is recorded in Deuteronomy 34:1-12.

However, it does not mention the confrontation between the devil and Michael, the archangel of God.

Deuteronomy 34:1 Then Moses ascended from the deserts of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. The Lord showed him the whole land—Gilead to Dan, 34:2 and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the distant sea, 34:3 the Negev, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of the date palm trees, as far as Zoar. 34:4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it, but you will not cross over there.” 34:5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab as the Lord had said. 34:6 He buried him in the land of Moab near Beth Peor, but no one knows his exact burial place to this very day. 34:7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull nor had his vitality departed. 34:8 The Israelites mourned for Moses in the deserts of Moab for thirty days; then the days of mourning for Moses ended. 34:9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had placed his hands on him; and the Israelites listened to him and did just what the Lord had commanded Moses. 34:10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face. 34:11 He did all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land, 34:12 and he displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel. (NET)

As we pointed out in our introduction to the epistle of Jude, Jude 9 appears to have quoted from the Assumption of Moses or the Testament of Moses.

This is called a “pseudepigraphic” work, which is a term that refers to a large number of false and spurious writings.

The New Testament writers make use of a number of these books.

For example, Jude 14–15 quotes from the Book of 1 Enoch (1:9) and the Assumption of Moses (1:9); and an allusion from the Penitence of Jannes and Jambres is found in 2 Timothy 3:8.

Of course, it should be remembered that the New Testament also quotes from the heathen poets Aratus (Acts 17:28); Menander (1 Cor. 15:33); and Epimenides (Titus 1:12).

Truth is truth no matter where it is found, whether uttered by a heathen poet, a pagan prophet (Num. 24:17), or even a dumb animal (22:28).

Nevertheless, it should be noted that no such formula as “it is written” or “the Scriptures say” is connected with these citations.

It should also be noted that neither the New Testament writers nor the Fathers have considered these writings canonical.

The “pseudepigrapha” books are those that are distinctly spurious and unauthentic in their overall content.

Even though they claim to have been written by biblical authors, they actually don’t express sound doctrine but rather religious fancy and magic from the period between about 200 B.C. and 200 A.D.

The Roman Catholic Church considers these books as the Apocrypha, which is a term not to be confused with an entirely different set of books known in Protestant circles by the same name.

The actual number of these books is not known with certainty, and various writers have given different numbers of important ones.

There are at least eighteen worth mentioning.

They are the book of Jubilee, the letter of Aristeas, the book of Adam and Eve, the martyrdom of Isaiah, 1 Enoch, the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Sibylline Oracle, the Assumption of Moses, 2 Enoch, 2 and 3 Baruch, 3 and 4 Maccabees, Pirke Aboth, the story of Ahikar, the Psalms of Solomon, Psalm 151, and the Fragment of a Zadokite Work.

Now, the fact that Jude 9 quotes from the Assumption of Moses simply verifies that this event is historically accurate and by no means indicates that the church was verifying the inspiration of this pseudepigraphic work.

Jude wrote this epistle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the Holy Spirit moved him to put this historical event regarding the confrontation between Michael and the devil over the body of Moses after his death.

This verifies that this event was historically accurate but not the Assumption of Moses.

The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible commenting on the Assumption of Moses writes that it is “A composite Jewish work, dating probably to the 1st century A.D., and containing a speech of Moses to Joshua. Believing that the original document included an account of Moses’ death and translation to heaven, scholars have traditionally referred to it as the Assumption of Moses, but since the extant text does not include such an account, recent writers prefer to call it the Testament of Moses (both titles are mentioned in patristic writings)…The work contains twelve chapters, the contents of which are briefly as follows: Moses appoints Joshua to succeed him, and Joshua is to bring the people into the land of promise after which time they will fall into idolatry (chs. 1–2). A king from the E is to destroy Jerusalem and to bring the people into captivity for seventy-seven years, after which a few will return (chs. 3–4). Then a succession of wicked priests and kings will appear, culminating in the reign of a particular tyrant for thirty-four years (chs. 5–6). In the first six chapters of the work, the history of Israel from Moses to Herod is constantly alluded to. The final six chapters look forward to times of increasing turmoil, wickedness, and persecution, in which a certain individual named Taxo chooses unresisting death, rather than to break the law. In the end, the Most High intervenes with punishment for the Gentiles and blessing for Israel.”[1]

[1] Silva, M., & Tenney, M. C. (2009). In The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, M-P (Revised, Full-Color Edition, Vol. 4, p. 332). Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation.