Der Judasbrief. Der Zweite Petrusbrief

Christian Blumenthal analyzes and interprets the Epistle of Jude and the Second Epistle of Peter in their cultural setting and illuminates their relationships to their Jewish and Greco-Roman contemporaries. A major focus of the interpretation is on the analysis of strategic theological ambiguities and vagueness in both letters and their pragmatic potential: The author shows how "Jude" uses the sharply drawn black-and-white contrast to open up an ecclesiological middle ground in which mercy toward theological "border crossers" is demanded. At the same time, he elaborates on how "Peter," despite literary polarization, insinuates gray areas and explores border zones. Both, "Jude" and "Peter", develop an understanding of God and Jesus that combines distinction and unity. They describe Christian existence as a tension between the current state of salvation and its yet-to-come completion defined by freedom from danger.