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Judas Thaddaeus of James

one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus



(painting at right: "Apostle Jude" by Anthonis van Dyck)
 Apostle Jude, by Anthonis van Dyck (Wikipedia / Public Domain)

Judas vs. Thaddaeus

Luke and John mention Judas (as distinct from Judas Iscariot) as one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. This name is not used in Matthew and Mark, but a Thaddaeus is listed instead. Although we cannot be 100% certain, it is almost universally accepted that Judas and Thaddaeus are the same man. See:

"Judas the brother of James"

From Luke 6:16. Note that "the brother" is in italics, which means that those words were not in the original Greek but were inserted by the translators. Based on the Greek, it can be translated either "Judas the brother of James" or "Judas the son of James." Modern scholars tend to favor the "the son" translation, though there's no way to know for sure. It almost doesn't matter, except for the Jude issue below. See:

Judas vs. Jude

In Jude 1, Jude identifies himself as the "brother of James." If Judas is also "brother of James," then perhaps the Apostle Judas Thaddaeus is also the author of Jude. Some scholars believe this, but most believe Judas and Jude were separate individuals, and some good reasons are given. See:
This Page Last Updated: 2013/04/02