Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. Jude 1:13
The short but powerful epistle of Jude is a warning concerning false teachers. According to Jude, ‘certain men crept in unawares’ to the apostolic church – men who were seeking to corrupt ‘the faith which was once delivered unto the saints’ (Jude 3-4). In verse 13, Jude compares these deceivers to ‘wandering stars’. To fully appreciate this metaphor, we must understand ancient cosmology, and more specifically, what a wandering star is.
The ancients observed that most of the heavenly luminaries maintained a consistent course as they traversed the heavens from east to west around the north star. The uniform revolutions of stars like Arcturus were seen to be impeccably consistent. Millennium after millennium, constellations such as Orion remained perfectly arranged and fixed together. Unlike these predictable lights known as ‘the fixed stars’, other stars were observed to be irregular in their courses. Owing to the fact that they rushed ahead and then slowed down, roving from north to south in their march westward, the Greeks called these lights ‘wandering stars’ (planētēs astēr).
It is from the Greek word ‘planētēs’ – which means ‘wanderer’ – that the English word ‘planet’ is derived. When viewed by the naked eye or a real telescope, the wandering stars do not appear remarkably different to the other twinkling stars dotting the canopy of heaven. The only significant distinction one may observe between the so-called planets and the other shining lights is in the irregular courses taken by the former.
The predictable track, position, and speed of the fixed stars render them reliable guides for navigating land and sea. The wandering stars, on the other hand, are not to be relied upon for navigation due to their seemingly disorderly and meandering habit. According to a scientific publication:
The planets (initially known as wandering stars) appear to move among the fixed stars – at too fast a pace to be really useful in navigation. Also, they don’t follow consistent orbits, so they aren’t reliable for finding direction. www.sciencelearn.org.nz
To the novice navigator, a wandering star may twinkle and move like the other stars. Seeking safe havens, an unskilled mariner may mistake such a rover for a fixed star. Yet plotting his course according to this false light could spell death to him and his crew. In a similar manner, the false teacher may imitate the twinkle and radiance of the faithful guide. He may overlay his deceptions with the words of Jesus, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:18). Truly, following such a man will result in utter shipwreck of faith.
In a similar address and using similar terms, the Apostle John warned the flock of Jesus about the deceivers that Jude termed ‘wandering stars’. As Jude employed the Greek word ‘planētēs’ to describe these false guides, John used ‘planos’, which also means ‘wanderer’:
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver [planos] and an antichrist. 2 John 1:7
The Scriptures are an exhaustive star chart. The wise navigator will not follow any professing angel of light without first consulting this celestial map. With such a guide in hand, there is no reason or excuse to be misled by the false light of a wandering star.
Christopher Sparks