But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander; instead, he said, 'The Lord rebuke you!' — Jude draws this tradition from the Testament of Moses, an apocryphal Jewish text, to illustrate the appropriate restraint even the highest angelic figure must exercise when confronting cosmic evil. Michael's refusal to pronounce a blasphemous judgment (krisin phoras blasphēmias) against Satan reveals that cosmic authorities recognize limits to their power and submit to God's prerogative of judgment. The formula 'The Lord rebuke you' redirects judgment to God alone, establishing a model of authority that governs through submission to higher power rather than autonomous assertion of dominion.

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