# Blemishes ## Ignatius Catholic Study Bible *Blemishes* (Jude 12) - *Spilas* (Gk.): A noun used to mean \"stain\" or \"submerged rock\". It appears only here in the NT. Some hold that [[2-peter-02#^2-peter-02-13|2 Pet 2:13]], which employs a similar word, is dependent upon Jude 12 and takes it to mean \"stain\". However, it is also possible that Jude is comparing his opponents to an offshore reef that was hazardous to ships coming into port because it was hidden just below the surface of the sea. Understood in this way, the heretical teachers infiltrating Christian communities were an unseen danger to the faith of unsuspecting believers. ### Source [[26-jude-commentary#^tbbw4p|Blemishes — word study]]