The title of this book derives
from the name of its author, James the Just (as he was called), the brother of
Jesus (Matt. 13:55) and
leader of the
There is no good reason,
however, to deny that James the Just is the author. As scholars now recognize,
there was substantial contact between Jews and Gentiles, especially in
The historicity of James the
Just is well confirmed in historical literature (e.g., Josephus, Jewish
Antiquities 20.200201;
Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23).
Since James died in a.d. 62, the letter had to precede that
date. Further, if this had been written after the apostolic council in
James's primary theme is
living out one's faith, being a doer and not just a hearer of the word. This
theme is developed in view of the social conflict between rich and poor and the
spiritual conflict between factions in the church. James rebukes his readers
for their worldliness and challenges them to seek divine wisdom in working out
these problems and getting right with God.
The audience for James's
letter is almost certainly Jewish Christians, as evidenced by the designations
"the twelve tribes in the Dispersion (1:1) and "assembly (Gk. synagōgē, 2:2), the Jewish reasoning throughout, and James's
frequent reflection on the Torah (Mosaic law). If "Dispersion is literal as
well as metaphorical (see note on 1:1; cf. Acts 2:911), then these are a group of Jewish
Christian house churches outside
1. God is seen as a gracious giver, the unchanging Creator, merciful and compassionate, a Judge, the one and only God, a jealous God, a gracious God, and a healing God. |
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2. Wisdom comes "from above and enables one both to withstand trials and to bring peace rather than discord. |
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3. God allows tests and trials (1:24), but temptation comes not from God but from self and Satan. The required response is patient endurance. |
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4. The primary trial is poverty and oppression from the rich. The poor are the special focus of God's care and must be cared for by his people and not shown prejudice or ignored. The wealthy are condemned for presumptuous pride and for stealing from the poor. |
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5. Apocalyptic themes are prevalent in terms of both future judgment and reward. |
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6. The power of the tongue to destroy or to bring peace dominates the middle section. |
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7. The ethical mandate to go beyond hearing the word to living it out in daily conduct is made explicit early on and is implicit throughout the letter. |
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8. Prayer is the proper response to trials, but it must not be self-seeking. It is to be central in life not only when afflicted or sick but also when cheerful. God has great power to heal, both physically and spiritually. |
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9. Faith, in its relationship to both works and justification, does not contradict but supplements Paul's teaching. James and Paul are united in teaching that justification comes only by the grace of God through faith but will of necessity result in works. If there are no resultant works, there was no justification in the first place. |
Christians are to live with
the wisdom (Prov. 1:2, 7)
that befits followers of Christ. (For an explanation of the "History of
Salvation, see the Overview of the Bible.)
Even though James begins with
an epistolary salutation, the rest of the book does not have the format of an
epistle but rather is a collection of wisdom sayings, much like the genre of
wisdom literature as seen in the OT. The generic format of that wisdom
literature is the collection of proverbs. Additionally, the book of James
belongs to an ancient Greek form of satire known as the diatribe, the traits of
which include: imaginary dialogues (including question and answer
constructions); apostrophe (direct address to absent people or things as though
they are present and can hear); metaphors taken from nature and everyday life;
allusions to famous people from the past (stock instances, or well-known
representations of the qualities that are under discussion); harsh addresses to
readers; and heightened contrasts.
The most pervasive technique
in the book of James is the proverb or aphorism, in the mode of ancient wisdom
teachers. Next in frequency is the rhetorical device of direct command,
expressed in the imperative mood of the verb (e.g., "be doers of the word, and
not hearers only, 1:22). In fact, there are over 50 imperatives in
the book's 108 verses. This abundance of commands is a signal that the writer
has a practical bent and is interested in action rather than mere belief as the
distinguishing characteristic of Christians. There is also a strongly
persuasive stance as the author seeks to move his readers to action. The tone
is continuously energetic, and satire is never far from the surface, sometimes
couched in a somewhat scolding manner.
c. a.d. 4045
The epistle of James was
likely written to predominantly Jewish Christian house churches outside of
Palestine, based on its mention of the "twelve tribes in the Dispersion (1:1), its distinctly Jewish content, and its focus
on persecution and poverty. This would mean it was sent throughout most of the
ancient Mediterranean world. The author has traditionally been believed to be
James the Just, the half-brother of Jesus and an early leader of the church in
I.
Greeting (1:1)
II.
The Testing of Faith (1:218)
A.
Joy in trials (1:24)
B.
Wisdom from God for trials (1:58)
C.
The place of rich and poor before God (1:911)
D.
Reward for those who endure (1:12)
E.
The process of temptation (1:1318)
III.
Hearing and Doing the Word (1:1927)
.
Hearers of the word (1:1921)
A.
Doers of the word (1:2225)
B.
True, practical religion (1:2627)
IV.
The Sin of Partiality (2:113)
.
Preferring the wealthy over the poor in the assembly (2:17)
A.
The royal law of love (2:811)
B.
Acting in light of judgment (2:1213)
V.
Faith without Works Is Dead (2:1426)
.
Faith without works (2:1417)
A.
Response of a critic (2:1820)
B.
Examples of Abraham and Rahab (2:2126)
VI.
The Sin of Dissension in the Community (3:14:12)
.
Taming the tongue (3:112)
A.
The solution: wisdom from above (3:1318)
B.
Warning against worldliness (4:112)
VII.
The Sins of the Wealthy (4:135:12)
.
Boasting about tomorrow (4:1317)
A.
Warning to the rich (5:16)
B.
Patience in suffering (5:712)
VIII.
The Prayer of Faith (5:1318)
IX.
Concluding Admonition (5:1920)