James Introduction
Introduction
The person to whom this letter is ascribed can scarcely be one of the two members of the Twelve who bore the name James (see Mt 10:2–3; Mk 3:17–18; Lk 6:14–15), for he is not identified as an apostle but only as “slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1:1). This designation most probably refers to the third New Testament personage named James, a relative of Jesus who is usually called “brother of the Lord” (see Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3). He was the leader of the Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem whom Paul acknowledged as one of the “pillars” (Gal 2:9). In Acts he appears as the authorized spokesman for the Jewish Christian position in the early Church (Acts 12:17; 15:13–21). According to the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities 20:201–203), he was stoned to death by the Jews under the high priest Ananus II in A.D. 62.
The letter is addressed to “the twelve tribes in the dispersion.” In Old Testament terminology the term “twelve tribes” designates the people of Israel; the “dispersion” or “diaspora” refers to the non-Palestinian Jews who had settled throughout the Greco-Roman world (see Jn 7:35). Since in Christian thought the church is the new Israel, the address probably designates the Jewish Christian churches located in Palestine, Syria, and elsewhere. Or perhaps the letter is meant more generally for all Christian communities, and the “dispersion” has the symbolic meaning of exile from our true home, as it has in the address of 1 Peter (1 Pt 1:1). The letter is so markedly Jewish in character that some scholars have regarded it as a Jewish document subsequently “baptized” by a few Christian insertions, but such an origin is scarcely tenable in view of the numerous contacts discernible between the Letter of James and other New Testament literature.
From the viewpoint of its literary form, James is a letter only in the most conventional sense; it has none of the characteristic features of a real letter except the address. It belongs rather to the genre of parenesis or exhortation and is concerned almost exclusively with ethical conduct. It therefore falls within the tradition of Jewish wisdom literature, such as can be found in the Old Testament (Proverbs, Sirach) and in the extracanonical Jewish literature (Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Books of Enoch, the Manual of Discipline found at Qumran). More specifically, it consists of sequences of didactic proverbs, comparable to Tb 4:5–19, to many passages in Sirach, and to sequences of sayings in the synoptic gospels. Numerous passages in James treat of subjects that also appear in the synoptic sayings of Jesus, especially in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, but the correspondences are too general to establish any literary dependence. James represents a type of early Christianity that emphasized sound teaching and responsible moral behavior. Ethical norms are derived not primarily from christology, as in Paul, but from a concept of salvation that involves conversion, baptism, forgiveness of sin, and expectation of judgment (Jas 1:17; 4:12).
Paradoxically, this very Jewish work is written in an excellent Greek style, which ranks among the best in the New Testament and appears to be the work of a trained Hellenistic writer. Those who continue to regard James of Jerusalem as its author are therefore obliged to suppose that a secretary must have put the letter into its present literary form. This assumption is not implausible in the light of ancient practice. Some regard the letter as one of the earliest writings in the New Testament and feel that its content accurately reflects what we would expect of the leader of Jewish Christianity. Moreover, they argue that the type of Jewish Christianity reflected in the letter cannot be situated historically after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Others, however, believe it more likely that James is a pseudonymous work of a later period. In addition to its Greek style, they observe further that (a) the prestige that the writer is assumed to enjoy points to the later legendary reputation of James; (b) the discussion of the importance of good works seems to presuppose a debate subsequent to that in Paul’s own day; (c) the author does not rely upon prescriptions of the Mosaic law, as we would expect from the historical James; (d) the letter contains no allusions to James’s own history and to his relationship with Jesus or to the early Christian community of Jerusalem. For these reasons, many recent interpreters assign James to the period A.D. 90–100.
The principal divisions of the Letter of James are the following:
I. Address (1:1)
II. The Value of Trials and Temptation (1:2–18)
III. Exhortations and Warnings (1:19–5:12)
IV. The Power of Prayer (5:13–20)
I. ADDRESS
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James Introduction: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
James Introduction
Introduction
The Greek text of James begins “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” The KJV titles it “The General Epistle of James,” reflecting what this introduction says—that it is written to followers of Christ in general scattered throughout the Roman Empire. James is the closest of the New Testament writings to the Wisdom books of the Old Testament. As is typical in the Wisdom literature, readers are urged here to seek God's Wisdom as they go about their lives, especially in times of testing and uncertainty. James has many proverbial sayings used to encourage the faithful to resist such things as temptations and dividedness, prejudice and exclusionary behaviors, pride and speaking ill of others, and to live virtuously, welcoming both poor and rich into the faith community equally.
The general aim of the letter is to teach wisdom and the right kind of living, in which faith is active in love. The author knows Paul's teaching about being justified by the grace of God through faith, but in 2.17-26 wants readers to be absolutely clear that faith must show up in actions if it is real. Faith cannot be mere head-knowledge or mental assent to certain doctrinal beliefs. He says: “show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works” (2.18). Faith that does not lead Christians into charitable works and compassionate actions, James says, is dead or no faith at all. In 5.14-16 James describes the ancient rite for healing the sick, employing prayer and anointing with oil, which has been practiced in the churches since the first century. The closing chapter also advises patience and prayer in the face of hardship and suffering.
“James” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Jacob” and, as such, was common among first century Jews. Church tradition holds that the author of James was Jesus' brother James, a leader in the Jerusalem church (Gal 1.19). The author's literary style and familiarity with broader Greek culture, however, suggest the book was written later in the first century than Jesus' brother was likely to have lived and may have been written by a disciple wishing to honor James.
Outline
Seek God's Wisdom in the Face of Temptations (1.1-18)
Show by Your Actions that Your Faith Is Living (1.19—2.26)
Use Your Tongue for Good, Speak Well of Others, and Be Wise (3.1—5.6)
Be Patient, Merciful, and Prayerful (5.7-20)
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.