Introducing the New Testament
A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey
24. James
Chapter Intro Video
Chapter Objectives
This chapter should enable the student to
summarize what modern scholarship has to say regarding historical background for the letter of James, including proposals regarding this letter’s author, audience, date of composition, and the purposes for which it was intended.
explain how the letter of James is similar to other writings in the Bible, including Old Testament wisdom literature and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
explicate what James has to say regarding trials and temptations and why these might be viewed positively by Christians.
compare what James has to say about “faith and works” with what is said in Paul’s letters and indicate whether those two perspectives are compatible.
describe what the letter of James says about the rich and the poor and about how they are to be regarded within the church of God.
Chapter Summary
This chapter offers a brief overview of the contents of James, followed by discussion of historical background and major themes.
In terms of historical background, the book has traditionally been regarded as a letter from James the brother of Jesus to Jewish Christians who live outside of Palestine. Some scholars think the letter is actually pseudepigraphical, but in any case, it does reflect a Jewish Christian perspective influenced by Israelite wisdom tradition, Greco-Roman diatribe, and the teachings of Jesus.
The letter of James encourages its readers to develop a positive outlook on trials and temptations, including temptations to sin, which, when resisted, strengthen their faith. The letter also contrasts “wisdom from above” with worldly wisdom and urges its readers not to be double-minded in trying to hold to both. Most notably, James addresses the issue of “faith and works” and appears to contradict what Paul says about people being made righteous by faith alone. Most scholars, however, assume that James means something different by “faith” (and possibly by “works”) than Paul did, such that the apparent disagreement is largely one of semantics. Finally, the letter of James exhibits pronounced concern for the poor and an attendant hostility toward the rich.
Study Questions
Summarize what is known about James, the brother of Jesus. How is he presented in the New Testament and what do we know of him from other sources?
Give two ways in which James exhibits common features of wisdom literature, providing an example of each.
What is the “wisdom from above” about which James speaks and how does one acquire it? Give half a dozen illustrations of what would characterize people who possess such wisdom.
Compare and contrast what the letter of James says about “faith and works” with what is said about “faith and works” in Paul’s letters. How might the two perspectives be reconciled?
What marks a person as “poor” according to the letter of James and what marks a person as “rich”? What advice does James give the church concerning the poor? What does James suggest rich people ought to do?
Video: The Poor in James
Assets
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Hyperlink 24.1. Parallels between James and ProverbsDownload
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Hyperlink 24.2. Parallels between James and the Sermon on the MountDownload
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Hyperlink 24.3. Authorship of JamesDownload
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Hyperlink 24.4. The Royal Command of LoveDownload
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Hyperlink 24.5. An Epistle of Straw: What Martin Luther Said about JamesDownload
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Hyperlink 24.6. James in the Christian CanonDownload
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Hyperlink 24.7. Was James the Son of Joseph and Mary?Download
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Hyperlink 24.8. James in the Revised Common LectionaryDownload
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Hyperlink 24.9. Bibliography: JamesDownload
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Box 24.1. James and the Wisdom TraditionDownload
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Box 24.2. James and Other Brothers of JesusDownload
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Box 24.3. Twelve Tribes in the DispersionDownload
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Box 24.4. Propositions about God in the Letter of JamesDownload
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Box 24.5. Rich and Poor in JamesDownload