There are a number of ways to outline the book to grasp the arrangement of its content. He complements Paul’s emphasis on justification by faith with his own emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness demonstrating true faith.Īt least two significant texts challenge the interpreter: 1) In 2:14–26, what is the relationship between faith and works? Does James’ emphasis on works contradict Paul’s focus on faith? 2) In 5:13–18, do the promises of healing refer to the spiritual or physical realm? He used at least 30 references to nature (e.g., “wave of the sea” “reptile” and “heaven gave rain” ), as befits one who spent a great deal of time outdoors. James wrote with a passionate desire for his readers to be uncompromisingly obedient to the Word of God. It has a practical emphasis, stressing not theoretical knowledge, but godly behavior. James, with its devotion to direct, pungent statements on wise living, is reminiscent of the book of Proverbs. For example, the Greek word translated “assembly” ( 2:2) is the word for “synagogue.” Further, James contains more than 40 allusions to the OT (and more than 20 to the Sermon on the Mount, Matt. Not surprisingly, then, James is Jewish in its content. The author refers to his audience as “brethren” 15 times ( 1:2, 16, 19 2:1, 5, 14 3:1, 10, 12 4:11 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19), which was a common epithet among the first century Jews. 31–34), but more likely due to the persecution under Herod Agrippa I ( Acts 12, ca. The recipients of this book were Jewish believers who had been dispersed ( 1:1), possibly as a result of Stephen’s martyrdom ( Acts 7, A.D. 44–49, making it the earliest written book of the NT canon. Therefore, James can be reliably dated ca. 49), which would be expected if that Council had already taken place. There is no mention of the Council of Jerusalem described in Acts 15 (ca. James most likely wrote this epistle to believers scattered ( 1:1) as a result of the unrest recorded in Acts 12 (ca. 1:19), and who was the leader of the Jerusalem church. 15:7), who was recognized as an associate of the apostles ( Gal. James wrote with the authority of one who had personally seen the resurrected Christ ( 1 Cor. Comparing James’ vocabulary in the letter he wrote which is recorded in Acts 15 with that in the epistle of James further corroborates his authorship. 62, according to the first century Jewish historian Josephus. Also known as James the Just because of his devotion to righteousness, he was martyred ca. 2:12), being called one of the “pillars” of that church, along with Peter and John ( Gal. He became the key leader in the Jerusalem church (cf. James had at first rejected Jesus as Messiah ( John 7:5), but later believed ( 1 Cor. 13:55), who also wrote the epistle that bears his name ( Jude 1). That leaves only James, the oldest half-brother of Christ ( Mark 6:3) and brother of Jude ( Matt. 4:21), but he was martyred too early to have written it ( Acts 12:2). Some have suggested James the son of Zebedee and brother of John ( Matt.

10:3 Acts 1:13), or James the father of Judas, not Iscariot ( Luke 6:16 Acts 1:13). No one has seriously considered James the Less, the son of Alphaeus ( Matt.

Of the 4 men named James in the NT, only two are candidates for authorship of this epistle. James, like all of the general epistles except Hebrews, is named after its author ( v.

Bible study book on james