Bible Study

Oct 16, 2024 • Bishop Mitchell A. Way

JAMES

Introduction

AUTHOR: James DATE: 45-50

The General Epistles James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude were called by the early church the "General," "Universal," epistles because their addresses (with the exception of 2 and 3 John) were not limited to a single locality. James, for example, is addressed "to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad" (1:1) - a designation for believers everywhere (likely all Jewish Christians at that early date).

Authorship Of the four men bearing the name James in the New Testament, only two have been proposed as the author of this letter, James the son of Zebedee (and brother of John) and James the half-brother of Jesus. It is unlikely that the son of Zebedee was the author, for he was martyred in A.D. 44 (Acts 12:2).

The authoritative tone of the letter not only rules out the two lesser-known James’s of the New Testament ("James the Less" and the James of Luke 6:16) but points to the half-brother of Jesus who became the recognized leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18).

This conclusion is supported by the resemblances in the Greek between this epistle and the speech of James at the Council of Jerusalem (James 1:1 and Acts 15:23; James 1:27 and Acts 15:14; James 2:5 and Acts 15:13).

Date Some, denying the authorship by James because of the excellent Greek used, place the writing of the book at the very end of the first century. However, Galileans knew and used Greek well, along with Aramaic and Hebrew. Further, an early date is indicated by the lack of reference to the Jerusalem Council (A.D. 49), by the use of the word "assembly" (synagogue) for the church in 2:2, and by the strong expectation of the Lord's soon return (5:7-9).

Canonicity The canonical status of this letter was questioned until the church realized that its author was almost surely the half-brother of Jesus. Luther did not question the genuineness of James, only its usefulness in comparison with Paul's epistles, because it says little about justification by faith, while emphasizing works.

Contents The book is concerned with the practical aspects of Christian conduct; it tells how faith works in everyday life. James's purpose was to provide concrete ethical instruction. Compared to Paul, James shows much less interest in formal theology, though the letter is not without theological statements (1:12; 2:1,10-12,19; 3:9; 5:7-9,12,14).

Many subjects are discussed in this book, making it like a series of brief sayings arranged in the form of a letter. While there is little formal structure to the book, its many instructions explain how to be doers of the Word (1:22). In the 108 verses of the epistle there are references or allusions from 22 books of the Old Testament and at least 15 allusions to the teachings of Christ as embodied in the Sermon on the Mount. Among the key subjects discussed are faith and works (2:14-26), the use of the tongue (3:1-12), and prayer for the sick (5:13-16).

OUTLINE OF JAMES

I. Greeting, 1:1

II. Trials, 1:2-18

A. The Purpose of Trials, 1:2-12

B. The Pedigree of Trials, 1:13-15

C. The Purpose of God, 1:16-18

III. The Word, 1:19-27

IV. Partiality, 2:1-13

A. The Command, 2:1

B. The Conduct, 2:2-3

C. The Consequences, 2:4-13

V. Faith and Works, 2:14-26