THE GENERAL LETTERS
There are several letters in the New Testament that are addressed to a general readership, which is why they are called the general letters. These include the Letter of James, the First Letter of Peter, the Second Letter of Peter, the Johannine Letters (1 John; 2 John; 3 John) and the Letter of Jude.
THE LETTER OF JAMES
1.1. Internal Evidence 1.1.1. According to the salutation, who was the author of the Letter of James? In the salutation of the Letter of James, the author identified himself as "James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." 1.1.2. Since James was a common name among first-century Jews—being the name Jacob—it is not surprising that there are many men named James in the New Testament. Identify the five men named James mentioned in the New Testament. A. Mark 1:19; 3:17; Acts 12:2 James the son of Zebedee, who is martyred by Herod Agrippa I (in 44). B. Mark 3:18 = Matt 10:3 = Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13 James the son of Alphaeus, one of the twelve disciples C. Mark 6:3 = Matt 13:55; 1 Cor 15:7; Gal 1:19; 2:9, 12; Acts 12:17; 15:13-31; 21:18; Jude 1 James the brother of Jesus, a leader of the Jerusalem church D. Mark 15:40 = Matt 27:56 James the younger, the son of Mary (but not the mother of Jesus) E. Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13 James the father of the apostle Jude 1.1.3. On the assumption that the James who was the author of the New Testament letter bearing his name is referred to somewhere in the New Testament, which of these five men named James was most likely the author of the Letter of James? (Keep in mind that the James who wrote this letter must have been prominent enough in the early church to be able to identify himself simply as "James.") It is unlikely that James B, D, or E was the author, because these men are unknown to us apart from their names in the New Testament. (Even though James son of Alphaeus was one of the twelve disciples, no information on his activities is provided in the New Testament.) But the introduction of the letter implies that the James who wrote the letter was quite well known in the church, insofar as he did not identify himself further. James the son of Zebedee was martyred in c. 44 CE (Acts 12:2), so that he is not probably the author, since the letter was probably written after that date. This leaves only James the brother of Jesus, who was a recognized leader of the Jerusalem church. He could have written such a letter. 1.1.4. Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, includes a condensed version of a speech delivered by James the brother of Jesus at the so-called Jerusalem council (Acts 15:13-21); in addition, Luke includes a copy of a letter sent by "the apostles and elders" in Jerusalem to gentile believers in Antioch and in Syria and Cilicia generally (Acts 15:23-29). (James the brother of Jesus would have been included among the Jerusalem "apostles and elders.") A comparison of the language used in James' speech and the letter sent by "the apostles and elders" with the Letter of James reveals some remarkable parallels.
What do these linguistic parallels imply about the authorship of the Letter of James? These linguistic parallels imply that the author of the Letter of James is the same person who delivered the speech in Acts 15:13-21 and had a hand in composing the letter sent by "the apostles and elders" in Jerusalem to gentile believers , a copy of which is found in Acts 15:23-29. In other words, the linguistic evidence suggests that James the brother of Jesus wrote the Letter of James. 1.1.5. A problem in attributing authorship to James the brother of Jesus, is the high literary quality of the Greek of the Letter of James, suggesting that the author had a thorough Hellenistic education. Some assume that a Galilean Jew whose first language was Aramaic and who probably would not have had access to a Hellenistic education could not have written such a letter. In addition, there is evidence the author uses the Septuagint (LXX) when he cites the Old Testament, which again suggests that he is at home in a Hellenistic intellectual milieu.
How would you address the objection that the author appears to be too Hellenistic to be James the brother of Jesus? On the assumption that James the brother of Jesus is the author, there are possible explanations for the high literary quality of the Greek of the letter, but no certainties. It is conceivable that James learned Greek (since Greek was spoken in Galilee) or that he had help in composing his letter from someone who was capable of writing at such a high literary level. At any rate, the letter’s high literary quality of the Greek does not necessarily exclude James the brother of Jesus as its author. In addition, the evidence for the author's reliance on the LXX is not beyond a reasonable doubt. Only one of his four citations agree perfectly with the LXX; the other three show minor disagreements. In the case of Jas 2:11 = LXX Exod 20:13-14, the reversal of the order of the commandments is not unique to the LXX, which means that James' agreement in order with the LXX is not necessarily evidence for dependence on the LXX. 1.2. External evidence 1.2.1. The Muratorian canon does not include the Letter of James. But it must be noted that the first and the last parts of this text are mutilated, so that the Letter of James originally may have been on this list of canonical books. 1.2.2. Although he accepted the letter as scripture in one place, Origen (185-c. 254) referred to the Letter of James as "the letter bearing the name of James," implying some doubt about its authorship (In Joann. 19.6). Origen, however, quoted the letter as scripture in other places in his writings, but he was the earliest writer to do so. 1.2.3. Eusebius classified James as one of the antilegomena (disputed works), and disclosed that some in his day—although not he—considered it to be a spurious letter. A. "Of the disputed books which are nevertheless known to most are the epistle said to be of James" (H.E. 3.25.3). B. "Such is the story of James, to whom is said to belong the first of the letters called 'universal'. It is to be observed that its authenticity is denied, since few of the ancients quote it" (H.E. 2.23.24). 1.2.4. Jerome indicates that the recognition of the Letter of James as canonical was not universal, but that some doubted that James wrote the letter attributed to him: "James...after our Lord's passion at once ordained by the apostles bishop of Jerusalem, wrote a single epistle, which is reckoned among the seven General Epistles and even this is claimed by some to have been published by some one else under his name, and gradually, as time went on, to have gained authority" (De Vir. Illustr. 2). 1.2.5. How do you evaluate the external tradition? Although it is somewhat weak, the external evidence still points to James the brother of the Jesus as the author of the Letter of James. 1.3. What do you conclude about the authorship of the Letter of James? Most likely, James the brother of Jesus wrote the Letter of James. 1.4. If you concluded that James the brother of Jesus wrote the Letter of James, how do you account for the fact that, as Eusebius said, "few of the ancients quote it?" Probably, for some reason, the Letter of James was not widely known or greatly valued by the early church (as Eusebius said), so the church was unfamiliar with it, and, therefore, some were suspicious of it. 1.5. Further Information about the Author 1.5.1. James was one of several of Jesus' siblings. In addition to James, Jesus had at least three other brothers (Joseph, Judas [see Jude 1] and Simon) and unnamed sisters (Mark 6:1-6 = Matt 13:53-58; Mark 3:31-35 = Matt 12:46-50 = Luke 8:19-21; John 2:12; 7:1-10; Acts 1:14). From the information available in Mark 3:21; 6:3; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; 12:17; 15:13-21; 21:18-26; 1 Cor 9:5; 15:7; Gal 1:18-19; 2:9, 12; Jude 1, construct a biography of James the brother of Jesus. James does not seem to have followed Jesus before Jesus' crucifixion, thinking that he was unstable (Mark 3:21; 6:3; John 7:3). Jesus appeared to James after his resurrection; presumably, James came to believe in Jesus at this time (1 Cor 15:7). After Jesus' resurrection but before the giving of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, James probably met with prayer with the disciples, a group of women including Mary, his mother, and other of his brothers (Acts 1:14). Afterwards, James became the leader of the Jerusalem church (Gal 1:18-19; 2:9, 12; 15:13; 21:18), perhaps because Peter is forced to leave Jerusalem (Acts 12:17). Paul met with James during his first visit to Jerusalem three years after his conversion (Gal 1:18-19) and again perhaps eighteen years after his conversion, at which time James gave to him and Barnabas "the right hand of fellowship," confirming his role as apostle to the gentiles. Paul says that James and Peter had the responsibility for the leadership of the Jewish believers, and refers to James and Peter as those "who were reputed to be pillars" (Gal 2:9). James supported Paul's view on how to incorporate gentile believers into the church (Acts 15:13-21). James also met with Paul during his visit to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, and advised him to take steps to appease those Jewish believers who are "zealous for the Law" and suspicious of Paul (Acts 21:18-26). Some of Paul's opponents (illegitimately) claimed James' authority for their opposition to Paul, indicating that James was known for his adherence to the Law (Gal 2:12). From what Paul says, James may have been married (1 Cor 9:5). 1.5.2. More information is available about James the brother of Jesus from Josephus (Ant. 20.197-203). According to him, Ananus, the high priest, before Albinus, the new procurator arrived (62), convened the Sanhedrin (without the authority of King Agrippa II), and sentenced James and some others to be stoned because of violations of the Law. There is a similar account of James' demise in a work by Hegesippus, as quoted by Eusebius (H.E. 2.23.3-18). According to Hegesippus, because he was preaching that Jesus was the Christ in Jerusalem at Passover, some time shortly before the siege of Jerusalem by Vespasian (before 68), James was martyred by being thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple and then stoned and beaten with a fuller's club afterwards. He also says that James was the leader of the Jerusalem church and was known as "the just or righteous," on account of his righteousness; he was in the habit of praying for the forgiveness of the people in the Temple on his knees, so that his knees became "hard like a camel's." But Hegesippus' account is somewhat suspect because he also claims improbably that James had been a Nazarite from birth and that he was allowed to enter into the sanctuary (ta hagia) to pray. Jerome quotes from the apocryphal Gospel according to the Hebrews concerning Jesus' post-resurrection appearance to James (see 1 Cor 15:7): "'But the Lord, after he had given his grave clothes to the servant of the priest, appeared to James (for James had sworn that he would not eat bread from that hour in which he drank the cup of the Lord until he should see him rising again from among those that sleep)' and again, a little later, it says '"Bring a table and bread," said the Lord.' And immediately it is added, 'He brought bread and blessed and broke and gave to James the Just and said to him, "My brother eat your bread, for the son of man is risen from among those who sleep"' (De Vir. Illustr. 2). Jerome then explains that James ruled the Jerusalem church for thirty years, until the seventh year of Nero's reign as Roman emperor, and, after his martyrdom, was buried near the Temple.
2.1. What do Jas 2:1 ("My brothers, you have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and should not show favoritism") and Jas 5:7 ("Therefore, be patient, brothers, until the parousia of the Lord") imply about the identity of intended readers of the Letter of James? The fact that they are described as having "faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" implies that the intended readers are Christians. This is confirmed by the fact that the author assumes that his readers are waiting for "the parousia of the Lord," by which is meant Jesus' coming. 2.2. In his letter, James refers the (Mosaic) Law as "the perfect Law" and "the Law of freedom" (1:25). Along the same lines, in 2:12, he admonishes his readers to speak and act as those who are "about to be judged by the Law of freedom." Similarly, in 4:11, he warns each of his readers not to judge one another because the one who does so "speaks against the Law and condemns the Law," which, of course, is to be avoided. In agreement with Jesus' own teaching (see Mark 12:31= Matt 22:39 = Luke 10:27), he understands Lev 19:18 "Love your neighbor as yourself" as a summary of the whole Law; this he calls "the royal Law laid down in scripture. What does the fact that James expects his readers to agree with his views on the Law and to heed his admonitions about submitting unconditionally to the Law imply about the identity of his intended readers? The fact that James can assume that his readers recognize the Law ("of freedom") as the absolute standard of life, to which they must submit themselves, implies that his readers are Jews, because only Jews (or proselytes) would submit themselves to the Law. Gentiles, by definition, are without the Law. 2.3. What does Jas 1:1 indicate about the intended readers of the Letter of James? The intended readers of the Letter of James were "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." The phrase "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations" is an ambiguous reference. The term "the twelve tribes" could be a cipher for Christians, Jews and gentiles, as the new Israel of God (see Gal 6:16; Phil 3:3; 1 Pet 1:1; 2:9-11). But it is also possible that James intended his letter as an open letter for Jewish Christians in the diaspora, outside of Palestine, called metaphorically the twelve tribes to denote the idea of totality (see Acts 26:7; Matt 19:28). That there were many Jews living outside of Palestine in the first century is confirmed by Strabo, as cited by Josephus (Ant. 14.7.2), and Josephus himself (Apion 2.39). 2.4. Given all the evidence considered which of these two interpretive options do you think is the best? From the fact that he can assume that his readers submit themselves to the (Mosaic) Law as the absolute standard of life implies that James wrote to Jewish Christians who live outside of Palestine. 2.5. In Jas 2:2, the author writes, "If a man wearing a gold ring comes into your synagôgê ("synagogue")" (2:2). The term synagôgê may denote the building in which the intended readers met (see Matt 6:2, 5; Luke 4:16; 7:5; John 18:20; Acts 18:4, 7; 24:12). (Such buildings, of course, did not replace the Temple; the Alexandrian Jew Philo, for example, considered Jerusalem, where the Temple was, as the capital city of all Jews regardless of where they resided [c. Flacc. 7; Leg. ad Cai. 36].) It is also possible that the term synagôgê simply means "meeting" or "assembly." How might this passage confirm your conclusion about the intended readers of the Letter of James? On the assumption that the word synagôgê denotes the building in which the intended readers met, the intended readers are Jews, because Jews in the Diaspora (and within Palestine) used the term synagôgê ("synagogues") to refer to such buildings.
Assigning a date to the Letter of James is difficult, because there is an absence of datable historical references by which to determine a possible range of dates for its composition. The content of the letter tends to be generalized wisdom teaching. 3.1. Internal Evidence 3.1.1. What does the fact that James, a Jewish Christian who was said to have resided in Jerusalem, says nothing about the destruction of the Temple suggest about the terminus ad quem of the Letter of James? It suggests that the Letter of James was written before the temple was destroyed in 70, for, surely, James would have said something about this national tragedy. 3.1.2. Nothing is said in the Letter of James about the gentile mission, under which conditions gentiles should be admitted to the church nor even the obvious question of whether gentile believers are obliged to obey the (Mosaic) Law. This is significant because: A. James was writing to Jews outside of Palestine, where Jews were in a minority. B. James was involved in the dispute concerning whether gentiles "must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses" (Acts 15:5; see Acts 15:1) in order to "be saved" (Acts 15, 21; Gal 2) (see James' speech in Acts 15:13-21). What could the silence on these issues indicate about the date of the writing of the Letter of James and how does this conclusion relate to your previous conclusion? Is there any other explanation of this datum? It could indicate that the Letter of James was written before gentiles began to enter the church in any great numbers. This issue of whether gentiles ought to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses had not yet arisen. It is also possible that, because he was writing only to Jewish Christians, James did not mention the issue of the Law and the gentiles, since it was of little importance to them personally. 3.1.3. There is little doubt
that a literary relation exists between the Letter of James and Paul's
letters, especially Romans and Galatians. There are two possible explanations:
either James knew of Paul's teaching in his letters and was seeking
to counter a misinterpretation of this or else Paul had read the Letter
of James and was seeking to counter a misuse of its teaching by those
who thought that gentiles ought to be circumcised and keep the Law as
a condition of being made righteous. The evidence suggests that the
latter is true, for what James writes does not seem to be directed against
Paul or even a distortion of Paul's teaching. With the mass conversion
of gentiles, precipitated largely by Paul's missionary effort, the as-yet
unclarified theological question of the relation between faith and works
comes to the fore. Should gentile converts should be circumcised and
keep the Law, and, if so, why? Such a question would not arise for a
Jew who came to believe in Christ. Paul must contend with Jewish believers
who determined that gentiles should submit to the Law as a condition
of final salvation; because of James' authority in the Jerusalem church,
his opponents use portions of the Letter of James in support of their
position. This forces Paul to correct their erroneous extrapolations
from the letter, and, in so doing, sometimes to appear to be in direct
opposition to James, the leader of the Jerusalem church. (It is probable
that the Letter of James quickly reached Antioch, where Paul resided,
from Jerusalem.) The following table displays probable influences of
the Letter of James on Paul's own theologizing (* = indicates apparent
contradiction).
(Other parallels include Jas 1:2-4 = Rom 5:3-4; Jas 1:13 = 1 Cor 10:13; Jas 1:22-25 = Rom 2:13; Jas 1:27 = Rom 5:3; Jas 1:25; 2:12 = Rom 8:2, 15; Jas 2:5 = 1 Cor 1:17; Jas 4:1 = Rom 7:23; Jas 4:4 = Rom 8:7; Jas 4:11-12 = Rom 2:1; 14:4.) A. Faith and Works. Paul and James both agree that true faith is inseparable from works, although they express this in different ways. (It should be noted that for James "faith" means mere belief, whereas the term "works" means obedient action. This is different from Paul, who means by "faith" the act of the will that accepts God's unconditional promise.) James insists that faith (mere belief) without works is dead (Jas 2:17, 20, 24, 26), although he does not eliminate or depreciate faith (see 1:3, 6; 2:1; 5:15). Similarly, even though he is adamant that being made righteous is apart from "the works of the Law," Paul insists in various ways that faith, as he defines it, is inseparable from obedience to God (see Rom 2:6-20; 8:5-13; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 7:19; 13:2; Gal 5:5-6, 21; 6:2; 1 Thess 1:3). (Paul's opponents accused him of preaching a libertinism [Rom 3:8; 6:1].) Paul even expects believers to submit to a final judgment based on what they have done (Rom 2:6-10; 14:10; 1 Cor 4:3-5; 2 Cor 5:10). The unanswered theological question in the Letter of James is whether the status of being righteous ("justification") is by means of works, in the sense of being earned, or is by grace through faith. Paul emphatically rejects the idea that being made righteous is by means of works, whereas his opponents, who claim to have the approval of James (Gal 2:11-12), take the opposite position. This is how they interpreted Jas 2:24 "You see that a man is made righteous by works and not by faith alone." Now all James meant by this was that faith and works were inseparable, but Paul's opponents took this to mean something more: that being made righteous in a soteriological sense was by works and not solely by grace. In other words, they extrapolated from James' simple admonition to a soteriological theory. Likewise, Paul's opponents probably applied to gentiles what James says about Jews in Jas 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole Law, but stumbles in one thing, he has become guilty of all." So unless they submit to being circumcised and keep the Law of Moses, gentile believers have no hope of "being saved" (Acts 15:1). Thus, Paul is forced to take exception to statements originating in the Letter of James that his opponents use in order to bolster their own position. No doubt, Paul thinks that they have misunderstood James' intention, which was only to insist on the necessary correlation of "faith" and "works," which Paul also accepts, not to teach that works are a means of being made righteous. B. Abraham. James uses Abraham for the purpose of admonition, as an example of how true faith expresses itself in works, in particular in Abraham's willingness to offer Isaac on the altar. James intends that Abraham serve as a paradigm for all Jewish believers. James' only purpose was to oppose insincere faith. It seems, however, that "some from James" (Gal 2:12), Paul's detractors, misinterpreted James to teach that being made righteous was a status that depended upon obedience to the Law, and so was earned. For them, Abraham was the example to follow, not only because he believed, but also because he obediently submitted to being circumcised (Gen 17). Again, they transformed an admonition into a soteriological doctrine: being made righteous in an eschatological sense was conditional upon "faith" and "works." These opponents of Paul probably made use of the example Abraham in the Letter of James in their polemic against him, which forced Paul to take what appears to be the opposite position than that advocated by James, but, in actuality, he is opposed to a misconstrual of James' teaching. On the assumption that Paul had read the Letter of James before he wrote his Letter to the Galatians and Letter to the Romans, what is the terminus a quo of the composition of the Letter of James? (Remember that the Letter to the Galatians is probably the earliest of Paul's extant letters, dating from c. 48.) On this assumption the terminus a quo is some time before 48, when Paul probably wrote the Letter to the Galatians. 3.2. External Evidence 3.2.1. Probable allusions to the Letter of James are found in the Shepherd of Hermas, written c. 90: A. The joining of "spirit" (pneuma) with the verb "to dwell" (katoikeô): Jas 4:5 = Mand. 3:1; Sim. 5. 6. 5-7 B. The use of "double-minded" (dipsuchia / dipsuchos) in relation to praying: Jas 1:4-8 = Mand. 10. 2. 2) C. The use of the metaphors of bridling (chalinagôgeô): Jas 3:2, 4, 8 = Mand. 12. 1. 1 D. See also Jas 4:7 = Mand. 12. 2. 4; 12. 4. 7.; 12. 5. 2.; Jas 4:8 = Vis 3. 2. 2. What do you conclude from this about the terminus ad quem of the Letter of James? The Letter of James was written some time before 90. 3.2.2. If James was martyred in 62, as Josephus said, what is the terminus ad quem of the Letter of James? If, however, James was martyred before the siege of Jerusalem by Vespasian, as Hegesippus said, what is the terminus ad quem of the letter? The Letter of James was written before 62, if Josephus is correct, or before 68, if Hegesippus is correct. 3.3. Taking all the evidence—internal and external—into account, what do you conclude about the date of the composition of the Letter of James? The Letter of James was certainly written before James' death c. 62 or shortly before 68. But, given the fact that Paul seems to have read it before he wrote his Letter to the Galatians, his earliest letter, James must have written his letter before c. 48. How much before this date, however, is impossible to determine. 3.4. If James wrote his letter
before 47, then the persecution that he mentions in the present tense
as still occurring (see Jas 1:2-12) could be the result of the persecution
of the church instigated by Herod Agrippa I, who executed James the
son of Zebedee (Acts 12). But it is difficult to know how far beyond
Palestine Agrippa's persecution had spread. In addition, it is possible
that the references to helping the poor who are hungry and naked (see
Jas 2:1-17) could be inspired by the fact that there were Jewish believers
who were suffering deprivation during the famine that occurred c. 45-46,
the one foretold by Agabus (Acts 11:27-30; Gal 2:1-2; Ant. 3.
320; 20. 51, 100).
From what is known of the life of James, what is the most likely place of composition of the Letter of James? The most
likely place of composition of the Letter of James is Jerusalem.
5.1. The Letter of James is not really a letter in the strict sense, but is a short theological writing designed for general circulation. There is no overall structure apparent in the letter; rather James makes a series of individual points that are juxtaposed with one another. In this regard it is typical of Jewish wisdom literature (see Wisdom of Ben Sirach). The letter has little distinctly Christian teaching in it (see 5:7); there is curiously no reference to Jesus' atoning death and resurrection. It seems, however, that James presupposes a basic Christian doctrinal foundation (1:18, 21; 2:1). 5.2. Outline of the Letter of James A. 1:1 This represents the salutation
of the letter. B. 1:2-5:20 From 1:2 until the end of the letter represents the main body; there is no conclusion to the letter. 1. 1:2-4 James encourages his readers in their trials, because trials produce endurance and endurance leads to spiritual maturity. 2. 1:5-8 James exhorts his readers to ask for wisdom in faith. 3. 1:9-11 James discourses on the transitory nature of wealth. Rich and poor ultimately are no different. 4. 1:12-15 James explains the nature and origin of temptation: God does not tempt, but human beings are tempted when they are drawn away by their desires. 5. 1:16-18 James says that God gives gifts to his creation. He adds that God has chosen to give his readers (spiritual) birth through the word of truth. 6. 1:19-21 James exhorts his readers to avoid anger and wickedness in general; rather, humility is preferred. 7. 1:22-27 James encourages his readers to be doers of the word and not merely hearers. He says that the one who looks into the perfect Law of freedom and continues to do what he has heard is blessed. 8. 2:1-13 James admonishes his readers not to show partiality to the rich. Showing partiality is not love—the fulfillment of the royal Law of scripture: love your neighbor as yourself; it is sin and a violation of the whole Law, since the violation of one commandment is the same as violating the whole Law. He exhorts them to speak and act as those being judged by the Law of freedom, which is the Law, warning that there will be judgment without mercy to those who have shown no mercy. 9. 2:14-26 James warns that faith without works cannot save anyone; he uses Abraham as a paradigm to prove that both are necessary for justification. He cites the example of Rahab, and concludes by affirming that faith without works is dead. 10. 3:1-2 James warns his readers not to be too quick to become teachers, since teachers will be judged more strictly than others. 11. 3:3-12 James warns about the danger of the tongue (speech). 12. 3:13-18 James contrasts the wisdom that comes from above with the wisdom that comes from below. The latter results in envy and selfish ambition. The former is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partially or hypocrisy. 13. 4:1-10 James rebukes his readers for allowing human desires to lead to strife. He says that prayers made for wrong motives will not be answered; humility and submission to God are required. 14. 4:11-12 James exhorts his readers not to speak evil of and judge others. 15. 4:13-17 James warns against presumption in human affairs. Everything done should be seen as conditional upon God's will. 16. 5:1-6 James warns the rich who oppress the poor that God will judge them. 17. 5:7-11 James encourages the oppressed to be patient, waiting for the day of the Lord. 18. 5:12 James warns against taking an oath. 19. 5:13-18 James instructs his readers to pray for the sick. 20. 5:19-20 James exhorts his readers to restore the backslider. 5.3. Parallels with Jesus' Sayings in the Synoptic Tradition There are several loose parallels between James' wisdom-sayings and Jesus' sayings as found in the synoptic tradition. It is arguable that James was influenced by Jesus' sayings in whatever form that he knew this tradition. See Appendix F: Parallels between James and the Synoptic Gospels.
6.1. Is there any indication from the Letter of James that author knew his readers personally? What does this indicate about the purpose of the letter? There is no indication that the author knows his readers personally: he does not address specific problems, nor does he greet anyone by name. This indicates that the Letter of James was intended as a general letter to be read by any Jew anywhere outside of Palestine. 6.2. From its contents what do you conclude about the purpose of the Letter of James? The Letter
of James is largely sapiential in scope; wisdom, patient perseverance
in trials, the necessary connection between faith and works and the
need for the rich not to oppress the poor are major themes in the work.
He hopes to make his readers into better Jewish believers by encouraging
them to obey the Law more faithfully.
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1. Who wrote the Letter of James?
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