THE EPISTLE OF JAMES Extensive teaching begins on the book of James covering all 5 chapters Monday , August 19th. 2012. AUTHOR AND DATE Of the 4 men named James in the NT, only two are candidates for authorship of this epistle. No one has seriously considered James the Less, the son of Alphaeus (Mt 10:3; Ac 1:13), or James the father of Judas, not Iscariot (Lk 6:16; Ac 1:13). Some have suggested James the son of Zebedee and brother of John (Mt 4:21), but he was martyred too early to have written it (Ac 12:2). That leaves only James, the oldest half-brother of Christ (Mk 6:3) and brother of Jude (Mt 13:55), who also wrote the epistle that bears his name (Jude 1). James had at first rejected Jesus as Messiah (Jn 7:5), but later believed (1Co 15:7). He became the key leader in the Jerusalem church (cf. Ac 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal 2:12), being called one of the “pillars” of that church, along with Peter and John (Gal 2:9). Also known as James the Just because of his devotion to righteousness, he was martyred ca. a.d. 62, according to the first century Jewish historian Josephus. Comparing James’ vocabulary in the letter he wrote which is recorded in Ac 15 with that in the epistle of James further corroborates his authorship. BACKGROUND AND SETTING The recipients of this book were Jewish believers who had been dispersed (1:1), possibly as a result of Stephen’s martyrdom (Ac 7, a.d. 31–34), but more likely due to the persecution under Herod Agrippa I (Ac 12, ca. a.d. 44). 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. Not surprisingly, then, James is Jewish in its content. For example, the Gr. 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, Mt 5–7). HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL THEMES James, with its devotion to direct, pungent statements on wise living, is reminiscent of the book of Proverbs. It has a practical emphasis, stressing not theoretical knowledge, but godly behavior. James wrote with a passionate desire for his readers to be uncompromisingly obedient to the Word of God. He used at least 30 references to nature (e.g., “surf of the sea” [1:6]; “reptile” [3:7]; and “sky poured rain” [5:18]), as befits one who spent a great deal of time outdoors. He complements Paul’s emphasis on justification by faith with his own emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness demonstrating true faith.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 01:38:27 +0000
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