Epistle of James

Epistle of James - Introduction to Bible Study Series

Authorship and Recipients

• James
• Brother of Jesus, who emerged as a major leader of the Jerusalem church
• Early Christian witnesses testified to his excelling in piety (thus “James the Just”)
• Written to a Jewish-Christian audience
• Likely addressed to the Syriac Christians
• Around mid to late 40s AD

Features

• James talks like Jesus.
• Preservation of the Jesus tradition that predates the 4 Gospels.
• E.g., frequent allusion to Jesus’ teachings from Matthew/Luke (such as Sermon on the Mount).

3 Key Themes

1. Trials and Temptations
2. Wisdom (particularly concerning speech)
3. Riches and Poverty

• Otherwise loosely structured

An Underappreciated Book

• Luther calls James the “Epistle of Straw” (草木禾稭).
• Why do we find James hard to appreciate?
• Because we thought the gospel is merely about “cancelling one’s debts” …
• This bias taints our way of reading the Scripture.
• Under such a bias, James does not make sense.

A Wideness in God’s Mercy

• There is more to the Gospel than merely “cancelling one’s debts”.
• We need to learn to take off our old pair of glasses, and replace them with a new pair.
• Ask yourself:
• Other than “cancelling one’s debts,” what else is “good news” in James’s mind?