Post by John on Oct 3, 2012 18:41:48 GMT -5
INTRODUCING JAMES
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 Soft Key Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[[ Expert Introduction to James
Author
The author identifies himself as James (1:1), and he was probably the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem council (Ac 15). Four men in the NT have this name. The author of this letter could not have been the apostle James, who died too early (A.D. 44) to have written it. The other two men named James had neither the stature nor the influence that the writer of this letter had.
James was one of several brothers of Christ and was probably the oldest since he heads the list in Mt 13:55. At first he did not believe in Jesus and even challenged him and misunderstood his mission (John 7:2-5). Later he became very prominent in the church:
1. He was one of the select individuals Christ appeared to after his resurrection (1Co 15:7).
2. Paul called him a "pillar" of the church (Gal 2:9).
3. Paul, on his first post-conversion visit to Jerusalem, saw James (Gal 1:19).
4. Paul did the same on his last visit (Ac 21:18).
5. When Peter was rescued from prison, he told his friends to tell James (Ac 12:17).
6. James was a leader in the important council of Jerusalem (Ac 15:13).
7. Jude could identify himself simply as "a brother of James" (Jude 1:1), so well known was James. He was martyred c. A.D. 62.
Date
Some date the letter in the early 60s. There are indications, however, that it was written before A.D. 50:
1. Its distinctively Jewish nature suggests that it was composed when the church was still predominantly Jewish.
2. It reflects a simple church order--officers of the church are called "elders" (5:14) and "teachers" (3:1).
4. No reference is made to the controversy over Gentile circumcision.
5. The Greek term synagoge ("synagogue" or "meeting") is used to designate the meeting or meeting place of the church (2:2).
If this early dating is correct, this letter is the earliest of all the NT writings--with the possible exception of Galatians.
Recipients
The recipients are identified explicitly only in 1:1: "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." Some hold that this expression refers to Christians in general, but the term "twelve tribes" would more naturally apply to Jewish Christians.
Furthermore, a Jewish audience would be more in keeping with the obviously Jewish nature of the letter (e.g., the use of the Hebrew title for God, kyrios sabaoth, "Lord Almighty," 5:4). That the recipients were Christians is clear from 2:1; 5:7-8. It has been plausibly suggested that these were believers from the early Jerusalem church who, after Stephen's death, were scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Syrian Antioch (Ac 8:1; 11:19).
This would account for James's references to trials and oppression, his intimate knowledge of the readers and the authoritative nature of the letter. As leader of the Jerusalem church, James wrote as pastor to instruct and encourage his dispersed people in the face of their difficulties
Distinctive Characteristics
Characteristics that make the letter distinctive are:
(1) its unmistakably Jewish nature;
(2) its emphasis on vital Christianity, characterized by good deeds and a faith that works (genuine faith must and will be accompanied by a consistent life-style);
(3) its simple organization;
(4) its familiarity with Jesus' teachings preserved in the Sermon on the Mount (compare James 2:5 with Mt 5:3; James 3:10-12 with Mt 7:15-20; James 3:18 with Mt 5:9; James 5:2-3 with Mt 6:19-20; James 5:12 with Mt 5:33-37);
(5) its similarity to OT wisdom writings such as Proverbs;
(6) its excellent Greek.
Words Are Not Enough
You can believe all the right things, yet still be dead wrong
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 1:22
Where there is life, there is motion. Some antelopes, as well as the cheetah, can sprint faster than the legal speed limit for cars. Bighorn sheep, charging one another headfirst, collide with such force that the sound echoes like a gunshot through mountain ranges. Canada geese, fanned out across the sky in an orderly V, battle winds for 1,000 miles, nonstop, before dropping back to earth.
Sometimes we keep relics of life: an elkhead hanging above a fireplace, a fragile, perfect seashell, an exotic butterfly mounted on a pin. But these are mere mementos: life has gone from them, and with it motion.
A Sure Sign of Life
Authors of the Bible often look to nature for analogies to express spiritual truth. And the book of James, controversial because of its emphasis on "good works," is perhaps best understood through the analogy of motion. In the spiritual realm also, where there's life there will be motion.
When a person becomes a Christian, new life begins, and inevitably that life must express itself through "spiritual motion," or good deeds. In James's words, "What good is it ... if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?" (2:14).
Movement does not cause life, but it does invariably follow life. It's a sure sign that life is present. Similarly, genuine faith in Christ should always result in actions that demonstrate the faith.
Does James Contradict Paul?
James is not writing about how to become a Christian, but rather how to act like one. Having all the correct beliefs about God will hardly suffice: even demons believe in God. Real, life-giving faith should produce motion, and James minces no words in describing the specific spiritual actions expected of Christians.
Christian thinkers, notably Martin Luther, have struggled to reconcile the message of James with that of Paul, who so firmly warned against slavish legalism. But Paul never belittled holy living. When he wrote to carousers, such as in his letters to the Corinthians, he railed against immorality as strongly as James.
Evidently, James's readers were not even flirting with legalism. They lived at the other extreme, ignoring those laws God had clearly revealed. James had a simple remedy: "Do not merely listen to the word.... Do what it says" (1:22).
Straight to the Point
Unlike the apostle Paul, James was no urbane man of letters. He was a simple, homespun preacher, perturbed at people who were not living right. His letter covers a wide range of topics, applying the Christian faith to specific problems and commanding readers to live out their beliefs.
Be humble! James orders. Submit to God! Stop sinning! James is as forthright as an Old Testament prophet; it's hard to miss his point.
Modern readers of James face the same dilemma as the first recipients of this unsettling letter. His words are easy enough to understand, but are we doing what he says? What kind of motion characterizes our spiritual lives? As Luther himself said, "You are saved by faith alone, but if faith is alone it is not faith."
How to Read James
Few New Testament writers achieve the clarity or the "punch" of James. He doesn't spend time expanding sub-points or worrying about literary structure. As a result, the book of James reads like a collection of pithy proverbs. (It's sometimes called the "Proverbs of the New Testament.") In your study, it may help to group the material by subject; James tends to return to themes repeatedly.
As leader of the headquarters church in Jerusalem, James knew how to speak with authority. You don't have to look for hidden meanings in this book. James tells you clearly how you should act, in 54 direct commands. Note that many of these have parallels to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. As you read, keep in mind the diverse audience he was addressing, which included the rich and the poor. Note his "asides" to specific groups
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 Soft Key Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[[ Expert Introduction to James
Author
The author identifies himself as James (1:1), and he was probably the brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem council (Ac 15). Four men in the NT have this name. The author of this letter could not have been the apostle James, who died too early (A.D. 44) to have written it. The other two men named James had neither the stature nor the influence that the writer of this letter had.
James was one of several brothers of Christ and was probably the oldest since he heads the list in Mt 13:55. At first he did not believe in Jesus and even challenged him and misunderstood his mission (John 7:2-5). Later he became very prominent in the church:
1. He was one of the select individuals Christ appeared to after his resurrection (1Co 15:7).
2. Paul called him a "pillar" of the church (Gal 2:9).
3. Paul, on his first post-conversion visit to Jerusalem, saw James (Gal 1:19).
4. Paul did the same on his last visit (Ac 21:18).
5. When Peter was rescued from prison, he told his friends to tell James (Ac 12:17).
6. James was a leader in the important council of Jerusalem (Ac 15:13).
7. Jude could identify himself simply as "a brother of James" (Jude 1:1), so well known was James. He was martyred c. A.D. 62.
Date
Some date the letter in the early 60s. There are indications, however, that it was written before A.D. 50:
1. Its distinctively Jewish nature suggests that it was composed when the church was still predominantly Jewish.
2. It reflects a simple church order--officers of the church are called "elders" (5:14) and "teachers" (3:1).
4. No reference is made to the controversy over Gentile circumcision.
5. The Greek term synagoge ("synagogue" or "meeting") is used to designate the meeting or meeting place of the church (2:2).
If this early dating is correct, this letter is the earliest of all the NT writings--with the possible exception of Galatians.
Recipients
The recipients are identified explicitly only in 1:1: "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." Some hold that this expression refers to Christians in general, but the term "twelve tribes" would more naturally apply to Jewish Christians.
Furthermore, a Jewish audience would be more in keeping with the obviously Jewish nature of the letter (e.g., the use of the Hebrew title for God, kyrios sabaoth, "Lord Almighty," 5:4). That the recipients were Christians is clear from 2:1; 5:7-8. It has been plausibly suggested that these were believers from the early Jerusalem church who, after Stephen's death, were scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Syrian Antioch (Ac 8:1; 11:19).
This would account for James's references to trials and oppression, his intimate knowledge of the readers and the authoritative nature of the letter. As leader of the Jerusalem church, James wrote as pastor to instruct and encourage his dispersed people in the face of their difficulties
Distinctive Characteristics
Characteristics that make the letter distinctive are:
(1) its unmistakably Jewish nature;
(2) its emphasis on vital Christianity, characterized by good deeds and a faith that works (genuine faith must and will be accompanied by a consistent life-style);
(3) its simple organization;
(4) its familiarity with Jesus' teachings preserved in the Sermon on the Mount (compare James 2:5 with Mt 5:3; James 3:10-12 with Mt 7:15-20; James 3:18 with Mt 5:9; James 5:2-3 with Mt 6:19-20; James 5:12 with Mt 5:33-37);
(5) its similarity to OT wisdom writings such as Proverbs;
(6) its excellent Greek.
Words Are Not Enough
You can believe all the right things, yet still be dead wrong
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 1:22
Where there is life, there is motion. Some antelopes, as well as the cheetah, can sprint faster than the legal speed limit for cars. Bighorn sheep, charging one another headfirst, collide with such force that the sound echoes like a gunshot through mountain ranges. Canada geese, fanned out across the sky in an orderly V, battle winds for 1,000 miles, nonstop, before dropping back to earth.
Sometimes we keep relics of life: an elkhead hanging above a fireplace, a fragile, perfect seashell, an exotic butterfly mounted on a pin. But these are mere mementos: life has gone from them, and with it motion.
A Sure Sign of Life
Authors of the Bible often look to nature for analogies to express spiritual truth. And the book of James, controversial because of its emphasis on "good works," is perhaps best understood through the analogy of motion. In the spiritual realm also, where there's life there will be motion.
When a person becomes a Christian, new life begins, and inevitably that life must express itself through "spiritual motion," or good deeds. In James's words, "What good is it ... if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?" (2:14).
Movement does not cause life, but it does invariably follow life. It's a sure sign that life is present. Similarly, genuine faith in Christ should always result in actions that demonstrate the faith.
Does James Contradict Paul?
James is not writing about how to become a Christian, but rather how to act like one. Having all the correct beliefs about God will hardly suffice: even demons believe in God. Real, life-giving faith should produce motion, and James minces no words in describing the specific spiritual actions expected of Christians.
Christian thinkers, notably Martin Luther, have struggled to reconcile the message of James with that of Paul, who so firmly warned against slavish legalism. But Paul never belittled holy living. When he wrote to carousers, such as in his letters to the Corinthians, he railed against immorality as strongly as James.
Evidently, James's readers were not even flirting with legalism. They lived at the other extreme, ignoring those laws God had clearly revealed. James had a simple remedy: "Do not merely listen to the word.... Do what it says" (1:22).
Straight to the Point
Unlike the apostle Paul, James was no urbane man of letters. He was a simple, homespun preacher, perturbed at people who were not living right. His letter covers a wide range of topics, applying the Christian faith to specific problems and commanding readers to live out their beliefs.
Be humble! James orders. Submit to God! Stop sinning! James is as forthright as an Old Testament prophet; it's hard to miss his point.
Modern readers of James face the same dilemma as the first recipients of this unsettling letter. His words are easy enough to understand, but are we doing what he says? What kind of motion characterizes our spiritual lives? As Luther himself said, "You are saved by faith alone, but if faith is alone it is not faith."
How to Read James
Few New Testament writers achieve the clarity or the "punch" of James. He doesn't spend time expanding sub-points or worrying about literary structure. As a result, the book of James reads like a collection of pithy proverbs. (It's sometimes called the "Proverbs of the New Testament.") In your study, it may help to group the material by subject; James tends to return to themes repeatedly.
As leader of the headquarters church in Jerusalem, James knew how to speak with authority. You don't have to look for hidden meanings in this book. James tells you clearly how you should act, in 54 direct commands. Note that many of these have parallels to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. As you read, keep in mind the diverse audience he was addressing, which included the rich and the poor. Note his "asides" to specific groups