Epistle of James

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CHAPTER 1

OK, this letter is attributed to James Christ, brother of Jesus Christ and leader of the Jerusalem sect of early Christians.  I’ve read different accounts to the authenticity of this letter.  Bart Ehrman blasts it, noting that literacy was pretty uncommon back then and the Christ family came from a small village in a rural part of north Judah – none of which makes us think that James would’ve been literate.  Also – and as this Bible’s introduction notes – it is written by someone with a very strong command of Greek.  So it likely wasn’t anyone from Judah at all. 

Aye, but this Bible also notes James could’ve had a secretary or scribe write it.  Also, James Tabor in “Paul and Jesus” clearly believes it is an actual James letter – though he doesn’t really explain it, just assumes it.  He mostly bases his opinion on the theology of the letter.  It is far from the theology of Paul, and reading Acts and all that – James and Paul did have a different theology. Also, he noted that when the New Testament was assembled centuries later, some church leaders didn’t want to include this – not due to concern over authorship, but due to concern over theology.  They opted to put it in figuring, “Hey, if Jesus’s brother wrote it….” 

It begins by James calling himself, “A slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  That formulation never sounds good, no matter how many times I hear it.  Mostly, it calls for morality.  People are to avoid all temptations. 

There is one really good line here: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”  It also points to a key difference in focus here with the Paul letters: a greater emphasis on actions.  Paul wasn’t indifferent to actions, of course, but his primary focus was on faith.  In this letter, it’s works.  That matters if you think back to Acts and the Paul letters and what the difference in faith versus action and ignoring the law versus following the law. In fact, along these lines, James even refers to “the perfect law.”   For Paul, laws weren’t perfect – faith was.  We saw in Acts that James cared more about observing the law, and that fits in with what we read here.

Oh – and aside from that opening line, Jesus Christ is never mentioned.  Interesting – and get used to it.  Jesus rarely rates a mention here.

CHAPTER 2

James has a theme of economic class here.  He begins this chapter by telling us that it makes no difference how much money a person has; they are all the same in the eyes of Christ. (For those keeping score, for the second straight chapter you get a Christ reference in the first verse, and then never again for the entire chapter). 

In fact, James goes on to point out in an extended segment that the poor are OK.  After all, God chose those are poor in the world to be rich in faith.  This sentiment goes along with some of Christ’s sayings.  So while James isn’t mentioning his brother much by name, he is covering some similar points.  This is in stark contrast to Paul, who constantly mentioned Christ, but pretty much never covered Christ’s teachings.  Last Supper, death, and resurrection – those are the only things Jesus did that Paul really seemed to care about.  You didn’t really get much of a theme about class status from Paul.

James sounds a lot like his brother when he declares, “For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy, mercy triumphs over judgment.” 

While James does have a segment on faith, he also notes the importance of the law, letting people not to become a transgressor of the law.  While there is common ground with Paul, it is a different take on Christian theology.  As he also notes, “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” So follow the Law gang, got it?

Oh, and he calls people “you ignoramus” if they demand proof.  You need faith.

CHAPTER 3

Jesus Christ doesn’t rate a single mention in this chapter.  If anything, James goes out of his way to praise Dale Carnegie.  Of course he doesn’t mention the author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by name, but the approach is praised.  This chapter is mostly on the importance of being a good public speaker.  James tells us, “If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man.”  Paul has previously called himself a poor speaker, but with all those sermons, I assume that Jesus could talk.

James notes, “Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.  The tongue is also a fire.”  The irony is that Christianity has much of its enduring appeal and theology from the pen, not the tongue – through things like this. 

But think – though Christ isn’t mentioned by name, the value being promoted here is his public speaking ability.  But there is nothing about him dying on the cross.  James Christ has a very different notion of what made his brother important than Paul did.  For James, Jesus was about morals and public speaking, not dying and being reborn.

CHATPER 4

Again, James goes an entire chapter without mentioning Jesus Christ.  He hasn’t done so since the first verse of Chapter 2 (unless I missed something). 

He denounces passions.  They cause war and cloud the mind.  He has a nice bit saying, “You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Adulterers!  Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?” 

That leads to his next point: “Submit yourselves to God.”  That sounds very much like a notion Muslims would agree with.

Muslims maybe, but the way James means it, I doubt Paul would like.  For once James tells people to submit to God, it becomes clear that also means submitting yourself to God’s laws.  “If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.  There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy.  Who then are you to judge your neighbor?”  Paul completely judges the law and finds it wanting. In his case, it’s because he believes he’s received the word directly from God.  But James clearly backs the law – while Paul was indifferent to it.

This backs up the case for James being the real author of this letter (or dictating it to a secretary).  Acts of the Apostles made James a supporter of the law, and he comes off like one here as well.

CHAPTER 5

Again, I don’t see any mentions of Jesus Christ.

What you do get are some ferocious attacks on the rich.  Hey guys – you get can’t it with you!  You wicked chumps!  You saw some class-based stuff in Christ’s sermons, so it makes sense that his brother would have a similar message. 

He promotes prayer and that ends the letter.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

It’s a good book and interesting.  It doesn’t flow as well as Paul’s letters, though.

It’s an interesting question if James actually wrote it.  Based on facts of the matter, I find it unlikely he wrote.  But based on what I know of theology and the disputes between James and Paul – well, at the very least I can see why people thought James wrote this.

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