Answered
What is the Epistle of James about?
A: The Epistle of James appears not to have been read or even noticed by authors in the centrist tradition before Origen in the third century. It sounds like a treatise writte…n against the Pauline notion that the faith alone is need for salvation, as opposed the "works of the law". James 2:14-16 is a famous tirade against such an idea, arguing for the insight that "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17). The Letter consists entirely of moral exhortation in the genre of proverbs, maxims, and ethical impereratives. The teaching of the James is not about the Christian faith, but about the importance of living a moral life and the arguments for doing so are set forth as common wisdom. The source and authority for this wisdom are taken for granted by the author. Sayings reminiscent of the teachings of Jesus are not given special privilege and are not even attributed to him as their author or authority. They are interspersed with proverbs and imperatives typical of the Jewish wisdom tradition, as well as many Greek-style maxims, examples and small rhetorical units carefully crafted in the style of the Hellenistic art of persuasion. Answer James writes to exhort his readers to show in their lives what they said with their lips. Specifically he wrote: to explain the nature of trials and temptations 1:2-18 to appeal for right living 1:19-27 to rebuke the readers for their partiality 2:1-13 to warn against the improper use of the tongue 3:1-12 to describe the nature of spiritual wisdom 3:13-18 to contrast worldliness with spirituality 4:1-12 to point out dependence on the will of God for future plans 4: 13-17 to warn the rich against the improper use of wealth 5:1-6 to reinforce the need for patience 5:7-18 to give guidelines for the recovery of a sinning Christian 5:19-20 Answer:The Letter of James is all about true Christian faith. James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote a troubled group of Jewish believers to help them understand how to distinguish true faith in Christ from insincere faith. He called on them to endure persecution to live out true religion. (MORE)
