Paradoxically, this very Jewish work is written in an excellent Greek style, which ranks among the best in the New Testament and appears to be the work of a trained Hellenistic writer. Those who continue to regard James of Jerusalem as its author are therefore obliged to suppose that a secretary must have put the letter into its present literary form. This assumption is not implausible in the light of ancient practice.
Some regard the letter as one of the earliest writings in the New Testament and feel that its content accurately reflects what we would expect of the leader of Jewish Christianity.
Moreover, they argue that the type of Jewish Christianity reflected in the letter cannot be situated historically after the fall of Jerusalem in A. James gives a particularly severe rebuke to the rich who hoard and those who are self-reliant. Finally he ends with encouragement to believers to be patient in suffering, praying and caring for one another and bolstering our faith through fellowship.
Connections: The Book of James is the ultimate description of the relationship between faith and works. So ingrained in the Mosaic Law and its system of works were the Jewish Christians to whom James wrote that he spent considerable time explaining the difficult truth that no one is justified by the works of the law Galatians He declares to them that even if they try their very best to keep all the various laws and rituals, doing so is impossible, and transgressing the tiniest part of the law made them guilty of all of it James because the law is one entity and breaking one part of it is breaking all of it.
He stressed that the life of faith is comprehensive, impacting every area of our lives and driving us to truly engage in the lives of other people in the world. While James recognized that even believers stumble James , he also knew that faith should not coexist with people who roll their eyes at the less fortunate, ignore the plight of others, or curse those in their paths. More than any other book in the New Testament, James places the spotlight on the necessity for believers to act in accordance with our faith.
How well do your actions mirror the faith that you proclaim? This is a question that we all struggle to answer well. We would like to point to all the ways our faith and works overlap but too often see only gaps and crevices.
As you read the letter from James, focus on those areas that he mentioned: your actions during trials, your treatment of those less fortunate, the way you speak and relate to others, and the role that money plays in how you live your life. Allow James to encourage you to do good, according to the faith you proclaim. Here we have the second James. He too is listed as an Apostle in Matt This is extremely important to keep in mind, as you begin to read the book of Acts.
A parallel scripture in John , tells us that this Mary was the wife of Cleophas, or Alphaeus, as he is also called. Mark tell us his father was Alphaeus. Tradition suggests Alphaeus was the brother of Joseph. There were only two Apostles named James, and after the death of James the son of Zebedee we find James the Less is the only Apostle with that name still alive.
That he is related to the Lord Jesus through kinship of his father Alphaeus to Joseph, makes him a cousin, to Jesus. When the Apostle Paul went up to Jerusalem, Luke relates that he met only with Peter and James, Gal and the term here makes it clear that he was an Apostle, but also had some relationship to Jesus.
James is clearly now the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, Acts and he is listed first in Gal with Peter and John as the leaders of the Jerusalem Church. The reference to Jesus appearing to James, has been applied to mean his physical half-brother, but the scripture itself implied that it was James the Apostle 1 Corinthians It seems clear that the Epistle of James was authored by the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, who does not claim to be anything but a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
His letter is impersonal, and such as would be expected by the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, to the people dispersed among other nations.
0コメント