The Epistle of James
Rex Banks
Lesson 23
Authorship
Internal Evidence
(1)
The writer of this epistle
introduces himself as “James a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ...” We meet four or five
men with this name in the pages of the New Testament, the number depending upon
whether or not “James the Less,” son of Mary (Matt 27:56; Mk
(2)
Ryrie has:
“Of the four
(or five - Rex) men bearing the name James in the New Testament, only two have
been proposed as the author of this letter - James the son of Zebedee (and
brother of John) and James the half brother of Jesus. It is unlikely that the son of Zebedee was the
author, for he was martyred in A.D. 44 (Acts 12:2). The authoritative tone of the letter not only
rules out the two (or three - Rex) lesser known Jameses
of the New Testament (“James the Less” and the James of Luke
In the
view of many, Herod’s persecution of Christians provides the background for
this epistle, and since this persecution began with the execution of James the
apostle (Acts 12) this (if correct) would also disqualify him.
(3)
Louis Berkohf summarises an important argument in favour of this identification:
“The authorship of this James is also favored
by a comparison of the letter, Acts 15:23-29, very likely written under the
inspiring influence of James, together with his speech at the council of
Berkohf provides examples of other “verbal
coincidences” such as the words translated “visit” (Jas
Clearly the simplicity of the author’
self identification suggests that the writer was well known, and James the
Lord’s brother was a prominent leader in the
(4)
The letter has a distinctly
Jewish flavour (eg “synagogue” in 2:2 and “Lord of Sabaoth” in 5:4) and this is understandable if it was
written by the James who held a prominent position in the
(5) Objections to the traditional view of authorship are weak:
·
Some
suggest that if Christ’s half brother wrote this letter, his failure to refer
to his relationship is difficult to explain.
However, Luke does not mention this relationship in Acts either. This is consistent with the fact that
spiritual relationships are of greater significance than physical
relationships.
·
Nor
is this identification called into question by the fact that the writer of this
letter has a good command of Greek since Greek was widely used in
“Galilee was studded with Greek towns, and it
was certainly in the power of any Galilean to gain a knowledge of Greek...if we
think of (James) also as the principal teacher of the Jewish believers, many of
whom were Hellenists, instructed in the wisdom of Alexandria, then the natural
bent would take the shape of duty: he
would be a student of Greek in order that he might be a more effective
instructor to his own people” (Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle
of St. James).
“The main objection to this proposal is the
polished style of the Greek language of the letter, but this objection does not take account of several factors: (1) the widespread use of rhetoric and more
than sufficient time for James, the main spokesperson for the Jerusalem church,
to have acquired facility in it; (2) that as the son of a carpenter he had
probably had a better education than Galilean peasants; (3) the spread of Greek
language and culture in Palestine (e.g., Josephus, Justin); (4) excavations
showing that most of Galilee was not as backward as was once thought; (5) the
widespread use of amanuenses (scribes) who might, like Josephus’s editorial
scribes, help a writer’s Greek” (Craig S. Keener The Bible
Background Commentary – NT).
·
“The apparent transposition of
the Sixth and Seventh commandments (2:11) probably reflects the use of the
Septuagint, since the Vatican Codex reads in that way in Exod.
20:13, 15” (Goodspeed) but again, this use of the Septuagint
is an insufficient reason for concluding that the letter could not have been
written by a Palestinian Jew. (Besides,
the transposition is not unique to the Septuagint and it is not absolutely
certain that the writer always relies upon this translation).
·
Some
find it strange that a letter written by the Lord’s brother has so few
references to Jesus and to His resurrection in particular, but this may simply
indicate that the writer knows that the recipients have a good grounding in
such doctrinal matters.
·
Some
argue that the letter was written at a time when the love of the first century had
lost its fervency and argue that the condition of the addressees reflects
conditions at the time of Hermas. However, there is no reason to suppose that
such conditions could not have existed among first century
Christians.
External Evidence
Comparatively speaking, external evidence of
authorship is rather weak. External
evidence begins at a comparatively late date. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia,
“Some coincidences, or analogies, exist between the Epistle and the Apostolic
Fathers (Clement of Rome, the Pastor Hermas,
“We cannot point to a single quotation in
Ireneaus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian, though some are inclined to
believe on the strength of a statement made by Eusebius, Ch. Hist. VI 14 that
Clement commented on this Epistle, just as he did on the other general
Epistles. There are reasons, however, to
doubt the correctness of this statement, cf. Westcott, on the Canon p. 357” (Louis Berkhof New Testament Introduction).
(1)
However, according to Unger’s
Bible Dictionary:
“(The) epistle was more widely known in the
first three centuries than has been supposed. The Old Syriac Version included it. Hermas evidently used it. James is frequently referred to in the
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. Ignatius evidently knew it, as well as
Polycarp, but none of these shows certain dependence upon James.”
(2)
Although the Muratorian
canon does not include the Letter of James, the text of the fragment
is mutilated and originally the list may have included the letter in the
book.
(3)
Origen (ca 225 AD) is the first writer to quote the Letter by name and
although he seems to accept that James the Lord’s brother was its author, he
does refer to it on one occasion as “the letter which is currently reported to
be by James” (Commentary on John 19:61). Evidently, Origen is aware that some entertain
doubts about authorship. Eusebius
has the following:
“These things are recorded in regard to James,
who is said to be the author of the first of the so-called catholic
epistles. But it is to be
observed that it is disputed; at least, not many of the ancients have mentioned
it, as is the case likewise with the epistle that bears the name of Jude, which
is also one of the seven so-called catholic epistles. Nevertheless we know that these also, with the
rest, have been read publicly in very many churches” (Ecclesiastical
History 2.23).
(4)
In 367 AD, Athanasius
of Alexandria (293-373 AD) issued his famous Festal Letter
(see our New Testament Canon) which included the following:
“Continuing, I must without hesitation mention
the scriptures of the New Testament; they are the following: the four Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, after them
the Acts of the Apostles and the seven so-called catholic epistles of the apostles: namely, one of James, two of Peter, then three
of John and after these one of Jude. In addition there are fourteen
epistles of the apostle Paul…”
This along with Jerome’s inclusion of
James in the Vulgate and Augustine’s acceptance of the Letter brought full
recognition.
(5)
Martin Luther’s severe judgment on James is well known. In his Preface to the New Testament he
wrote:
“In sum: the gospel and the first epistle of
In his Preface
to the Epistles of St. James and St. Jude he continues:
“I think highly of the
epistle of James, and regard it as valuable although it was rejected in early
days. It does not expound human
doctrines, but lays much emphasis on God’s law. Yet to give my own opinion, without prejudice
to that of anyone else, I do not hold it to be of apostolic authorship.”
Despite his
criticisms Luther included James in the canon and quoted James approvingly.
James the Lord’s
brother
(1)
We know that James, along with Jesus’ other brothers,
was an unbeliever until shortly before the Lord’s crucifixion, but just before
the day of Pentecost he is a believer (Acts
“It is to
James that Peter sends news of his escape from prison (Acts
(2)
Eusebius records that “Hegesippus, who lived
immediately after the apostles” testified to the sterling character of James
the Lord’s brother. The picture of this
man, which emerges from the record preserved by Eusebius, adds weight to the
tradition that he was author of the epistle which places so much stress upon
practical morality. Moreover, if
Hegesippus’ account of James’ ongoing Jewish connection is accurate,
this too is consistent with the strong Jewish flavor
of the epistle. Eusebius ascribes
the following words to Hegesippus:
“James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to
the government of the Church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the
time of our Saviour to the present day; for there
were many that bore the name of James. He
was holy from his mother’s womb; and he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor did
he eat flesh. No razor came upon his
head; he did not anoint himself with oil, and he did not use the bath. He alone was permitted to enter into the holy
place; for he wore not woolen but linen garments. And he was in the habit of entering alone into
the temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the
people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel, in consequence of
his constantly bending them in his worship of God, and asking forgiveness for
the people. Because of his exceeding
great justice he was called the Just, and Oblias, which
signifies in Greek, ‘Bulwark of the people’ and ‘Justice,’ in accordance with
what the prophets declare concerning him”(History 2:23).
The claims that James was a Nazirite from birth and that he was allowed to pray in the sanctuary make this account somewhat suspect, but evidently Hegesippus knew that James was widely remembered as a godly man.
According to Eusebius, Hegesippus and Clement preserved an account of James’ death.
He reports that, according to Clement,
the Jewish leaders “demanded of (James) that he should renounce faith in Christ
in the presence of all the people.” However:
“(Contrary) to the opinion of all, with a
clear voice, and with greater boldness than they had anticipated, he spoke out
before the whole multitude and confessed that our Savior and Lord Jesus is the
Son of God. But they were unable to bear
longer the testimony of the man who, on account of the excellence of ascetic
virtue and of piety which he exhibited in his life, was esteemed by all as the
most just of men, and consequently they slew him.
The account goes on to describe how
James “was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple, and was beaten to death with
a club” and concludes: “He became a true
witness, both to Jews and Greeks that Jesus is the Christ. And immediately Vespasian besieged them.” It would appear that among Jews and
Christians, there was a conviction that the destruction of
“And to so great a reputation among the people
for righteousness did this James rise, that Flavius Josephus, who wrote the
‘Antiquities of the Jews’ in twenty books, when wishing to exhibit the cause
why the people suffered so great misfortunes that even the temple was razed to
the ground, said, that these things happened to them in accordance with the
wrath of God in consequence of the things which they had dared to do against
James the brother of Jesus who is called Christ. And the wonderful thing is, that, though he
did not accept Jesus as Christ, he yet gave testimony that the righteousness of
James was so great; and he says that the people thought that they had suffered
these things because of James” (Commentary on Matthew
10.17).
According to Josephus’ account,
James “the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ” died at the hands
of the then high priest Ananus whom he describes as “a bold man in his temper,
and very insolent” (Antiquities 20.9). Josephus reports that Ananus brought James
before an illegally-assembled Sanhedrin and that “the most equitable of the
citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws…disliked
what was done.” As a result of their
complaints “King Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled
but three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus,
high priest.”
(3)
In October 2002 Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical
Archaeology Review, announced the discovery of an ossuary bearing an
Aramaic inscription, “Ya’akov bar Yosef
akhui diYeshua” (James the
son of Joseph the brother of Jesus). At
the present time there is a great deal of discussion about the authenticity of
the inscription and the date of the ossuary.
Addressees
(1)
The letter is addressed to ‘the
twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad.”
In 1 Pet 1:1, this expression refers to Christians in general,
living in the areas designated. In Jn
7:35, it refers to fleshly Jews scattered throughout the world. “Dispersion” means “scattered” and in the Old
Testament, the term is associated with the dispersion of God’s people which
began when the ten tribes were carried away by
(2)
Clearly since James’ readers
can pray to God (1:5), have faith in Jesus (2:1), are awaiting the Lord’s
return (5:7) and are called by the name of Christ (2:7), they are Christians. Perhaps James intended his epistle
for all Christian Jews living away from
(3)
I tend toward the view that the
addressees were scattered Jewish Christians. James takes for granted the fact that they are
well versed in the Old Testament which suggests a Jewish background.
“The illustrations of faithfulness and
patience and prayer are found in Old Testament characters, in Abraham (Jam
If the word “synagogue” in 2:2 refers
to the building in which meetings took place, this tends to support this
position as does the reference to, and the use of, the Hebrew title “Kyriou sabaoth” (5:4). Too, James’ prominence in the
Perhaps these are the Jewish Christians who were scattered following
Saul’s persecution and Stephen’s death in about 34 AD (Acts 8:1) and who were
dispersed as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:19). Perhaps too, these communities later swelled
following Herod’s persecution in about 44 AD (Acts 12:1 ff). The lack of personal information, an opening
benediction, references to travel plans and the usual personal greetings along
with the failure to address specific problems tends to support the view that
the Letter of James was intended as a general letter to scattered Jewish
Christians.
(4)
James’ audience seems to have
been made up mainly of the poor and the oppressed (although there may
be indications that a minority are well to do (1:9-11; 2:1-4;
(5)
We will also see when we look
at the letter, that the addressees were likely immature Christians who were not
handling these adverse circumstances and this ill-treatment well, and who were
not fulfilling their obligations to one another. There are indications that the poor were being
discriminated against in their assemblies (2:1-9), that those in need were not
being helped (
(6)
Likely James is kept informed
of the condition of the addressees by Jewish Christians who continued to attend
the festivals at
Composition:
Date, Place and Circumstances
(1)
If the above is correct, the
scattered Jewish Christians whom James addresses were likely separated from the
apostles and the
(2) A number of arguments are used in various attempts to date this epistle, some carrying more weight than others. (For example, some argue for an early date on the basis of a comparison of James’ view of faith and works as opposed to Paul’s view, but I believe that such arguments reflect a failure to see that the two inspired men are in perfect agreement). The following points are worthy of consideration:
·
The
failure to refer to the destruction of
·
James
likely died before 68 AD (Hegesippus) or 62 AD (Josephus).
·
The fact that the letter does
not deal with the question of the Gentiles and the Law and conditions of Gentile
entry into the church suggests that it was written before the “Jerusalem
Conference” in about 51 AD (Acts 15). At
this conference, James and others stood firm against those who were attempting
to impose certain aspects of the Law upon Gentile converts. Likely the Epistle was written before
the Gentile question arose.
·
It does seem that the name
“Christian” had been given by the time this letter was written (2:7). The disciples were “first called Christians in
The
evidence seems to suggest a date sometime in the 40s. Some have objected to such an early date on
the grounds that the writer is dependent on Romans, Galatians, Hebrews and 1 Peter but this
assumption is unproved.
(3)
Some suggest that James was
likely written to the region around
“The Alexandrian Church
is the only one which, as far as the sources enable us to determine, can be
proved always to have included James in the Canon along with a number of other
Catholic Epistles on a basis of equal authority with the rest. In the case of the Churches in
(T. Zahn Introduction To The New Testament).
The assumption is
that the early acceptance of the letter by Christians around
Purpose, Theme
and Characteristics
(1)
James is writing to scattered
Jewish Christians who are “persecuted as apostates, dragged before the judgment
seats, imprisoned, deprived of their goods, and tempted to renounce their faith”
(Erdman). One main
purpose of his epistle is to comfort them in their sufferings and to encourage
them to endure until the end.
·
Rather than despair because of
suffering, James’ readers are to recognize that trials and problems can produce
real benefits in the Christian’s life if he deals with them correctly. Trials are reasons for rejoicing because of
the wholesome effects they can produce, namely spiritual “endurance,” and,
growing out of this, spiritual maturity (1:2-4). It takes wisdom to see blessings in the midst
of trials, and the means of acquiring this wisdom is prayer offered in
faith (“let him ask of God” – 1:5-8). God will not honor the prayer of the “double
minded.” Both the poor man and the rich
man are subject to trials and difficulties, and the former can “glory in his
high position” (in Christ) in the midst of his suffering, while the latter is
reminded by his trials that all he has is impermanent, transitory, fleeting
(1:9-11). Perseverance in the midst of
suffering secures the “crown of life” (
·
By
way of edifying the poor saints who are being exploited by wealthy
non-Christians, James reminds his readers that God will judge the wicked and
reward the righteous at the time of Christ’s return (5:1-11). The (likely non-Christian) wealthy are accused
of four crimes: hoarding wealth (5:3),
failure to pay wages to workmen (5:4), self indulgence (5:5) and putting to
death “the righteous man” (Christ or righteous men in general? – 5:6). These wealthy exploiters are to “weep and
howl” in view of impending judgment (5:1). On the other hand, the persecuted saints are
to wait patiently for the day of redress (5:7-11) knowing that “the Lord is
full of compassion and...merciful” (
(2)
It is also evident that James’
addressees are not themselves free from fault either. Clearly immaturity has led to their having
responded to a difficult set of circumstances in unchristian ways, in that
(among other things), they “seek the friendship of the world, are obsequious to
the rich, are at strife among themselves (and) are lacking in Christian love” (Erdman).
James seeks to address these problems by
emphasizing (in complete agreement with the apostle Paul) that true faith
is inseparable from behaviour, lifestyle,
works and obedience. James’ readers are to “prove...(themselves)
doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (
·
In
the sight of our God and Father, religion which is “pure” (clean) and
“undefiled” involves visiting orphans and widows in
their distress (1:27). “Visit” (episkeptesthai)
has the idea of inspecting with a view to helping (present tense). Perhaps James’ readers, struggling to meet
their own needs, had forgotten their obligations to the weak. Pure religion also involves keeping (present
tense) oneself unstained by the world.
·
The
practice of showing partiality to the wealthy is condemned (2:1-13). Those who do this “become judges with evil
motives” (2:4). They take upon
themselves the role of judges, pronouncing upon the character of men who are
strangers. Also, they do so out of
“wrong motives,” perhaps expecting to receive something from the rich which the
poor could not offer. Instead of
“committing sin” by showing partiality (2:9) they are to fulfil “the royal
law,” which says “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (2:8).
·
Faith without works is dead (
·
The one who “thinks himself to be religious, yet does not bridle his own tongue”
possesses a religion which is “worthless” (
Chapter 3:1-12 has much to say about the use
of the tongue, and in context, James is speaking in particular of the need for teachers
to exercise proper control over this unruly organ. The “Let not many of you become teachers”
(3:1) conveys the idea, “Stop becoming many teachers...” which suggests that
many were becoming teachers who were not qualified for the work (1 Tim
1:3-7). The teacher’s responsibility is
weightier (3:1) because the tongue is the most difficult organ of the body to
control, and it is the tool used most by the teacher. Using striking illustrations, James speaks of
the influence, power and potential for harm residing in the tongue (3:3-8) and
of the contradictions of the tongue (“With it we bless our Lord and Father; and
with it we curse men who have been made in the image of God” -3:9). Doers of the word work to control
their speech, and this is a lesson which teachers in particular must learn.
·
In 3:13-18 James identifies the
source of contentions, unrest and disturbances as the wrong kind of wisdom -
that which is “earthy natural demonic” (
·
Quarrels, conflicts and
frustration exist among James’ readers because of envy and the desire to be “a
friend of the world” (4:1-4). James uses
10 aorist imperatives in verses 7-10 - all with a note of urgency, to call them
to repentance (“Submit...Resist the devil...Draw near to God...Cleanse your
hands” and so on). There is no room for
the “double minded” man (4:8) in the ranks of those who are doers of the
word. We cannot serve God and
mammon.
·
Doers of the word avoid
the sin of presumptuous self-sufficiency. In
Miscellaneous
exhortations concerning oaths, prayer, praise and restoration of erring
brethren (
(3)
Finally,
it is worth making a brief comment about some obvious general characteristics
of the book of James:
Its similarity to the Sermon on the Mount
Concerning this letter, Doremus Almy Hayes writes in the International
Standard Bible Encyclopaedia:
“The substance
of its exhortation, however, is to be found in the Synoptics and more
particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. Its wisdom is the wisdom of Jesus the son of
Joseph, who is the Christ.”
James
does not quote the words of Jesus, but echoes of the Sermon on the Mount are
found throughout his epistle. They
include the following:
·
Joy
in the midst of trials (Jas 1:2; Matt
·
God
and good gifts (Jas 1:5; Matt 7:7 ff).
·
Avoiding
anger (Jas
·
Being
hearers as well as doers of God’s word (Jas
·
Law
(Jas 2:10; Matt5:19).
·
Be
merciful (Jas
·
Peacemakers
(Jas
·
Friendship
with the world is not compatible with friendship with God (Jas 4:4; Matt
·
Humility
(Jas
·
About
judging others (Jas
·
Spoiled
riches (Jas 5:2; Matt6:19).
·
Oaths
forbidden (Jas
Thus,
although James does not allude to the incarnation or the resurrection and
mentions the name of Christ only twice (1:1; 2:1), the spirit of the Master’s
teaching pervades this epistle.
James uses
word pictures very effectively to add colour and vividness to his work
Carson et
al has:
“James’
extensive and very effective use of metaphors and figures of speech is... (another) noteworthy feature of this letter. The images James uses to make his points - the
billowing sea, the withered flower, the brush fire - are universal in their
appeal and go a long way toward accounting for the popularity of the letter.”
Whereas
Paul makes use of figurative language which is derived from the social and
civil practices of the Greek and Roman world, James, like Jesus, employs
imagery drawn from nature, such as the vine, the fig tree the withering wind
and springs.
James’ letter
has much in common with the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament
Some
have suggested that James makes 10 allusions to Proverbs and six to the book of
Job. On the other hand, he has little to
say about the central doctrines of the Christian faith. It is this similarity to the Old Testament
wisdom literature that makes it difficult to discern a systematic arrangement
in James because these works are not characterized by an orderly arrangement of
materials according to subjects.
Outline
(Following Carson et al)
(1)
Trials and Christian Maturity (Jas
1:1-18).
(2)
True Christianity Seen in Works
(Jas
(3)
Dissentions within the
Community (Jas 3:1-4:12).
(4)
Implications of a Christian
World View (Jas
(5)
Concluding Exhortations (Jas