ONE<\/p>\n
Introduction\u2014<\/em>1:1<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, greeting<\/em>.<\/p>\n The second of the five Messianic Jewish epistles is James. Like <\/span>Hebrews, this book addresses the first major issue: that of persecution. As in Hebrews, it targets a Jewish believing audience; but unlike Hebrews, these recipients reside elsewhere. James was written by a Jewish believer in the Land to Jewish believers in the Dis<\/span>persion. Hebrews was written by a Jewish believer in the Dispersion to Jewish believers in the Land<\/p>\n The author\u2019s Jewish background and M<\/span>essianic theology woven within the Epistle are well recognized among the commentary writers. Moo, for example, writes:<\/p>\n The Jewish atmosphere of the book is very marked: Old Testament and Jewish teachi<\/span>ngs are frequently alluded to; the style reflects in places both the \u201cproverbial\u201d nature of Jewish wisdom traditions and the denunciatory preaching of the prophets; the meeting-place of the church is called a synagogue (<\/span>2:2<\/a>); and a central Jewish tenet, the oneness of God, is specifically mentioned (2:19<\/a>). On the other hand, the epistle shows little evidence of a developed or self-consciously Chri<\/span>stian theology. All this suggest an author who was writing at an early date, in a Jewish context, and who sought to maintain good relationships with Judaism. The way in which the teachings of Jesus thoroughly permeates the letter, without being directly cited, would also be entirely natural for<\/span> someone with James\u2019 background. And, finally, James\u2019 position as the leader of the \u201cmother\u201d church of Jewish Christians in <\/span>Jerusalem would eminently qualify him to address an authoritative admonition to \u201cthe twelve tribes in the Dispersion\u201d.1<\/a><\/p>\n From the content of the letter itself we are able to learn s<\/span>omething about the people to whom it was written. First, it is almost certain that the readers were Jews. The letter is thoroughly imbued with the spirit and imagery of the Old Testament and Judaism\u2014so thoroughly that it must reflect the readers\u2019 background as<\/span> well as the author\u2019s. For instance, James\u2019s use of the feminine \u2018adulteresses\u2019 (moichalides<\/span>) in 4:4<\/a> would make no sense to anyone who was n<\/span>ot well acquainted with the Old Testament tradition likening the Lord\u2019s covenant with his people to a marriage relationship. Similarly, the simple and unexplained way in which James refers to the \u201claw\u201d presumes that his readers are familiar<\/span> with this law and have no questions about its relevance to them. Also indicative of a Jewish audience is the use of the monotheistic confession to summarize \u201cdoctrine\u201d (<\/span>2:19<\/a>) and the use of the word \u201csynagogue\u201d in 2:2<\/a>. The implied Jewish audience of the letter is in keeping with the New Testament and early Christian portrayal of James as one who ministered <\/span>among \u201cthe circumcised\u201d (Gal. 2:9<\/a>).2<\/a><\/p>\n John MacArthur adds further dimensions:<\/p>\n The epistle\u2019s distinctively Jewish character is in keeping with the picture of James given in Acts 15<\/a> and 21<\/a>. The book of <\/span>James contains four direct quotes of the Old Testament and more than forty Old Testament allusions. In addition, James expresses himself in distinctly Old Testament terms, beginning in the first verse with the refe<\/span>rence to the \u201ctwelve tribes who are dispersed abroad.\u201d James describes the gospel as the \u201claw of liberty\u201d (2:12<\/a>). He describes his readers\u2019 meeting place using the Greek word translitera<\/span>ted \u201csynagogue\u201d (2:2<\/a>). In 4:4<\/a> he uses the common Old Testament figure of adultery to describe spiritual defection. Contemporary Jewish abuses regarding oath taking are condemned in 5:12<\/a>. The prominent<\/span> Old Testament figure Elijah appears as an example of the power of righteous prayer (5:17\u201318<\/a>). Such important Old Testament names as Abraham (2:21<\/a>), Rahab (2:25<\/a>), and Job (5:11<\/a>) also appear in the epi<\/span>stle. James is also the only New Testament writer to employ the distinctly Old Testament title for God, \u201cLord of Sabaoth [Host].\u201d (Paul refers to that title only in a quotation from Isaiah in Romans 9<\/span>:29<\/a>.)3<\/a><\/p>\n A. The Author<\/p>\n The author\u2019s name appears as James<\/em> in English Bibles; however, that is only the anglicized form. His real name in the Greek text is Jacob\u2014the same as the Jacob of Genesis. How did Jacob\u2019<\/span>s name develop into \u201cJames\u201d? The transition proceeded as follows: In Hebrew, Jacob is Yaakov<\/span>. Since the New Testament was written in Greek, and Greek does not have a \u201cY\u201d sound, the Hebrew \u201cY\u201d changed <\/span>to a Greek \u201cI\u201d sound. Thus, in Greek, his name is Iakobos<\/em>4<\/a> (In the same way Yeshua<\/span>, the Hebrew for \u201cJesus,\u201d became Ieisous<\/span> in Greek.) However, the English form did not emerge directly from Greek, but<\/span> via Latin. When his name was translated to Latin, initially, it was similar to the Greek, Iakobus<\/span>. But as Latin evolved, Iakobus<\/span> of Latin became another Latin form, Jacobus<\/em>. As the Latin language pro<\/span>gressed, the \u201cB\u201d changed to an \u201cM,\u201d and his name was Jacomus<\/em>. Finally, the Latin Jacomus<\/em> became the English James<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jacob\/James was a popular Jewish name; more than one person in the New Testament had <\/span>this name, including two of the Twelve Apostles. The Jacob\/James who wrote this book was the half-brother of Jesus, sharing the same mother but not the same father. Joseph was the biological father of Jacob\/James while Joseph was merely the step-father or the foster-father of Jesus. T<\/span>his half-brother is mentioned as the half-brother of Jesus in Matthew 13:55<\/a>, Mark 6:3<\/a>, and Galatians 1:19<\/a>. During t<\/span>he entire life and ministry of Jesus, Jacob\/James was an unbeliever as were the other half-brothers of Jesus (Jn. 7:2\u20135<\/a>). He became a believer as a result of the resurrection. While the post-resurrect<\/span>ed Jesus did appear to Jacob\/James, that appearance is not recorded in any of the four gospels; however, it is mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:7<\/a>. That experience led to his salvation; therefore,<\/span> Jacob\/James became a witness of the resurrection. Because he did see the resurrected Messiah, he became an apostle of the second category.<\/p>\n There were two categories of Apostles. The first category wa<\/span>s the closed apostolic group of twelve. To qualify, one must have been with Jesus from the time of His baptism by John until His Ascension (Acts 1:21\u201322<\/a>). Very few qualified, and in Acts 1<\/a>, when the A<\/span>postles wished to find a replacement for Judas, only two men (Barsabbas\/Justus and Matthias) had those prerequisites. There was a second category of Apostleship. The only prerequisite for this category required w<\/span>itnessing the resurrected Messiah (1 Cor. 9:1<\/a>) without having accompanied Jesus since His baptism by John. Paul and Barnabas met this qualification to become Apostles, and so did Jacob\/Jam<\/span>es. He is recognized as an Apostle in Galatians 1:19<\/a>. Later, he also became the first pastor of the Church of Jerusalem (Acts 15:13\u201321<\/a>; Acts 21:17\u201326<\/a>).<\/p>\n Jacob\/James\u2019 prominence becomes evident through <\/span>various passages. For example, in Acts 12:17<\/a>, Peter was miraculously released from prison. Afterwards, Peter instructed the prayer group in Mark\u2019s home to \u201ctell James\u201d because Jacob\/James was the head<\/span> of the Church of Jerusalem. It was necessary for Jacob\/James to know of Peter\u2019s release. Then in Acts 15:13\u201321<\/a>, Jacob\/James issued the verdict of the Jerusalem Council concerning the Gentiles\u2019 place <\/span>in the Faith. Later in the same chapter, Acts 15:22\u201329<\/a>, he issued the Proclamation of Gentile Christianity, spelling out their appropriate freedoms, while asking for restraint from certain practices. <\/span>Still later, in Acts 21:17\u201326<\/a>, when Paul visited Jerusalem for the last time before his own arrest, he first reported to Jacob\/James. Jacob\/James holds another place of prominence in Galatians 2:12<\/a>; h<\/span>ere his name was used by Judaizers in Antioch, who instructed Jewish believers not to eat with uncircumcised Gentile believers. While this was not Jacob\/James\u2019 position, the Judaizers used his name to in<\/span>timidate these Jewish believers.<\/p>\n According to 1 Corinthians 9:5<\/a>, Jacob\/James was married.<\/p>\n The Book of Acts does not record Jacob\/James\u2019 death, but other ancient sources do. One source was Josephus,<\/span> the first century Jewish historian. Josephus recorded Jacob\/James\u2019 time of death between the reigns of two Roman procurators in Judah. In the year A.D. 61, Festus, the \u201cFestus\u201d in the Book of Acts, d<\/span>ied in office. A few months later in A.D. 62, a new procurator, Albinus, was dispatched. Because he did not arrive until A.D. 62, a number of months transpired between the death of one procurator and <\/span>the arrival of another. The High Priest at that time was Ananus; the son of Annas; the same Annas found in the gospels; the same Annas involved in the trial of Jesus. The son of Annas accused Jacob\/James of violating the Law and ordered him stoned. At this point, Josephus<\/span> recorded the stoning of Jacob\/James and then inserted an interesting comment. Josephus assigned the death of Jacob\/James as one reason why God allowed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. It is amazing that Josephus would make this connection because he classified himself not as a believer but as a Pharisee. However, Jacob\/James\u2019 piety was well-known, and Josephus felt that this wrongful death of Jacob\/James was one of several reasons why Jerusalem was destro<\/span>yed.<\/span><\/p>\n Two other sources, Heggisippus and Eusebius, add mo<\/span>re detail concerning Jacob\/James\u2019 death. They noted that in Jerusalem, he was known even among the unbelieving Jews as Jacob\/James the Just. Furthermore, at the time of Jacob\/James\u2019 arrest, Ananus presented an option: if he would stand on the walls of<\/span> Jerusalem and publicly renounce his faith in Jesus, he would not be stoned to death. Jacob\/James agreed. He was then brought to the top of the wall of Jerusalem. When the Jewish masses gathered, Jacob\/James proceeded to preach the gospel. Ananus became angry and pushed him off the wall. The half-brother of and believer in the Messiah was stoned to death by those below the wall.<\/p>\n As already noted, Jacob\/James\u2019 piety was very well known. Because he spent a lot of time praying on his knees, he was often referred to as \u201cCamel-Knees.\u201d A camel raise<\/span>s itself first on its knees before getting up and gets down first on its knees before lying down So, the knees of the camel become broad, bulky, and bulgy. The tradition is that Jacob\/James spent so m<\/span>uch time on his knees, their shape took on that of a camel\u2019s knees. Heggisippus wrote:<\/p>\n He drank neither wine nor fermented liquors, and abstained from animal food. A razor never came upon his head, he<\/span> never anointed with oil, and never used a [public] bath \u2026 He was in the habit of entering the temple alone, and was often found upon his bended knees, and interceding for the forgiveness of the people: so that his knees became as hard as camel\u2019s, in consequence of his habitual supplication and kneeling before G<\/span>od.5<\/a><\/p>\n Moo gives a concise summary of what can be known about James outside the Scriptur<\/span>es:<\/p>\n This James became a popular and respected figure in the early church, especially among Jewish Christians. He was venerated as the first \u2018bishop\u2019 of Jerusalem and was given the title \u2018the righteous<\/span>\u2019 or \u2018the just\u2019 because of his faithfulness to the law and constancy in prayer. Much of our information about James comes from Heggisippus\u2019 account of James\u2019 death as recorded by Eusebius. He tells us that James was stoned by the scribes and Pharisees for refusing to renounce his commitment to Jesus. This account of James\u2019 death is independently confirmed by Josephus (<\/span>Ant<\/em><\/a>. xx.9.1<\/a>), who also enable<\/span>s us to date it in A.D. 62. However, much of the rest of Heggisippus\u2019 account, which portrays James as a zealot for the law, is legendary. It may be that Heggisippus derived his information from a str<\/span>ict sect of Jewish Christians, called Ebionites, who regarded Paul with considerable disfavour and extolled James as the true heir to Jesus\u2019 teaching. Therefore, while all our sources agree that James was a pious, devoted Jewish Christian, anxious to maintain good relationships with <\/span>Judaism, the picture of a legalistic, anti-Paul James must be rejected as a tendentious caricature.6<\/a><\/p>\n Jacob\/James r<\/span>efers to himself as a twofold servant<\/em>. This is a title of humility. Although he is the half-brother of Jesus, he chooses to emphasize his spiritual rather than his physical relationship. The Greek wor<\/span>d for \u201cservant\u201d here is doulos<\/span>, which in Greek literature had a very negative connotation. However, Jacob\/James was not thinking in terms of the Greek concept, but in terms of the Old Testament concep<\/span>t, which was far more honorable. For example, in the Septuagint<\/em>, this very word is used of Moses and other messengers of God, like the Prophets, who exercise spiritual authority. He is using the term <\/span>in the sense of the Jewish usage that gave him spiritual authority as a messenger of God. The word also has the concept of bond-slave. The bond-slave in the Mosaic Law was a slave who became a permanent slave on a voluntary basis, not because he had to become one. James was a bond-servant of two masters. First, <\/span>of God<\/em>, meaning the Father, and second, of the Lord Jesus Christ<\/em>, meaning God the Son. <\/span>This is the full name of the Son. Lord<\/em> emphasizes His deity, focusing on His Person. Jesus<\/em> emphasizes His human name, meaning \u201csalvation,\u201d focusing on His work. Christ<\/em> is the Greek equivalent to Messi<\/span>ah, the Anointed One, emphasizing this One to be the fulfillment of all the messianic promises and focusing on His office. His name appears again only one other time in this epistle (2:1<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n B. The Recipients<\/p>\n He states he is writing to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion<\/em>. The term Dispersion<\/em>, which in the Greek text is found with the definite article, was a technical Jewish term<\/span> then, as it is to this day, referring to Jews living outside the Land. Therefore, he is writing to Jews living outside the Land, not to Jews in general. The technical term, Dispersion<\/em>, is found only <\/span>two other times in the New Testament: John 7:35<\/a> and 1 Peter 1:1<\/a>. As the head of the Church of Jerusalem, as the servant<\/em> of both the Father and the Son, Jacob\/James is exercising his headship and autho<\/span>rity over Jewish believers outside the Land. Furthermore, these Jewish believers came from all Twelve Tribes of Israel, which shows they all knew their tribal identity. This is one of many indications that<\/span> the concept of ten \u201clost\u201d tribes is a myth. The epistle, then, was written to Jewish believers, which included members of all Twelve Tribes outside the land. They were of the Dispersion<\/em>. This ma<\/span>y refer to the general dispersion or it might refer specifically to the dispersion of Jewish believers resulting from the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1<\/a>, 4<\/a>; 11:19\u201320<\/a>). Either way, these believers consti<\/span>tuted the Israel of God.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n C. The Salutation<\/p>\n The salutation consists of one word: Greeting<\/em>. The root of this word means \u201cto rejoice\u201d or \u201cto be glad.\u201d While it is in the Greek infinitive, it has an imperative force: be<\/em> rejoicing, be<\/em> glad. No one else in the New Testament, when writing an epistle, used that salutation. However, it was a very common word used in Greek secular literature and in the literature of Greek-speaking Jews. Thus, Jacob\/James is very Jewish in his usage of Greeting<\/em>.<\/p>\n A form of this word is found only one other time in the entire New Testament, in Acts 15:23\u201329<\/a>, which contains the proclamation written by Jacob\/James. Thus, both times, it is used by Jacob\/James. Paul later coined the longer salutation, \u201cGrace to you and peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ\u201d (2 Thes. 1:2<\/a>). Jacob\/James is writing with a more traditional, Jewish style.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n D. Date<\/p>\n James<\/em> must have been written before A.D. 62, the year Jacob\/James was martyred. There is strong indication it was even written prior to the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15<\/a>. This book does not contain some of the more detailed and developed doctrines of the New Testament found in Paul\u2019s epistles, or even in Peter\u2019s epistles. Thus, most believe it was written somewhere between A.D. 45 and 50. If that is the case, James was the first New Testament book to be penned. Hodges, while agreeing this was the first New Testament book written, observes the Jewishness of the epistle and argues for an even earlier date as early as A.D. 34\u201335:<\/p>\n James designates his intended audience as the twelve tribes<\/em> (1:1<\/a>). The phrase seems naturally to identify the recipients as Jewish. The tone and contents of the epistle agree with this. One recent writer observes that \u201cthe Jewishness of James is so pervasive that it has been used to support the position that James, the Lord\u2019s brother, wrote the epistle\u201d (Songer, RevExp<\/em>. 361).\u2026 Nevertheless, James makes no reference to the Gentiles, nor does he show any awareness of the kind of evangelism typical of the Pauline mission. This suggests the possibility that James was written at a date prior to the Gentile outreach recorded in Acts.<\/p>\n If the traditional date of James\u2019 death (A.D. 62) is correct, the epistle cannot have been written later than that. Instead, the absence of any concern with the issues raised by the conversion of Gentiles, suggests the possibility that the letter might be dated as early as the middle or late 30s \u2026 The conversion of Saul of Tarsus (Paul) could have taken place in A.D. 34, leaving about a year, or a little more, for the events of Acts 1\u20139<\/a>. In that case James could plausibly be dated as early as A.D. 34 \u2026 We may add that nothing in the epistle goes beyond Acts 1\u20139<\/a>.<\/p>\n If James is regarded as quite early, before the spread of the Gospel to the Gentile world, we can understand the phrase the twelve tribes which are scatt<\/em>ered abroad<\/em> accordingly. The words scattered abroad<\/em> translate the Greek words en te diaspora<\/span> (\u201cin the dispersion\u201d) \u2026 Observe, however, that the scattering of the Jewish Christians (at the first persecution, Acts 8:1<\/a>) did produce a kind of Christian diaspora<\/em> (dispersion). From their unified, communal situation in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 4:32\u201335<\/a>), the early Christians were \u201cdispersed\u201d throughout Judea and Samaria. In fact, in Acts 8:1<\/a>, the English words they were \u2026 scattered<\/em> translate diesparesan<\/span>, which is from the same Greek root as diaspora<\/em>. If James was written to this dispersed audience not long after they had undergone this very troubling experience, the writer\u2019s pastoral stress on the spiritual value of our trials is highly appropriate.<\/p>\n It is possible that the letter was written even prior to the evangelization of Samaria. But since the Samaritans had a racial relationship to the Jews, the early Christians could have viewed the Samaritan converts as returning to the spiritual community of the twelve tribes<\/em> who constituted the true Israel of that day (cf. Rom. 2:28\u201329<\/a>). A close study of the early chapters of Acts shows that the Christians did not yet regard the Church as an entity distinct from Israel in purpose and character. That enlightenment was to come later through Paul and through the other holy apostles and prophets<\/em> of the early Church (Eph. 3:5<\/a>) \u2026 In conclusion, therefore, we suggest that the Epistle of James was a pastoral letter written to the dispersed Jewish believers of Palestine, probably at a time before<\/em> Paul\u2019s initial mission to the Gentile world, i.e., to A<\/em>rabia<\/em> (Gal. 1:17<\/a>). This would suggest a date closely approximating A.D. 34 or 35. On this view, James is by far the earliest NT document that we possess. (Galatians, the next book written, can be dated about A.D. 49.)7<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n E. Purpose<\/p>\n The main purpose of this book is to strengthen the faith of Jewish believers in the face of persecution. Jewish believers were being persecuted by the wealthy Jewish class who were guilty o<\/span>f defrauding and oppressing them. While that is its primary purpose, it has a secondary purpose. It is also written with a sense of urgency; a sense of coming judgment; warning of a judgment very soon to come. It is the same judgment, the <\/span>A.D. 70 judgment, also addressed in the letter to the Hebrews.<\/p>\n As Jacob\/James is writing his letter, his primary concern is seen in 1:22<\/a>: doers of the word, not <\/em><\/span>hearers only<\/em>; how to be \u201cdoing\u201d the Word, not merely \u201chearing\u201d it. The focus of Jacob\/James is not creed, but conduct; not belief, but behavior; not doctrine, but deed. His primary concern is practica<\/span>l living.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/span>F. The Sermon on the Mount<\/p>\n There are a number of similarities between what Jacob\/James writes and what Jesus said at the Sermon on the Mount. There are at least eleven such similarities:<\/p>\n