The+Epistles+of+James+and+the+Jerusalem+Council

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=**Authorship**=

The writer of this epistle identifies himself as James “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Greek name for James occurs 42 times in the New Testament and refers to at least four different men: James the son of Zebedee, brother of John, one of the twelve (cf. Mk. 1:19; 5:37; 9:2); James the son of Alpheus, also one of the twelve (Mk. 3:8); James the father of Judas (Lk. 6:16; Acts 1:13) and James, “the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:19), who plays a major role in the Jerusalem Council.

Of these four, James the Lord’s brother is the obvious candidate for the authorship of James. James the son of Zebedee is one of the most prominent figures in the Gospels; he belonged to Jesus’ inner circle. However, he was put to death by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2) in A.D. 44. On the other hand, James the son of Alpheus is too vague to be considered. He is only mentioned in the lists of the apostles (cf. Mk. 3:18; Matt. 10:3, Lk. 6:15). Also, James the father of Judas is mentioned only once in Luke 6:16 in order to distinguished this Judas from Judas Iscariot. Therefore we are left with James the Lord’s brother, who was a distinguished leader in the early church.

Several reasons why this is so: 1) There are striking similarities between the Greek of the Epistle and his speech in the Jerusalem Council (Acts. 15:13-21)[|[1]] 2) There are frequent allusions to the teachings of Jesus in the letter, the Jewish atmosphere of the book and the authority assumed by the author in addressing “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations”[|[2]] 3) the circumstances reflected the letter fit the date and situation in which James would be writing. James the brother of Jesus was martyred in A.D. 62. The book had to be written close to this date. It could probably be written during the mid 40s.

=**Audience**=

The audiences of this letter are the “twelve tribes scattered among the nations (1:1). It is almost certain that the recipients were Jewish Christians along with other Gentiles converts who would have been as much a part of the Christian “synagogue[|[3]] ” (2:2). Moreover, the Jewish reasoning throughout, and his reflection on the Torah (Mosaic Law) call for a Jewish audience. The Diaspora was the Jewish Christians who lived outside of Palestine due to poverty and persecution. The word used also can be interpreted in a metaphorical sense, which would refer to the covenant people of God. This letter is addressed to both Jewish and Gentile believers.

=**Place of writing**=

Although the author of this epistle provides no information about the place of writing, he “alludes to climatic conditions that pertain to Israel[|[4]] ”. Also, the place of writing is no doubt in Jerusalem. For example, his statement in 5:7 that the farmer patiently waits “for the autumn and spring rain” fits only the Palestinian region. Kistemaker adds, “Countries to the south and east of Israel, or even Syria to the north, do not experience the recurring cycle of autumn and spring rains peculiar to Israel.[|[5]] ” Moreover, James mentions “the scorching heat” (1:11) which prevails in Israel and also the produce of land: figs and olives (3:12) as allusions to Palestine. As one of the prominent leaders in Jerusalem, he was also probably residing there. =**Situation of writing**=

The situation of the writing as observed in the letter is that the Jewish Christians were dispersed due to poverty and oppression form abusive landowners, and powerful people. Thus James writes this letter to encourage the suffering believers and to encourage them to be steadfast under trials (1:12). He also addresses the issue of worldliness (4:4). This worldliness manifests itself in the sin of partiality towards the poor (2:1-4); the lack of tongue control (3:9-12); bitter jealously and selfish ambition and arrogance, which is not heavenly wisdom (3:13-17); quarrels and violence among the brethren (4:1); double-mindedness (1:8; 4:8), which is an evidence of doubting God (1:5-8) and eventually leads to a failure to put into practice the faith that was professed (1:21-27; 2:14-26). James rebukes them of this kind of worldliness calling them into repentance (4:4-10).

=**The Jerusalem Council**=

//See my article on the Jerusalem Council//

=**The Significance of the Jerusalem Council**=

First of all, the Jerusalem Council helps determine authorship and the most probable date of the letter. The Jerusalem council happened somewhere between 48 and 50 A.D. James could have written the It is interesting to note that the issues addressed in the Jerusalem Council i.e. the necessity of circumcision in salvation is nowhere addressed in James’ letter. The conflict over the Torah in the expansion to the Gentiles was not discussed or even addressed in James. Moo adds, “There’s is no hint of conflict between Jewish and Gentile Christians (such as wee would have expected if the letter was written after the Jerusalem Council.).[|[6]] ” However, the problems that he addressed are contrary from those in the Jerusalem Council. Kistemaker adds, “The Epistle of James, however, mirrors a time of relative tranquility within the Jewish Community in the fourth and fifth decades of the first century. “[|[7]] Moreover, Paul and Peter in their epistles make distinctions between Gentile and Jewish Christians, whereas there is no hint of the Gentile controversy that was brought up in Acts 15. If the date would be later than A.D. 48, James could have included these issues in his letter just as the other New Testament authors did. McCartney suggests that “the letter appears to have been written before the Christological developments found in Paul’s letters, 1Peter, and the Johannine literature or at least it does not explicitly take up those developments.[|[8]] ” Thus, the events in the Jerusalem Council supports for an earlier dating James; the letter is most likely written early to mid-40s.

Secondly, James’ speech in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13-21) and the letter sent out by him to the Gentiles has similarities in his epistle. This strengthens the view that the same James in Acts 15 is the author of the epistle of James. For example, in James 1:1 his “greeting” appears in Acts 15:23, but only in one other place found in the New Testament. In addition, James uses “name” as he subject of the passive form of the verb “call” in James 2:7 and Acts 15:17. Finally the appeal “listen my brothers” occurs in both Jas. 2:5 and Acts 15:13. However these similarities does not prove that James the brother of the Lord is the author of James but rather suggests it.

Finally, we see the problems that the early church faced before the Jerusalem Council. Since the Gentile controversy was not mentioned in James, a different controversy was before the growing church. Paul addresses the issues after Council in his epistles, while James addresses those previous to it. He confronts the misunderstanding of the Pauline doctrine of justification (2:14-26). In their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas had witnessed God’s saving work in the lives of both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 13-14). This same gospel—salvation through faith in Christ apart from the Law (13:16-41)—is the same doctrine that God used to saved Gentiles. Nevertheless, they were never without opposition from jealous Jews. In 13:45 it says, “But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict was spoken by Paul, reviling him.” These Jews are adamant in stopping the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles. Thus, it is not a surprise that even the believers in Jerusalem misunderstood Paul’s teachings since the attempts in hindering Paul’s mission to the Gentiles was so strong. Moreover, there is no indication that James misunderstood justification in Acts 15. He did not oppose Peter and Paul and Barnabas’ testimony of God’s saving work through the Gentiles. In fact, he advocated and supported them. He believed that even the OT prophets believed in the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s redemptive plan. Thus, Gentile converts are genuinely saved by grace and therefore are not obligated to undergo circumcision but rather comply to the restrictions given to them in the letter.

Now back to the text. At first glance James 2:14-26 seems to contradict Paul’s teaching on justification. However, this is not so. Some scholars believe that James misunderstood Paul’s doctrine of Justification, while some say that this was primarily a response to those who pervert the Pauline doctrine of Justification. [|[9]] The latter is probably a more accurate explanation. Kummel was undoubtedly right in saying that the former position “betrays a complete ignorance of the polemical intent of Pauline theology, which lapse can scarcely be attributed to James, who as late as 55/56 met with Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:18ff).”[|[10]] ) McCartney also supports this view, he says, “it may be best to read the Epistle of James not as a tract reacting to Paul or even as a diatribe against a misunderstanding of Paul, but as entirely independent of the controversies addressed by Paul in Romans and Galatians and as dealing with an entirely different kind of problem than Paul’s concern with ‘works of the law[|[11]] ’.” Once again, if the letter was written after the Jerusalem Council, James could have mentioned this in his letter. Evidently, James seems to know nothing of this. I agree with Dr. Moo that James was primarily concerned with the misunderstanding of his readers regarding Paul’s doctrine of justification. He says, “Some of his [James] readers, apparently through a misunderstanding of Paul were confining ‘faith’ to a verbal profession (2:19) and empty, insincere good wishes (2:15-16). This ‘faith’ that a person may claim to have (v. 14) is ‘dead’ (vv. 17-26) and ‘barren’ (v. 20) and will be of no avail in the Day of Judgment.”[|[12]] James was aware of Paul’s distinctive emphasis on justification by faith alone; he agrees with Paul. Apparently, some believers were using Paul’s doctrine of justification as an excuse to neglect their commitment to practical holiness and Christian living. However, the ‘works’ that James is different from Paul’s usage of ‘works’. The works that James mentions are works that stem from and are produced by faith, while the works that Paul refers to are the works of the Law. In other words, James refers to “works” //after// conversion, whereas; Paul refers to “works” //before// conversion. Real and genuine faith in Christ is demonstrated through a commitment and active devotion to Him; in active faith is ineffective, dead, and worthless. McCartney concludes, “James’ concern is not with how one is put into right relationship to God, but with hypocrisy, and that was as much a problem in Judaism as anywhere else.[|[13]] Here, James warns Christians that faith in Jesus Christ is not just merely verbal, but it has to be evidenced through godly behavior. This is a major issue that the early church faced preceding the Jerusalem Council.

Nevertheless this issue is still evident in the present church. There are numerous professing Christians who say they have faith but this faith is not genuine faith. Their lives do not evidence a genuine transformation; their faith is inactive and empty faith. I agree with James that “faith without works is dead.” Genuine faith in Christ must be evidenced by a transformed life, bearing fruit in the Spirit.


 * Summary**

In summary, the Jerusalem Council should not be ignored in the book of Acts. Truly this event has major implications in James. If Luke did not record this, we will have a difficult time determining the authorship and date of the letter. But since the issues addressed in the Jerusalem Council is nowhere mentioned in James, we can conclude that it is written prior to the Council. Moreover, the similarities in James’ speech and his letter suggest that James the brother of the Lord, the prominent leader in the church of Jerusalem is the author of the letter. Finally, we read of the matters that were addressed by developing church, and how James addressed these things in his letter.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bruce, F.F., H.L. Ellison and G.C.D Howley. //The International Bible Commentary//. Grand Rapids: Marshall Pickering/Zondervan, 1986.

Kummel, Werner. //Introduction to the New Testament//. Nashville, Tenn: Abingdon Press, 1975.

Kistemaker, Simon J. //James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude//. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">McCartney, Dan. //James//. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2009.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Moo, Douglas. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Foakes-Jackson, F.. //The Beginnings of Christianity//. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Manton, Thomas. //James//. London: Banner of Truth and Trust, 1968.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Marshall, I. Howard. //New Testament Theology//. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Moo, Douglas. //The letter of James : an introduction and commentary//. Leicester, England Grand Rapids, Mich: Inter-Varsity Press Eerdmans, 1985.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Rice, John. //Filled with the Spirit: The Book of Acts.// Murfreesboro: Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1963.

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18px;">Richards, Kurt, and Kurt Richardson. //James//. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1997.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[1]] Douglas Moo. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 622.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[3]] Dan G. McCartney. //James//, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 33. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[4]] Simon J. Kistmaker, //James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude//, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002), 19. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[5]] Ibid. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[6]] Douglas Moo. //An Introduction to the New Testament//. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 414. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[7]] Kistemaker, 18. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[8]] McCartney, 30. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[9]] Douglas J. Moo, //The Letter of James//, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publshing Co., 1985), 27. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[10]] Kummel, 413. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[11]] McCartney, 16. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[12]] Douglas Moo, //The Letter of James: an introduction and commentary,// (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985), 44-45 <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|[13]] McCartney, 55.

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