Reading the Epistle of James: A Resource for Students

Description

Foundational essays for students of New Testament epistles This accessible introduction to contemporary scholarship on the Epistle of James begins with chapters that consider possible sources and backgrounds used by the author of James, the genre and literary structure of the book, and its major theological themes. Building on this foundation, subsequent chapters examine James through social-scientific readings, perspectives of Latin American immigrants and the marginalized, and major recent developments in textual criticism. The final chapters in the volume address the relationship between the epistle and the historical James, reception of the epistle in the early church, and major Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the book in the Reformation era. The contributions in this volume distill a range of important issues for readers undertaking a serious study of this letter for the first time. Features An introduction to contemporary scholarship on this important but often-overlooked textClear explanations of all technical terms and themesIn-depth discussions of the importance of Jewish Scripture and interpretative traditions, Greco-Roman philosophy and Jewish wisdom motifs, and biblical perspectives on justice, wealth, and poverty Cover Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction James and Jesus Traditions Use of Biblical and Other Jewish Traditions in James The Letter of James and Hellenistic Philosophy James in the Context of Jewish Wisdom Literature The Genre of James The Rhetorical Composition of the Epistle of James The Good God and the Reigning Lord Salvation in James The Devil and Demons in the Epistle of James Poverty, Riches, and God’s Blessings Reading James with the Social Sciences Don’t Conform Yourselves to the Values of the Empire Textual Criticism and the Editio Critica Maior of James James “the Brother of the Lord” and the Epistle of James Use, Authority, and Canonical Status of James in the Earliest Church Salvation, the Church, and Social Teaching Bibliography Contributors Ancient Sources Index Modern Authors Index