Introduction to the Book of James

Introduction to the Book of James
by Dr. James Brooks

Author
The opening of this epistle identifies its author as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” James was the half-brother of Jesus and the eldest child born to Joseph and Mary (Matt. 13; Mark 6). This James, apart from the others mentioned in the New Testament, was strongly held by the early Church Fathers including Origen, Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, and St. Augustine as the author of this book. Early in His ministry, none of Jesus’ brothers or sisters believed in him (John 7:5), however, they later saw the resurrected Christ and believed (Acts 1:14). James eventually became the senior pastor of the Jerusalem church, heading the Church council in Acts 15, some 16 years after the day of Pentecost on Sunday May 24, 33AD (Acts 2). One Church historian, Eusebius, describes James’ influence, character and life in the early Church:
“James had been consecrated from his mother’s womb. He neither drank strong drink, and abstained from all types of animal food. No razor came upon his head. He never anointed his himself with oil, and never used the Roman bath. He alone was allowed to enter the sanctuary [not the holy of holies] but the court of the priest. He wore no wool garments, but linen garments only. He was in the habit of entering the Temple alone and could often be found there praying on his knees, so that his knees became hard like a camel’s knees. On one occasion in 62 AD, many of the Jewish leaders came to James and begged him to stand on top of the pinnacle of the Temple so as to dissuade the people from believing in Jesus as the Messiah. James was taken to the pinnacle of the temple and with a loud voice cried out to those who were at the bottom, “Why do you ask me respecting Jesus the son of man? He is now sitting in the heavens on the right hand of the great power, and is about to come on the clouds of heaven.” And many believed in Jesus on account of James’ testimony and cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The Jewish leaders became enraged and conspired together that they would throw him off of the Temple and stone him to death. When he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple he did not die right away, so they began to stone him. James looked at his accusers and said, “I entreat thee, o Lord God and Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Someone in the crowd cried out, “Stop what you are doing, can you not see that he is praying for you?” And one of them, who was a fuller, took the club with which he beat out clothes and struck the just man on the head and suffered martyr’s fate. They buried him on the spot where his tombstone is still remaining by the Temple. He became a faithful witness both to the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ. Immediately after this incident, the Roman ruler Vespasian invaded the land and conquered Judea.

Date and Place of Origination
James should be dated somewhere between 45-50 A.D. and is most likely, the first book written in the New Testament. It was most assuredly written from the city of Jerusalem.

Destination
The letter is addressed to the “twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (1:1). Though some suggest that the reference is to be taken metaphorically for the Gentile church scattered among the Roman Empire, the decidedly Jewish flavor of the book indicates that the reference should be taken at face value, representing the Jewish people scattered throughout the nations. Whichever view is taken, the point of James is that it was intended to be read and passed on from one church to the next, primarily concentrating on Christian ethics and wisdom in Christ.

Occasion
The circumstance which prompted the book of James seems to have been the church’s confusion over their proper conduct in the new faith. James’ epistle is strongly practical and is a blueprint for building a solid Christian life. Christian doctrine is generally assumed in the book and not explicitly stated. It is designed to exhort and encourage believers to exercise personal holiness and wisdom in every area of life. Throughout the book, James will refer to his intended audience 19 times as brethren or beloved brethren, demonstrating that the epistle is for the benefit of the believer and not the unbeliever. His style of teaching mimics that of his brother and many of his allusions can be clearly seen in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.


Basic Outline
I. Introduction 1:1-2
II. Instruction Concerning Trials and Temptations 1:2-18
III. Instructions Concerning the Word 1:19-27
IV. Instructions Concerning the Rich and Poor 2:1-26
V. Instructions Concerning the Tongue 3:1-18
VI. Instructions Concerning the World 4:1-17
VII. Instructions Concerning Oppression 5:1-20