“A rather strawy epistle” James “A rather strawy epistle”

I. Authorship Facts we know: 1. Calls himself – James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Man of authority among Jewish Christians 3. He has an Old Testament background 4. Judaistic leanings 5. A teacher

Narrowed to Three Possibilities James, son of Zebedee James, son of Alphaeus James, brother of Jesus

C. Arguments for James, the brother of Jesus 1. Simplicity of self-designation 2. The Jewish flavor of the book 3. Similarities between this book and the speeches in Acts 4. The community is primitive 5. External evidence -- slightly

D. Against James, the brother of Jesus 1. Language 2. No mention of Jesus’ life 3. No mention of law 4. Possible dependence upon Paul’s letters 5. Moral degeneracy demands longer period for development. 6. Slow to be accepted into canon

Strong leaning towards, James, the brother of Jesus, as the author.

II. Date Early date – 49 A.D. Date near the death of James – 62 AD Late date – 70-95 AD

III. Destination A. Book addressed to “the twelve tribes of the Diaspora.” B. Who? Jews who were not Christians Christians in general Jewish Christians – more likely

IV. The Problem with Paul James Rom. 3:28 James 2:14-26 Teaching Faith plus nothing Faith plus works Error Legalism Antinomianism Aspect of Life How a person is saved How a Christian lives

Paul James “Works Ritualistic, legalistic Acts of kindness “Faith” Commitment to Christ Intellectual assent Justification Person declared right Deeds prove one is righteous

Conclusion: Both are saying the same thing, but from a different perspective. A person is saved by faith but works will be a part of the result of that salvation.

V. Theme The Christian life must be demonstrated by everyday life.