Second, while James probably did not have a good education, and perhaps no education at all, given surprising turns of fate in life and the lack of knowledge about James’s biography, we cannot know with certainty that he did not have an education. We also do the same when a work is ghostwritten. We do this all the time today when we say, “I received a letter from my senator,” when in all likelihood the senator had told an aide to write a letter saying thus and so to anyone who questioned this or that stance of his. That is possible, and it is true that an amanuensis, necessary for the process of writing in any case, was sometimes given a lot of liberty in the composition of a letter.īut at what point does an amanuensis become a coauthor or even the main author of a work? If he is responsible for the style and wording, is he not at least a coauthor? How would one recognize what is from the implied author and what is from the “secretary” if one does not have works that are undisputedly in the wording and thought forms of the author?įirst, if the implied author approved the sending of the work, one would consider it “his work” even if the language and rhetoric of the work were not his. Many letter writers in the first century did just that-including Paul. The usual solution is to appeal to the use of an amanuensis, who would be responsible for putting James’s ideas into good Greek. That doesn’t mean James wasn’t the author. It is questionable whether a person such as James-the second brother in an artisan family with at least seven children-would have access to sufficient Greek education to have composed some of the better Greek in the New Testament and sufficient rhetorical education to demonstrate the skill found in this work. The issue is not whether James would have been able to communicate in Greek, but whether he would have commanded the quality of Greek needed to write this letter. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at Did James know Greek well enough to have written this letter? You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. Davids explains:īy submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates. Let’s take a look at each of these questions.īut before we do, let's consider why the book of James is in the Bible in the first place. Finally, if James, the Lord’s brother, did write the letter, why is the letter so poorly attested until the period of Origen?.Was James prominent enough after his martyrdom and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE that a later writer or community might have used his name to give authority to a letter that they composed?.Does James show a knowledge of Paul’s letters and, if so, would James have been alive long enough to have written such a letter?.Would a person with James’s background be capable of the quality of Greek and the rhetorical sophistication that is found in this letter?.However, was it really James who wrote the book? Or was it simply attributed to him? This issue involves several questions. On this virtually the whole tradition of literature on this work is agreed. James chaired the so-called Jerusalem Council ( Acts 15:13–21), and Paul visited him and took advice from him on his final visit to Jerusalem ( Acts 21:18). Acts tells us that James is the only one whom Peter wanted informed about his (divinely orchestrated) release from prison ( Acts 12:17). Paul names him, along with Cephas (Peter) and John, an acknowledged “pillar” of the Jerusalem community ( Galatians 2:9) emissaries from that community are designated by Paul as “from James” ( Galatians 2:12). James was a prominent figure among the communities of the followers of Jesus living in Palestine in the first century. It’s also possible that James was the oldest of Jesus’ cousins if one follows Jerome’s interpretation that adelphos means “cousin,” the children of Mary wife of Clopas, also identified as “the mother of James and Joses.” He is always named next after Jesus in lists of Jesus’ brothers, so he was presumably considered to be Jesus’ next younger brother. He was the son of Joseph, a construction worker who originally lived in Nazareth in Galilee. For Students Pursue a deeper knowledge of God through self-paced college- and seminary-level online courses in Old and New Testament studies, theology, biblical Greek, and more.Īccording to James 1:1, the letter is written by James himself.For Instructors and School Administrators Enhance your school’s traditional and online education programs by easily integrating online courses developed from the scholars and textbooks you trust.
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