James (New Testament Readings)

257 Pages·1999·1.59 MB·English

by  Richard Bauckham

James

In the history of interpretation the letter of James has been
marginalized and compared unfavourably with the writings of
Paul. This book argues for an important canonical role for James,
not subordinated to Paul, but a complementary scriptural voice.
Richard Bauckham explores the historical and literary contexts
of the text, discussing the significance of James as the brother of
Jesus and leader of the early Jerusalem church. He gives special
attention to the aphorisms which encapsulate James’ wisdom, and
to the way that both in form and content James’ teaching closely
resembles that of Jesus. He examines the canonical context of
James within the Christian Scriptures, analysing the relationship
between James and Paul and James’ important relationships with
the Torah and the Wisdom literature. Finally he discusses
Kierkegaard’s existential interpretation of the text which
appropriates James’ wisdom for Christian life today. The major
themes of James—wholeness, poverty, speech ethics and prayer—
are explored in relation to the current contexts of the
contemporary reader of James.
Richard Bauckham is Professor of New Testament Studies at the
University of St Andrews. He is the author of The Theology of the
Book of Revelation (1993).
New Testament Readings
Edited by John Court
University of Kent at Canterbury
John’s Gospel
Mark W.G.Stibbe
Ephesians
Martin Kitchen
2 Thessalonians
Maarten J.J.Menken
Mark’s Gospel
John Painter
Reading the New Testament
John Court
Revelation
Alan Garrow
The Gospel of Thomas
Richard Valantasis
Luke’s Gospel
Jonathan Knight
James
Richard Bauckham
Forthcoming books in this series
Matthew’s Gospel
David J.Graham
Acts
Loveday Alexander
James

Wisdom of James, disciple of
Jesus the sage

Richard Bauckham

London and New York
First published 1999
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1999 Richard Bauckham
The right of Richard Bauckham to be identified as the Author of this
Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bauckham, Richard
James/Richard Bauckham.
p. cm. —(New Testament readings)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Bible. N.T.James—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
I. Title. II. Series.
BS2785.2.B38 1999
227'.9107–dc21 98–30604
CIP

ISBN 0-415-10369-X (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-10370-3 (pbk)
ISBN 0-203-01198-8 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-17508-5 (Glassbook Format)
Contents

Acknowledgements viii
List of abbreviations ix
Prologue: Looking into James as into a mirror 1
1 An encyclical from James to the Diaspora 11
1 Epistolary form and epistolary situation 11
2 Reading James as an encyclical to the Diaspora 25
2 The wisdom of James, disciple of Jesus the
sage 29
1 James as wisdom paraenesis 29
2 Literary forms in James 35
2.1 Aphorisms 35
2.1.1 Beatitudes (with motive clause) 37
2.1.2 ‘Whoever’ or ‘the one who’ sayings 38
2.1.3 Conditional sayings 38
2.1.4 Aphorisms in synonymous couplets 39
2.1.5 Antithetical and paradoxical aphorisms 40
2.1.6 Wisdom admonitions (with motive clause) 40
2.1.7 Aphoristic sentences 41
2.1.7a Where/there aphorisms 42; 2.1.7b As/so
correlatives 42; 2.1.7c Future reversal sayings 43;
2.1.7d ‘Better than’ sayings (Tobsprüche) 43;
2.1.7e Statements of contradiction 43;
2.1.7f Step-sayings (sorites)
vi Contents
2.1.8 Statements of reciprocity 45
2.1.9 Debate-sayings 47
2.2 Similitudes and parables 48
2.2.1–2.2.9 48–55
2.2.10 Concluding comments 55
2.3 Examples or models (paradeigmata) 56
2.4 Prophetic judgment oracle 57
2.5 Diatribe 57
3 Literary structure of James 61
3.1 The exposition (2:1–5:20) 63
3.2 The introduction (1:2–27) 69
4 James, Jesus ben Sira and Jesus of Nazareth 74
4.1 James 1:19 83
4.2 James 3:13 84
4.3 James 1:5–6 85
4.4 James 2:5b 86
4.5 James 2:13 87
4.6 James 3:11–12 88
4.3 James 5:12 92
5 The wisdom of Jesus and the wisdom of James 93
6 Reading James as a compendium of the wisdom of
James 108
3 James in canonical context 112
1 James and Paul 113
1.1 The Pauline perspective on James 113
1.2 James on faith and works 120
1.3 Is James responding to Paul or Paulinism? 127
1.4 Does Paul contradict James? 131
1.5 James and Paul on common ground 135
2 James for Messianic Jews and Gentile Christians 140
2.1 Prophecy 141
2.2 Law 142
2.3 Law for Gentile Christians? 148
2.4 Wisdom 152
2.5 James and 1 Peter 155
Contents vii
4 James in modern and contemporary contexts 158
1 Reading James in nineteenth-century Copenhagen 159
1.1 Faith and works 162
1.2 Purity of heart 165
1.3 God the unchangeable giver of good 169
1.4 Equality in neighbourly love 170
1.5 Limitations in Kierkegaard’s appropriation
of James 172
2 Reading James at the turn of the millennium 174
2.1 Wholeness and integrity 177
2.2 Solidarity with the poor 185
2.2.1 Who are the poor? 188
2.2.2 God’s choice of the poor 191
2.2.3 Issues in contemporary relevance 196
2.3 Speech ethics 203
2.4 Prayer 205
Epilogue: Through the looking glass and back 209
Notes 212
Bibliography 219
Index 230
Modern authors 230
Biblical references 233
Other ancient sources 243
Acknowledgements

This book has its earliest origins in my Inaugural Lecture as
Professor of New Testament Studies in the University of St
Andrews, which was entitled ‘James at the Centre: A Jerusalem
Perspective on the New Testament’, and delivered on 17 March
1994. In this form it was published in the St Mary’s College Bulletin
(37 [1995] 46–60). I also gave this lecture as the Wesley Gilpin
Lecture (‘James at the Centre’), on 27 February 1995, at the Elim
Bible College (now Regents Park Theological College), Nantwich,
Cheshire, and in this form it was published in the EPTA Bulletin:
The Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association
(14 [1995] 23–33).
An opportunity to develop my thinking on James further came
when I was invited to give the eighth series of Carmichael-Walling
Lectures at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. Two
lectures, again under the title ‘James at the Centre’, were delivered
on 17 November 1994. I am most grateful to Dr Carrol Osburn of
Abilene Christian University, who invited me to give these lectures,
and for his kindness and that of others who helped to make my
visit to Abilene a very happy one. Thanks are also due to Mrs
Lucille Carmichael and Ms Jo Ann Walling Halbert, who endowed
this annual lecture series. The two lectures have now been
expanded and absorbed into this much longer treatment, but most
of their substance appears in various parts of this book.
Most biblical quotations are from the New Revised Standard
Version. In some cases I have adapted the NRSV’s translation, in a
few cases used other versions (which are indicated), and
sometimes made my own translation.
Abbreviations

In addition to standard abbreviations for biblical books, the
following abbreviations for ancient literature are used:

’Avot R. Nat. ’Avot de Rabbi Natan
b. Ber. Babylonian Talmud tractate Berakot
b. ‘Eruv. Babylonian Talmud tractate ‘Eruvin
b. Ket. Babylonian Talmud tractate Ketuvot
b. Qidd. Babylonian Talmud tractate Qiddushin
b. Shabb. Babylonian Talmud tractate Shabbat
Cant. R. Midrash Rabbah on Canticles
CD Damascus Covenant
1 Clem. 1 Clement
2 Clem. 2 Clement
Jub. Jubilees
LAB Pseudo-Philo, Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum
LXX Septuagint
m. Naz. Mishnah tractate Nazir
m. Ohol. Mishnah tractate Oholot
m. Rosh. Hash. Mishnah tractate Rosh ha-Shana
m. Sota Mishnah tractate Sota
m. ’Avot Mishnah tractate ’Avot
Num. R. Midrash Rabbah on Numbers
Par. Jer. Paralipomena Jeremiou (or 4 Baruch)
Pes. R. Pesiqta Rabbati
Ps.-Phoc. Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides
1Q Manuscripts from Qumran Cave 1
1QH Hodayot (Thanksgiving Hymns) from Qumran
Cave 1
1QM War Rule from Qumran Cave 1