October 2004

Contents of this issue of the Joan K. Snipes e-newsletter:
- the epistle of James;
- upcoming Bible workshops.

Dear Readers,

The focus for this issue is the epistle of James in the New Testament. In June I had the opportunity to attend the annual Bible Study Seminar held at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California. A talk that especially stood out for me this year was given by Sara Gallant of Waldoboro, Maine. Her topic was "James: The Brother of our Lord."

Sara Gallant has a Master of Arts in Bible Studies from Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine, and she has given me permission to share some of the insights from her talk. I'm also including information from several Bible reference books.

Most scholars today think that the author of James was likely the brother of Jesus. After Jesus' resurrection, James became very prominent in the early Christian church. His letter was written between 45 and 60 CE and "is concerned with the practical aspects of the Christian faith, consisting of maxims and counsel for everyday conduct." (1. NIV Bible, p. 1379)

James was given the surname "the Just," according to Eusebius, and he was the first supervisor of the church in Jerusalem. (2. Gehman, p. 444) The historian Josephus reported that James was stoned to death about 62 or 63 CE, so, if written by James, the epistle is "one of the earliest New Testament books." (3. Landis, p. 158) The letter is addressed to Jewish Christians of the dispersion, particularly in Egypt and Syria. Although difficult to sum up, this book is filled with advice, warnings, exhortations, and words of comfort.

According to one Bible commentator: "The Epistle of James is distinguished...for its consideration of the true relationship between faith and works. Apparently there were many ready talkers in the new faith, and there seemed to be a danger of the multiplication of those who were mere teachers. Against such abuses in the church, James emphasizes the necessity of Christian deeds: 'Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.'" (3. Landis, p. 158)

Because James is a very short book, consisting of just five chapters and only five pages long (including introductory notes!), you can read the 108 verses quickly and see for yourself what it covers. You'll note a number of oft-quoted, truly wonderful passages, including one on healing through prayer: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:14-16) A particular favorite of mine is: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17)

Sara Gallant explains that "one of the main points about the book of James is that it has been virtually ignored as a whole work to be studied, until quite recently. There seem to be several contributing factors: 1) [Martin] Luther's emphasis on Paul combined with 2) the assumption that James was written LATE, by someone assuming the famous name, in order to refute Paul [on the issue of justification by faith], and 3) the medieval church's push to have Mary perpetually virgin -- no kids but Jesus."

One of the things that is striking about the book of James is its frequent allusions to the Gospel sayings of Christ Jesus, especially those in the Sermon on the Mount. Bible reference books include lists of the passages that are noteworthy. (See, for example, the list in The New Westminster Dictionary, p. 445.) Here's a small sampling of the comparisons:

James 1:2 with Matt. 5:10-12
James 1:4 with Matt. 5:48
James 1:5, 17 with Matt. 7:7-11
James 1:22,23 with Matt. 7:21-27
James 2:10 with Matt. 5:19

James was the head of the Jerusalem church for about 20 years. (4. Robinson, p. 89) We can be very grateful for his leadership and for this epistle. If you haven't taken a look at the epistle of James for awhile, I hope you will do so. I expect you will enjoy the study as much as I have.

Bibliography:

1. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988. Introductory note for James, p. 1379.

2. Gehman, Henry Snyder, ed. The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970.

3. Landis, Benson Y., An Outline of the Bible: Book by Book. HarperCollins, 1994.

4. Robinson, Russell D. Teaching the Scriptures, Sixth Edition. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Bible Study Press, 1993.

UPCOMING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
I'll be giving six Bible workshops in England during November. Please email me for specifics on any of these talks.

Saturday, November 13 - Woking, Surrey, England (two workshops)
Sunday, November 14 - Poole, Dorset, England
Friday, November 19, 2004 - Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Saturday, November 20, 2004 - Altrincham, Cheshire, England
Sunday, November 21, 2004 -Birmingham, West Midlands, England

If your church or organization would be interested in sponsoring a workshop, please contact me for details. I am currently booking workshops for February and March 2005.

Yours truly,

Joan Koelle Snipes

Volume 4; No. 5
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