By Virgil V. Porter Jr.
[Virgil V. Porter Jr. is Pastor, Northside Missionary Baptist Church, Garland, Texas.]
Scholars have long debated the date when the Book of James was written. Some have dated it “in the early or middle 40s,”[1] and others, as Guthrie notes, have put the date somewhere between the late first century and the late second century, with many preferring a date of about a.d. 125.[2] Adolf von Harnack, Adolf Jülicher, and others in the Tübingen School are some who have said the epistle was composed late in the second century, but this date is not popular now.[3] Davids lists twenty-one writers who place the date between a.d. 70 and 130.[4]
Obviously “decisions about the authorship [of the epistle] will affect opinions about the date.”[5] If the epistle was written by James, the Lord’s brother, the date of composition would have to be before a.d. 62,[6] the traditional date of James’s martyrdom. Scholars who reject James, the Lord’s brother, as the epistle’s author are prone to select a late date since they believe the Epistle of James could have been written after the death of James.
However, two factors in the contents of the epistle favor an early date. James’s lack of any mention of the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70, though an argument from silence, does seem to support an early date. The destruction of Jerusalem was a highly significant event for the Jews. James, a Jewish author, writing to a Jewish audience, the twelve tribes who were dispersed (James 1:1), and writing a letter with Jewish concepts, would likely mention the destruction of Jerusalem, especially if he was writing after the city was destroyed. If James wrote after a.d. 70, some of his readers could have been present at the destruction of Jerusalem.[7]
Also the absence of any mention in the epistle of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 may support an early date. In fact since the Council occurred in a.d. 48 or 49,[8] the epistle may well have been written before then. The controversy about Gentile believers was such a significant one that Paul and others brought the issue to the leaders in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1–5). The decision of the Council had a significant impact on the early church. James mentioned it later when Paul visited Jerusalem (21:15–26). If James wrote his epistle after the Jerusalem Council, one would expect him to have mentioned the Council in order to update the Jews on the response of the Gentiles, or even to encourage the Jews to comply with the Council’s decision.[9]
Several other factors support the argument for an early date, between a.d. 44 and 49. First, the Jewish character of the epistle argues for an early date.[10] The focus on Jews as opposed to Gentiles may reflect the stage of the church when its composition was primarily Jewish. In this view the Book of James was written before Gentiles began to come to Christ in large numbers.
Second, the primitive nature of the church argues for an early date. The fact that believers met in the synagogue (James 2:2) points to an early stage of the church’s development. House churches were mentioned later (Philem. 1–2). Elders are mentioned in reference to ministering to the sick (James 5:14–15), not in reference to ruling in the church (1 Tim. 5:17). Teachers are mentioned in a general sense (James 3:1) instead of as those who held a specific and developed office in the church (Eph. 4:7–13).
Third, the many allusions to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) in the Epistle of James form another evidence for an early date. This fact is often overlooked in determining when James wrote his epistle. However, the numerous references to the Sermon on the Mount suggest that James was writing as he recalled things he had heard Jesus preach.
Jesus probably gave His Sermon on the Mount about a.d. 31.[11] Some scholars believe Matthew was written before a.d. 70, whereas others say it was written after a.d. 70. The range of dates begins in the early 40s and goes to a.d. 100.[12]
If the Epistle of James was written between a.d. 44 and 49, and if the Gospel of Matthew was written before a.d. 70—even in the 40s—then James may not have had a copy of the Gospel of Matthew available to him when he wrote his epistle.[13] Even assuming an early date for Matthew, it may be that not enough time would have elapsed for the Gospel of Matthew to have circulated and become available to James for him to use it in his epistle. Thus the case for a literary dependency is not strong.
Since James had been associated with Jesus in His ministry,[14] it was possible for him to have heard the Sermon on the Mount and to have reflected in his epistle what he recalled by memory from Jesus’ words.[15]
Similarities abound between James’s epistle and Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These include some of the same words, references to the same Old Testament characters, similar statements, and parallel themes. This article addresses the similar statements and parallel themes.[16] And a forthcoming article will address the subject of theological connections between the Sermon on the Mount and the Book of James. These numerous associations give substantial evidence for an early date for the composition of James, most likely in the 40s.
Parallel Statements
As seen in the following table, forty-five statements in James parallel the Lord’s words in the Sermon on the Mount.
Parallels between James and the Sermon:
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5:10–12, Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. |
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1:22, But prove yourselves doers of the word. |
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1:23, For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror. |
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1:26–27, If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. |
7:21–23, Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” |
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7:12, Therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. |
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5:19, Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments … shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps … them. |
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2:11, For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. |
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2:13, For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. |
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7:1–2, Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. |
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6:25, Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. |
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2:26, For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. |
7:21, Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. |
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3:2, If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. |
5:48, Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. |
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3:10–13, From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh. Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. |
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3:18, And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. |
5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. |
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3:18, And the seed whose fruit is righteousness. |
7:16, You will know them by their fruits. |
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4:2–3, You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives. |
7:7–8, Ask, and it shall be given to you…. For everyone who asks receives. |
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4:4, Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. |
6:24, No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. |
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4:8, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. |
5:8, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. |
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4:9, Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. |
5:4, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. |
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4:11–12, Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother…. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor? |
7:1–2, Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. |
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4:13–14, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. |
6:34, So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. |
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5:2–3, Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted…. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! |
6:19–20, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy…. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys. |
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5:6, You have condemned and put to death the righteous man. |
7:1, Do not judge so that you will not be judged. |
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5:9, Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. |
5:22, But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, “You good-for-nothing,” shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, “You fool,” shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. |
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5:10, As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. |
5:12, For in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. |
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5:12, But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. |
5:34–37, But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, “Yes, yes” or “No, no”; anything beyond these is of evil. |
Parallel Subjects
As seen in the above table, the Sermon on the Mount and the Book of James address many of the same subjects.[17]
The Law
James referred to the Law in James 1:25; 2:8–12; 4:11 and to the Lawgiver in 4:12. When James wrote of “the perfect law, the law of liberty” (1:25), he may have been referring to Jesus’ reinterpreting the Law in the Sermon on the Mount when He said repeatedly, “You have heard … but I say to you” (Matt. 5:21–22, 27–28, 31–32, 33–34, 38–39, 43–44). Under the pharisaic interpretation of the Law the people were enslaved, but Jesus’ interpretation gave freedom to the people.[18] By the “royal law” (2:8) “James meant the law related to the kingdom and to its King.”[19] In that verse James quoted the command “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18), which Jesus quoted in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:43).[20] This royal law, with its focus on love, “is the Old Testament ethic as taught and fulfilled by Jesus Christ.”[21]
James also identified the Law as the Word,[22] calling it “the word of truth” (James 1:18), “the word implanted,” (v. 21), and “the word” (vv. 22–23). James mentioned the sixth and seventh commandments (2:11) as representative of all Ten Commandments. His challenge to be “doers of the word and not merely hearers” (1:22) recalls Jesus’ admonition to keep the Commandments (Matt. 5:19) and to hear His words and act on them (7:24–27).
Acting on His words included benevolent and merciful acts (Matt. 5:7; James 1:26–27; 2:13, 15–16), morality (Matt. 5:21–22; 6:33; James 1:20; 2:11), controlled speech (Matt. 5:34–37; James 3:2, 10–13; 4:11–12; 5:9, 12), refraining from judging (Matt. 7:1; James 5:6), and loving one’s neighbor (Matt. 5:43; James 2:8).
Wealth And Poverty
James mentioned the “high position” of the poor (James 1:9), who are “heirs of the kingdom” (2:5), and Jesus too extolled the “poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). James’s reference to a righteous person not resisting a rich person (James 5:6) recalls Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:39–41. The need and concern for clothing (James 2:15) correspond to the reference to clothing in Matthew 6:31. The need for “daily food” (James 2:15) correlates with a petition in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:11). The defrauded laborers (James 5:4) were day laborers who expected their wages at the end of the day.[23] They were concerned about their “daily food” (James 2:15) and their “daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).
Giving money, food, or clothing to the poor[24] is reflected in the epistle’s words about providing clothing and food for a brother or sister (James 2:15–16) and the distress of orphans and widows (1:27).[25] James’s challenge about authentic Christianity being measured by appropriate works and behavior (1:27; 2:1–7, 14–17) parallels Jesus’ challenge about the authenticity of a person’s faith (Matt. 7:21). Both the sermon and the epistle reminded the rich of potential losses and the temporary nature of wealth (Matt. 6:19–20; James 1:10–11; 5:1–3). Both refer to rusted treasures and moth-eaten garments (Matt. 6:19; James 5:2–3), and both caution against trusting in money (Matt. 6:21, 24; James 4:13–17).
Speech
Every chapter in the Book of James addresses the subject of speech (James 1:19–26; 2:12; 3:1–12; 4:11; 5:9, 12). A full paragraph in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:33–37) parallels James 5:12 on swearing.[26] Jesus’ reference in the Beatitudes to people who “falsely say all kinds of evil against you” (Matt. 5:11) sounds similar to the words in the epistle about cursing, speaking against someone, or judging him (James 3:9; 4:11; 5:9).
The potential judgment of speech was affirmed by Jesus (Matt. 5:22) and James (James 2:12; 3:1; 5:9). The severity of judgment was indicated by Matthew’s use of “fiery hell” (Matt. 5:22) and James’s use of “fire by hell” (James 3:6). James is the only New Testament writer other than Matthew, Mark, and Luke to use γέεννα.[27] The word appears twelve times in the New Testament (Matt. 5:22, 29–30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6). All were spoken by Jesus except the one in James 3:6. All appearances in Matthew’s Gospel are in discourses Jesus delivered. Its location in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 9:43, 45, 47) is in a paragraph where Jesus taught on judgment or hell (vv. 42–50). Most of the words in Mark’s paragraph are found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:29–30), His ecclesiological statement (18:8–9), and His Olivet Discourse (25:41). Its location in Luke (Luke 12:5) repeats the statement in Matthew 10:28.
Hypocritical speech was reflected in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:4–5) and in the epistle (James 1:26). James wrote that cursing and blessing should not come from the same mouth (3:9–10), and he supported this point with an agrarian illustration (v. 12). Jesus used a similar agrarian illustration relative to false prophets (Matt. 7:15–16). False prophets were false because their message, their speech, was false.
Prayer
James mentioned prayer in James 1:5 and 5:13–18.[28] In this last passage of six verses prayer is mentioned seven times. Prayer is also mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:44; 6:5–15; and 7:7–11.
Trials
The matter of trials is the initial theme addressed by James (James 1:2–3). As Davids observes, “The first major theme encountered in the Epistle of James is that of suffering or testing, πειρασμός. One cannot miss it in the opening verses or in 1:12ff., but it is quite possible to forget its presence from then on. Yet the theme does not disappear, but in fact underlies much of the rest of the epistle.”[29] Trials, or suffering and testing, can be positive in nature (vv. 2–3). Trials put believers to the test in order to prove, produce, and perfect their faith. Trials result in endurance and maturity (vv. 3–4) and eschatological rewards (v. 12). Testing comes in various forms.
Trials of “humble circumstances” (v. 9) involve economic deprivation,[30] which is illustrated in verse 27; 2:2, 15; and 5:4, 17. The wealthy could experience an economic trial in the loss of their wealth (1:10–11).[31] James seems to have reinforced this with his references to rotten riches, moth-eaten garments, and rusted gold and silver (5:2–3). A businessman could experience a trial of this nature if his business plans failed and his projected profits did not materialize (4:13–17).
Trials may include illness (5:11, 14), oppression by the courts (2:6; 5:6), slander (3:9–10; 4:11; 5:9), and jealousy (3:14). Abraham was put to the test of obedience (2:21; Gen. 22) and was counted righteous (James 2:23; Gen. 15:6). Prophets experienced suffering (James 5:10).[32]
The theme of trials in the Book of James parallels the theme of trials in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes Jesus said that people who are persecuted, insulted, and slandered are blessed (Matt. 5:10–11). In those trials they are to “rejoice, and be glad” (v. 12), similar to James’s exhortation to believers to “consider it all joy” when they experience trials (James 1:2).
As in James, trials in the Sermon on the Mount may involve economic deprivation. Jesus spoke of the needy (Matt. 6:2–3), anxiety over clothes and food (vv. 25–34), and court litigation resulting in fines or judgments (5:25–26, 40). Also Jesus referred to losing one’s wealth by moth and rust (Matt. 6:19–20) as did James (James 5:2–3). Trials, Jesus said, may include persecution (Matt. 5:10, 44), slander (vv. 11, 22), and swearing (vv. 33–37). False prophets (7:15) could also subject people to trials. Trials have a positive purpose. Both Jesus and James mentioned eschatological rewards in return for suffering (Matt. 5:12; James 1:12).
Temptation
Temptation (James 1:13) is the negative side of trials (1:2).[33] The word πειρασμός, in the sense of enticement to sin,[34] is mentioned only once in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:13). Temptation is a companion to lust (5:28; James 1:14–15). A person may be tempted to be angry (Matt. 5:22; James 1:19–20), to use improper speech (Matt. 5:11; James 1:26), to show partiality (Matt. 5:43–48; James 2:1–9), to commit adultery or murder (Matt. 5:21–26; 27–30; James 2:11–12), and to steal (Matt. 6:19–20; James 5:4).
Perfection
James used τέλειος[35] five times in four verses (James 1:4, 17, 25; 3:2). James also used two Greek verbs, τελέω (2:8) and τελειόω (v. 22). Perfection refers to completion or maturity, not sinless perfection. Maturity is a desired result of trials (1:2–4). God’s gifts are perfect (v. 17),[36] and the Law is perfect (v. 25). A person in control of his speech is “a perfect man” (3:2). In Matthew Jesus said perfection (maturity) is demonstrated when a believer loves those who persecute him.
Wisdom And Folly
The request for wisdom in James 1:5 sounds much like Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:7–8 about asking, seeking, and knocking.
The “foolish fellow” (James 2:20) has “faith without works” and his faith is “useless.” His situation seems similar to that of the “foolish man” (Matt. 7:26–27) who built a house without a proper foundation, and it was useless too.
The epistle’s paragraph on wisdom (James 3:13–18) has numerous conceptual relationships with the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:24–27). “Selfish ambition” might correspond to the wrong attitude and actions of some in their almsgiving, praying (Matt. 6:1–5), and fasting (v. 16). “Selfish ambition” (James 3:14, 16) may also be part of the motive of “false prophets” (Matt. 7:15). The heart is the seat of jealousy and ambition (James 3:14), and adultery may be committed in one’s heart (Matt. 5:28). “James echoes words of Jesus again at this point: these vices come from the heart (cf. Matt. 15:19).”[37] And the phrase “in your hearts” (James 3:14) contrasts with “the pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8).
The characteristics of heavenly wisdom (James 3:17) have parallels in the Sermon on the Mount. First, heavenly wisdom is “pure” (James 3:17), and one of the beatitudes refers to those who are “pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8). Second, wisdom is “peaceable” (James 3:17), and another beatitude mentions peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). The absence of retaliation (5:10–12, 38–42) and the readiness for reconciliation (5:23–27) may also complement James’s peaceable wisdom.
Third, true wisdom is “gentle” (James 3:17), and in one of His beatitudes Jesus spoke of the meek (Matt. 5:5). Fourth, wisdom is “reasonable” (James 3:17). This is the only place in the New Testament where εὐπειθής is used. This word “was used of a man who willingly submitted to military discipline, accepting and complying with whatever was demanded of him and of a person who faithfully observes legal and moral standards.”[38] If this is the case, then this characteristic might parallel Matthew 5:38–42.
Fifth, true wisdom is “full of mercy and good fruits” (James 3:17), and mercy is mentioned in one of the beatitudes (Matt. 5:7). Almsgiving (6:2–4) and the Golden Rule (7:12) would involve doing acts of mercy. As for “good fruits,” Christ preached about “good fruit” and “bad fruit” (7:15–20).
Sixth, heavenly wisdom is “unwavering” (James 3:17). Wisdom knows that no person can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24), and neither will a wise person waver over trusting God for material needs (6:25–34). Seventh, heavenly wisdom is “without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Jesus preached strongly against hypocrisy in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5).
Judgment
The theme of judgment surfaces several times in the Book of James. God will judge those who do not show mercy (James 2:12–13), and He will judge teachers more strictly than others (3:1). God will judge those who slander others (4:11–12) or grumble against others (5:9) or are dishonest in taking oaths (v. 12).
The theme of judgment also surfaces several times in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said God will judge those who are angry (Matt. 5:22) and those who unjustly criticize others (7:1–2). He will determine the believer’s “reward in heaven” (5:12). Jesus also spoke of judges who exercise authority in court (vv. 25–26).
James called God the “Judge” (James 4:12; 5:9) and “the Lord of Sabaoth” (5:4). Part of His role as Lord of Sabaoth (i.e., Lord of hosts) is to execute judgment.[39] He comes to the assistance of the day laborers and makes their case His case.[40] In the sermon Jesus never referred to God by the title of Judge. However, His role as Judge is evident, and Jesus’ repeated statement “But I say to you” demonstrates His authority to interpret and apply the Law as its Judge (Matt. 5:22, 26, 28, 32, 24, 39, 44).
As Judge, God sees almsgiving, praying, and fasting (6:6, 18), and if they are done in secret without seeking applause from people, He awards accordingly. Also God as Judge can forgive debts (v. 12). The word for “debts” (ὀφειλήματα), while primarily indicating spiritual debts or sins,[41] was used in a commercial sense to refer to a bankruptcy judge who removed financial obligations.[42] The image of the Judge standing at the door (James 5:9) may reflect Matthew 7:21–23. As Judge, the Lord determines a person’s fitness to enter the kingdom.
Righteousness
Righteousness is a theme in the Book of James first in relation to God, the source of righteousness (James 1:20). James then wrote about the imputed righteousness received by Abraham (2:23). Then he wrote about the fruit of righteousness (3:18) and the righteous man (5:6, 16). Righteous living and anger are incompatible (1:20). God’s declaration about Abraham’s righteousness is associated with his offering of Isaac (2:21–24). The righteous man does not resist his opponents (5:6), and his prayers are effective (v. 16).
In Jesus’ sermon all but one of His references to righteousness are related to citizens in God’s kingdom.[43] The kingdom citizen hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matt. 5:6), is persecuted because of righteousness (v. 10), should have righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (v. 20), should not practice righteous living in order to be noticed by others (6:1), and should seek God’s righteousness (v. 33). God blesses both “the righteous and the unrighteous” with rain (5:45). “Practicing [one’s] righteousness” involved almsgiving, praying, and fasting (6:1–18).
People
James mentioned several Old Testament individuals by name: Abraham (2:21, 23), Isaac (v. 21), Rahab (v. 25), Job (5:11), and Elijah (v. 17). He also referred to the rich (1:10–11; 2:6; 5:1), orphans (1:21), widows (v. 27), the poor (2:2–3, 5–6), demons (v. 19; 3:15; 4:7), teachers (3:1), prophets (5:10), laborers (v. 4), farmers (v. 7), and elders (v. 14). References to these people are only sparingly included in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus mentioned the poor (Matt. 5:3), prophets (5:12, 17; 7:12, 15), the rich (6:24), and demons (v. 22).
James mentioned brethren (James 1:2, 16, 19; 2:1, 5, 14; 3:1, 10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9–10, 12, 19), one’s brother (2:15; 4:11), the devil (4:7), a double-minded person (1:8; 4:8), one’s neighbor (2:8; 4:12), a foolish fellow (2:20), a friend of God (v. 23), and the twelve tribes (1:1).
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus referred to one’s brother several times (Matt. 5:22–24, 47; 7:3–5). The double-minded person (James 1:8, δίψυχος) is “one whose allegiance to God is less than total.”[44] His allegiance or devotion is divided. This concept of double-mindedness relates directly to Jesus’ words about being divided between two masters (Matt. 6:24).[45] Also Jesus referred to the poor (5:3), one’s neighbor (v. 43), fools (v. 22; 7:26), teachers (5:19), prophets (v. 12) and the wise (7:24). James would have been familiar with Jesus’ references to these people.
Conclusion
Many of the concepts and words Jesus used in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7) were also mentioned by James in his epistle. James’s familiarity with the Lord’s teachings argues for an early date for the writing of the epistle by James, the Lord’s brother. The next article in this two-part series discusses the theological connections between the Sermon on the Mount and the Book of James.
Notes
- For example D. A. Carson, Douglas J. Moo, and Leon Morris, An Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 414. See also Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. James (London: Macmillan, 1894; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978), cxliv-clxxvi.
- Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 4th ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1990), 749.
- Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 3.
- Ibid., 4.
- Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 749.
- Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews 20:200.
- Mayor, The Epistle of St. James, cxxii.
- Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 26.
- Mayor, The Epistle of St. James, cxxii-iii. See also James B. Adamson, James: The Man and His Message (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 218–23, 486–87.
- Mayor, The Epistle of St. James, cxxiv-cxxv.
- Jesus may have commenced His ministry in a.d. 29 and was crucified in a.d. 33 (Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1977], 61, 65–93, 114). See also Zane C. Hodges, The Epistle of James, Grace New Testament Commentary (Irving, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 1994), 10. Others, however, suggest Jesus’ ministry extended from a.d. 27 to a.d. 30.
- W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: Clark, 1988), 1:127–28. Harold W. Hoehner suggests that Matthew was written sometime between a.d. 44 and 50 (Class notes, New Testament Introduction, Dallas Theological Seminary, fall 1990); and Stanley D. Toussaint suggests a date between a.d. 50 and 70 (Behold the King [Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1980], 333). Others prefer a much later date. Raymond E. Brown prefers sometime between a.d. 80 and 90 (An Introduction to the New Testament [New York: Doubleday, 1997], 216–17); and John Drane proposes a date between a.d. 80 and 100 (Introducing the New Testament, 2nd ed. [Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001], 207–8). David Hill’s range of a.d. 65–100 is even broader (The Gospel of Matthew, New Century Bible Commentary [London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1972; reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981], 48–50).
- Goodspeed and Shepherd, however, propose that James had a copy of Matthew’s Gospel before him (Edgar J. Goodspeed, Introduction to the New Testament [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1937], 291; and Massey H. Shepherd Jr., “The Epistle of James and the Gospel of Matthew,” Journal of Biblical Literature 75 [March 1956]: 49).
- On James’s association with Jesus see Virgil V. Porter Jr., “The Use of the Sermon on the Mount in the Epistle of James” (Ph.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2003), 24–27.
- James B. Adamson, The Epistle of James, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976), 21–22; Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, 730; Alexander Ross, The Epistles of James and John, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1954), 16–17; and James Alexander Robertson, The Hidden Romance of the New Testament (London: James Clarke, 1923), 229.
- These and other connections have been noted by several authors, including Adamson, James: The Man and His Message, 169–94; W. D. Davies, The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1964), 401–14; Dean B. Deppe, The Sayings of Jesus in the Epistle of James (Chelsea, MI: Bookcrafters, 1989); David Hutchinson Edgar, Has God Not Chosen the Poor? The Social Setting of the Epistle of James, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 2001), 63–94; Patrick J. Hartin, James and the Q Sayings of Jesus, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series (Sheffield: JSOT, 1991); Mayor, The Epistle of St. James, lxxxiv-lxxxvi; Franz Mussner, Der Jakobusbrief, Herders Theologischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament (Freiburg: Herder, 1981), 47–53; Todd C. Penner, The Epistle of James and Eschatology: Re-reading an Ancient Christian Letter, Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series (Sheffield: JSOT, 1996); and Shepherd, “The Epistle of James and the Gospel of Matthew,” 40–51.
- J. W. MacGorman, “Introducing the Book of James,” Southwestern Journal of Theology 12 (fall 1969): 13.
- Davids, The Epistle of James, 98–101; Davies, The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount, 401–5; and R. R. Williams, The Letters of John and James, Cambridge Bible Commentary (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965), 106–7.
- Buist M. Fanning, “A Theology of James,” in A Biblical Theology of the New Testament, ed. Roy B. Zuck (Chicago: Moody, 1994), 430–31.
- Luke Timothy Johnson, “The Use of Leviticus 19 in the Letter of James,” Journal of Biblical Literature 101 (September 1982): 391-402.
- Fanning, “A Theology of James,” 431. See also Adamson, James: The Man and His Message, 283; Michael J. Townsend, The Epistle of James, Epworth Commentaries (London: Epworth, 1994), 40; and Richard Bauckham, “James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude,” in It Is Written: Scripture Citing Scripture: Essays in Honour of Barnabas Lindars, ed. D. A. Carson and H. G. M. Williamson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988), 308–9.
- Fanning, “A Theology of James,” 429–30.
- Moo, The Letter of James, 215–17.
- John MacArthur Jr., Matthew 1–7, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1985), 355.
- R. Kent Hughes, James: Faith That Works, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1991), 83.
- Stuart Briscoe, The Sermon on the Mount (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1995), 112–21.
- Jonathan M. Lunde, “Heaven and Hell,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, ed. Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992), 307–12, esp. 310.
- J. Ramsey Michaels, “Finding Yourself an Intercessor: New Testament Prayer from Hebrews to Jude,” in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament, McMaster New Testament Studies (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 228–51.
- Davids, The Epistle of James, 35.
- Adamson, The Epistle of James, 62.
- D. Edmond Hiebert, The Epistle of James (Chicago: Moody, 1979), 92–93; and James H. Ropes, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle of St. James, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: Clark, 1916), 144–48.
- John MacArthur Jr., James, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1998), 258–59.
- Verses 2 and 12 have the noun πειρασμός and verse 13 has the verb πειράζομαι. Testing (v. 2) is positive and temptation (v. 13) is negative (Fanning, “A Theology of James,” 418–20).
- Robert A. Guelich, The Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding (Waco, TX: Word, 1982), 294–97; Hodges, The Epistle of James, 26–28; and MacArthur, James, 45–47.
- See Guelich’s excursus on τελειόω in The Sermon on the Mount, 234–37.
- Hartin, “Call to Be Perfect through Suffering (James 1, 2–4),” 477.
- R. Alan Culpepper, “The Power of Words and the Tests of Two Wisdoms: James 3, ” Review and Expositor 83 (summer 1986): 415.
- MacArthur, James, 179.
- Ibid., 247; and Moo, The Letter of James, 215–17.
- Ropes, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle of St. James, 289.
- MacArthur, Matthew 1–7, 391–92.
- Hans Dieter Betz, The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, Including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3–7:27 and Luke 6:20–49), Hermeneia (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995), 400–404.
- David K. Lowery, “A Theology of Matthew,” in A Biblical Theology of the New Testament, 54.
- Davids, The Epistle of James, 75.
- MacArthur, James, 38–39; and Ropes, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle of St. James, 143–44.
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