The traditional view can be divided into at least three further positions that relate also to the date of the epistle: The link between James the brother of Jesus and the epistle continued to strengthen, and is now considered the traditional view on the authorship of the work. Jerome reported that the Epistle of James "is claimed by some to have been published by some one else under his name, and gradually, as time went on, to have gained authority" ( De viris illustribus 2). But it is to be observed that it is disputed" ( Historia ecclesiae 2.23.25). Eusebius writes that "James, who is said to be the author of the first of the so-called catholic epistles. on Romans 4.8.2), though this is only preserved in Rufinus’s Latin translation of Origen. Origen may be the first person to link the epistle to "James the brother of Lord" ( Comm. The earliest recorded references to the Epistle of James highlight the contentious nature of the epistle’s authorship.
Of these, James the brother of Jesus has the most prominent role in the early church, and is often understood as either the author of the epistle, or the implied author. James was an extremely common name in antiquity, and a number of early Christian figures are named James, including: James the son of Zebedee, James the son of Alphaeus, and James the brother of John. The author is identified as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1:1). See also: James, brother of Jesus James, son of Alphaeus James the Great and James the Less This James revival is also associated with an increasing level of awareness of the Jewish grounding of both the epistle and the early Jesus movement. During the last decades, the epistle of James has attracted increasing scholarly interest due to a surge in the quest for the historical James, his role within the Jesus movement, his beliefs, and his relationships and views. The epistle aims to reach a wide Jewish audience. Famously, Luther at one time considered the epistle to be among the disputed books, and sidelined it to an appendix, although in his Large Catechism he treated it as the authoritative word of God. He encourages and implores believers to humbly live by godly, rather than worldly, wisdom and to pray in all situations.įor the most part, until the late 20th century, the epistle of James was relegated to benign disregard – though it was shunned by many early theologians and scholars due to its advocacy of Torah observance and good works. He condemns various sins, including pride, hypocrisy, favouritism, and slander. įraming his letter within an overall theme of patient perseverance during trials and temptations, James writes in order to encourage his readers to live consistently with what they have learned in Christ.
The epistle is traditionally attributed to James the brother of Jesus (James the Just), and the audience is generally considered to be Jewish Christians, who were dispersed outside Israel. James 1:1 identifies the author as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" who is writing to "the twelve tribes scattered abroad". The Epistle of James is a general epistle and one of the 21 epistles ( didactic letters) in the New Testament.
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