Imaginary Conversation

Ben Myers has a delightful imagined conversation between Barth and Bultmann. I don't read novels, but if there were more written like this, that so succinctly explicated theology, I would surely start this journey into imagination.

[For those with ears to hear, I side with Brian Smith (a closet ........)]

Stuff On James

There are few resources available on James, that have not already been mentioned by James Darlack's blog: But these are a few that may be missing from his list...

Beyond the World of Good and Evil - Cha

The Messiah Jesus in the Mythic World of James - McCabe [Scroll down...]

Douglas Moo reviews William R. Baker's book: Personal Speech-Ethics in the Epistle of James. Moo is concerned about the exegetical intergration of background material and the exegesis of James provided by Baker. Although Moo has a helpful comment to make about Dissertations, I fear he is being too critical at this juncture. Many I have spoken to thoroughly recommend this work But unfortunately it is FAR too expensive [Do a search on Amazon UK or USA] and no library around here has a copy, so we shall have to delete that from the reading list.

I'm also trying to get my hands on: Joel Marcus, “The Evil Inclination in the Epistle of James,” CBQ 44 (1982). 606–21. If anyone has a digital copy or knows a site that has it, I would be rather happy to get my paws on it... Ebsco only goes back to 1990 with CBQ and our library is missing that specific volume... :(

Other than that, its back to the drawing board: thinking outrageous thoughts on James and Political Theology...

Old Resources - New!

James Darlack lists some old resources on James that have been made available. I hear that Manton's exposition, while more devotional, is still very good. Be sure to check these out...

Secret Mark

I suggested to Rob Bradshaw a while ago that he should get G. B. Caird's lecture: Jesus and the Jewish Nation and upload it. So he decided to try and get the whole series of Ethel M. Wood lectures, the first of which is linked below. It's great to see this happening, and the first of hopefully many to come is:

Prof. F.F. Bruce, The 'Secret' Gospel of Mark. The Ethel M. Wood lecture delivered before the University of London on 11 February 1974. London: The Athlone Press, 1974. Pbk. ISBN: 0485143186. pp.20.

Enjoy...

Church on James

Hebrews-James by Edgar V. McKnight & Christopher Church [Smyth & Helwys commentary series.]

In his accompanying commentary on the Letter of James, New Testament scholar Christopher Church presents the letter as something of a biblical and historical fossil, a surviving representative of a once-flourishing Jewish Christianity. The Letter of James exposes a form of early Christianity distinct from the Pauline line that later predominated. In the picture that is created of this early Christian community, we find concerns over ethical responsibility and social justice that still serve to define Christian communities today.

The 30pg intro and comments on Jas. 1:1-27 are available for free download. You have to scroll down to pg 59 to get to the start of the James introduction. It looks to be rather useful, with colour charts and diagrams, with photo's. Check it out...

Philosophical Humour...

Monty Python's International Philosophy.

I certainly concur with Cynthia Nielson, this is FUNNY!

Unfortunately, many will not appreciate the humour represented. But at least some will identify with the losing team.... [I too cried when the Germans lost...]

Brosend on James

The New Cambridge Bible Commentary on James and Jude by William F. Brosend, II was recently released and Cambridge offers there usual free excerpt. The table of contents are also available as well as a sample chapter. The Blurb reads:

This is the first commentary to focus exclusively on the two letters written by the 'brothers of the Lord', James and Jude. Each letter is discussed on its own merits, and interpreted as having been written early in the life of the Church - it is posited that the letter of James may be one of the oldest Christian writings as well as an early witness to the teachings of Jesus. Particular attention is devoted to understanding the social worlds of James and Jude and to interpreting the significance of their message for our day. Of special interest is the focus on the 'ideological texture' of James, in particular on James' working out of the ethical implications of the teachings of Jesus on poverty and wealth.

This looks good and promises many homiletical as well as exegetical insights... Check it out...

Outline of James

1:1 - Greetings

1:2-27 Introductory Summary of Exhortations

1:2-4 - Face the testing of your faith with Joy and endurance

1:5-8 - Ask God for wisdom, in faith and without doubting

1:9-11 - Let the lowly believer rejoice in being raised up and the rich in being brought low

1:12-16 - Your are blessed if you endure testing – which comes not from God but from inner desires

1:17-18 - God is a generous and faithful giver, who through his word has made us the beginning of his new creation

1:19-21 - Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger

1:22-25 - Be doers of God’s word, and not merely hearers

1:26-27 - The nature of false and true religion

2:1-5:20 Twelve Extended Exhortations

2:1-13 - Favouritism conflicts with the law of love

2:14-26 - Faith without deeds is dead

3:1-12 - The threat and power of speech

3:13-18 - The nature of false and true wisdom

4:1-10 - A call to turn from friendship with the world to friendship with God

4:11-12 - Exhortation not to judge each other

4:13-17 - The arrogance of business people

5:1-6 - The oppression of landowners

5:7-11 - Endure patiently the testing of your faith, because the Lord’s coming is near

5:12 - Speak the plain truth

5:13-18 - Pray for the suffering, the sick, and all in need of forgiveness

5:19-20 - Take responsibility for mutual correction

James does have an overall aim: to move his readers towards ‘perfection’ (1:4; 3:2) through fulfilment of ‘the law of freedom’ (1:25; 2:8, 10, 12) and through the wisdom God gives (1:5; 3:17). But this does not entail persuading his readers through an argument pursued sequentially through the letter. It entails providing his readers with a compendium of wisdom instruction on a varied range of topics relevant to fulfilling the law, implementing the wisdom from above, and attaining perfection. In so far as James has a coherent vision of the way he and his readers should live, there will be thematic connections between his treatments of these various topics, but this kind of coherence of thought should not be confused with the notion of sequential development.[1] [1] Bauckham, James, pg. 67

Commentaries on James

Parableman lists these as forthcoming commentaries on James. I'm mostly looking forward to Allison, McKnight and Witherington. Joel Green may surprise me, I hope but Kloppenborg probably won't.

Dale Allison (ICC) - it will be good to see how Allison handles the echoes of Jesus' teachings in James.

Bill Baker (Two Horizons NTC)

Daniel Doriani (REC)

Timothy George (BTCB)

Joel B. Green (NT Library)

John S. Kloppenborg (Hermenia) - how has James appropriated the 3rd strata of "Q"? Or is James the source of "Q"?

Dan G. McCartney (Bakers Exegetical CNT)

Scot McKnight (NICNT replacement) - What exegetical insights will McKnight bring to the table? A New Vision for Israel perhaps? (cf. Jas 1:1)

Ben Witherington (Letters and Homilies of the NT, fall 2007) - Sapiential Sage?

Shifting Focus - to Jacob/James

When Mike Bird posted his thoughts on being a Specialist of a Generalist, I didn't agree with him. I love the gospels, especially Matt and I prided myself on the fact that I did every single paper available at Uni on the gospels and Jesus. I did Romans and Galatians as fill in subjects, they were very good.

Then, Alan Bandy got me hooked on Revelation. I spent a whole summer vacation reading little else except Bauckham, Beale, Osbourne, Witherington and then Aune. I didn't finish it all - not even close. But I did learn that there was more to life than Gospels and Paul. Then I did a series on Colossians, which was kinda fun but it felt so familiar. I was back in a comfort zone. Now I've embarked on a journey with James - inspired by James Darlack's blog. It has been so fascinating and I'm beginning to think that Bauckham is on to something with his focus on NT letters outside the Pauline corpus.

For the next while this blog will focus all things Jacobean. As I learn, and think out loud, I invite others to email or post questions and comments that will engage with James and the scholarship that surrounds the Brother of Jesus, the friend of God [to borrow Johnson's title of this collection of studies].

So sit back, and enjoy the ride...