James: An Annotated Bibliography
Compiled by Ernest Rubinstein,
librarian of the Ecumenical Library of The Interchurch Center.
Thanks are due the librarians of Union Theological Seminary for
providing access to the book stacks of the Seminary's library
The book of James sparks a broad range of interpretations.
Commentators divide on such basic issues as the author of the letter,
and the time and place of its composition. A bibliographic
sampling of commentary is given below. Commentators sometimes
newly translate the text, sometimes use established translations
in long use. RSV stands for the Revised Standard Version,
an ecumenical translation of the Bible sponsored by the National
Council of Churches; NRSV is the New Revised Standard Version, an
update of the RSV. NIV is the New International Version.
The King James version and updated, New King James version
are also very occasionally used. The more expensive, academic
books on the bibliography can be borrowed on interlibrary loan.
(Consult your local public library.) Out of print titles
are often available inexpensively through the Internet used-book
clearinghouse, Bookfinder (http://www.bookfinder.com). Books
on this list that the bibliographer could not personally review
receive a quotation describing them from the publisher's catalog.
I.
Commentaries on James, in series
Publishers across the spectrum of the Christian denominations
issue commentary sets or series on the Bible.
Generally, the publisher of a series is an indication of
its theological tendency: Baker, Word, Zondervan, Eerdmans and Intervarsity
are publishers in the evangelical community.
Abingdon, Fortress, and Westminster are mainline tradition Protestant publishers.
Paulist and Glazier are Catholic publishers; while several
publishers of commentary series--;Doubleday, T & T Clark,
Hendrickson--;are independent of denomination.
Listed here is a sampling of some of the more important and
accessible series. Some
commentaries presuppose more interest in technical aspects of ancient
Greek than others. The
annotations try to guide potential readers to the commentaries most
suited to their level of interest.
Abingdon New Testament Commentaries,
Abingdon Press
Sleeper, C. Freeman. James.
1998. 152 p. $20.00
This accessible introduction to James translates a mass
of solid academic scholarship into easily understood language.
Though targeting theological students, the series can appeal
to a broader range of readers. The opening chapter discusses the
social setting of the letter, its literary context, its dating,
authority, and key themes.
Though the NRSV Bible is presumed, the verses cited for comment
are not reproduced. The author is professor emeritus of religion at
Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.
Anchor Bible Commentary.
Doubleday
Johnson, Luke Timothy. The
Letter of James.
1995. 412 p.
$39.95
For ecumenism and in-depth scholarship, this is the premier
commentary. Each volume
in the series is newly translated and includes detailed word studies
of the original Greek. Luke
Timothy Johnson, one of the foremost biblical scholars of our day,
is professor in New Testament at Candler School of Theology, Emory
University. Observing
that James has interested him since 1981, Johnson adds that his
aim here is to produce “a fuller account of James’ reception
and interpretation than is anywhere available in English.”
This volume updates an earlier Anchor commentary to James
by Bo Reicke (below).
Anchor Bible Commentary.
Doubleday
Reicke, Bo. The Epistles
of James, Peter and Jude.
1964. 221 p.
Out of print
This older commentary, by Bo Reicke, who was for many
years professor of New Testament at the University of Basel, Switzerland,
was written in the early years of the Anchor series, when the commentaries
produced for it were less richly detailed.
The letter of James, grouped here with Peter and Jude, occupies
pages 3-66.
Ancient Christian
Commentary on Scripture. New Testament. Intervarsity.
Bray, Gerald Lewis and Oden Thomas C., editors.
James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude. 2000. 350 p.
$39.99
This unusual series is an anthology of patristic comment on the
Bible. Passages from
the church fathers(Clement of Rome to John of Damascus) are presented
(in English translation) on each verse of the biblical text.
The series is intended as an aid to both professional and
lay readers who want to know how early Christian scholars interpreted
the Bible. Verses are
gathered in thematic groups, which are introduced by the editors,
and the patristic selections follow.
The Bible verses given are from the RSV.
Augsburg Commentary on the
New Testament. Fortress
Martin, R. A. and Elliott, J. H.
James, Peter, Jude.
1982. 191 p.
$23.00
R. A. Martin writes the 42 page commentary on James in this volume
intended for laity, students and pastors.
For Martin, the letter of James is parenesis (exhortation),
motivating Christians to live their faith.
The commentary devotes special attention to the issue of
faith and works raised in 2:14-26.
Martin believes the letter was written by a Jewish, Hellenistic
Christian sometime towards the end of the first century.
Bible Speaks Today.
Intervarsity.
Motyer, J. A. The Message of James: The Tests of Faith.
1988. 214 p. $13.99
As its name suggests, this series seeks to apply biblical texts
to modern life. The author presents James as a collection of sermon
notes, whose central theme is the birth and growth of the Christian
life, and whose principal exhortation is to patience, prayer, and
care. Motyer was minister of Christ Church, Westbourne, England,
at the time of writing. The Bible text is the RSV.
Black’s New Testament
commentaries. Hendrickson
Laws, Sophie. Epistle
of James. 1980,
1993. 273 p.
$22.95
These substantive, scholarly commentaries offer new translations
of the biblical books, place them in historical and literary context,
and comment on thematic units of text.
Laws was lecturer in New Testament at King’s College,
London, at the time of writing.
Her thesis about James is that it is “the most consistently
ethical document in the New Testament.” (p. 27)
Her commentary includes a 20 page section on the controversial
issue in the letter of faith and works.
A now out-of-print
version of this book was also published in 1980 by Harper and Row
as part of their series, Harper’s New Testament Commentaries.
Cambridge Bible Commentary
on the New English Bible.
Cambridge Univ Press
Williams, R. R. Letters
of John and James. 1965.
152 p. $21.95
This series produces widely accessible introductions to the books
of the Bible in the New English version (an English translation
of the Bible that breaks with the King James tradition).
The James portion of this volume is limited to pages 75-141.
The British English of this commentary is elegant and easily
understood. In the introduction,
parallel columns of verses from James, Matthew, and 1 Peter highlight
James’ close ties to those other New Testament books.
The commentary approaches the letter as an exercise in “practical
religion”. At
the time of writing, the author was bishop of Leicester, in England.
Communicator’s
Commentary. Word
Books
Cedar, Paul. James,
1, 2 Peter, Jude. 1984
262 p. $24.99
An evangelical counterpart to Westminster’s Interpreter’s
series (see below), these commentaries are intended for preachers
and teachers of the Bible in church settings.
There is strong interest here in applying the biblical books
to daily life today, which lends the writing a sermonic tone.
The text used is the New King James version.
The section on James is on pp. 11-103.
The author was pastor of Lake Avenue Congregational Church,
in Pasadena, California, at the time of writing.
Daily Study Bible.
Westminster
Barclay, William. Letters
of James and Peter. Rev’d
ed. 1976.
351 p. $12.95
This much-translated, popular commentary first appeared
in the 1950s. Though
slightly dated even in the revised edition of 1976, the writing
is lively and engaging. Barclay
(1907-1978) was a minister in the Church of Scotland.
The commentary gives solid background to the Letter of James,
and comments on the verses in thematic units.
James occupies pages 3-134.
The text used is the RSV.
Epworth Commentaries.
Epworth Press.
Townsend, Michael. The
Epistle of James.
1997. 168 p.
$15.00
Epworth Press is an affiliate of the Methodist Publishing House,
in England. Its American
distributors include Trinity Press International, which describes
the series this way: “This series of biblical commentaries
is the first to be based on the Revised English Bible [an English
translation of the Bible that newly translates the ancient texts,
outside the King James tradition], and incorporates the most recent
research into both Old and New Testament books. Written by experienced
scholars for the use of ministers, preachers, teachers, students,
and church leaders, they relate the texts in their ancient settings
to the needs of Christians in a multi-racial, multi-faith society.”
Hermeneia Series. Fortress. Dibelius, Martin. Revised
by Heinrich Greeven.
A Commentary on the Epistle of James.
1976. 285 p.
$48.00
This ecumenical series is designed for “serious
students of the Bible”. An interest in the connotations and
ambiguities of the original Greek is presupposed, though all Greek
passages cited are fully translated.
Dibelius is noted in the history of James interpretation
for his view that this book does not support any particular Christian
theology, but is rather a “book of popular slogans,” randomly
assembled by the early church as a guide to Christian life.
The biblical text is newly translated by Michael Williams,
who largely follows the RSV.
Interpretation: A
Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching.
Westminster
Perkins, Pheme. 1st
and 2d Peter, James and Jude.
1995. 204 p.
$22.95
Like the Communicator’s commentaries cited above, the books
in this series also address preachers and teachers of the Bible,
but more from a mainline Protestant perspective.
Verses are gathered in sequential, thematic units and commentary
offered that is easily mined for classroom or pulpit use.
The Bible version presupposed is the NRSV.
The James portion is on pages 83-140.
The author is professor of New Testament at Boston College.
New American Commentary. Broadman and Holman. Richardson,
Kurt. James. 1997. 272 p. $27.99
The editors comment that all commentaries written in this series
are “unapologetically confessional and rooted in the evangelical
tradition.” The
biblical text used is the NIV.
Intended for pastors, teachers and students, the commentaries
confine technical discussion of Greek terms to footnotes.
They avoid contemporary academic discussion, seeking the
application of the text to
“ministry in both seminary and church.”
The author teaches at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
New International Biblical Commentary. Hendrickson.
Davids, Peter. James. 1993. 172 p. $11.95
From the publisher’s catalog: “The NIBC series offers
the best of contemporary scholarshp in a format that both general
readers and serious students can use with profit.
The aim of the series is to provide reliable guides to the
books of the Bible presented in a style that does not require formal
theological education to understand.
Based on the widely used NIV translation, each volume in
NIBC presents an introductory chapter detailing the background of
the book, its audiences, its authorship, its important themes, and
other helpful information.”
New International
Commentary on the New Testament.
Eerdmans
Adamson, James. The
Epistle of James. 1976,
1995. 227 p.
$30.00
These scholarly commentaries offer verse-by-verse interpretation
including frequent reference to other, established commentaries
and to the original Greek of the text.
The biblical text is the New International Version,
in the evangelical community.
Adamson is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and
of Cambridge University, in England, and at the time of writing
was a Presbyterian minister in Santa Rosa, California.
New International
Greek Testament Commentary.
Eerdmans
Davids, Peter. James.
1982. 226
p. $20.00
Commentaries in this series aim to make concerns with the original
Greek of the New Testament accessible to a broad, non-Greek-reading
audience. The commentaries
are less technical than those of Dibelius, Johnson, or Ropes and
do not intend to be “full scale critical commentaries”.
The biblical verses commented upon are cited but not reproduced.
The author was professor of biblical studies at Trinity Episcopal
School for the Ministry, at the time of writing.
New Interpreter’s
Bible. Abingdon.
Letter to the Hebrews, Letter to James … [etc.].
1998. 748 p.
$60.00
This ecumenical commentary offers verse-by-verse comment
and expounds on larger Christian meanings of the text as it contrasts
the New Revised Standard and New International versions.
The James commentary is by eminent biblical scholar, Luke
Timothy Johnson, and appears on pp. 177-225.
The older and out of print Interpreter’s Bible is still
found in many church libraries and presents the King James and Revised
Standard versions, with commentary by Burton Scott Easton and Gordon
Poteat.
New Testament Commentary series. Baker
Kistemaker, Simon. Exposition of the Epistle of James and the
Epistles of John.
1986. 425p. $49.99
This is another scholarly series geared to the NIV, like Eerdman’s
New International Commentary (above). The commentary offers verse-by-verse
interpretation of the biblical text and separately highlights and
explains key Greek terms. The commentary also offers, in places,
“practical considerations” that apply the text to modern
day. The author interprets James as two sermons strung together.
An introduction relates the letter to Jesus’ and Paul’s
teachings.
New Testament Message: A Biblical-Theological Commentary.
Glazier
Kugelman, Richard. James and Jude. 1980. 114 p. Out of
print
This series, intended for a broad audience, comments on verses in
thematic groupings, offering for each what reads as a small, cohesive
essay. The aim is to leave readers with an impression of the major
themes of each book of the New Testament. The Bible text used is
the RSV. Themes addressed in the volume for James are: suffering
and prayer, temptation, true piety, judgment, faith and works, wisdom,
wealth, and patience.
New Testament Theology.
Cambridge Univ Press.
Chester, Andrew and Ralph P. Martin.
The Theology of the Letters of James, Peter and Jude.
1994 204 p.
$22.95
This series avoids detailed linguistic exegesis in favor of articulating
the overarching theologies of the books of the
New Testament. Chester,
who is lecturer in Divinity at the University of Cambridge, wrote
this commentary on James (pp.
1-60). He identifies
the community addressed as Jewish Christians, and discusses themes
of eschatology, faith and works, ethics, law, wisdom, sin, ministry,
God, and Christ. He
also explores the letter’s tensions with Paul and its significance
for today in such ethical and theological concerns as Jewish-Christian
dialogue.
NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan. Nystrom,
David. James. 1997. 338 p. $22.99
This series works from the assumption that the meaning of the Bible,
contextualized as it is by the ancient world in which it was written,
needs “bridge” thinking to uncover its significance for
the modern day. Consequently,
verses are interpreted from three angles: “original meaning”,
“bridge contexts”, and “contemporary significance”.
Nystrom seeks the unity of this letter in the issues of personal
and community ethics it addresses, and the problems that such attitudes
as favoritism and status-seeking pose to Christian unity.
Pillar New Testament
Commentary. Eerdmans
Moo, Douglas J. The
Letter of James. 2000.
271 p. $20.00
From the publisher’s catalog: “Designed for
teachers, pastors and serious students of the Bible, PNTC volumes
seek above all to make clear the text of scripture.
Each contributor interacts with the most important, informed
contemporary debate, while avoiding undue technical detail.
Reflecting the best in contemporary scholarship, these volumes
… display an ideal blend of rigorous exegesis and exposition
with an eye alert to the contemporary relevance of the Bible.”
Tyndale New Testament
Commentary. Eerdmans
Moo, Douglas J. The Letter of James: An Introduction and Commentary.
1987. 191 p. $12.00
These commentaries, written for the “non-technical reader,”
cite without reproducing the verses of the biblical text.
The author of the James commentary was professor of New Testament
at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Illinois) at
the time of writing. He
sees the uniqueness of the letter in its moral earnestness, rather
than its theology, and divides it into five units: trials, works,
dissensions, Christian world view, and concluding exhortations.
Way of Life Series.
Abilene Christian University .
Thomas, J. D.
Hebrews and James: Message of the New Testament.
1989. 91 p. Out
of print.
Though the James portion of this book is only a few pages (pp. 67-91),
it does provide a concise, well-organized summary of the book.
The letter is divided into thematic units, cited by verses,
but the biblical text is not reproduced.
The organizing themes include: trials, poor and rich, faith
and works, wisdom, and prayer.
The commentary only occasionally extends beyond summary review
into critical comment.
Westminster Bible
Companion. Westminster.
Gench, Frances Taylor. Hebrews
and James.
1996. 128 p.
$14.95
Intended for lay readers in church settings who want to understand
the Bible, this series divides books of the Bible into easily comprehended
thematic units. The
biblical text is the NRSV.
In his introduction to James, Gench, who teaches biblical
studies at Lutheran Theological Seminary, emphasizes the hortatory
nature of the letter. The
James portion of the commentary is on pp. 79-126.
Word Biblical Commentary. Word Publishing.
Martin, Ralph P. James. 1988. 240 p. $34.99
The editors of this series inform readers that “the broad stance
of our contributors can rightly be called evangelical.”
At the time of writing, Martin taught in the department of
biblical studies at Fuller Theological Seminary.
These commentaries, like the Anchor ones (cited above), provide
new translations of the biblical text, careful word studies, evaluations
of manuscript sources, sustained dialogue with modern biblical scholarship,
and original exposition.
II. Studies
Written with the Lay Reader in Mind
Adamson, James B. James: The Man and His Message. Eerdmans.
1989. 553 p. $45.00
Though the author bases this work on his PhD dissertation, he intends
it for the layperson. He
recommends reading it in tandem with his commentary on James in
the New International Commentary on New Testament series (cited
above). Here, the approach
is not verse-by-verse discussion, but extrapolation of the broad
message. The book examines
the purpose, plan, and style of the letter, its relation to Jesus
and Paul, and the key themes of faith in action, trial and temptation,
God, wisdom, and salvation.
Adamson claims that James is “the oldest extant uninterpolated
document of early first century Christianity” (p. viii).
Bauckham, Richard.
James: Wisdom of James, Disciple of Jesus the Sage.
Routledge. 1995.
246 p.
This commentary uniquely combines the time-tested, literary and
historical methods of
biblical interpretation with an interest in the pastoral applications
of the text to Christian life in the modern world.
Quotations from the 19th century existentialist
theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, introduce each chapter and help to
bridge the worlds of the scholar-interpreter and the practicing
Christian. The author,
who here employs the NRSV text, is professor of New Testament studies
at the University of St. Andrews.
Bryson, Harold T. How Faith Works: Studies in the Letter
of James.
Harrison House. 1985. 144 p. $12.99
The author finds a sequential flow in this letter, so often seen
as randomly assembled, from its opening idea of “Salvation”
to its closing one of “Restoring Erring Believers”. He
invites the reader to follow him through the flow, commenting along
the way on its applications to modern life. At the time of writing,
Bryson was professor in pastoral ministry at New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary.
Eastman, Addison J. A Handful of Pearls: The Epistle of
James.
Westminster. 1978. 106 p. Out of print.
Using the RSV text, Eastman divides the letter into large, thematic
sections, and interprets each in the style of a short sermon. Writing
as a pastor with extensive background in missions and ecumenical
work, he aims to uncover the relevance of the text for modern day
Christians.
Hartin, Patrick J. A Spirituality of Perfection: Faith in
Action in the Letter of James.
Liturgical Press. 1999. 200 p. $17.95
Hartin, who teaches New Testament at Gonzaga University in Spokane,
hopes to rehabilitate the concept of perfection, unfashionable ever
since Freud. He contextualizes his interpretation of James by examining
concepts of perfection in the ancient world, and then focuses on
James’ controversial claim that faith is perfected through
works. His ultimate aim is to show the applicability of perfection
to modern human lives.
Hulme, William Edward. The Fire of Little Jim: Power for
Growth from the Letter of James. Abingdon. 1976. 158 p. Out
of print.
Hulme, writing as a pastor with particular experience in hospital
chaplaincy, reads James with special sensitivity to his message
for the suffering and socially exploited.
The way to overcome suffering, that Hulme finds in James,
is by “practicing community.”
Maynard-Reid, Pedrito U. Poverty and Wealth in James.
Orbis. 1987. 136 p. Out of print.
The author, who at the time of writing headed the religion department
at West Indies College, in Jamaica, focuses on the passages in James
that discuss poverty and wealth.
By careful examination of those passages, and what we know
of social stratification in the ancient world, the author hopes
to describe what the community James addressed was like: a mixed
Christian community of Jews and gentiles, living in either Palestine
or Syria, that drew from James the message that true religion equates
with social concern.
Palmer, Earl F.
The Book that James Wrote.
Eerdmans. 1997.
90 p. $10.00
From the publisher: “A user-friendly guide to James, The Book
That James Wrote is ideal for church use and for personal or small-group
studies. In a series of nine studies comprised of Scripture readings,
commentary, and questions for reflection, Palmer walks readers through
the historical setting of the early Christian church and through
each chapter of James. Focusing on such key themes as the meaning
of faith, wisdom, hope, and patience, this study opens up the central
truths of James in a way that will both challenge and enrich your
understanding of discipleship.”
Scaer, David P.
James: the Apostle of Faith: A Primary, Christological
Epistle for the Persecuted Church.
Concordia. 1983.
158 p. Out of
print.
Writing from a Lutheran perspective, the author comments on James
with respectful sensitivity to, while at the same time disagreeing
with, Luther’s own famously dismissive judgment on this letter.
Scaer sees James as an alternative to Paul, offering practical
hope to any Christian community undergoing suffering or trials.
The author comments on the verses in thematic groupings,
using the RSV text, and noting especially the letter’s strong
affinities with Matthew. Scaer
was professor of New Testament and systematics at Concordia Theological
Seminary (Fort Wayne, Ind.) at the time of writing.
III. Academic studies on James
Baker, William R. Personal Speech-Ethics in the Epistle
of James. Mohr. 1995. 364 p.
This study is based on a thesis written for the Dept. of New Testament
Exegesis at Kings College, University of Aberdeen.
The author defines speech-ethics as the “rights and
wrongs of utterance”: when and how to speak, and to whom.
Chapters successively address “evil of the tongue,”
inter-human speech, human-divine speech, and the relation of speech
to truth. Each chapter
includes an extensive review of literature from the ancient world
relevant to James’ understanding of speech-ethics, including
Hebrew scripture, Qumran texts, rabbinical literature, and Greco-Roman
literature. The author
acknowledges a scholarly debt to the work of Peter Davids, who wrote
the James commentary in the New International Greek Testament Commentary
(cited above).
Bauckham, Richard. James
: Wisdom of James, Disciple of Jesus the Sage. London ; New
York : Routledge, 1999. 256 pp. $31.00
The structure of James is sometimes a curiosity until
one understands that it contains a form of writing called “wisdom
literature.” Reading
carefully, one hears the resonance with the beatitudes, Proverbs
and other down-to-earth theologies.
Bauckham gives generous attention to this character of James
and reflects on his brother and Lord, Jesus, as Sage as well as
Savior.
Cargal, Timothy B.
Restoring the Diaspora: Discursive Structure and Purpose
in the Epistle of James.
Scholars Pr. 1993.
245 p. $19.95
The author lays out two methods of interpreting the text: either
beginning with its social setting, outward-in; or with its own internal
logic, inward-out. After
reviewing examples of the first approach applied to James, he opts
to employ the second. The
author constructs a “communications paradigm” for
examining the internal coherence of the letter’s ideas of perfection,
works, humility, the neighbor, and restoring the diaspora. He concludes
with a new translation of the letter that reflects his interpretation.
The book is a PhD dissertation written for Vanderbilt University.
Edgar, David Hutchinson.
Has God not Chosen the Poor? The Social Setting of the
Epistle of James. Sheffield
Academic Pr. 2001.
261 p.
This book is a revision of a PhD thesis for the University of Dublin.
It aims, in the author’s words, “to re-examine
the disputed question of the epistle’s setting within the social
world of emergent Christianity.”
After reviewing the history of scholarly interpretation of
the letter, the author examines links between the early Jewish Christian
community he believes is addressed by the letter, and its author,
whom he takes to be an anonymous Christian writing in the name of
James, Jesus’ brother.
Felder, Cain Hope.
Wisdom, Law and Social Concern in the Epistle of James.
PhD dissertation, Columbia University.
1982. 186 p. [available for purchase through Bell and Howell, 800-521-0600,
for between $31.00 and $48.00; or, through interlibrary loan]
This unpublished PhD dissertation challenges the classic reading
of James by Dibelius (see above), according to which the letter
is random exhortation. Felder
locates two key themes in James--;wisdom and law--;and relates
them to the letter’s overriding concern with injustices, especially
those arising from displays of partiality and wealth.
Felder believes the rich, whom James condemns, are among
the audience he addresses and that he wields the biblically based
themes of wisdom and law to shape new, more ethical behavior in
his listeners. Felder,
a Methodist minister, has taught for many years at Howard University.
Hartin, P. J.
James and the Q Sayings of Jesus.
JSOT Press. 1991.
266 p. $75.00
Biblical scholarship posits a document it calls “Q” (for
Quelle, which is “Source” in German) that represents the
material the gospels of Matthew and Luke have in common apart from
Mark. This book takes
the idea of wisdom to be a connecting link between “Q”
and James. It also examines
the relation between James and Jesus sayings and traditions assigned
to “Q”. The
author draws on these comparisons to help locate James in the larger
context of the early Christian communities.
The book is based on a thesis written for at doctor of theology
degree at the University of South Africa.
Jackson-McCabe, Matt
A. Logos and Law
in the Letter of James: The Law of Nature, the Law of Moses, and
the Law of Freedom. Brill.
2001. 281 p.
This book is a revised dissertation submitted to the Department
of New Testament and Early Christian Literature at the University
of Chicago. The author
opens by underscoring the diversity of early Christianity and the
difficulty of specifying any one essence for it.
He argues that a failure of scholars to fully appreciate
that diversity has concealed from them James’ debt to ancient
Stoic understandings of law, especially as these lie behind James’
reference to “the implanted logos” in James 1:21.
He argues that James’ view of law merges elements from
both ancient Jewish and Greek teachings, culminating in a view of
ancient Jewish Torah as a law of freedom.
Ong, S. H.
A Strategy for a Metaphorical Reading of the Epistle of
James. University
Press of America. 1996.
184 p. $26.00
This book draws on literary theories of metaphor to interpret the
letter of James. According
to the author, James’ central metaphor is that “life is
a trial before God”. This
overarching trial metaphor, rooted in Jewish religious thought,
brings unity to an otherwise disparate collection of verses.
The ultimate message is the comforting one that sufferings
endured now as trials will have their final, good reward.
Penner, Todd. Epistle of James and Eschatology: Re-reading
an Ancient Christian Letter.
Sheffield. 1996. 331 p.
The author contests one traditional of reading James, that it belongs
to ancient Jewish wisdom tradition. He believes that the opening
and closing verses of the letter point to an idea that can be seen
to structure the letter as a whole: that the world will soon end.
The ethical prescriptions of the text are recast, on this reading,
as directives for how to live in the end-time. The book concludes
by placing the letter in the larger context of early Christianity.
Wachob, Wesley Hiram. The Voice of Jesus in the Social Rhetoric
of James.
Cambridge University Press. 2000. 251 p. $59.95
This book first appeared as a PhD dissertation submitted to Emory
University. It examines James’ rhetorical techniques, or methods
of persuading his audience. The author believes a critical verse
for uncovering those methods is 2:5, a saying about the poor attributed
to Jesus. Building on that verse, and the whole of chapter 2, the
writer of James constructs an effective tool of social persuasion
addressed to a community of pious poor: the “Christian Jews
in the dispersion”. To strengthen his persuasiveness, the writer
of James interprets himself along the lines of an important social
relation in the ancient world: that of patron and client. As a client
of God and Jesus, James can, as patron, uniquely mediate their benefits
to the community he addresses.
Wall, Robert W. Community of the Wise: The Letter of James.
Trinity Press International. 1998. 360 p. $24.00
From a review in Bible Today, quoted in the publisher’s catalog:
“The author of this fine new commentary on James notes from
his teaching experience that the message of James, with its strong
challenges to integrity and justice, has an immediacy and clear
relevance for modern readers. The clarity of Wall’s commentary
and its rich theological perspective make this a particularly valuable
exposition of James”.
Webber, Randall C. Reader-Response Analysis of the Epistle
of James.
International Scholars Publications. 1996. 125 p. $49.95
From the publisher: “This new work provides two divergent readings
of James on the basis of plausible first-century audiences. The
work demonstrates the relationships between literary and social
criteria in James's work and provides enlightening information regarding
the incorporation of diverse materials into the New Testament during
the canonization process. Randall Webber's research looks at previous
approaches to James and explores reading as socially conditioned.
He discusses James as read by an early post-Pauline audience and
by a Palestinian audience, and deals with the Christian transformation
of the ideology of righteousness. In his conclusion, Webber discusses
diversity and the canonization process. This work is an important
contribution to James literature as well as to New Testament research
in reader-response studies.” Webber teaches at Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary.
Williams, James G., 1936-
Those who ponder proverbs : aphoristic thinking and Biblical
literature James G. Williams. Sheffield : Almond Press, 1981.
$22.00
IV. Background in Liberation
Theology
Boff, Clodovis, Feet-on-the-Ground-Theology:
A Brazilian Journey.
Orbis. 1987.
185 p. Out of
print.
This is an example of liberation theology emerging from within a
specific context of poverty: the communities of rubber-gatherers
who labor in the Brazilian jungles.
Boff recounts his missionary journeys among these laborers,
and discusses the BCCs (Basic Christian Communities) or grassroots
churches that he helped sustain.
Boff, Leonardo and Clodovis
Boff. Introducing
Liberation Theology. Orbis.
1987. 99 p.
$14.00
This now classic introduction to liberation theology is written
by two of its premier practitioners.
Grounding theologies of liberation in acute awarenesses of
poverty and social destitution, the authors concisely describe the
method, key themes and history of this mode of theologizing.
Building on the biblical idea that God sides specially with
the poor and oppressed, the authors emphasize that intellectual
reflection must find its fulfillment in socially transformative
practice.
Boff, Leonardo. Cry
of the Earth, Cry of the Poor. Orbis.
1997. 242 p. $22.00
Brazilian liberation theologian, Leonardo Boff, shows how concern
for the poor links to concern for nature.
In the now established spirit of liberation theology, he
translates ethical theory into concrete concern
over that part of nature nearest to him, the Amazon River
of his native Brazil. He
draws from feminine imagery of Gaia, or earth mother, along with
biblical images of the cosmic Christ, to make his case for nature’s
needs.
Boff, Leonardo. Church:
Charism and Power: Liberation Theology and the Institutional Church. Crossroad.
1985. 182 p. Out of print.
This challenging and learned work explores and contrasts the wide
meaning of “the church,” from institutional powerhouse
that has committed its share of human rights violations, to “base
ecclesial communities,” those spontaneous, grassroots assemblies
of Christians that represent a more democratic ideal.
The book concludes with a model for church structure that
builds on the image of the Holy Spirit, empowering the church extra-institutionally,
in accord with the resurrection, from the ground up.
William K. Tabb, ed.
Churches in the Struggle: Liberation Theologies and Social Change
in North America, Monthly Review Press.
1986. 331 p.
$16.00
This book performs the service of translating to a north American
setting a theological style that originated in South America.
Monthly Review Press, a secular, socialist magazine, here
gathers essays from a racially and religiously diverse group of
theologians on expressions of liberation theology in North America.
The aim is to introduce “the religious left to the secular
left,” since, according to the editor, the two movements have
much in common. Essays
address the different perspectives from which it is possible to
write liberation theology (African-American, feminist, Jewish, etc.),
and the relation of theology to Marxism, political activism, and
lived community.
Comblin, Jose. Called for Freedom: The Changing Context
of Liberation Theology.
Orbis. 1998. 252 p. $25.00
Comblin, a Belgian theologian writing in Brazil, has long identified
with the central concerns of liberation theology. However, in this
book he notes that social changes in Latin America have rendered
much previous liberation thought in that region outdated. For example,
Marxism is no longer a world force and the rural, peasant communities
that drew so much of the liberation theologians’ attention
are quickly passing away in favor of more concentrated, urban environments.
Rethinking the concept of liberation along more global lines, Comblin
addresses its application to newly emerging social, economic, political,
cultural, and personal realities.
Gutierrez, Gustavo. A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics,
and Salvation.
Orbis. 1988. 323 p. $19.00
Gutierrez, the unofficial founder of Latin American liberation theology,
wrote this book in 1971, but it remains in print as a foundational
document of the movement. Readers will hear the clarion call
of liberation theology to reject abstract, disembodied reason, as
an instrument of theological method, in favor of thought contextualized
by the social realities of poverty and suffering. The characteristic
themes of liberation theology--;the social nature of sin and the
imperative to identify with the poor--;appear here in classic formulation.
Gutierrez, Gustavo.
The Density of the Present: Selected Writings.
Orbis. 1999.
190 p. $22.00
This book gathers lectures and presentations by Gutierrez written
over the past 20 years. The
essays show the breadth of Gutierrez’s social and theological
interests. Topics addressed
include recent papal encyclicals, the Jesuit order, the Carmelite
mystic John of the Cross, and the spiritual power of poetry and
silence. All the diverse
topics find their center here in their application to concrete issues
of poverty and suffering.
Hennelly, Alfred T.
Liberation Theologies: The Global Pursuit of Justice.
Twenty-Third Publications.
1995. 382
p. $19.95
Hennelly, who is professor of theology at Fordham University, offers
here a handy and readable introduction to Latin American liberation
theology and its many applications to other distinctive groups of
people living in and under constrained circumstances, including:
women, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians, and Africans.
The book also explores the implications of liberation theology
for the ecology of the planet and for first-world thinkers worried
about unshared concentrations of wealth in their own
regions.
Hutchinson Edgar, David. Has God not chosen the poor? :
the social setting of the Epistle of James. Sheffield, England
: Sheffield Academic Press, c2001.
Margaret Farley and Serene Jones, eds. Liberating Eschatology:
Essays in Honor of Letty Russell . Westminster. 1999. 261 p.
$24.95
Yale Divinity School faculty member Letty Russell began
her career working for the East Harlem Protestant Parish, in New
York City. Ever since,
she has written with special emphasis on liberation issues affecting
women and members of diverse minority groups.
The essays gathered here, by Rosemary Radford Ruether, Phyllis
Trible, Elsa Tamez, James Cone, Katie Cannon, and Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz,
among others, illustrate the different strands of focus and attention
within liberation theology.
Melendez, Guillermo. Seeds of Promise: The Prophetic Church in Central
America. Friendship
Press. 1990.
125 p. Out of
print.
Melendez is a Roman Catholic lay theologian from Costa Rica
with particular interest in grassroots faith communities in Latin
America. Distinguishing
the prophetic church, which aspires to interact transformatively
with society at large, from the church of Christendom, which works
to cultivate and nurture its own power, Melendez traces the interaction
of these forms of Christian witness within Central America since
1950. This introductory
presentation of a Central American liberation theology attends simultaneously
to the region as a whole and to the specific countries within it.
Russell, Letty M. Human Liberation in a Feminist Perspective:
a Theology.
Westminster. 1974. 213 p. $19.95
Letty Russell is one of most widely published thinkers in feminist
theology. Consciously allying with Latin American liberation theology,
Russell applies its method of writing “out of an experience
of oppression in society” to women’s concerns. As long
ago as 1974, Russell, who teaches at Yale Divinity School, had already
experienced enough of human struggle--;from East Harlem in New York
City, to the YWCAs of India--;to write her own feminist-oriented
liberation theology. Russell’s sense that all liberation theologies
must cooperate to address the manifold social ills of our time rests
on solid biblical and theological erudition.
Schubeck, Thomas L. Liberation Ethics: Sources, Models,
and Norms.
Fortress, 1993. 226 p. $22.00
Schubeck, who teaches at John Carroll University, in Cleveland Heights,
Ohio, begins his book with a concise history of liberation theology
and its critics. Focusing on the ethical dimensions of the movement,
he explores several if its definitive themes: the relation of practice
to thought, the ethics of power, and interpreting the Bible from
within concrete social settings. Important figures discussed include
Gutierrez, the Boffs, and Jose Comblin.
Shaull, Richard. Heralds of a New Reformation: The Poor
of South and North America.
Orbis. 1984. 140 p. Out of print.
At the time of writing, Shaull, who for many years taught ecumenics
at Princeton Theological Seminary, was conducting research in Latin
America. Drawing on his experiences with the poor of Colombia and
Brazil, and biblical teachings on justice, he constructs a readable
introduction to liberation theology for North Americans. An especially
helpful chapter discusses the basic Christian communities that have
figured so centrally in Latin American theological reflections on
the church’s response to poverty.
Subversive Scriptures: Revolutionary Readings of the Christian
Bible in Latin America.
Trinity Press. 1997. 224 p. $19.00
This book collects scholarly essays that originally appeared in
Spanish or Portuguese in the Journal of Latin American Biblical
Interpretation. The ecumenical selection of writers includes Catholics,
Lutherans, one Presbyterian, and a Methodist (Dagoberto Ramirez
Fernandez, a Chilean minister). Though grounded in the traditional
historical-critical research methods, these scholars write from
the perspective of “the postmodern neoliberal Latin American
poor.” The authors provide close readings of biblical passages
that stimulate resistance to oppression and advocacy for the poor.
However, none of the articles are devoted specifically to James.
Tamez, Elsa.
Bible of the Oppressed. Orbis.
1982. 88 p.
$30.00 [from Books on Demand]
Elsa Tamez, author of this year’s Spiritual Growth
study, here looks at themes of liberation and oppression in the
Bible. Tamez reads the
Hebrew scriptures for their sensitivity to the sufferings of the
ancient Israelites, and interprets the New Testament as offering,
for Christians, an answer to oppression everywhere: conversion to
God’s just ways.
V. Background readings on rich and poor in the New
Testament
Birch, Bruce and Larry Rasmussen. Predicament of the Prosperous.
Westminster. 1978. 212 p. $19.95
This book is part of a series called, “Biblical Perspectives
on Current Issues.” Accordingly, the moral issues that wealth
raises, especially in the United States, are addressed here from
biblical standpoints. The authors warn against the temptation to
spiritualize biblical teachings on wealth and poverty, and note
that while biblical calls to justice reach the ears of the poor
as words of comfort, they can only be received by such prosperous
social segments as the American middle class as words of judgment.
The book spells out the implications of that judgment and offers
guidance to Americans for redressing the social and economic wrongs
in their midst. Readers should note that this book, written in 1978,
reflects the political and social realities of that time.
Boerma, Conrad. The Rich, the Poor, and the Bible. Westminster.
1979. 112 p. Out of print.
Boerma, who at the time of writing was a Dutch Reformed pastor
in Holland, unravels the complex treatment of wealth and poverty
in the Bible, which both critiques them as economic realities, and
transforms them into metaphors of spiritual life.
After even-handedly reviewing the Bible’s statements
on poverty and wealth, from the beginnings of Hebrew scripture up
through the prophets and the New Testament, Boerma extracts the
sum of his findings as teaching for the modern church: that poverty
become an issue of justice, rather than charity, and that the rich
exercise their wealth in solidarity with the poor.
Countryman, L. Wm.
The Rich Christian in the Church of the Early Empire:
Contradictions and Accommodations. Mellen Pr.
1980. 239 p.
$89.95
This study, based on a PhD dissertation submitted to the University
of Chicago, discusses attitudes towards wealth in early Christian
history, from New Testament times to the 3rd century.
Issues addressed include almsgiving, sharing, and the dangers
wealth poses to both individuals and the church.
Two church fathers who gave special attention to the morals
of wealth, Clement of Alexandria and Cyprian of Carthage, receive
chapters here. The author’s
view of the Letter of James, discussed unfortunately only in passing,
is that it “draws the sharpest contrast of any New Testament
book between rich and poor” (p. 82).
Hanks, Thomas D. God So Loved the World: The Biblical Vocabulary
of Oppression.
Orbis, 1983. 152 p. $18.00
This book gathers essays and addresses that the author wrote or
delivered for diverse occasions. In the world of liberation thought,
which is typically Catholic and sometimes Marxist, Hanks’ book
is unusual for being written from a Protestant, evangelical perspective.
The author relates liberation theology to the Protestant Reformation
and gives special attention to the prophet Isaiah’s themes
of the suffering servant and the jubilee year. A substantial section
on James presents that book as a transition document between Old
and New Testament teachings on the poor. At the time of writing,
Hanks taught at the Seminario Biblico Latinoamericano in Costa Rica.
Hanson, K. C. and Douglas
Oakman. Palestine
in the Time of Jesus: Social Structures and Social Conflicts.
Fortress, 1998. 235
p. $21.00
The authors, both scholars, introduce their book as one of the few
that attempts to analyze the New Testament world from the standpoint
of the modern social sciences.
Useful charts and graphs help to picture social stratification
in Palestine under the Roman Empire.
One chapter especially relevant to issues of wealth addresses
the ancient economy, land use, taxation, and the uses of money.
The authors conclude with a glossary of terms and reference
to a website on which they feature their book (http://www.stolaf.edu/people/kchanson/ptj.html).
Hengel, Martin.
Property and Riches in the Early Church: Aspects of a
Social History of Early Christianity.
Sigler Press, 2002.
96 p. $12.00
This book, which first appeared in English in 1974, is a careful
scholarly analysis of teachings on wealth and ownership across a
broad range of ancient sources: Hebrew scripture, Greco-Roman culture,
the gospels, Paul’s letters, Clement of Alexandria, and Cyprian
of Carthage. Hengel
warns against too facile applications to the modern world of biblical
idealizations of poverty, since some of the New Testament reflections
on wealth were informed by a vivid apocalyptic anticipation of the
world’s imminent end.
As the church adapted to life in the Roman Empire, it had
to make its peace with wealth and property. Hengel nonetheless extracts
from the Bible’s sometimes apocalyptic context teachings on
wealth that can apply to Christian life in the world of today.
Hoppe, Leslie J. Being Poor: A Biblical Study.
Glazier. 1987. 191 p.
Out of print
Hoppe, who at the time of writing taught at Catholic Theological
Union in Chicago, wends his way through the entire Bible, from Genesis
to Revelation, commenting on sections along the way that explicitly
treat of poverty. Also included are brief surveys of this theme
in the apocalyptic literature and in rabbinical literature. James,
however, receives only brief attention, since the author judges
this book to be more about the evils of wealth than the needs of
the poor.
Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus: An Investigation
into Economic and Social Conditions during the New Testament Period.
Fortress. 1969. 405 p. $20.00
This monumental study by an eminent New Testament scholar
offers in-depth insights into the social and economic world of ancient
Jerusalem. Separate
chapters address the conditions of the rich, middle class, and poor
(which included day laborers, slaves, and those living on relief).
Jeremias also analyzes the industry and commerce of the times,
and the impact of visitors and pilgrims on the economics of the
city. However, there is no discussion of the Letter of James.
Meeks, Wayne A. The First Urban Christians: The Social World
of the Apostle Paul.
Yale University Press. 1983. 299 p. $17.00
Though limited to the New Testament world of Saint Paul, which
is not necessarily the same as James’, this book does address
commonalities of social stratification in biblical times under the
Roman empire. The chapter, “The Social Level of Pauline Christians”
discusses the different factors affecting social status, such as
wealth, family background, sex, closesness to political power, and
whether slave or free. Meeks relates the social stratification of
the early Christians to Paul’s ideal of one church in Christ.
Pobee, John S.
Who Are the Poor?: The Beatitudes as a Call to Community.
World Council of Churches.
1987. 71 p. Out
of print.
Pobee, an African Christian, writes with the poverty of Africa
in mind. At the time of writing, he was associate director of the
World Council of Churches’ Programme on Theological Education.
Pobee notes that the blessings which the beatitudes call down on
the poor really apply to two potentially different groups of people:
the materially poor, and the “poor in spirit,” that is,
the humble who model an appropriate stance towards God. Though the
first group can be taken as a metaphor for the second, this does
not absolve the church of the responsibility to work towards eliminating
material poverty. On the contrary, especially from an African standpoint,
this responsibility is more urgent than ever.
Santa Ana, Julio de.
Good News to the Poor: The Challenge of the Poor in the
History of the Church.
World Council of Churches.
1977. 124 p.
Out of print.
At the time of writing, Julio de Santa
Ana served on the World Council of Churches’ Commission on
the Churches’ Participation in Development.
This book compactly surveys the history of Christian attitudes
towards poverty from the Bible through the Middle Ages.
Especially helpful for this year’s Spiritual Growth
study is a section devoted
to James’ teachings on the contrast between rich and
poor (pp. 47-52). There,
de Santa Ana shows James’ focus of concern on the actual poor
(especially in contrast to Paul, whose
issues are more theologically abstract) and the active attitude
of alliance with the poor that James hopes to arouse in his readers.
Sider, Ronald.
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: A Biblical Study.
Word Books. 1997.
300 p. $15.99
This is the 20th anniversary edition of a book that first
appeared in 1977. Sider,
who holds the PhD in history from Yale University and teaches at
Messiah College in Grantham, Penn., hopes to waken all Christians
complacent about poverty from their moral slumbers.
He reviews some of the biblical provisions for aiding the
poor--;the sabbatical year, restrictions on gleaning the harvest--;and
explores ways of translating the spirit of those provisions to the
modern day. While this
second edition of the book is able to report some progress in the
church’s response to poverty, since it was written 20 years
ago, much remains to be done.
Stegemann, Wolfgang. The Gospel and the Poor. Fortress.
1984. 78 p. Out of print
This little book by a German scholar succinctly reviews New Testament
teachings on poverty, noting that the gospels’ favorite word
for the poor--;ptochos--;connotes utter destitution and not
mere want. The unstated
supposition of the gospels is that poverty among those living in
Palestine during New Testament times had reached desperate proportions.
The good news is that God is building a community--;the
church--;whose express purpose is to identify with the destitute.
Stegemann concludes by offering guidelines to Christians
in wealthy countries for responding to the needs of the poor today.
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