James (New Testament Readings) [Paperback]

Richard Bauckham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0415103703 | ISBN-13: 978-0415103701 | Edition: 1

Richard Bauckham explores the historical and literary contexts of the Epistle of James, discussing the significance of James as the brother of Jesus and leader of the early Jerusalem church. He gives special attention to the aphorisms which encapsulate James' wisdom, and to the way that James' teaching closely resembles that of Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is indeed a thoroughly worthwhile exposition of the letter of James.' - Ministry Today

'Richard Bauckham offers us not a commentary but a study of the epistle in the light of what he sees as its historical and literary contexts ... my admiration for a stimulating work.' - Michael J. Townsend, The Expository Times Vol.III No.3, Dec. 1999

'This is a distinguished contribution to Routledge's New Testament Readings series. It combines in a single volume careful and original scholarship with helpful and discriminating hermeneutical observations.' - James Carleton Paget, Journal of Theological Studies

'... a penetrating study ...' - The Bible Today

'This book will be a helpful guide to those engaging with James either in the church or the academy, and it would be a welcome read alongside a more verse-by-verse type commentary.' - Preaching & Leadership, Midwestern Journal of Theology

About the Author

Richard Bauckham is Professor of New Testamnet Studies at the University of St Andrews. He is the author of The Theology of the Book of Revelation (1993)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (June 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415103703
• ISBN-13: 978-0415103701
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #786,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for students of James (and Paul, for that matter), March 9, 2001

By 

Loren Rosson III (New Hampshire, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: James (New Testament Readings) (Paperback)

Bauckham argues that James -- who indeed probably wrote this letter -- was a messianic wisdom teacher who made the eschatological wisdom of Jesus his own and applied it to the resources of Jewish wisdom tradition. He refutes the artificial distinction between sappientalism and apocalypticism, showing how the two went hand-in-hand (albeit in varying degrees) throughout the 2nd-Temple period. Then, comparing the letter to the synoptic gospels, he notes features of comparison between James and Jesus: (a) the focus on the Torah's concern for ethics and the heart as the source of words and actions (Jas. 1:22-25; 3:6-8; 4:11-12); (b) a standard of community living in which solidarity with the poor replaces hierarchy and status (1:9-10; 2:1-7); (c) God's apocalyptic judgment as the overriding motivation for righteous living, with punishment especially threatening the wealthy (5:1-5) -- but no less a reality for everyone else (2:13; 3:1, 4:12, 5:8-9), as is the prospect of reward (1:12, 3:18); (d) the concern for "Israel as a light to the nations", whereby Jesus brought the Kingdom to Israel, and now James addresses Jewish communities in the diaspora (1:1) as the nucleus of the ongoing messianic movement which must serve as a beacon to the Gentiles.

The author shows that James' doctrine of works doesn't exactly correct Paul's doctrine of faith. Paul was hostile to specific kinds of works -- circumcision, food laws, holy days, or any requirements which were a stumbling block to Gentiles; James was enthusiastic for good deeds in general. His discourse in 2:14-26 is general paraenesis, a reminder that good deeds must naturally accompany one's faith, something with which Paul naturally agreed. Paul and James simply mean different things by the term "works". Likewise, they offer different, but not necessarily contradictory, exegetical interpretations of Abraham (Gal. 3:6-9/Rom. 4:1-17; Jas. 2:21-24).

I agree with this particular point, but not with the implication that Paul usually agreed with James or got along with him. In his own review Mark Goodacre notes that "Bauckham comes to us as a kind of modern-day Luke, for whom all in the early church is harmony, where disagreements are only over degrees of emphasis". Quite right, and that paints an equally misleading picture. Paul and James were serious rivals. Paul thought the law was finished, and that good deeds could follow only by another route -- the spirit; James thought the law remained in force. Paul believed in indiscriminate table-fellowship between Jew and Gentile; James did not. Etc.

Quibbles aside, this is the best commentary on James and should be mandatory reading for specialists of James and Paul alike. Bauckham no doubt has Martin Luther shrieking in his grave. Luther's contempt for James as an "epistle of straw" is well-known and still shared by many today. But instead of taking the letter as an inferior corrective to Pauline doctrine, we are compelled to come to terms with it on its own right -- as an encyclical of subversive wisdom written for Jewish communities in the diaspora.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom, January 27, 2000

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Brian Davidson "Bibliophiliac" (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: James (New Testament Readings) (Paperback)

Richard Bauckham's work is wonderful and quite useful. His approach to James is different than any other I have ever encountered. As a student, I found this book to be very beneficial. This is certainly, however, upper level reading. Bauckham does not try to impress the reader with his vocabulary, but uses words that best convey his message to the reader. Though difficult to read, Bauckham gives numerous examples at each point and thereby allows the reader to leave the point with complete comprehension despite the difficult vocabulary. The message is wonderful, and arms the reader with a new vantage point from which to see the book of James. Bauckham compares the book with other wisdom writings and is quite convincing in his arguments.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Commentary on James, January 21, 2008

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Lyndon Unger "Armchair Theologian" (Vancouver, British Columbia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: James (New Testament Readings) (Paperback)

Baukham has a great commentary here, dealing with many critical issues of history and exegesis. Not a lot of fluff, and not a lot of "Osteen's devotions" kinda comments here. If you're seriously studying James, you need this and the Pillar NT offering by Doug Moo (not forgetting MacArthur, Lenski, Kistemaker, NIGTC, NIVAC, NICNT, BST, R. Kent Hughes and both the 1st and 2nd version of The Expositors). Study the Bible like it's THE Bible!