The Theology of the Letters of James, Peter, and Jude (New Testament Theology) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Ralph P. Martin (Author) "The questions involved here are complex and disputed..." (more)
Key Phrases: final tribulation, eschatological reward, eschatological perspective, New Testament, Jesus Christ, Old Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude are among the most neglected parts of the New Testament, for they lack the immediacy and specificity of the Pauline letters. The authors of this study seek to remedy such neglect; they set the letters in context, examine their major themes, and argue that they are important both for the theology of the New Testament generally and for contemporary discussion about the nature and character of Christian faith today.

Book Description

Setting the largely neglected letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter and Jude in context and examining their major themes, this study argues that they are important for the theology of the New Testament as well as for contemporary discussion about the nature and character of Christian faith today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521356598
• ISBN-13: 978-0521356596
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,024,863 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good look at the most ignored NT books, October 16, 2003

By	Brian Gamel - See all my reviews

This book is difficult to review because it not only includes different authors and texts, but texts which seemingly bear little relationship to one another. James has little or nothing to do with 1 Peter which has little to do with Jude and 2 Peter. This collection is a hodgepodge and indeed represents the most neglected of the NT books (as though one just decided to lump them altogether since they are all outcasts together).

Chester's treatment of James is very thorough (more so than the other three). He does a good job addressing conventional issues like James' relationship to Paul but does not make that the essence of his discussion. Chester uncovers a surprising amount of "theology" in James and elucidates its usefulness quite nicely. Given his space and goal Chester does a great job but for a more in-depth treatment see R. Bauckham's "James: Wisdom of James, Disciple of Jesus the Sage."

Martin is forced to survey three very different books and he does so adequately. Jude gets a great treatment compared with the relative interest in it and one could not really ask anything more of such an introductory book.

1 Peter's coverage was fine but it was tantalizingly short for a book that has links to Pauline Christianity, 2 Peter, James (?), and the apostolic fathers. I found everything discussed insightful and worthwhile but desired more background, esp. since 1 Peter depends so much on its literary style as opposed to its historical setting or personality (like Paul's letters). The other disappointment, despitre my disdain for the cookie cutter set up of most of these books, is that there was little "1 Peter for today" discussion. So 1 Peter was a mixed affair.

2 Peter had better treatment considering how much it is ignored. Much time was discussed looking into its setting and placement in the development of Christianity while it still had some development of its theological themes. I guess with both it and 1 Peter a discussion on the nature of testamentary writings (as these both seem to be) and a contrast with Pauline letters would have helped the understanding of these books.

Overall, both authors did the best they could with such overlooked NT material and their contribution is both significant and meaningful.