When it comes to learning from the life of James, the brother of Jesus, there is one thing that stands out above the rest, and it is this: the resurrected Christ has the power to change lives. Authored the epistle that bears his name.Became an apostle and leader of the church in Jerusalem.Doubted his brother’s claim to be the Messiah but still followed him.We also learn from other places in Scripture, like John 7:3-5, that Jesus’ brothers, James included, were not believers during the time of his earthly ministry.Īll this information gives us a pretty solid picture of who James was as a person: Furthermore, in Acts ( 15:13-21) we find James leading the church in response to how the Gentiles ought to live according to the gospel, as well as another encounter with Paul where he listens to reports of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles ( Acts 21:18, 19). Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:7 that this James was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Galatians ( 1:19 2:9, 12) Paul writes that this James is an apostle and leader of the church in Jerusalem. If we look at the verses for “Brother of Jesus” we can learn more about him.īoth Matthew ( 13:55) and Mark ( 6:3) connect him with Jesus alongside a list of his other siblings, including: Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Jude).
Tapping it provides a list of relevant Bible passages. In the same section, past the articles, a section called “What does the Bible say about” appears. Again, the Resource Guide makes this easy for us. Instead of turning to another dictionary, let’s see what Scripture has to say about him. But our character study is far from over… James, the Half-Brother of Jesus With this information, given the options available, it looks like James, the half-brother of Jesus is the most likely author of this epistle. The whole of the letter, moreover, bears a striking resemblance to the Sermon on the Mount, both in the loftiness of its morality and in the simple grandeur of its expression. There is no more Jewish book in the NT than this letter and this is to be expected from a man whom both tradition and the rest of the NT show was distinguished by his Jewish commitments. The author speaks with the authority of one who knew he did not need to justify or defend his position. 62.Īll the characteristics of the letter support the traditional attribution of it to James the brother of the Lord. According to Josephus, he was put to death by the high priest in the interregnum between the death of Festus and the arrival of his successor Albinus in A.D. In Acts 15 he is described as the leader and chief spokesman of the Apostolic Council.Īll that is known of him shows that he was highly esteemed not only by Christians but also by unbelieving Jews. Paul names him first among the three “pillars” ( Gal 2:9). 15:7) and who from a very early date occupied a leading position in the church at Jerusalem ( Acts 12:17 Gal 1:19). Tradition attributes the authorship of the letter to James the brother of the Lord, who was probably favored with a special appearance of the risen Christ ( 1 Cor. The NT mentions five who bore the name of James. The author of the letter refers to himself as “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. Here’s what it says about the epistle’s authorship: This second article, titled “ James, Letter of“, from the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary looks promising. Then, if we tap on that, the Resource Guide presents us a list of articles. If we scroll down to the “People” section we find a listing for James. Thankfully, the Resource Guide makes this work incredibly easy for us. Which one is this? Let’s see what we can find in the Olive Tree Bible App to help us. Well, James is a common name in the Bible. The author of this letter is James, who calls himself “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Which James? A Character Study James 1:1 ( Christian Standard Bible)Īs with most New Testament epistles, the writer declares his authorship at the very beginning. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. The verse we’re focusing on is the very first verse of the letter, which reads: Together, we’re going to learn some fantastic insights from this letter with a character study. So, I’m excited that we’re exploring James’ epistle on the Olive Tree blog (See the other posts here).
There is so much to explore and learn in this short letter.
I’ve read through it many times, heard it preached, studied it verse-by-verse, wrote a devotional commentary on it, and more. James is one of my favorite books in the Bible.