James

• DatesBefore AD 62 on the traditional view; later on others (debated)
• GenreGeneral Letters
• AuthorshipJames; tradition names James the brother of Jesus
• TimelineEarly Church
• Key textsJames 1; James 2:14–26; James 3
• Read the textJames in the World English Bible
• Covered in classSession 4

What the sources say, and how sure we are

• The text says

  The letter is from “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion. It teaches that faith without works is dead.Jas 1:1; Jas 2:17

• Outside evidence

  Josephus reports that James, “the brother of Jesus who was called Christ,” was killed in Jerusalem in about AD 62.Josephus, Antiquities 20.200

• Debated

  If James the brother of Jesus wrote it, it was written before AD 62, possibly as early as the 40s. Some scholars hold it was written later by someone using his name. Scholars and traditions also differ on how James 2 relates to Paul’s teaching on faith in Romans and Galatians.Rom 3–4; Gal 2:16; Jas 2:24