Quizzes
Background:
OCCASION, AUDIENCE, DATE & AUTHORSHIP
James Who?
What’s some of the basic background information we need to keep in mind as we pick up James?
In this video, we’re going to talk about the debate around the author of the book (which James!?), the possible dates for when the book was written, the author’s likely audience, and primary purpose in writing.
Before watching the video, think for a moment about which James you think might be the author of this book, and who do you think he was probably writing to?
Which James?
There’s been some debate about who the author of James really is. This, in turn, has led to questions about whether it should be included in the New Testament canon of Scripture. All New Testament books need to be connected to an eye-witness of Jesus. If James is written by someone other than an eye-witness, or is a collection of sayings from James, Jesus’ half-brother, from after his death, then you can see why some scholars would raise questions about James’ inclusion in the canon. However, what is clear is that this is a church leader with some important things to say to Jewish Christians and the early Christian movement, and the historical emphasis has held that the author being an eye-witness of Jesus.
"James? The brother of Jesus? What would your brother have to do to convince you he was the Son of God? James' recognition of his brother as his Lord may be the best argument for the deity of Jesus."
Consider the following question:
Like James, many of the New Testament writers address church conflict or false teaching in their epistles. What conflicts do you see between people in church today? What false teaching have you encountered that needs to be addressed in our time?