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Literary Genre & Style
Uniquely James
James sounds like a Jewish sage and argues like a Greek philosopher
Our last topic reviewed the background, authorship and audience of James. In this video we’re going to sketch some of James’ unique literary style and the book’s structure.
So what makes James’ writing so unique?
Outlining James
James employs a variety of literary techniques in his book: including proverbs and imperatives like a Jewish wisdom literature author, and Greek satirical diatribes. Many have trouble following a straightforward line of thinking or one coherent argument throughout the book. Various approaches have been suggested as to its outline.
Consider the following question(s):
- Which of these topics from James is most needed for the church to hear afresh today?
- Choose one topic and write a paragraph (100-150 words max) explaining why you think it is crucial for Christian living in today’s context.
- Options:
- Favouritism in the church.
- The potential danger of our words.
- Steadfastness in suffering.
- Doing, not just hearing, the word of God.
Test Yourself
In what ways does chapter 1 help us understand the argument for the rest of the book?
Answer
It serves like a topical index of the main themes that James covers in later essays.