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Foundational essays for students of New Testament epistles

This accessible introduction to contemporary scholarship on the Epistle of James begins with chapters that consider possible sources and backgrounds used by the author of James, the genre and literary structure of the book, and its major theological themes. Building on this foundation, subsequent chapters examine James through social-scientific readings, perspectives of Latin American immigrants and the marginalized, and major recent developments in textual criticism. The final chapters in the volume address the relationship between the epistle and the historical James, reception of the epistle in the early church, and major Catholic and Protestant interpretations of the book in the Reformation era. The contributions in this volume distill a range of important issues for readers undertaking a serious study of this letter for the first time.

Features

• An introduction to contemporary scholarship on this important but often-overlooked text
• Clear explanations of all technical terms and themes
• In-depth discussions of the importance of Jewish Scripture and interpretative traditions, Greco-Roman philosophy and Jewish wisdom motifs, and biblical perspectives on justice, wealth, and poverty

Eric F. Mason is Julius R. Mantey Chair of Biblical Studies at Judson University. He is the author of ‘You Are a Priest Forever’: Second Temple Jewish Messianism and the Priestly Christology of the Epistle to the Hebrews (2008). He is the coeditor of several books in SBL Press’s Resources for Biblical Study series, including Reading the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Resource for Students (2011) and Reading 1–2 Peter and Jude: A Resource for Students (2014).

Darian R. Lockett is Associate Professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He is author of Purity and Worldview in the Epistle of James (2008), An Introduction to the Catholic Epistles (2012), and Understanding Biblical Theology (2012).

Download volume front matter, including table of contents and introduction.

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This is Resources for Biblical Study 94. Visit the series page to view other available RBS volumes for purchase.