Product Overview
In this new authoritative volume of the New Testament Library series, Joel B. Green presents the writer of James as a sort of practical theologian, directly addressing the lived experiences of Jewish Christ followers beset by Roman social conventions and sensibilities contrary to the divine command to love God and love neighbor.
The book of James is nothing if not pragmatic. Its core arguments rest on urging its audience to take concrete action to develop faithful life patterns in a world that is often set against those who seek to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. Joel B. Green shows how the practical wisdom of James can continue to speak prophetically to a range of issues that plague our contemporary experience—the entrenched and growing gap between the wealthy and impoverished foremost among them. But readers who might be tempted to formulate a simple to-do list from James’s precepts are encouraged instead to enter into the world of the text as fully and as humanly as possible by asking questions like: How would the letter’s first audience (and then how might we) hear, and internalize, the writer’s words about perfection, moral purity, humans made in God’s likeness, and prayer for the sick and disabled? How might their lives (and then how might ours) be shaped by James’s central concern with the double love of love of God and love of neighbor?
James: A Commentary examines the Letter of James from a variety of angles—its social and cultural contexts, its relationship to Israel’s Scriptures and to the teaching of Jesus, the development of its message, and its significance theologically. As with other volumes in the New Testament Library series, this commentary strives to come to terms with the literary and historical aspects of James: its arguments, its appeals, its perspectives; its interpretation of Jesus’ message and Israel’s Scriptures; its grasp of contemporary Jewish and Greco-Roman thought. But it most deeply aims to show how James points readers toward envisaging the world as God does and acting accordingly—personally and communally.
The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary; Susan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology, Emory University; and Emerson B. Powery, Messiah University.
Reviews
"In this thoroughly engaging and deeply insightful commentary on the Epistle of James, Joel B. Green masterfully explores the first-century contexts of the epistle and illuminates modern contexts. James emerges as a practical theologian who speaks powerfully to two of the troubling issues of our time—growing poverty amid scandalous wealth and incendiary rhetoric in public discourse. A must-read for pastors and academics who care about these issues."
—Raj Nadella, Samuel A. Cartledge Associate Professor of New Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
"Professor Green has crafted a coherent and carefully argued ethical reading of what can appear to be disjointed exhortations in a Jewish Christian writing of little interest to twenty-first-century believers. Providing a user-friendly translation, helpful charts, and careful attention to the resources James drew on from the Old Testament and Jesus tradition, Green finds contemporary challenges for readers to act according to God’s vision of the world. In today's media environment, the detailed presentation of a Christian 'speech ethic' and the significance of metaphors for strengthening communal bonds is particularly illuminating."
—Pheme Perkins, Professor of New Testament and Joseph Professor of Catholic Spirituality, Boston College
"Preachers and teachers in the church often avoid James. Joel Green’s commentary will change that, showing once and for all that James never was and certainly is not now an 'epistle of straw.' With historical and rhetorical insight, Green demonstrates how James is a powerful practical theology that shapes the vocation of Christian individuals and communities over against ancient and contemporary societal values that do harm to the vulnerable."
—O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
"With his characteristic clarity and literary insight, Joel Green helps us attune our ears to the Letter of James and its message concerning the embodied life of faith. Not only is Green's commentary a welcome addition to the renowned New Testament Library series, but it also provides an indispensable guide to the wisdom of the practical theologian known as James."
—Brittany E. Wilson, Associate Professor of New Testament, Duke University Divinity School
"Joel Green's commentary on the book of James is a masterful blend of clarity and depth. He presents James as a practical theologian, deeply attuned to the pressing realities of his time. By illuminating the social struggles of Jews in the diaspora and drawing meaningful connections to contemporary challenges, Green offers a fresh and compelling perspective on the enduring relevance of James's call to justice, faith, and action. This commentary is an indispensable resource for scholars, pastors, and anyone seeking a profound engagement with this transformative epistle."
—Ekaputra Tupamahu, Associate Professor of New Testament, Portland Seminary
"Green's commentary demonstrates that he has taken his own advice: he has read and reread the letter of James such that he sounds very similar to his muse. His prose is elegant and clear-sighted, and the commentary is dense in its richness without being loquacious. In addition to exposition of the grand themes that provide insight into the letter itself, like single-mindedness and the deep influence of Jesus's teaching, nuggets of wisdom appear throughout the volume, instructing readers on the virtues of faithful New Testament interpretation. This is commentary writing at the master level: not a string of obvious restatements of the scriptural text, whose lack of ingenuity barely qualify for the moniker 'comment,' but a wise invitation that sets the reader before the biblical text 'for the sake of having our dispositions and reflexes shaped by James-as-Scripture.' Green prepares me and co