Greeting

See the "Overview of the Book of James" below. James begins with a salutation. He identifies himself and his readers. %%SBPapyrus20.jpg%%Papyrus 20 on James%% Schreiner in his commentary on Jude states:

James, like the rest of the Lord's brothers, did not believe in Jesus during the days of his earthly ministry (cf. Mark 3:21, 31-35; John 7:2-5). James presumably came to faith when Jesus Christ appeared to him after his resurrection (1 Cor 15:7). James came to prominence as the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18), and Paul identified him as one of the pillars of the church (Gal 2:9; cf. Gal 1:19; 2:12).

James is a bond-servant, or slave, of God and of Christ. A servant is one purchased and owned by a master or "lord." This indicates not only James' humility but also the profound testimony of his faith in his earthly half brother as his Redeemer (1 Cor. 15:3). Here servanthood is linked to both God and Jesus.

He uses the phase "twelve tribes scattered." Two understandings of this expression are possible. First, James could have been addressing Christian Jews who were scattered among the nations. Second, James could have been addressing even Gentile believers in this manner because Jews and Gentiles have been joined together into one body in Christ along with the 12 apostles, a symbolic number recalling the 12 tribes of Israel. Lenski compares "the twelve tribes in the Diaspora" to "the elect strangers of the Diaspora" (1 Pet. 1:1). Hughes says:

Humble James writes pastorally to "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations." The Jews scattering, known as the Diaspora, began in 722 B.C. when the Assyrians deported the ten northern tribes. Later the southern tribes suffered the same fate when the Babylonians took them captive in 586. Because of this, Jews were spread all over Mesopotamia, around the Mediterranean, and into Asia Minor and Europe (cf. Acts 2:5, 9-11). Some of the major cities of the world - Alexandria, for example - had large populations of expatriate Jews. Also, when Jewish Christians were first persecuted in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen, they fled first to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) and then to Jewish communities around the Mediterranean (Acts 11:19, 20). Tragically these Jewish Christians were not taken in by their expatriate Jewish kinsmen, but rather were rejected and persecuted.

Picture (Ref#: P. Oxy. 1171; AM 4117) courtesy of Princeton University Library, Princeton, New Jersey.

This James is the brother of Jesus mentioned several times in the New Testament (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; Acts 12:17; Gal. 1:19; 2:9). Though skeptical of Jesus’ claims before the resurrection (cf. Jn 7:5; 1 Cor 15:7), he became the leader of the church in Jerusalem (see “Introduction: Author”). His audience is identified as the 12 tribes in the dispersion. James is likely referring to the Jewish Christians, who were scattered by severe persecution beyond Roman Judea.. So, James’ purpose was to encourage a wise and faithful response to this severe trial. With this emphasis on Christian character, perseverance, wisdom, and righteous living, the letter of James has sometimes been referred to as the “Proverbs of the New Testament.”