My church is encouraging people to read and study the book of James through out the month of April. This is a short introduction to the book:
The book of
James
The book of James challenges us to live out our faith. James emphasizes that we need to not simply
listen to the bible we need to obey it.
This short book is filled with practical wisdom. It covers a range of topics: from temptation
to watching what we say, from favoritism to prayer, from making future plans
to suffering.
Author: James
He was the half-brother to Jesus (Galatians
1:19 )
James did not believe in Jesus at
first (John 7:5; Mark 3:21 )
He accepted
Jesus as the Messiah after the resurrection
He is sometimes referred to as
“James the Just”
James was key leader in the early
church, especially in Jerusalem
He was a leader in the important Jerusalem
council that is mentioned in Acts 15
When Paul traveled to Jerusalem
to meet with the church leaders he sought out James (Galatians 1:19 )
James was martyred in 61 AD in Jerusalem
by stoning[1]
Date of writing:
Unknown
We are not sure exactly when this
book was written. However it may
actually be the first New Testament book to have been written.
Written to: Early
Jewish Christians who were not residing in Jerusalem
At first the early church
consisted primarily of Jewish believers.
The church later expanded to include those who were not of Jewish
origin.
It is likely that this letter was
written to be circulated among different congregations.
Key verses:
James 1:5
James 1:22
James 1:27
James 2:17
James 3:13
James 4:17
James 5:16
Biography
Douglas, JD. Who’s Who in Christian History, “James,
Brother of Jesus” page 351-352. Tyndale
House Publishers Inc., Wheaton Illinois
The works of Josephus:
Complete and Unabridged, translated by William Whiston, Hendrickson
Publishers, Massachusetts , 1987.
“James the Just” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_the_Just
“Epistle of James” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_James
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