Letters of James and Wisdom Literature

The Wisdom of God Knows No Boundaries

Martha E Rodriguez

SS 7213: Wisdom Literature of the OT

December 3, 2023
1. Introduction

Can the lens through which Scripture is read become a spiritual blindfold that blocks divine

understanding?

God’s Wisdom knows no boundaries, is timeless and cannot be restricted or contained by the

ethos of any religious entity.

I will present scholarship that supports how the lens or theological bias of post-reformation

scholars, contributed to the exclusion of the OT wisdom literature from their canon and

questioned the inclusion of the Epistle of James in the NT canon, questioning its authorship and

Christ-centeredness. It is relevant to say that some of the early church fathers also question the

apostolicity of the epistle of James and thus worthy of inclusion.

Biblical Text: The Epistle of James 1:1, 22-25

Even though the Epistle of James is not written as a poem. Its structure and content are

similar to wisdom literature writings in objective, passing on moral wisdom, using repeated

terms and familiar proverbs. This passage provides ethical instruction to the reader/hearer of the

word.

The audience of the epistle is composed of those believers who live in the diaspora and

strive to remain faithful, in communities that do not support their beliefs and entice them to

change their ways. The narrator is James, who is aware of their problems and has the knowledge

and authority to guide them. The addressee changes from the unwise to the oppressor to the

oppressed given specific instructions and/or warning to each. The underlying theme of the

epistle is to create awareness and urgency to profess a living faith.

 The primary image presented is that faith will be tested, and wisdom, divine wisdom, the

one that requires devotion to the Lord, is the key to achieve salvation. Lack of wisdom will lead

to disunity and distrust in the community.

Analysis of a section of the text.

The twelve tribes of in the Dispersion could be seen as a metaphor for the faithful who

experience marginalization within their social environment (1:1).

There is a simile on verse 23 that carries on to verse 24, which creates a striking

comparison of the hearer to a careless person,

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at
his own face in a mirror. 24 He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what
he looked like. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and
perseveres and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be
blessed in what he does” (1:23-25).

Verse 24 is a mini parable with a moral stating that, momentary perception is useless unless

acted upon; hearing is not an end in itself. 1 There is an evident drastic change on v.25 where the

imagery no longer focuses on the individual (contemplating himself in the mirror) but on the law

(that calls to action).

This pericope states that knowledge without corresponding action is worthless and

according to Dale Allison2 can be broken down into four parts,

Structure of the passage

I. Complex imperative (v. 22) a. Be doers of the word (positive

b. Do not be hearers only (negative)

1
Dale Allison, “James.” In The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments, ed. G.I. Davies, C.M. Tucket (Bloomsbury T&T Clark; Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013), 333.

2
Allison, 322.
 c. (Do not) deceive yourselves

a. They are like one who look into a mirror

II. Case 1, Illustrating I.b-c: Those who hear and
b. and goes away
do not (vv. 23-24)
c. and forgets

a. They contemplate the perfect law of freedom

III. Case 2, Illustrating I.a: Those who hear and
b. and remain steadfast
do (v. 25a-b)
c. and become doers

Ps 119:1-2 ‘Blessed are those whose way is blameless,

IV. Blessing of those who do the word (v. 25c)
who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who

keep his decrees’

After stating, earlier in the chapter, that our faith journey requires perfection it is in this

section that the narrator unveils the once underlying OT practice of law obeying people (Exodus

22:22, Isaiah 1:7). There are several instructive parallels with Ps 119 3 that a Jewish audience

would have made, affirming the exhortation as God’s inspired.

The goal of the text is to state the one thing that pleases God, and its fulfillment is a must

for those who profess their faith.

3
Allison, 323.
 Research

Boundaries, Intersections, and Parting of Ways in the Book of James is the article that

inspired this paper, it explores this Epistle as a Jewish letter written for a community that sees

Jesus as the Jewish messiah.4 Their approach is a response to early criticism (to a lesser degree

present today), that this was a Jewish text later revised to incorporate the two direct references to

Jesus and fail to see that it could have been written by Christians who could see the bigger

picture, if Jesus came to fulfill the law, he believed and valued it, therefore, continue to value

torah affirms Christ.

“We see James as a text that sits on the precarious and obscure border between the
groups that eventually became Judaism and Christianity. … ‘Borders are also places
where people are strip-searched, detained, imprisoned, and sometimes shot. Borders
themselves are not given but constructed by power to mask hybridity, to occlude and
disown it. …’ James and its original audience are situated near this precarious
border.”5

Through this lens, the audience is challenged to enter into the text through a new light, seeking

understanding, valuing the old, and growing in wisdom. The ancient readers would have been

encouraged to remain observant of torah, and the remembrance of its teachings should lead to

actions that will guide and unite the community. It is clear that the purpose of Gallagher and

Bolin is to make the analogy as to how those who object to James’s Epistle, miss on the

opportunity to acquire the wisdom of unity, and reduce anti-Semitic views.

Indeed, the latest research shows how enriching James’s teachings are for the

contemporary reader and there are those who question early critics’ commentaries on this

Epistle, especially the text referring to being doers of the word. David Bercot, an anabaptist,

4
Kathleen Gallagher Elkins and Tomas M. Bolin. “Boundaries, Intersections, and the Parting of Ways in the Letter
of James” Bible and Theology Vol 74-4 (2020), 339.

5
Gallagher and Bolin, 338.
talks about how Luther’s teachings put emphasis on some NT books and suggests that the others

are not necessary to be saved, to which Bercot argues Luther’s motives.6

It is interesting to analyze how critics, to this day, focus their arguments based on their

motives yet non-Catholic scholars have been given James a second look and have discovered the

richness of wisdom in his writings.

“The letter of James describes Christian wisdom – both its theoretical knowledge and
Practical know-how – as embodied within a community. Since James reverberates with
themes from the rich biblical wisdom tradition – from sages of ancient Israel through the
teachings of Jesus and Paul – we should review the working ideas of that tradition…”7

Dr. David Hubbard, president of the nondenominational Fuller Theological Seminary states,

“No document gives clearer evidence of the need for correction that early Christians
faced than the Book of James. It is a bundle of exhortations to clearer thinking,
tougher prayer, and deepest trust. . .. There are a thousand ways in which our spirits
can go sour, our minds turn doubtful, our hearts boil with vindictiveness, our tongues
ooze venom. Wisdom to catch the gospel’s call to loving service, wisdom to wait for
the Savior’s return and wisdom to work for justice for the widows and orphans,
foreigners, and laborers, is every bit as needful as it was when God’s Spirit prodded
James to lay down for his people his winsome wisdom – his wisdom that works.”8

It all points toward not only towards a more accepting and praise-worthy, God-inspired view, but

an applicable set of guidelines for its audience.

A careful analysis of the letter in its entirety will reveal Judeo and Christian teachings

throughout the text. The connections to the O.T. go beyond the moral instructions of the books

of Proverbs, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, or Job. The Holiness code of Leviticus 19 is evident in the

epistle.

6
David Bercot. “Cómo concuerdan Santiago y Pablo,” accessed November 13, 2023.
https://www.anabaptistresources.org/es/resources/details/1518/como-concuerdan-pablo-y-santiago

7
Robert W. Wall. “The Wisdom of James.” Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University. (2009), 27.

8
David A. Hubbard, The Book of James: Wisdom that works. (Word Books, 1980), 5, 11.
 James Leviticus
2:1 19:15
2:8 19:18
2:9 19:15
4:11 19:16
5:4 19:13
5:9 19:18
5:12 19:12
5:20 19:179

Leviticus 19 displays a concern for behavioral holiness, a call for action. “Be holy for I am holy,

I am the Lord your God” (19 1:1). This affirms that everything holy must act and be treated as

holy.10

The epistle is characterized by its intense and direct approach. There are some clear

similarities to Old Testament wisdom forms, i.e., comparisons to nature, denouncing immoral

behavior, direct/poignant questions to inspire reflection and create a reaction from the reader.

James is urging the faithful to practice communal holiness.

Even though there are those who doubt the Christ-centeredness of the epistle, “the

similarities to the New Testament are so numerous that James can be best thought of as a

commentary on the Sermon on the Mount.”11

9
Gary Holloway, “James as New Testament Wisdom Literature,” Pepperdine Digital Commons (2000), 1

10
Michael D. Fiorello, “The Ethical Implications of Holiness in James 2,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological
Society. Jets 55/3 (2012), 558.

11
Holloway, 2
Even though there are not direct quotes of Jesus in James’s writings, the allusions are very

strong.

“…James is recalling the words of Jesus rather than using Matthew’s Gospel as a
source. Also, if he had been acquainted with the written Gospel accounts and with
the apostolic epistles, James would have been more theologically than ethically
oriented in his epistle.”12

In chapter 2, James applies the key ideas mentioned on 1:19-27 to discrimination and Douglas

Moo supports those teachings presented in the epistle,

“James’s argumentation in the fact that to act in a discriminatory way is to act in

direct contradiction to this central command of God’s law, betray a “fawning
mentality,” and “violate the demand of love for neighbor, the centerpiece of Jesus’
reinterpretation of the law of God.” 13

Discrimination against the poor and judging others based on their appearance reveals a demeanor

incompatible with God’s and James adamantly forbids their practice in the communities. James

proposes the love of neighbor as the key to achieve holiness. According to Fiorello, the law

holds its rank because loving one’s neighbors is the formulating essence of the holiness of God.

In other words, to love as God loves is to be holy as God is holy.14

Analysis of the text.

Taking up Gallagher and Bolin’s argument on being on the margins, on lack of

acceptance as factors that hinder God’s plan and valuing the deep connections between Judaism
12
Fiorello, 562

13
Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James (PNTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000) 100, 104.

14
Fiorello, 170
and Christianity, it is evident the teachings on this epistle transcend boundaries and are proof of

the richness of inclusion. James’s knowledge of the Torah and the books of wisdom brought

about a priceless God-inspired document that elevates traditions and the law as the set of

guidelines needed to frame our journey to holiness and salvation for Jews and Christians alike.

The research shows that the commentaries of well-known scholars, such as Luther, can

enrich or block the wisdom and guidance that a subapostolic writing can have on an individual

and/or community. Regarding partiality in the book of James, for example, ecclesiastical readers

have made statements based on their ethos, Hildegard of Bingen claimed that the rich and the

poor must not be regarded as equals. Calvin stated that James’s admonition appears ‘difficult and

inconsistent, because it is a duty ‘to pay respect to those who are high rank in the world’.15 There

have been shcolars who claim that the theme of impartiality can be connected to racial

discrimination, the Navarre Bible, for example, considers impartiality an opposition to every

form of discrimination.

Fortunately, the Spirit of God has stirred hearts and moved scholars to go beyond their

established religious parameters and search for God’s footprints throughout Christian history and

revisit early writings. Their begin to discover that there is more to their faith than what they

were led to believe, are sharing the good news of God-inspired documents, such as the Epistle of

James.

It is unfortunate that most mainstream protestant communities continue to focus only on

Pauline literature, and not embracing teachings of the catholic epistles, resulting in lack of

“wholeness” as they can, and many do, fall prey to worldly wisdom. It is troublesome as well,

that for most Roman Catholics, the teachings of James are not studied and pray with as part of
15
Allison, 368
their faith journey. Wordily wisdom has filtered into all believers, due to a devoid of awareness

of the warning signs laid out by all wisdom literature. James’s work, in particular, is not only a

link to the teachings of old but a timeless set of poignant questions that give the faithful the tools

to reflect on the needed knowledge, expected demeanor, and appreciation for the diversity in

God’s creation.

James’s style of writing can be considered hybrid in nature, incorporating O.T. and N.T.

teachings, and thus, feared and avoided by many. Adding to that the fact that the Christian

church knew that trough Christ, believer’s status would not be like that of ancient Israel.

Christians were not only “God’s people, the new Israel,” but “adopted children of God.” The

epistle, however, does not address that very point which gave many scholars a reason to label

the writing of lesser value within the canon. Yet James’s careful choice of words and structure

and the very fact that he chose the mentions “…the word that has been planted in you and is able

to save your souls” (1:21 NABRE) could be symbolic of the Christ, suggesting that through faith

in our Lord Jesus Christ (2:1) salvation belongs to the new Israel and as such, adherence to the

law by the new community of faith is necessary and should not be an unwelcomed burden.

This hybridity reflects the two communities God chose to be his people. Each with a

particular role, but lack of God’s message to each other deems them incomplete. To become a

whole, it is essential to have tolerance, respect, and love of God and each other. Therefore, the

teachings that Jesus upheld and respected, because they were inspired by God the Father, and by

doing so, Christ fulfills the old covenant and in him there is wholeness. Yet, that very fact seems

to be ignored or some teachings hand-picked, and in so doing, dismissing that God the Father

made a covenant with Abraham, and he is faithful, he is their God, and they are his people.
 We cannot love Jesus and deem unnecessary God’s teachings to those sojourning to the

promise land, God’s chosen ones. The people that make-up the old and the new Israel. The

church is a pilgrim church that is travelling to the promise land of Heaven, and it needs

guidelines, divine understanding, for the journey. God in his infinite wisdom had already

provided those guidelines in the law of the First Testament, and Christ shared the same wisdom,

being wisdom himself, reiterating and expanding on the most important ones in the Sermon of

the Mount. If some question purification laws, they deny the need to be spiritually cleansed to

be deemed worthy of the promise of salvation. We achieve this purity through love, sacrificial

love cleanses our pride and self-centeredness, performing acts of charity as we remember

Christ’s sacrifice. The latter concept is an ancient practice of the Torah and is perfectly

illustrated in the book of Tobit, remembrance leading the faithful to action.

Conclusion

My thesis statement “God’s Wisdom knows no boundaries, is timeless and cannot be

restricted or contained by the ethos of any religious entity” was supported by the research. The

Epistle of James has been scrytinized and devalued on many occasions by those who did not see

Christ’s teachings in it or it simply did not fit their philosophical teachings. A large number of

believers suffered the consequences of these actions for hundreds of years, but the Spirit of God

fired up the hearts of many scholars and individuals raised within a specific religious ethos that

had criticized the canonicity of James and inspired them to take a leap of faith in search for the

truth.

The challenged placed by Gallagher and Bolin’s article is also in support of my thesis as

these two scholars from different backgrounds worked together to promote not only tolerance

and acceptance of others, but value their contributions to the faith. They addressed a specific

problem to hook the audience and suggested a solution by entering into the text through a

different lens.

Would I have done something different? Yes. I would expand my search to incorporate

the other side of the coin, on why Roman Catholics do not enrich their faith journey through

texts like the Epistle of James, or wisdom literature. There is division within the church and a

deep dive into this epistle could prove invaluable. There is division within families and praying

with this epistle would touch hearts. There is division within each individual and meditating on

this epistle could unclutter the believer’s path to holiness and develop appreciation, fondness,

and closeness to Old Testament teachings.

Even though further study would be necessary, the theology of the text as posed on the

guiding theological question has been supported by the evidence of the research. Therefore, the
lens through which Scripture is read does distort the intended message and not only God’s

message is not fully understood but the veiled approach misleads the community of the faithful.

There were definitely other theological questions raised by the research, regarding

partiality, for example, they questions raised were: Are those who reject James’s condemnation

of partiality for its social countercurrent impact, truly concerned about God’s will being done on

earth? Has discernment played a role in scholarly work?

This research would prove of great value, starting with my own criticism and forcing me

to discern the lens or bias through which I am inclined to present the material. The goal for a

pastoral presentation would be to divide the epistle content by topics and enrich James’s

exhortations with their Old Testament reference to promote reading the New Testament in Light

of the Old. This would shedd light on the eye opening, striking demands of James, equipping the

believer to live the faith in a self-centered society.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allison, Jr., Dale, “James.” In The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of
the Old and New Testaments. Edited by G.I. Davies, C.M. Tucket. Bloomsbury T&T
Clark; Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.

Bercot David. “Cómo concuerdan Santiago y Pablo,” accessed November 13, 2023.
https://www.anabaptistresources.org/es/resources/details/1518/como-concuerdan-pablo-
y-santiago

Chaffin, Robert F., Jr. “The Theme of Wisdom in The Epistle of James,” Ashland Theological
Journal 29. Accessed November 22, 2023.
https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ashland_theological_journal/29-1_023.pdf

Holloway, Gary. “James as New Testament Wisdom Literature,” Pepperdine Digital Commons
2000.

Hubbard, David A., “The Book of James: Wisdom that works,” Word Incorporated, Waco, TX.
1980.

Michael D. Fiorello, “The Ethical Implications of Holiness in James 2,” Journal of the
Evangelical Theological Society. Jets 55/3 (2012).

Gallagher Elkins, Kathleen, and Boling, Thomas. “Boundaries, Intersections, and the Parting of
Was in the Letter of James,” A Journal of Bible and Theology, Vol 74-4, (2020): 335-
343.

Moo Douglas J. The Letter of James. PNTC; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 2000.

Wall, Robert, W. “The wisdom of James.” Center for Christian Ethics (2009). 27-37.