The twelve tribes is a Jewish figure of speech that sometimes referred to the Jewish people as a whole (Matthew 19:28). Certainly this letter applies to all Christians yet James probably wrote his letter before Gentiles were brought into the church, or at least before Gentile Christians appeared in any significant number. The question is whether James wrote a letter to only Christians from a Jewish background or to all Christians. To the twelve tribes: What James meant by this reference to the twelve tribes is difficult to understand. “Hellenistic Jews used Kurios as a name for God the non-use of the article gains in significance when it is remembered that o Kurios, ‘Dominus,’ was a title given to the early Roman Emperors in order to express their deity.” (Oesterley in Expositor’s)Ĭ. It simply meant the master of a doulos, and in the context it means that James considered Jesus God. It translates the ancient Greek word kurios. “A slave, a bondservant, one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another… Among the Greeks, with their strong sense of personal freedom, the term carried a degrading connotation.” (Hiebert) It translates the ancient Greek word doulos, and is probably better simply translated as slave. Jesus was more than James’ brother more importantly, Jesus was his Lord. He did not proclaim himself “the brother of Jesus” but only a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. A bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Knowing that this James was the half-brother of Jesus makes his self-introduction all the more significant. Yet the fall did not kill him, and on the ground he was beaten to death, even as he prayed for his attackers.ī. It also says that James was martyred in Jerusalem by being pushed from a high point of the temple. An early history of the church says that James was such a man of prayer that his knees had large and thick calluses, making them look like the knees of a camel. When he did follow Jesus, he followed with great devotion. This was probably the cause of his conversion, because up to that time the brothers of Jesus seemed unsupportive of His message and mission (John 7:5). Yet the writer of this letter is the same James who received a special resurrection appearance of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7). James, the father of the “other” apostle Judas (Luke 6:16).James the son of Alphaeus, another of the twelve disciples (Matthew 10:3).James, brother of John and son of Zebedee, the first apostle martyred and also known as James the Less (Matthew 10:2, Mark 15:40, Acts 12:2).Other men mentioned in the Bible named James include: James: There are several men named James mentioned in the New Testament, but reliable tradition assigns this book to the one called James the Just, the half-brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55) and the brother of Jude (Jude 1), who led the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.Ī. James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
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