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Profile:
Name: Letter of James
Author: unknown, but attributed to James, brother of Jesus
Dating: c. 95 CE
Letter of James:
The letter of James in the New Testament has traditionally been attributed to James, the brother of
Jesus, a figure which appears in the gospels (see:
Matthew 13:55
and Mark 6:3). However, for various reasons
(for example, the theology of the letter is not that of an observant Jews), this has been rejected
by most scholars in favor of the idea that it was written anonymously late in the 1st century CE
and only attributed to James because of his supposed standing in the early Christian community.
Unlike many of the early Pauline letters, the letter of James is not directed at Christians who are only just developing their theology or who are having trouble living alongside Jewish neighbors. It is rather directed at Christians who are experiencing social and economic discrimination from the larger society. He thus cautions believers not to adopt the habits of the oppressors and not to engage in practices which will split the community itself. Instead, they must remain true to each other and remain united.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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