Introduction to the Book of James

If we ask questions of the book of James we can learn a great deal. In blog entries to follow there will be many questions. From these, perhaps together we can seek answers from God’s Word and gain wisdom from it. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

I began this study seeking to be trained in righteousness so that I would be better equipped to do whatever good works God has prepared for me (Eph 2:10). I make every effort to be as complete and thorough as possible in this study, which is why a book that takes up only 5 brief chapters is herein stretched out so much. There’s truly a lot to learn from James.

To aid in this study I consult primarily three English translations. The Authorized Version, better known as the King James Version (KJV), is a word for word translation. This and its poetic style to the modern ear are its primary virtues. The archaic word usages and syntax are the primary drawbacks.

The second English translation I use is the New International Version (NIV). The primary advantages it offers include being easy to read and very commonly used by lay people. The disadvantage is that it is a thought for thought translation rather than a literal translation. By its nature anything other than a literal word for word translation is tainted to some degree by the translator. Still, being a very common version it is almost mandatory we explore its unique qualities to gain the most broad understanding possible.

A relatively new English word for word translation is the English Standard Version (ESV). This version is highly accurate, like KJV, but with updated syntax and sentence structure it is far easier to read and in that respect is much more like NIV. While it is my personal preference, its prime disadvantage is that it is still relatively new and therefore uncommon. Regardless, I will use ESV for all scripture quotes not otherwise specified. Note that embedded scripture references in the text are in italics.

For the sake of breaking this study into bite sized portions, our study is divided into chapters based on verses of James. At the start of the study of each verse I include the whole paragraph containing the verse for the sake of context. There may be several paragraphs in a broad theme, but each paragraph tends to have a more precise theme. At the end of each paragraph we study there is a brief summary, which is an attempt to tie together some study concepts which may seem at a tangent to the theme of the paragraph under our microscope at the time.

James 1:1
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. — NIV

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. — KJV

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. — ESV

Greek Transliteration of James 1:1 with brief definitions:
Iaeiros James theos God kai and kurios supreme in authority (as God, Lord, Master, Sir) iesous Jesus christos anointed, messiah, Christ doulos slave ho the (article or indefinite neuter pronoun) dodeka 12 phule tribe ho the en (preposition denoting place, such as in, at, of, through…) ho the diaspora dispersion, scattering chairo greetings, God speed, fairwell, hello, etc. (friendly salutation to greet or part company).