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Brother of Jesus, Friend of God: Studies in the Letter of James

Brother of Jesus, Friend of God: Studies in the Letter of James

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Collection of Johnson's Essays
Review: In this collection of essays, Johnson has compiled the fruit of nearly two decades of research and reflection upon the Letter of James. Several of the chapters consist either of essays previously published or older studies appearing in print for the first time, while the prologue and epilogue appear as new essays written specifically for this text. In order to summarize the various theses forwarded in this collection of essays, it will be helpful to organize the themes Johnson pursues around some major trajectories.

First, Johnson sets his work within the trajectory of ancient sources; including Greco-Roman, Jewish literary background and discernable sayings of Jesus. Another clear trajectory set within these essays is the reception history of the epistle. Several essays consider different aspects of the history of interpretation of James (e.g., `A Survey of the History of Interpretation of James', pp. 39-44; `The Reception of James in the Early Church', pp. 45-60; `Journeying East with James: A Chapter in the History of Interpretation', pp. 61-83; `How James Won the West: A Chapter in the History of Canonization', pp. 84-100). In a closely related essay (`Prologue: James's Significance for Early Christian History', pp. 1-23), Johnson proposes that the letter was actually written by James of Jerusalem before 62 and how such an assessment might impact an understanding of earliest Christianity. Finally, Johnson sets his work on James within the trajectory of social and theological impact of the letter. Here he deals specifically with the discernable social context in James (`The Social World of James: Literary Analysis and Historical Reconstruction', pp. 101-22).

Though some essays here are dated, they remain helpful, if not crucial, pieces of scholarship which consist in the now ground swell of new research considering James on its own terms. In several of the essays Johnson's comparative approach with regard to Hellenistic moral literature seems forced and at times irrelevant, though fruitful insights have come to light in this way. For those already familiar with Johnson's essays this text will only be of interest with respect to the opening and concluding essays. The latter of which, because of its serious engagement with the theological issues of the letter, is worth the price of the book. While some of the essays are quite technical most are accessible to general readers accustom to biblical study. Though most of the essays are concerned with historical-critical issues, Johnson admirably turns the discussion toward the theological riches of this oft neglected text.


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