James

Rating:
Summary: Luther
Review: A previous review says, "This is far and away the best commentary on James, and it should be mandatory reading for specialists of James and Paul alike. Bauckham no doubt has Martin Luther shrieking in his grave. Luther's contempt for James as an "epistle of straw" is well-known and still shared by many today."

This is not true, because Luther changed in mind later in life and accepted James.

Rating:
Summary: Required reading for students of James (and Paul!)
Review: Bauckham argues that James -- who, indeed, probably wrote this letter -- was a messianic wisdom teacher who made the eschatological wisdom of Jesus his own and applied it to the resources of Jewish wisdom tradition. He refutes, nicely, the artificial distinction between sappientalism and apocalypticism, showing how the two went hand-in-hand (albeit in varying degrees) throughout the 2nd-Temple period. Then, comparing the letter to the synoptic gospels, he notes features of comparison between James and Jesus: (a) the focus on the Torah's concern for ethics and the heart as the source of words and actions (Jas. 1:22-25; 3:6-8; 4:11-12); (b) a standard of community living in which solidarity with the poor replaces hierarchy and status (Jas. 1:9-10; 2:1-7); (c) God's eschatological judgment as the overriding motivation for righteous living, with punishment especially threatening the wealthy (Jas. 5:1-5) -- but no less a reality for everyone else (Jas. 2:13; 3:1, 4:12, 5:8-9), as is the prospect of reward (Jas. 1:12, 3:18); (d) the concern for "Israel as a light to the nations", whereby Jesus brought the Kingdom to Israel, and now James addresses Jewish communities in the diaspora (Jas. 1:1) as the nucleus of the ongoing messianic movement which must serve as a beacon to the Gentiles.

Importantly, the author shows that James' doctrine of works in no way corrects nor contradicts Paul's doctrine of faith. Paul's "justification by faith and not works" (Gal. 2:16) has in view circumcision, food laws, holy days, and other Jewish "works" which hindered Gentiles from becoming part of the eschatological renewal movement, while James' "justification by works and not faith alone" (Jas. 2:24) has nothing to do with the Gentile issue. James' discourse in 2:14-26 is general paraenesis, a reminder that good deeds must naturally accompany one's faith. This is something with which Paul readily agreed, as seen in his reminder to the Roman congregation that "doers of the law will be justified" (Rom. 2:12-13 = Jas. 1:22-25). Paul and James simply mean different things by the term "works". Likewise, they offer different, but not contradictory, exegetical interpretations of Abraham (Gal. 3:6-9/Rom. 4:1-17; Jas. 2:21-24). The scheme of salvation and judgment remain the same for both.

This is far and away the best commentary on James, and it should be mandatory reading for specialists of James and Paul alike. Bauckham no doubt has Martin Luther shrieking in his grave. Luther's contempt for James as an "epistle of straw" is well-known and still shared by many today. But instead of taking the letter as an inferior corrective to Pauline doctrine, we are compelled to come to terms with it on its own right -- as an encyclical of subversive wisdom owing to Jesus himself.

Rating:
Summary: No printing at all for electronic version
Review: Most e-books allow limited printing, so the owner can over time print several pages to read at leisure, then print again later for more reading. The publisher, Routledge, did not allow this. You can not print a single page of this book. To me, Routledge's no-print policy is unfriendly to the customer.

Rating:
Summary: Not his better work
Review: Moved by Baukham's classic on Jude, I bought this book. First the grammer as intellectual as it sounds is not clear, it is more philosophical than theological. Then almost everywhere had a reference to Kierkegaard, why? It looked like a review of the opinions and works of Kierkegaard.

The book certainly didn't deliver on the book of James which has a wealth of wisdom.

Rating:
Summary: Wisdom
Review: Richard Bauckham's work is wonderful and quite useful. His approach to James is different than any other I have ever encountered. As a student, I found this book to be very beneficial. This is certainly, however, upper level reading. Bauckham does not try to impress thr reader with his vocabulary, but uses words that best convey his message to the reader. Though difficult to read, Bauckham gives numerous examples at each point and thereby allows the reader to leave the point with complete comprehension despite the difficult vocabulary. The message is wonderful, and arms the reader with a new vantage point from which to see the book of James. Baukham compares the book with other wisdom writings and is quite convincing in his arguments.