Historical Context
The book of James was written by James, who was the half-brother of Jesus. It was written in Jerusalem, where James lived at the time, and was written around 40 to 50 AD. It is assumed that the book was written before 50 AD, because James did not talk about the Jerusalem conference in the book, which took place in 50 AD. The book was not written for a specific group of people, as stated in James 1:1 –“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.” The book was also written to encourage the poor people that were being oppressed by the rich people at the time. The encouragement was important, because it was during times of trouble that people tend to become detached from God.
The importance of having faith in troubled times and life in general was emphasized in the book of James. After the Jews, who believed in Jesus, were driven out of Jerusalem, God used this time to create a series of small communities filled with faith throughout the region. These events led to many conversations amongst the Gentiles, and eventually leading to the book of James. The book was written as a letter, and was passed from “Synagogue to Synagogue.” The book went through a number of places within the believers in Christ. Each Synagogue that the letter went to make their own copy …show more content…
He makes it clear that we are to love those around us, and by doing this our faith is revealed to be true. Doing this also overcomes our own selfishness. James also explains that our wisdom is reflected through our speech. Our words should be humble, and when we accept God’s wisdom, it is reflected in our speech. James also explains the importance of storing up treasures in heaven and not being distracted by worldly wealth. He instructs believers to not look down on the less fortunate, but to give generously to others, and not store up
The book of James was written by James, who was the half-brother of Jesus. It was written in Jerusalem, where James lived at the time, and was written around 40 to 50 AD. It is assumed that the book was written before 50 AD, because James did not talk about the Jerusalem conference in the book, which took place in 50 AD. The book was not written for a specific group of people, as stated in James 1:1 –“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.” The book was also written to encourage the poor people that were being oppressed by the rich people at the time. The encouragement was important, because it was during times of trouble that people tend to become detached from God.
The importance of having faith in troubled times and life in general was emphasized in the book of James. After the Jews, who believed in Jesus, were driven out of Jerusalem, God used this time to create a series of small communities filled with faith throughout the region. These events led to many conversations amongst the Gentiles, and eventually leading to the book of James. The book was written as a letter, and was passed from “Synagogue to Synagogue.” The book went through a number of places within the believers in Christ. Each Synagogue that the letter went to make their own copy …show more content…
He makes it clear that we are to love those around us, and by doing this our faith is revealed to be true. Doing this also overcomes our own selfishness. James also explains that our wisdom is reflected through our speech. Our words should be humble, and when we accept God’s wisdom, it is reflected in our speech. James also explains the importance of storing up treasures in heaven and not being distracted by worldly wealth. He instructs believers to not look down on the less fortunate, but to give generously to others, and not store up