James: An Introduction and Commentary

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

by Douglas J. Moo

"The Bible is being translated, commented on, read, studied, preached and analyzed as never before. But it is questionable whether it is being obeyed to a comparable degree," says Douglas Moo in the preface to his commentary on James. "All this suggests that the message of James is one that we all need to hear--and obey. No profound theologian, James' genius lied in his profound moral earnestness; in his powerfully simple call for repentance, for action, for a consistent Christian lifestyle. His words need to thrust through our theological debates, our personal preconceptions, our spiritual malaise and set us back on the road to a biblical, invigorating, transforming Christianity." The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries have long been a trusted resource for Bible study. Written by some of the world's most distinguished evangelical scholars, these twenty volumes offer clear, reliable, and relevant explanations of every book in the New Testament. These Tyndale volumes are designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means. The introduction to each volume gives a concise but thorough description of the authorship, date, and historical background of the biblical book under consideration. The commentary itself examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes. It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today. The original, unrevised text of this volume has been completely retypeset and printed in a larger, more attractive format with the new cover design for the series.

Genres: Theology, Reference, Christian, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Nonfiction, Scripture

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2015

About the author

Douglas J. Moo (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois. He is the author of commentaries on Romans, James, 2 Peter and Jude, and Colossians and Philemon and coauthor of An Introduction to the New Testament. He also headed the committee on Bible translation for the NIV revision.

Reviews

[Salvador Vivas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este comentario de Douglas Moo tiene razones para ser uno de los mejores en cuanto a Santiago. Moo analiza las opiniones de otros autores respecto a diversas posturas sobre los pasajes de Santiago con mucha honestidad y cuando debe aceptar la ambigüedad o la ignorancia, no se reserva. Eso es digno de mencionar.

Además, Moo utiliza mucho del contexto social y el trasfondo bíblico y literario para poder determinar cuál puede ser una mejor interpretación de la carta de Santiago. Si alguien quiere adentrarse en el mundo de la carta de Santiago, este comentario es una muy buena opción.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, perhaps it is because I am so close to the end of my schooling journey and this book was a textbook for my last class, but you cannot go wrong with this Doug Moo classic. I learned a lot from him on the book of James in this commentary.

[Shanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid commentary. Fun to read with a friend and have good discussions about such practical theology.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas J. Moo is is one of the most well-known conservative commentators on scripture today. He is an editor and author of countless works and is currently serving as the professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. It is therefore fitting that Moo uses prolific status as a New Testament commentator to tackle a revised edition of his commentary on the Book of James in IVP’s Commentary series, Tyndale New Testament commentaries. Moo is also known to have written a commentary in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series on the book of James, yet that work is more academic in nature. That is not to say that the TNTC series does not strive for academic excellence, rather it’s focus is on practical application, and its audience is aimed towards someone who does not necessarily have a high level of thelogical education.

While looking at the commentary itself, Moo begins with a excellent introduction, holding fast to James, the bother of Jesus, as the author of the book which bears his name. Furthermore he details the circumstances as well as the nature of the letter as well as formulating one of the best outline on book of James I have seen to date. In regard to the textual commentary, Moo focuses on the modern reader, yet never under estimating the importance of the original context. Furthermore he gives great focus to a Biblical Theological study of this New Testament epistle.

In regard to the tone as well as the practical application of this work, Moo writes with a deeply convicting pastoral nature. Moo uses his position as a professor and his pastoral hear in every paragraph of this work. You can see his desire for academic excellence paired with his desire for anyone who reads the Book of James to grow in their face and have their faith demonstrated by their works. Lastly Moo gives a plethora of practical application which a pastor, Bible Study leader, or Layman, can you use in their teaching as well as personal study. I highly recommend this commentary to any and all of the app for mentioned people, for this work there’s many future readings.

This book was provided to me free of charge from IVP Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good and concise commentary on James. Being a part of the TNTC series, there is not enough room for too much detail. Good for preparing for a sermon or leading a Bible study.

[Noah Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Moo offers an academic-leaning look into the book of James without it being a monotonous drudgery through technical jargon. He addressed linguistical, doctrinal, and historical issues in the book of James in a very readable writing style. This is an excellent introductory commentary on this epistle. I think it's a worthwhile read for both the pastor preaching through James and the Christian who would like to have a better understanding of the book. It's short enough for reading through, as I did, and it's detailed enough for studying later on. I'll reference this in my study through James.

If I could offer a single critique, I wasn't a fan of how often he referenced the intertestamental books. This, however, is a slight gripe as he mainly referenced those for historical purposes rather than them being authoritative on the text. Otherwise, this was a thoughtful, Biblical exploration into this incredibly practical book of the Bible.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Moo is a fine writer who is both pastoral and informative in this volume. The introduction is strongly pro-Janes the brother of Jesus as the author and does a good job of explaining why while interacting with other view points.
The commentary has depth without going deep into academic jargon. The book has both a moderate academic feel and practical teaching on one of the most practical books in the Bible. I appreciated that the writer didn't shy away from controversies such as the question of grace versus works as James and Paul sometimes seem to be at odds with each other. The author feels that Paul is referring to works before salvation while James is demanding fruit after salvation. I'm not fully convinced, but it is a good argument and may well be correct.
One of the New Testament commentaries in this series that is worth buying on its own.

[JR Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Striking a good balance between being overly devotional without interacting with the text, and being lost in controversies among scholarship. Tyndale Commentaries seem to be a good commentary set for someone like myself–somewhat trained in theology, who teaches Bible, but not of the level of a pastor/professor, who would need something more substantial.

[Benjamin Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't ask for better content without making a commentary 25- 50% longer. Moo works through multiple exegetical questions, does in-depth word studies, works through multiple possibilities of interpretation and translation, yet keeps it under 200 pages. This is a perfect commentary for a pastor, and a good commentary for a Bible school or seminary student.

[GreatHeart Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A high level faith-filled commentary

Great for pastors, lay leaders, and those looking to dive deep into the biblical text. This is a wonderful commentary by a top notch scholar. I highly recommend.

[Steve Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful and readable commentary.

[David West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moo is very helpful regarding the distinction between Paul & James and the way each uses "justified". He was also helpful in his explanation about calling the elders to pray for and anoint the sick.

[Oliver Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read through James slowly during this quarantine and used this as a companion. Nothing particularly outstanding but a helpful reference that doesn't get lost in the weeds.

[Nick Roark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

[John Funnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect companion for the preacher working through the book of James. I expect nothing less from Moo!

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was incredibly helpful when preaching through James. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.

[Mark Roossinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this devotionally, verse by verse! Great insights from many different sources! I took lots of notes!!

[Nile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a very helpful commentary on the book of James. It does a lot for understanding the text itself and poses many different views that major commentators have held for each verse. The Greek text is given for many key words for each verse and the possible translations discussed along with the significance of the tense used. The background of knowledge is very good and there is a lot if reference to the culture of the day. There is a surprising amount of intertestamental (Apocryphal) literature. I guess this is good for the cultural understanding, but I was not expecting it.

Although it is not a very easy read and does not provide much in the way of application, this is a good study commentary if you are looking to do some work and understand the Biblical text.

[Zachary Hanje · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful commentary on James. Doug walks carefully through each verse of the epistle, lingering where needed to explain more difficult sections. I greatly appreciated his thoughts on James 2- faith and works- among others. There were brief times I wished Doug addressed issues he didn't, but one such commentary can't do all. Overall, thorough and accessible.

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it's been years since I used this commentary of James, I remember that it combined scholarly insight with readability. It was fun to use and helped me get a better idea of what James was saying and why, which in turn helped me to gain application ideas.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful evangelical commentary on James. Moo is clear, concise and makes good application of the text. His pre-millennial reading of the immanent coming of the Lord is problematic but also expected.

[Lisa Lewis Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful commentary, although it could be improved by adding the Scripture passages he's commenting on. For instance, he'll define a word found in a particular verse, but without the original text it's difficult to know which word in the text I'm reading corresponds to that word.

[Michael Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, elaborate, and well-stated. I enjoyed this commentary and I appreciate Moo’s theological perspective. The breakdown was logical and not too difficult to understand, however I prefer when commentarians provide the scripture that they’re discussing.

[Justin DeVantier]

A very good commentary. A whole new depth to the book of james is given and one is made more aware of the wisdom literature influence on this New Testament Epistle/Homily.

[Chris Comis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always appreciate Moo for his technical and pastoral approach to his commentaries. This is one of the better commentaries I've read on James.