Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: James

Abingdon New Testament Commentaries

by C. Freeman Sleeper

Sleeper's lucid exposition of James restores this often neglected work to its rightful place in the Christian canon. Carefully charting the verbal structures and argument of the letter, he demonstrates that it is a coherent piece of moral teaching intended to encourage the development of Christian character, not just a collection of disparate maxims. As he guides the reader through the letter's basic themes, Sleeper is attentive to its echoes in the Old Testament, Hellenistic Jewish wisdom literature, and sayings of Jesus, as well as to its affinities with other Christian writings. Moreover, he shows that the author's understanding of God and of human nature provides a significant theological foundation for practical wisdom about the Christian moral life.

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kristen Stieffel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been meaning to study James in depth ever since a pastor told me it was the Bible's only "how-to" book. Sleeper's commentary was a helpful aid in that endeavor. Sleeper strikes a good balance between thorough scholasticism and accessibility. Nothing is dumbed down, and the textual dilemmas are talked through.

Sleeper does not shy away from pointing out the epistle's shortcomings, such as the fact that its Christology is not fully developed. Sleeper identifies this as one of the reasons for Martin Luther's derision of James.

Sleeper breaks the book down into thematic units. For each unit he first provides a lexical analysis, pointing out where the Greek words have similar roots or alliteration or assonance, which don't appear in translation. He indicates which words in James's vocabulary are rare or unique in the New Testament. Sleeper sometimes compares various translations, though mainly he sticks to the NRSV and the NIV.

That's followed by exegetical analysis. He points out parallels between James, the gospels, other epistles, and some extra-biblical wisdom literature. He also offers insight into the cultural setting in which the letter was written.

James can seem like a collection of unrelated bits of advice: do this, don't do that. But Sleeper shows that even though the epistle seems like "a lot of loose beads strung together," its writer "strung them in this particular pattern rather than a different one." Sleeper's greatest help to the student is in pointing out the patterns.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly introduction to the New Testament book of James ... although it is very conscious of the Greek text and cites it frequently, it is eminently suitable for introducing the book to the layman ... insightful and short ...