Discussion Thread: Identifying the "Backstory" of a General Epistle
Richert Manjarres
NBST515: New Testament Orientation I (B08)
September 24, 2023
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The subject writing of this discussion is The Epistle of James. While a relatively short
epistle consisting of five short chapters that weren’t received well in the past (Martin Luther
famously referred to it as an epistle of straw), it cannot be doubted that it has aged remarkedly
well and that it is more relevant today than ever before. Its five chapters really focus on the idea
the true Christian’s talk must go hand in hand with the Christian’s walk. In the author’s eyes,
that was the challenge the church was facing and what most concerned him. It wasn’t a popular
epistle, and still isn’t in some circles, as it seems upon superficial reading that James contradicts
the teachings of Paul who believed, and wrote, that we were saved by faith alone. The author
declares that we must be doers of the word and not just hearers. “But prove yourselves doers of
the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (New American Standard Bible:
1995 Update Jas 1:22). He further adds that “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself”.
(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Jas 2:17). Yet, he wasn’t contradicting Paul. Dr.
Robert Wayne Stacy, in his video, Hebrews and James, makes the point that perhaps James
