CAF Bible Study - James

[Fidelis]

He is called “James the Just” – a title that was usually given to ultra-Pharasees (implying rigid adherence to the Law.)

An alternate explanation has been that James was called “the Just” because of his ascetic practices, which involved taking Nazarite vows. He was also known as “Camel Knees” because he was known for his constant prayer.

The name “the Just” also helps distinguish him from other important figures in early Christianty, such as James, son of Zebedee.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

Thank you. That is an interesting site, and I will do some more comparisons. I do wish it had more Catholic translations.

Katy:

I think that has to do with the USCCB.

Try this - It has some pretty good search tools:
hti.umich.edu/r/rsv/
but you’ll need to have an RSV-CE handy so you can see the changes from the RSV to the -CE.

There aren’t many, but they do have an impact.

And, this link includes 4 translations (the WEB isn’t complete) that include the “Deuterocanon” (All of the books in the original Canon of the O.T and not just those included in the truncated Jamnia/Protestant Canon):
unbound.biola.edu/

It’s not much, but it’ll have to do.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[lak611]

Katy:

I think that has to do with the USCCB.

Try this - It has some pretty good search tools:
hti.umich.edu/r/rsv/
but you’ll need to have an RSV-CE handy so you can see the changes from the RSV to the -CE.

There aren’t many, but they do have an impact.

And, this link includes 4 translations (the WEB isn’t complete) that include the “Deuterocanon” (All of the books in the original Canon of the O.T and not just those included in the truncated Jamnia/Protestant Canon):
unbound.biola.edu/

It’s not much, but it’ll have to do.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

Michael, those are some great links. Thank you.

 

[vern_humphrey]

An alternate explanation has been that James was called “the Just” because of his ascetic practices, which involved taking Nazarite vows. He was also known as “Camel Knees” because he was known for his constant prayer.

The name “the Just” also helps distinguish him from other important figures in early Christianty, such as James, son of Zebedee.

But note that he was Bishop of Jerusalem – which is an odd job for an ascetic, since asceticism usually involves physical separation from civilization (as in John the Baptist.) The James presented in the New Testament as “the Just” is far more like a Pharasee than any other Jewish sect.

And once again, his prominence in the Council of Jerusalem tells us the Pharasitical party would accept his judgement.

 

[MTD]

10: For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
11: For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” said also, “Do not kill.” If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Though it may not be exactly related to the above quote, I am reminded of this passage:

Matt. 5:17-20:
Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

14: What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?
…]
19: You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.

Matt. 21-27:
Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock.

And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof.

Wow. Isn’t that simply awesome?

From Matt. 25:31-46:
And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty …] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink …] Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? …] And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink …] Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
This is stunning, to say the least. And I can’t understand how anyone can think they can be saved by faith alone when the Lord Himself tells us that we will be judged according to our works of mercy!

21: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
22: You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,

Although James gives a charitable work as an example of an active faith, I think he cites Abraham because he is also talking about obedience to God as being the fulfillment of faith.

If Abraham had not obeyed God’s command to sacrifice Isaac, he could not be said to have had true faith in God. If he would have just said, “Yes, I believe You will fulfill Your promise even if I sacrifice Isaac at Your command” but did not obey God’s command to sacrifice Isaac, he would have been a liar. He would have been paying God mere lip-service. Truly, of those who say they have faith in God but do not express it in works can be said: “This people honoureth me with their lips: but their heart is far from me.” (Matt. 15:8; Isaiah 29:13)

Maria

 

[Church_Militant]

Thank you. That is an interesting site, and I will do some more comparisons. I do wish it had more Catholic translations.

Don’t expect much out of that…it’s a non-Catholic site and as such almost grudgingly includes the Douay-Rheims Bible.
The only officially catholic translations that I’ve been able to find online are

Douay-Rheims Bible
RSV w/DCs
New American Bible (Or at the Vatican website)

These are about all I have been able to find. I use them near constantly.

 

[katy]

It is fortunate that I rather enjoy looking things up and researching.

 

[Fidelis]

But note that he was Bishop of Jerusalem – which is an odd job for an ascetic, since asceticism usually involves physical separation from civilization (as in John the Baptist.)

Not necessarily, since both the Nazrite Samson and the Apostle Paul, who temporarily took a Nazrite vow, were both quite active in the civilization of their time.

And once again, his prominence in the Council of Jerusalem tells us the Pharasitical party would accept his judgement.

Or simply because he was the Bishop of Jerusalem.

And don’t forget – at the Council of Jerusalem, it was Peter who pronounced the final decision. James, only after the judgement was made, framed the decision in terms acceptable to the pharasitacal elements in the early Church.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

Though it may not be exactly related to the above quote, I am reminded of this passage:

From Matt. 25:31-46:
And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty …] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink …] Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? …] And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink …] Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
This is stunning, to say the least. And I can’t understand how anyone can think they can be saved by faith alone when the Lord Himself tells us that we will be judged according to our works of mercy!

Maria

Maria:

Very well said.

I was waiting for someone to make the connection, because James certainly would have heard this, and he would have read the scriptures that called for the Israelites to feed the poor and to provide for those in need. And, He would have read the scriptures that said that one of the reasons God had allowed Judea and Samaria to be overthrown was that His people had disregarded these calls.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[Traditional_Ang]

But note that he was Bishop of Jerusalem – which is an odd job for an ascetic, since asceticism usually involves physical separation from civilization (as in John the Baptist.) The James presented in the New Testament as “the Just” is far more like a Pharasee than any other Jewish sect.

And once again, his prominence in the Council of Jerusalem tells us the Pharasitical party would accept his judgement.

Vern Humphrey:

It has long been a tradition in the Eastern Orthodox (and Eastern Catholic Churches) for the Bishops to be Monastics and/or ascetics.

In the Case of James “the Just”, Jerome stated that he had taken a Nazerite Vow and had entered the Holy of Holies in the Holy Temple (had been the High Priest):

answers.com/topic/james-the-just

As a Pharisee, Nazerite and someone who had served as the High Priest, James “the Just” would have carried inordinate weight among the Judaizers.

As a Bishop, James “the Just” would have been a perfect choice for a community of Jewish Christians.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[Efrain]

I found some great sites about our beloved St. James and his Epistle.

newadvent.org/cathen/08275b.htm
This site is a general view.

catholicism.org/epistle-of-straw.html
An excellent piece of apologetics.

agapebiblestudy.com/James/James%20Lesson%20List.htm
And a very detailed overview.
Hope you enjoy!

 

[Church_Militant]

Let’s not get into debate guys…especially since we are unsure of exactly what all St. James was into, are we?

I’d really prefer that we continue of our pursuit of the passages from James.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Vern Humphrey:

It has long been a tradition in the Eastern Orthodox (and Eastern Catholic Churches) for the Bishops to be Monastics and/or ascetics.

In the Case of James “the Just”, Jerome stated that he had taken a Nazerite Vow and had entered the Holy of Holies in the Holy Temple (had been the High Priest):

answers.com/topic/james-the-just

As a Pharisee, Nazerite and someone who had served as the High Priest, James “the Just” would have carried inordinate weight among the Judaizers.

As a Bishop, James “the Just” would have been a perfect choice for a community of Jewish Christians.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

That is correct – clearly the Pharasitical sect of the Church looked to him as a leader.

 

[Church_Militant]

14: What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?
15: If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food,
16: and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
17: So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
18: But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
19: You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.
20: Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?
21: Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
22: You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,
23: and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.
24: You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25: And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26: For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

I think this passage really gets into the meat of Christianity because James makes no bones about the fact that unless we live out the love and compassion that Christ has called us to (and shown us from God Himself), then all the talk is just… talk.

St. Paul says this also in 1st Corinthians 13. In the end, it is useless to say that we love…or to make professions of faith, without actually changing the way that we function as human beings. It’s not just a change in actions (…though it entails that) and it’s not just a profession of faith, (though it also entails that), it’s actually a miraculous change in us as a work of God’s grace as we say yes to His holy will. As Galatians 5:6 says “6: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.” That verse also brings out the point that it is not just profession and action that have merit before God, but our faith (profession) working (works) through love, (The motivation that God is seeking to cultivate in each and all of us!)

Does that make any sense?

 

[vern_humphrey]

I think this passage really gets into the meat of Christianity because James makes no bones about the fact that unless we live out the love and compassion that Christ has called us to (and shown us from God Himself), then all the talk is just… talk.

St. Paul says this also in 1st Corinthians 13. In the end, it is useless to say that we love…or to make professions of faith, without actually changing the way that we function as human beings. It’s not just a change in actions (…though it entails that) and it’s not just a profession of faith, (though it also entails that), it’s actually a miraculous change in us as a work of God’s grace as we say yes to His holy will. As Galatians 5:6 says “6: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.” That verse also brings out the point that it is not just profession and action that have merit before God, but our faith (profession) working (works) through love, (The motivation that God is seeking to cultivate in each and all of us!)

Does that make any sense?

I think you’re bang on there – as I said, I think that is the theme of this book – that faith and works go hand-in-hand, and that the Pharasitical approach to “works” is sterile.

 

[Cross-checking]

19: You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.

I need some help here. In a discussion with a Protestant, I referred to this verse (among others) when trying to show that we need both faith and works. It was challenged back to me that this verse was not relevant because belief (especially by demons) is completely different from faith (and that helped lead to a Protestant explanation that James and Paul are talking about two different kinds of faith, of which I disagreed). I do understand that there is a difference between belief and faith but I need some assistance clarifying it. I also need a better understanding of what James was stressing here. To me he’s telling us that even if we have faith but don’t do anything about it, no good works, we are no better than demons. Am I off base here or is there more to it that I’m missing? To me it seems simple, but I felt at a loss trying to explain it to a Protestant.

 

[Cross-checking]

26: For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

To me this one verse can some up, and screams, that faith and works must both be present. It also seems to strongly appose the Protestant theory that true faith will just produce good works. The body does not produce the spirit and visa versa the spirit does not produce the body. Just as faith does not produce good works and good works do not produce faith. The two can’t be separated, either one on its own is dead.

 

[Pug]

I think you’re bang on there – as I said, I think that is the theme of this book – that faith and works go hand-in-hand, and that the Pharasitical approach to “works” is sterile.

CM is on target, yes.

I am still thinking about your previous remarks about the one approach to works, the Pharisee one. For some reason it brings to mind:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

And that quote brings to mind this:

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

There is a certain hollow sound to the tithing in these quotes, perhaps like works done without love, rather than faith working through love.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I need some help here. In a discussion with a Protestant, I referred to this verse (among others) when trying to show that we need both faith and works. It was challenged back to me that this verse was not relevant because belief (especially by demons) is completely different from faith (and that helped lead to a Protestant explanation that James and Paul are talking about two different kinds of faith, of which I disagreed). I do understand that there is a difference between belief and faith but I need some assistance clarifying it. I also need a better understanding of what James was stressing here. To me he’s telling us that even if we have faith but don’t do anything about it, no good works, we are no better than demons. Am I off base here or is there more to it that I’m missing? To me it seems simple, but I felt at a loss trying to explain it to a Protestant.

And the trap said snap!

Read it again – what James is saying is, “You can believe – even demons believe. But you don’t have faith if you don’t have works.”

Ask you friend if he or she has belief like a demon, or faith like James and Paul.

 

[guanophore]

I need some help here. In a discussion with a Protestant, I referred to this verse (among others) when trying to show that we need both faith and works. It was challenged back to me that this verse was not relevant because belief (especially by demons) is completely different from faith (and that helped lead to a Protestant explanation that James and Paul are talking about two different kinds of faith, of which I disagreed). I do understand that there is a difference between belief and faith but I need some assistance clarifying it. I also need a better understanding of what James was stressing here. To me he’s telling us that even if we have faith but don’t do anything about it, no good works, we are no better than demons. Am I off base here or is there more to it that I’m missing? To me it seems simple, but I felt at a loss trying to explain it to a Protestant.

I never considered the topic of whether the faith of demons is the same kind of faith as believers. It is an interesting thought. However, I think what James is saying here, and what is affirmed in other places such as:

Eph 2:9-10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Is that an authentic faith expresses itself in the good works which God intended for us. I think it is not helpful to say “faith AND works” save, but more accurate maybe to say “faith working through love” is the faith that saves. It is that we are to:

Phil 2:12-13
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The works don’t save, in themselves, but are a reflection of an authentic faith.