The Scandalous Message of James E-Book

Elsa Tamez

• Herausgeber: WS
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 243

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2002

Beschreibung

Embedded in the New Testament is a five-chapter uprising known as the Epistle of James. This provocative, and often overlooked letter is the founding document of liberation theology—the theology that seeks to preserve Jesus' "preferential option for the poor." Now with a detailed study guide, this book can be used by Christians everywhere to study the radical message of James and reflect on what it means to be a true Christian.

Leseprobe

If a brother or sister is naked

and lacks daily food,

and one of you says to them,

“Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,”

and yet you do not supply their bodily needs,

what is the good of that?

So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But someone 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.

For just as the body without the spirit is dead,

so faith without works is also dead.

—James 2:15–18, 26,NRSV

This edition published by

The Crossroad Publishing Company

www.crossroadpublishing.com

Scripture quotations are from the Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd., and Doubleday & Company, Inc.

First presented at the Facultad Metodista de Teología, São Paulo, Brazil, for the Semana Teológica Wesleyana, May 1985.

First published as Santiago: Lectura latinoamericana de la epístola, by Editorial DEI, Apartado Postal 390-2070 Sabanilla, San José, Costa Rica.

Copyright © 1985 by Departamento Ecuménico de Investigaciones and Elsa Tamez. English translation © 1990 and 2002 by The Crossroad Publishing Company.

First published in English in 1990 by The Crossroad Publishing Company and translated by John Eagleson.

Study Guide copyright © 2002 by the Women’s Division, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company.

Printed in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tamez, Elsa.

[Santiago. English]

The scandalous message of James : faith without works is dead / Elsa Tamez ; [translated by John Eagleson] ; study guide by Pamela Sparr. – Rev. ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes.

ISBN 978-0-8245-1941-4

1. Bible. N.T. James – Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Christianity and justice – Biblical teaching. 3. Latin America – Church history – 20th century. I. Title.

BS2785.6.J8 T3513 2002

227′.9106 – dc21

2002000607

To Lucila and Carlos,

my parents

Contents

Foreword to the Revised Edition by Mortimer Arias

1.The Intercepted Letter

Attempts at “Interception” throughout History

General Characteristics of the Letter

A Proposal for a Latin American Reading of the Letter

The Angle of Oppression-Suffering • The Angle of Hope • The Angle of Praxis

2.The Angle of Oppression

The Oppressed

The Oppressors: Characteristics and Mechanisms

Rich Persons in the Christian Community?

3.The Angle of Hope

The Greeting

The Joy That Arises from Praxis

Anticipated Eschatological Joy

The Identification of God with the Poor

Judgment, the Hope of the Poor

4.The Angle of Praxis

Militant Patience

Integrity

Integrity, Fruit of Painful Experience • Integrity vs. Duplicity • God, the Model of Integrity • Faith and Practice, the Core of Integrity • Integrity and Personal Honesty

Genuine Prayer

5.An Open Letter to the Christian Communities

The Picture and Its Angles

The Epistle from the Underside

The Crisis Caused by James

Appendix: John Wesley and the Letter of James: The Challenge of Christian Perfection

Notes

Bibliography

Study GuideThe Scandalous Message of Jamesby Pamela Sparr

Introduction

Opportunities This Study Presents

Challenges to Leading This Study

Preparing to Lead

Room Preparation

Room Fundamentals • Arrangement of Chairs • Room Decoration

A Word about This Study Guide

Basic Assumptions • Use of Themes • Worship • Ground Rules for Class Participation

Sample Discussion Questions for the Letter of James and The Scandalous Message of James

For the Letter of James • For The Scandalous Message of James

Session 1: Introducing the Study of James

Goals for the Session

Readings Done in Advance by Participants

Opening Worship

Scripture • Hymn • Prayer

Primary Activities

1. Survey of the Text and Pantomime

2. Mock Debate/Hypothetical Conversations

3. Time Travel Role Play

4. Small Group Discussions

5. Bible Search: Making Connections

Suggested Assignments for Special Reports and Activities

Faith in Action Research Groups • Create a Personal Timeline

Suggested Assignments

Closing Worship

Prayer

Session 2: Exploring the Nature of Oppression in the Letter’s and Our Times

Goals for the Session

Opening Worship

Scripture • Meditation: Rich Woman, Poor Woman • Silent Meditation/Reflection • Hymn

Primary Activities

1. The “Good Times Café”

2. Group Exercise: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

3. Sculpting Oppression

4. Timeline

5. Newspapers—Rewriting James

Suggested Assignments

Closing Meditation

“Farm Worker Prayer”/“Oración del Campesino” by Cesar Chavez (1927–93)

Session 3: Exploring the Meaning of Hope for the Writer of James and Ourselves

Goals for the Session

Opening Worship

Scripture • Traditional Prayer in a Different Voice • A Short Visual Meditation/Prayer • Hymn

Primary Activities

1. Billboards/Ad Campaigns

2. Video

3. Bible Search

4. Guest Speakers or Site Visit

5. Meditative Drawing

Suggested Assignments

Closing Hymn

Session 4: Exploring How We Put Faith into Action—the Concept of Praxis

Goals for the Session

Opening Worship

Scripture • Hymn

Primary Activities

1. Silence Experiment

2. Research Group Reports

3. The Power of Prayer and Perseverance

4. Drama: The Service of the Poor and Stages of Spiritual Growth

5. The Praxis Spiral

Closing Worship

Prayer of Invocation • Hymn • Personal Testimonies • Hymn • Benediction

Appendix A: Sample Exegetical Exercises

Appendix B: Questions for a Personal Timeline

Step #1: Your Economic History

Step #2: Your Faith Journey

Step #3: Your History of Social Concern and Action

Appendix C: Resources: Where to Go for More Information

For More Theological Help

Faith-Based Justice Web Sites

Organizations Addressing Themes Related to the James Study

Living Wage Campaigns • Welfare Reauthorization and Anti-Poverty Campaigns • Farmworkers Movement • Zapatista Movement • Jubilee Movement • Free Trade/Fair Trade

Glossary

Additional Resources

Printed Resources Available from The United Methodist Church and the General Board of Global Ministries

Brochures • Poster • Music

On-Line Resources

Index of Scriptural References

Index of Authors

Foreword to the Revised Edition

The world-renowned Latin American theologian Dr. Elsa Tamez, who is currently professor of biblical studies at the Latin American Biblical University in Costa Rica, has a prolific record of creative works in theology, particularly in the area of contemporary biblical interpretation. Among them is the first English edition of this book in 1990, which brought to the fore her unique gifts of “exegetical sensitivity and analytical sharpness,” as well as her literary talents.

This new volume is again a serious exegetical work: it allows the biblical text to speak for itself, and the original context to take shape through the text. This is done by means of some clarifying devices, such as looking at the text from various angles and perspectives; finding a thread or weaving together passages and concepts; and letting the words shine forth in all their facets in pure Jamesian style: “Listen!” “Behold!”

Many things have changed since 1990. We still live in a world of oppression, growing poverty, warfare, and terrorism—even more so now. The global market, with its contrasting and threatening effects on peoples and life on the planet, is the name of the game. We have entered, indeed sunk, into the postmodern world, a fragmented one in which rationality, the meaning of life, the purpose of human history, and hope in the future are far from clear.

Certainly we live in a world of “trials and temptations” as reflected in the Letter of James (1:2, 12ff.), which was addressed to Christians “in the *Dispersion”a during the last quarter of the first century. Maybe we are not that far from feeling like “a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (1:6), tempted by the “New Age” and other “spiritualities” finally to fall in desperate seeking into the meanders of magic and individualistic mysticism.

So, is there a message—“a word of encouragement and advice” (p. 1)—for us twenty-first-century Christians in the global village from this “open letter” to Christians everywhere? The answer depends on us, the readers and addressees, to receive and read the text with “wisdom from God” (1:5)—if we seek it.

Today, this letter will probably not be intercepted by some authoritarian government, but in our world of misinformation, it might well be dismissed as nonrecyclable material amid the massive cloud of “information” from the media. Still, we can choose to enter into the stimulating and challenging experience of reading and interpreting this biblical text from our own situation with the promise and, yes, the risk of discovery and illumination—even, we may hope, conversion.

Elsa Tamez is an outstanding representative of both Latin American and Mujerista, or feminist, theologies. Little wonder that her many books and articles are in permanent demand from many quarters. Well-deserved was the Hans-Sigrist Prize awarded her in 2000 from the University of Berne, Switzerland, for her outstanding contribution as a biblical scholar, theologian, and university rector.

MORTIMER ARIASBishop Emeritus, Methodist Church

September 2001

a. Words preceded by an asterisk are defined in the Glossary beginning on p. 163.

– One –

The Intercepted Letter

IF THE LETTER OF JAMES were sent to the Christian communities of certain countries that suffer from violence and exploitation, it would very possibly be intercepted by government security agencies. The document would be branded as subversive because of the paragraphs that vehemently denounce the exploitation by landowners (5:1–6) and the carefree life of the merchants (4:13–17). The passage that affirms that “pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world” (1:27) would be criticized as “*reductionism” of the gospel or as Marxist-Leninist infiltration in the churches. The communities to which the letter was addressed would become very suspicious to the authorities. For postmodern persons of the early twenty-first century, the letter would present an *anachronistic discourse because it does not take into account the complexities of life.

But I am speaking of a very ancient letter written by a man named James to the first Christian churches. We are dealing with a servant of Jesus Christ concerned with the poor and oppressed people of his times, people who were undergoing unbearable suffering and were in need of strength and hope. James offered them a word of encouragement and advice.

Attempts at “Interception” throughout History

Reading the history of this document (similar to that of other documents, although this has been more consistently disparaged than many), we realize that there is something in the letter that has made church authorities regard it with suspicion. Although the letter was probably written at the end of the first century or the beginning of the second, it was not finally accepted as part of the *canon until the end of the fourth century, and in some churches it continued to be questioned in subsequent centuries.1

Challenges to the letter did not end after the formation of the canon. At the beginning of the sixteenth century (1516) *Erasmus, in his Annotationes to the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament, again mentions the problems surrounding the canonical recognition of the letter. Referring to the language and style of the letter, he added his own doubts regarding its *apostolic authorship.

A few years after Erasmus, the letter suffered the most ferocious attacks at the hands of Martin *Luther. Who doesn’t recall the famous phrase “the epistle of straw” on hearing the name of James? Unfortunately, at the popular level the best-known commentaries on James are those of Luther.

Luther could not accept the Letter of James, nor could he accept Hebrews, Jude, or Revelation. But it was the Letter of James that he most disdained. For him the letter was not faithful to the gospel of Christ, namely, according to Luther, the doctrine of salvation by faith. In his preface to the first edition of the New Testament, he asserts:

St. John’s Gospel and his first epistle, St. Paul’s epistles, especially Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, and St. Peter’s first epistle are the books that show you Christ and teach you all that is necessary and salvatory for you to know, even if you were never to see or hear any other book or doctrine. Therefore St. James’ epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.2

Luther placed the books of James, Hebrews, Jude, and Revelation at the end of his German translation of the New Testament, but he assigned them no numbers in his table of contents. The modern edition of Luther’s translation of the German Bible still puts these books at the end of the New Testament—but they are included in the table of contents. The disdain for the letter continued. So, for example, according to Donald Guthrie, nineteenth-century *biblical criticism considered the letter to be a product of a brand of Christianity inferior to Pauline theology.3

We wonder why there were so many “buts” involved before the letter was recognized as a part of the gospel message. The reasons are various and of very different nature. Apostolic authorship was one of the most important criteria used by the early church to determine a document’s inclusion in the canon. The letters of Paul and the Gospels were quickly included. Because of uncertain authorship, others took longer. The Letter of James was a candidate from the beginning, but it was often questioned whether the author was James the brother of the Lord.

Why did the letter come to be known so late? Some believe that originally the letter did not carry the name of James, and so it was considered unimportant; but there is no basis for such an affirmation. Martin Dibelius, the well-known biblical scholar, believed that the lack of mention has to do with the *paraenetic character of the letter. He says that a document of moral exhortations is relevant at a certain time and for certain circumstances, and later such exhortations became obsolete. But when James was recognized as the brother of the Lord, the document was reevaluated.4

As we read the central message of James, though, we wonder when a document that defends the oppressed from injustice becomes irrelevant. For there have always been oppressed people.

Another of the objections to the letter is that there is little mention of Jesus, or little *Christology. But is it not James who makes most mention of the sayings of Jesus? The Sermon on the Mount appears almost in its entirety in the letter.5 Why should we give importance to what is said about Jesus and not to what Jesus said?

In Luther’s case it is clear that the Letter of James did not fit into his doctrine of justification by faith alone. Using the very words of Paul, although with a different meaning as we shall see, James asserts that faith without works is dead and that a person is justified by works and not only by faith (2:24). We should not level anachronistic criticisms at Luther, nor assert that he totally rejected the letter. Luther recognizes that it was written by a pious man (according to him, the son of Zebedee). He accepts its position on the law of God, but he does not give it *apostolic authority. As he says: “I will not have it in my Bible in the number of the proper chief books but do not intend thereby to forbid anyone to place and exalt it as he pleases, for there is many a good saying in it.”6 Nevertheless, we have to recognize that his comments have been in large part responsible for the secondary position of the letter today.

This is a letter that is important for us to recover and reread today. Notwithstanding all its difficulties, the letter was not “intercepted.” It has survived, thanks to its defenders throughout Christian history and to the Holy Spirit. Today nobody doubts its authenticity as part of our canon.

Still, although it might seem strange, we can say that the attempts at unconscious “interception” still continue. For example:

a. There is a surprising dearth of literature on the letter in Spanish and in other languages. This is probably due to the privileged place given to abstract thought in our Western societies. The reasonableness of faith is valued more than the practice of faith; the latter is seen as separate from the former, or as a product of faith’s reasonableness. That is, ethics, behavior, deeds are considered of secondary importance by our *logocentric societies. Thus a letter like that of James, which focuses its attention on the daily practice of Christian life, is easily *marginalized, while the “theological” letters of Paul are highly esteemed. It is not unusual, moreover, that in many churches, at least the Protestant churches, Paul is read and quoted more than the Gospels, which speak of the life of Jesus. In other words, the letter is not attractive, in the eyes of the wise.

b. James’s radical critique of the rich has contributed to this “crafty theft” of the letter. I know of churches where the letter is skipped over in the liturgies because there are many rich members in the congregation, and it is very uncomfortable to speak against them when they are sitting in the front seats. Certain parts of James, especially chapter 5, are very concrete and thus very difficult to “spiritualize.”

c. Certain experts have also contributed to the “interception.” Dibelius, for example, compartmentalizes the letter when he asserts its paraenetic character, that is, he says that it is a series of moral exhortations presented with certain characteristics. He takes this literary style as his point of departure and then asserts that the sayings have no connection among themselves and that any *exegesis that attempts to unite them is artificial.7 In this way Dibelius ties the hands of the reader or *exegete who attempts to do a rereading of the letter.

Peter Davids, professor of biblical studies at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, says that we must go beyond Dibelius’s *form criticism to discover the *redactional level of the Letter of James.8 I would add that we must place ourselves at a certain distance from Dibelius in this regard to provide a reading meaningful for our situation today. Every saying or tradition that James uses has its own history, as Dibelius well demonstrates. But these sayings as used by James in relation to others clearly take on a new meaning, for they now form part of another text in another context.

Peter Davids handles the letter more freely and even tries to give it a structure and situate it historically. But in the end his assertions have little attraction for those involved with liberation concerns, for he says that it is not up to Christians to take the judgment of the rich oppressors into their own hands, but rather that God will do that at the end of time.9

These are just two examples among many others.

d. We must recognize that for those of us who want to read the text from the perspective of the poor, it will be difficult for us to accept passages like James 1:2, which says, “My brothers, you will always have your trials but, when they come, try to treat them as a happy privilege.” We may very well decide to read a different biblical text with a more obvious meaning for liberation. By doing this we too contribute to “intercepting” the Letter of James, which we so much need to recover today in Latin America.

General Characteristics of the Letter

With regard to the date, the authorship, and the geographical origin of the letter, there is no consensus among the experts. For instance, two commentaries differ markedly. Sophie Laws (1980), professor in New Testament at King’s College, University of London, asserts that the author is someone who took the name of James as a *pseudonym, a common practice in Jewish and Greco-Roman literature.10 Laws situates the letter in Rome due to its similarity to other literature like 1 Peter, Clement of Rome, and *Hermas.11 Laws dates the letter between 70 and 130 C.E.

Peter Davids (1982) believes that the author was James, the brother of the Lord, and that perhaps later someone else edited the letter.12 For Davids, the letter has its origin in Palestine. He attempts to establish its *Sitz im Leben, which many others do not attempt. He bases his argument on the mention of farmers and merchants in the letter. He analyzes the groups that existed in Palestine before the fall of Jerusalem (45–65) and after (75–85) to help determine the period during which the letter was edited.13

Others with the name of James have been proposed as the author: James, the son of *Alpheus, and James, the son of Zebedee. These are no longer accepted by the majority of scholars.

Egypt and Syria have been suggested as the place of origin of the letter. So, depending on the author and its origin, the dates for the letter range between 40 and 130; quite a span, indeed.

The matter is quite complex and has been long debated, for the letter has very special characteristics that lend credence to a number of theories. To insist that these characteristics are a reflection of its paraenetic character does not resolve the problem.

What we can say with certainty is that the author was Jewish;14 he knows the Hebrew Scriptures thoroughly, and, keeping in mind the *rabbinic tradition, we note *Semitic expressions in his Greek. He was a Christian; he uses many of the sayings of Jesus and speaks of the practices of the early church (5:13–18). And finally, the author betrays significant *Hellenic influence, which is seen not only in some of his commentaries, but also and especially in his manner of writing Greek as his mother tongue. According to some, the best Greek in the New Testament is found in the letter; James uses sixty-three words (*hapax legomena) that appear nowhere else in the New Testament.15

Because of the controversial nature of the letter and the uncertainty with regard to author, date, and place of origin, we will leave this debate and turn to the text itself, in the light of our own context. For us the author is a man named James, who calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. He could embody all the Jameses we know, the son of the carpenter, brother of the Lord, and great leader of the church of Jerusalem. He could also be the son of the fisherman, or a teacher (3:1), or any other. He is a person concerned about the well-being of the oppressed Christian communities and about the poor in general. What matters is not so much the true identity of this man, but rather his message for us today. When did he write the letter? At a time when there was suffering and oppression. Where did he write it? Any place in the world where the Christian communities needed it. This is one of the so-called universal, or catholic, epistles.

A Proposal for a Latin American Reading of the Letter

We are going to try to recover for our people this letter abandoned and disdained by so many. It is not easy to penetrate it. Its style is very different from letters we read today. A first reading leaves us disconcerted. When we finish, many themes come to mind, apparently unconnected, some repeated. Because of its style, it is difficult to grasp the structure of the letter (paraenetic, with frequent *diatribe).16 The scholars do not agree about the structure. Many simply analyze the different themes separately, or chapter by chapter.17 We choose to perceive a framework, a scene, a picture.

The first reading of the letter is like the first approach of a photographer to the subject: much is perceived and little is perceived; there is no clarity; the image is out of focus. So at the end of our first reading we can make a long list of themes and important terms, but we’re not sure what we’re dealing with, what is the principal theme, and other like matters that we easily recognize when we read other writings of the New Testament. Following the order of the letter, the list will be more or less the following:

Chapter 1

greetings

joy, testing, tested faith

patience, suffering, *perfect works, integrity

prayer, wisdom

vacillation, lack of constancy

the exalted poor, the humiliated rich

happiness, resistance, testing, crown of life

God does not tempt, *concupiscence, sin, death

good gift from on high

God—Word of truth—life

quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger

anger does not serve the justice of God

undo the evil and accept the planted word

do the word, not only hear it

perfect law of freedom

tongue, control, deception

vain religion, pure religion (to visit the orphans and widows and keep oneself uncontaminated by the world)

Chapter 2

no favoritism

rich-poor, God chooses the poor

the rich oppress, they drag the poor before tribunals and blaspheme the name (of the Lord)

the royal law according to the Scriptures (to love our neighbor as ourselves)

speak and work according to the law of liberty

judgment, mercy

faith and works together

justification by works and not by faith alone

faith without works is dead

Chapter 3

do not make yourselves teachers, judgment

to sin by speaking, the tongue (examples)

wisdom, good conduct

false wisdom, true wisdom

the fruits of justice are sown in peace for those who assure peace

Chapter 4

war, contentiousness, greed, wastefulness

prayer

friendship with God

submit to God, resist the devil

purify yourself

do not speak evil of others

judgment

the arrogance of the merchants, sin

Chapter 5

weep, you rich; rotten wealth

accumulation of wealth, salaries of the workers who cry out

God hears the cries of the laborers

the just do not resist

patience, the coming of the Lord (example)

do not lose heart

do not complain about each other

suffering (of the prophets), Job

blessing, patience, compassionate and merciful Lord

no swearing (simply say yes or no)

prayer (examples)

confess to each other, the power of fervent prayer

convert the one who strays from the truth

We might note that many of the ideas are to be found in the first chapter. Nearly the entire content of the letter appears there, so it strikes us as quite dense, difficult, and even incoherent. It is presented in units that seem to be disconnected. It would seem that the only link between the units is the catchword, the final word of one saying that is repeated in the following, for example, chairein with charan (to greet–joy), leipomenoi with leipetai (lacking–lack).

In chapters 2 through 4 we see an elaboration of the themes announced in the first chapter and one or another new theme (for example, the call to conversion in 4:7–10). At the end of the letter we note that the main themes of the first chapter are taken up again: judgment against the rich, patience, prayer, suffering, consistency between words and deeds.

The framework is still not clear. We must focus more sharply, that is, read the letter again, several times. When we see the letter more clearly, we can look at it from three angles, each distinct but complementary.

The Angle of Oppression-Suffering

There is a community of believers (adelphoi mou) that suffers. There is a group of rich people who oppress them and drag them before the tribunals. There are peasants who are exploited, Christian and non-Christian, by the rich farmers who accumulate wealth at the expense of the workers’ salaries. There is a class of merchants who lead a carefree life, with no concern for the poor.

The Angle of Hope

This community of believers needs a word of hope, of encouragement, of reassurance concerning the end of the injustice. James gives it to them from the very beginning of his letter. We see hope in his greeting, his insistence on declaring the community happy, *makarios, in his words about God’s preference for the poor, God’s judgment against the oppressors, the anticipated end of the oppression, and the coming of the Lord.

The Angle of *Praxis

The content of the letter is concentrated in this angle. For James the denunciation of the present situation and the announcement of hope are not sufficient. Something more is needed: praxis. He asks of these Christians a praxis in which they show a militant patience, a consistency between words, belief, and deeds, a prayer with power, an effective wisdom and an unconditional, sincere love among the members of the community.

This is the picture that I see with the eyes of an “oppressed and believing” people. This is the focus I will give to the letter.

– Two –

The Angle of Oppression

JAMES PRESENTS US