The letter of St James was possibly the first of the books of the New Testament. It was addressed to Jewish Christians, that is to “the twelve tribes in the dispersion” (James 1:1). The authorship of the letter has been disputed. It begins with the words, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1). Therefore, many authorities attribute the work to James the Lesser, named “Brother of the Lord” and Bishop of Jerusalem. He is also identified as the son of Alphaeus and Mary (Matt. 27:56).
It was he who, as leader of the church, spoke at the Council of Jerusalem in response to Paul’s question about what was required of the gentiles (Acts 15:12-22). However, it is possible that somebody used his name to write the letter, as was the case with the gospels, which were almost certainly not written by the apostles whose names they bear. James was supposed to have been a zealous preacher and was stoned to death by an angry mob as he taught in the temple.
The content of his letter resembles wisdom literature, particularly the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament. In today’s reading James is reminding his readers that they must not distinguish between rich and poor. In other chapters he talks about works of charity where he claims that faith alone is not enough. Here he would differ from Luther, who dismissed the letter. James also was the only one who mentioned anointing the sick (James 5:14-15). This became the basis for the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
Another point of interest is that the letter, apart from the introduction, barely mentions Jesus. This would indicate that he was writing to people who had good knowledge of the life of the Saviour. Since the letter was probably written between AD 45 and 55 they may even have met him. St Paul, on the other hand, was preaching to people who knew little or nothing of Jesus Christ and therefore he mentioned him frequently, especially with in regard to his Crucifixion.
St James, apostle, bishop and martyr, pray for us.