The Book of James Introduction
Authorship A number of men in the New Testament bear the name “James”: James the apostle, the brother John and son of Zebedee. Yet this James was killed by Herod Agrippa I no later than 44 A.D. (Acts 12:2). Most consider his death happening so early in the history of the Church as to rule out that he could have been the author. James the son of Alphaeus who was also an apostle (Matthew 10:3). It appears that this James is not mentioned after Acts 1:13. In addition, the writer of this letter does not assert his apostleship, as did Peter (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 2:1) and Paul (Romans 1:4 and so on). It would appear that the writer of this letter was so well known and prominent that he could simply say, “James, a bondservant of God”, and Christians in the first century would immediately recognize the identity of the writer. “Only a very prominent person could use such a common name without further identification. To suggest some obscure James would not be convincing” 1
1 Faith that Works, Studies in the Epistle of James, Homer A. Kent Jr., p. 18
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