ethical (Christian behavior) Jude and Peter — eschatological (doctrine of last events) Epistles of John — Christological and ethical It is interesting to observe that James, the rst author of the New Testament, and John, the last author, both write with a note of authority, emphasizing conduct acceptable to God G STYLE The book of James is a letter, as its salutation indicates, but its style is more like that of a preacher’s sermon, or an Old Testament prophet’s appeal James writes in simple, straightforward sentences Like Old Testament writings and Jesus’ discourses, there are no abstractions, and picture language abounds Most of the sixty-three Greek words unique to James’s letter are picture words, such as poison, fade The epistle bristles with strong, pointed truths, from the rst word to the last Hayes says of James, “He has the dramatic instinct He has the secret of sustained interest … He is an artist.”13 H TONE A tone of authority pervades the epistle (There are fty-four imperatives in the one hundred eight verses.) For this, James has been called ‘The Amos of the New Testament.” But James’s forth-rightness and severity are blended with warmth and love, evidenced by the repeated words “brethren” and “beloved brethren.” Read 1:5, 17; 2:5; 4:6 and 5:11, 19, 20 for some of the more tender sentences of the epistle I PLACE IN THE CANON Questions over authorship and doctrine delayed general recognition of this book’s divine inspiration, but by the end of the fourth century the epistle of James was firmly fixed in the canon of Holy Scripture III SURVEY As you make your own survey of James, keep from getting involved in details, which is the task of analysis Look especially for main emphases and broad movements A FIRST READING Scan the book in one sitting, reading aloud if possible You may choose to this rst in a modern paraphrase and then in the version of your study What are your rst impressions of the book? What things stand out? Do you sense a tone or atmosphere in the writing? Do any key words and phrases draw attention to themselves? B SUBSEQUENT READINGS Scan the book again, underlining every appearance of the address “my brethren” (or related phrases) How often is this repeated? Is there any pattern concerning where the phrase appears? What does this brief study tell you about the epistle? Compare the opening verses (e.g., 1:14) with the closing verses (e.g., 5:19-20) With a pencil, mark paragraph divisions in your Bible at these places: 1:1, 2, 5, 9, 13, ... some of the more tender sentences of the epistle I PLACE IN THE CANON Questions over authorship and doctrine delayed general recognition of this book’s divine inspiration, but by the end of the. .. century the epistle of James was firmly fixed in the canon of Holy Scripture III SURVEY As you make your own survey of James, keep from getting involved in details, which is the task of analysis... James, “He has the dramatic instinct He has the secret of sustained interest … He is an artist.”13 H TONE A tone of authority pervades the epistle (There are fty-four imperatives in the one hundred