James is Wisdom Literature--With a Focus on Saving One's Physical Life Here On Earth
The word "wisdom" refers to a skill. Among the usages
found in Scripture, wisdom probably has three major fields
of meaning.
l In apocalyptic literature, "wisdom" is probably
best understood as"a skill at solving spiritual puzzles or
riddles,"as illustrated in Revelation 13:18, "Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number is Six hundred threescore and six".
l In classical Greek literature, wisdom("sophia") was
probably closer to"a skill at analytic thinking and
reasoning," such as logic or geometry exhibited by
Plato, Aristotle, and Archimedes. Paul uses the word
wisdom in this sense in 1 Corinthians1:21:
"For after that in the wisdom of God the world by
wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
l In Semitic "wisdom literature," the Hebrew word for
"wisdom" ("chokma") basically means "as kill at
living." For example, in Proverbs, the most significant source of wisdom literature in the Bible, we read:
"Discretion will preserve you, Understanding will keep you." (Proverbs 2:11).
Hebrew "wisdom literature" therefore, as a literary genre,
is concerned about the skillful navigation through the
complex maze of life. It is not directed to the question of
eternal life. In wisdom literature, therefore, the concepts of
"salvation" or "deliverance" are not directed to salvation
from eternal hell, but deliverance or salvation from earthly
trials, dangers, and circumstances. Open your Bible, and
hold the Book of Proverbs between the thumb and index
finger of your left hand. Then, randomly select a page with
your right hand index finger, and read it. You will almost
certainly find yourself reading:
l advice on how to live skillfully;
l a description of someone who does live skillfully,
and has a higher quality of life as a result; or
l someone who lives unskillfully, and as a wreck of
a life as a result.
It is by wisdom ("chokma" in Hebrew) that one successfully
navigates the pitfalls of this life and preserves or "saves"
their life.
If one were to ascribe a literary genre to the Epistle of
James, it would reasonably fall into the genre of wisdom
literature for a number of reasons:
Firstly, as seen in the previous chapter, the subject of
poverty, and salvation from the consequences of poverty, is a
central focus of James' epistle.
Secondly, the general concepts of trials, hardships, and
salvation from those hardships and trials are central concepts
of wisdom literature. For example:
James speaks of "trials," or "hardships" ("perosmoi")
seven times in the first 41 verses! This is a topic one finds in
wisdom literature.
Thirdly, within Scripture, the most common usages of the word "wisdom" are found in the following four books:
l Proverbs: Once out of every 297words,
l Colossians: Once out of every 347 words,
l 1 Corinthians: Once out of every 551 words,
l James: Once out of every 606words.
A review of Colossians and1stCorinthians, however,
reveals that the Greek word "sophia" is used largely in the
sense of classical Greek literature (a skill at reasoning or
analytic thinking), not the sense of Semitic of wisdom
literature. In Colossians and 1stCorinthians, Paul discusses
the limits of analytic thinking and human reasoning in
resolving spiritual truths. In contrast, the Epistle of James,
though written in Greek, uses the term "sophia" in the
same sense as Hebrew wisdom literature, that is, in a sense
of meaning equivalent to the Hebrew word "chokma" (a
skill at living).
Accordingly:
The Book of Proverbs is the only book in Scripture that uses the term "wisdom" in the traditional Hebrew sense more frequently than the Epistle of James.
In view of these facts, James is best understood and interpreted in the genera of wisdom literature. And wisdom literature is not directed at the question of eternal life, it is directed at how to skillfully navigate the challenges and
hardships of this life.
When James speaks of being "saved" by one's
works, he is not talking about being saved from hell. He is
talking about being saved from the consequences and
hardships of trials ("peirosmoi"),especially, though not
exclusively, the hardships and trials that poverty and
homelessness had visited on believers in Jerusalem who
had fled Jerusalem during the great persecution. Those
trials and hardships realistically included homelessness,
hunger and freezing to death.
SUMMARY:
The topics of
l poverty,
l trials,
l hardships, and
l the term "wisdom"
are central focus of the Epistle of James.
And if these are, indeed, the central themes of the
Epistle of James, then it is through this heuristic that the
well known "salvation by works" passage of James 2:14-26
should be interpreted.
Against these facts, it is extraordinary that some will
nevertheless insist that, in chapter 2:14-26, James suddenly
departs from the above listed topics to suddenly, out of
nowhere, discuss the doctrine of eternal salvation. Far less
that, in such a short passage devoid of any contextual
support, that James should set forth a doctrine that is taught
nowhere else in Scripture.
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Chapter 9: Wisdom Literature and the Epistle of James |
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