We incline to think that the Epistle of James is read less than any
other of the Epistles. This is a pity, because it deals with matters of
a very practical sort. There is in it hardly anything which could be
called the unfolding of Christian doctrine, but a great deal which
inculcates Christian practice. We might almost call it the Epistle of
works, of
everyday Christian behaviour. Its difficulty lies in the fact that the
standpoint from which it is written differs from that of all the other
Epistles. But we must not neglect it on that account.
The James who wrote it was not the brother of John. He was slain by
Herod in very early years, as recorded in Acts 12: 2. The author of the
Epistle was the James spoken of in Acts 15: 13, and Acts 21; 18. Paul
calls him, "James, the Lord's brother," in Galatians 1: 19, and he
acknowledges him' as one of the "pillars" of the Church in Jerusalem in
Galatians 2: 9. He does not appear to have gone forth to Judea or
Samaria or to the uttermost parts of the earth, but to have remained in
Jerusalem and there attained to a position of great authority.