James: An Introduction and Study Guide - (T&t Clark's Study Guides to the New Testament) by Margaret Aymer (Paperback)

About the Book

Margaret Aymer contends that the Letter of James is best understood as a homily in written form. God's relation to the Christian community has implications for believers' way of life. Aymer also considers what of James is of enduring value when his message to outsiders has become a part of the canon of Scripture--

Book Synopsis

In this guide Margaret Aymer introduces the letter of James, countering arguments that it is of limited theological value and significance for early Christianity. Aymer focuses on James' theology of God's divine singularity and immutability, and of God's relationship to the community as father and benefactor. These are theological foundations for its emphasis on community actions of belief, humility and mutual care.

Aymer introduces and examines the letter's stand against empire, not least in regard to wealth. Divine power is envisioned as an alternative power to that of the Romans, though in some respects it can seem equally brutal.

Aymer concludes by focusing on those addressed by James's homily, the exiles in diaspora. Engaging the psychology of migration, she unpacks the migrant strategy underlying James's call to living 'unstained'. Finally, Aymer encourages student to ask what it might mean now for twenty-first-century people to take seriously a separatist migrant discourse not only as an interesting ancient writing but as a scripture, a lens through which its readers can glimpse the possibilities for how lives are to be lived, and how contemporary worlds can be interpreted and engaged?

Review Quotes

"This introduction and study guide gives a fresh perspective on this ancient letter. Students and lay persons will find it useful...a stimulating read..." --Neotestamentica

"[This volume] both offers a clear and balanced introduction to the Letter and makes a distinctive contribution ... A careful and yet powerful piece of scholarship." --The Catholic Herald

"Aymer makes the text come alive in its context ... [her] reading of James is thought-provoking. This volume will be an excellent addition to a textbook list for seminarians and graduate students, but it is also accessible to the pastor who wants to linger longer in the study of the Word." --Review of Biblical Literature

"Margaret Aymer's primer orients readers to key critical debates concerning James, relying on recent scholars' proposals about its structure and rhetoric." --The Christian Century

About the Author

Margaret Aymer is Associate Professor of New Testament at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin Texas.