Day 44
I learned about the Epistle of James (or Jacob) from a Marxist Pauline theorist. It was great. I love this Epistle. It’s something I can read over and over. As I noted below, I find something new in it every time (or perhaps rediscover). It is the perfect book to sum up the Bible’s concern with the poor and what faith in action looks like. I adore it. I also adore the image below of James scratching his head…because that’s what I did with the Petrine and Johannine Epistles. Oh, and Jude. Poor Jude.
The Petrine Epistles gave me a glimpse into a community trying to distinguish itself by righteousness while avoiding harsher persecution from Rome. Problematic verses about women encouraged that community to adopt the Stoic lifestyle and mannerism in order to be “in fashion” and avoid suspicion. This doesn’t make those verses agreeable today or ever, it’s just what it is. There’s also a pervading feeling of being temporal in these letters. We are temporary beings and our hope is greater than our mortality.
The Johannine Epistles are about two things. First, get rid of the unhealthy people in your community. It’s obvious these communities gave certain people a lot of chances. In these letters they’re described as dog’s vomit or pigs in the mud. It doesn’t take a Theology degree to realize a major conflict was unfolding. The second piece is that these letters are all about love. Which is interesting when they deal with “ejecting” people from the communities. But sometimes love means making hard decisions, especially if someone’s actions are harming an entire community. As a minister, I know this very well. Love can be expressed by holding people accountable. May it be so.
Jude gets left out. Martin Luther hated this letter. It’s an odd text. And, if I didn’t look it up, I would have had no idea it quoted the Book of Enoch. I would’ve just kept scratching my head like James. So, while Martin Luther wanted to get rid of Jude, why was it kept? I think I need to revisit it one day to find the enduring value in this text.
One Word for James: Witness
One Word for First Peter: Tribulation
One Word for Second Peter: Accountability
One Word for Johannine Epistles: Beloved
One Word for Jude: Forgotten
Parts of the Text That Stayed With Me
- Jas 1:10b, Warning to the Rich. This book is full of concern about the poor: “The rich will disappear like a flower in the field.”
- Jas 1:19, So That’s Where That Comes From. I’ve seen this advice in plenty of places, but somehow missed it in James until now: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
- Jas 2:26, Claim to Fame. An oft-repeated verse with huge implications. “Faith without works is dead.”
- Jas 4:14, Remember Your Mortality. I love how the Bible has moments of swift existential humbling: “Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
- 1 Pet 2:17, Stay Safe… And honor the emperor. This was clearly a community being persecuted.
- 1 Pet 4:6, Even Unto the Dead. This verse talks about proclaiming the Gospel to the dead, but when I think about it…I wonder if the writer is speaking of people in the community who already perished due to persecution?
- 2 Pet 2:4, Satan and His Gang. Here’s a very very brief mention of fallen angels. Interesting, no? What are we missing here that is not included in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures?
- 2 Pet 2:26, Balaam! And his donkey! They’re back! Somebody make that donkey a saint.
- 1 John 3:14, Do You Abide? “Whoever does not love abides in death.” Quick, send that to the Fundamentalist Baptists!
- 1 John 4:8, What is God? God is love.
- 1 John 5:16-17, Types of Sin. Some people think Catholics made up the idea of mortal sin, but, well, here it is.
- 2 John 1:1, Fancy Lady. The church is referred to as the “elect lady.” I don’t know why, but it felt like the Bible got a hint of saloon just now. Sarsaparilla, anyone?
- 2 John 1:5, Keep Repeating It. Love one another. Over and over. The Johannine Epistles are all about the love.
- 3 John 1:11, Imitate This. See those people being evil? Yeah, no, ignore them. Imitate the good in your midst.
- Jude 1:9, What the Hell? Where did this business about Michael and the Devil fighting come from? I had to look it up and it looks like the Book of Enoch influenced some of these last letters here. Guess I’ll add Enoch to a future reading list.
This post is part of a lager series where I read the entirety of Hebrew & Christian scriptures in 45 days. Take a look a the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.