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The Letter of James

The Letter of James

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  • Create Date：2021-08-07 06:51:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-14
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  • Author：Douglas J. Moo
  • ISBN：0802876668
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Summary

Few New Testament books have been as con­troversial and misunderstood as the letter of James。 Its place in the canon was contested by some early Christians， and the reformer Martin Luther called it an “epistle of straw。” The sometimes negative view of the letter among modern theologians， however， is not shared by ordinary believers。 Well known and often quoted， James is concise， intensely practical， and filled with memorable metaphors and illustrations。 As such， it has become one of the most popular New Testament books in the church。 

This highly original commentary on James by respected New Testament scholar Douglas Moo combines penetrat­ing scholarship with the simplicity of style and pastoral tone characteristic of James itself。 After discussing such background issues as authorship， genre， purpose， structure， and theology， Moo provides a verse-by-verse exposition of the text that leads readers to the heart of James’s message—wholehearted commitment to Christ。 In addition to expounding the meaning of James， Moo also takes care to provide practical insights for applying that meaning in the church today。 

At once scholarly and accessible， this vol­ume has become a standard commentary on James。 The second edition is based upon the newest version of the NIV and incorporates the latest scholarship。 It has been expanded， updated， and revised throughout。

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Reviews

Jon Pentecost ，

Very helpful conversation partner。 Helpful in considering structure and flow of James。 Also good in reflecting on how James uses the Jesus tradition， especially the Sermon on the Mount。Used in preparing to preach James in 2021

Kofi Opoku ，

Overall， a good commentary。 Moo does a good job helping us to see that the ideas in the book are not as disjointed as some claim them to be。 He could have gone a little deeper on some of the verses， particularly in the closing section of chapter 5， which talks about the prayer of faith。 After reading this， I wouldn’t exactly put James in the category of wisdom literature。 I agree with Moo that it’s closer to a sermon。 James does not develop the theology behind his ideas， but that doesn’t mean th Overall， a good commentary。 Moo does a good job helping us to see that the ideas in the book are not as disjointed as some claim them to be。 He could have gone a little deeper on some of the verses， particularly in the closing section of chapter 5， which talks about the prayer of faith。 After reading this， I wouldn’t exactly put James in the category of wisdom literature。 I agree with Moo that it’s closer to a sermon。 James does not develop the theology behind his ideas， but that doesn’t mean the book is not theological。 I’d say that he assumes his audience already possess that theology， or at least are familiar with it。 。。。more

Jim Layman ，

Doug Moo steadily follows the varied contents of the Epistle of James in this readable commentary。 The key to the volume is his lengthy introductory analysis， followed with verse by verse discussion。 At points， Moo’s technical discussions begin to strand the lay reader， but generally his summary paragraphs tie together James’ pastoral letter in a clarifying， helpful manner。 Varied opinions among scholars are presented， with Moo explaining his own leanings。 This Epistle contains “ more imperativ Doug Moo steadily follows the varied contents of the Epistle of James in this readable commentary。 The key to the volume is his lengthy introductory analysis， followed with verse by verse discussion。 At points， Moo’s technical discussions begin to strand the lay reader， but generally his summary paragraphs tie together James’ pastoral letter in a clarifying， helpful manner。 Varied opinions among scholars are presented， with Moo explaining his own leanings。 This Epistle contains “ more imperative verbs per word than in any other New Testament book “。 It also has a difficult structure to summarize。 For the reader who wishes to find the heart within the many admonitions and commands of the letter， Moo’s commentary may be recommended。 。。。more

Simon ，

Excellent。

Jonathan Roberts ，

Very solid book。 I have just finished studying James and preaching through the book of James。 This book was invaluable and enormously helpful。 Highest recommendation

Nick Roark ，

Helpful

Matt Tyler ，

Many think this is the best modern commentary on James， and that’s probably true。 I often found Moo’s insights and arguments convincing。 I didn’t always agree with the way he structured the letter， but James is very hard to structure。 I’m giving it three stars because it majored on what James *does not* say instead of what he *does*- a typical problem with modern commentaries。 In other commentaries by Moo， I felt that he avoided this tendency or at least balanced it quite well。 Overall， I wasn’t Many think this is the best modern commentary on James， and that’s probably true。 I often found Moo’s insights and arguments convincing。 I didn’t always agree with the way he structured the letter， but James is very hard to structure。 I’m giving it three stars because it majored on what James *does not* say instead of what he *does*- a typical problem with modern commentaries。 In other commentaries by Moo， I felt that he avoided this tendency or at least balanced it quite well。 Overall， I wasn’t as impressed with this commentary from Moo as his other （very excellent） ones。 If you’re preaching through James， you’ll probably still want to use Moo’s commentary because I’m not sure there’s a better modern one。 。。。more

Patrick ，

This seems more like a classroom text book than a study guide/commentary。 He includes so many cross-references and siting from other text that you can lose yourself from the original scripture he was commenting on。 If scripture requires this much explanation its a wonder early Christians understood the Bible at all。

Paul ，

Thoughtful and interesting。。。Throughout， Moo does a great job of considering various interpretations before landing on the one that he considers most faithful to the author's intent。 I recommend this resource to anyone studying the book of James， and especially to pastors for use as a reference。 Thoughtful and interesting。。。Throughout， Moo does a great job of considering various interpretations before landing on the one that he considers most faithful to the author's intent。 I recommend this resource to anyone studying the book of James， and especially to pastors for use as a reference。 。。。more

Richard Ripamonti ，

Approached this commentary to gain a balanced understanding of Justification。 Finished with my soteriology significantly rocked。

Todd Bryant ，

What can I say？ I think Douglas Moo has become my favorite modern commentator。 Like his commentary on Romans， this one quickly became my favorite as I preached through James。 I highly recommend it。

Andrew Ivester ，

This is the best commentary on James I have found。 Moo is deliberate and detailed without being too lengthy。 He touches on the major controversies in the text and presents a balanced view with a fair amount of application。 One of the things I like from a pastoral/preaching perspective is his willingness to be uncertain about places where the text is less clear rather than promote a theory that may be somewhat untrue to the text。 This was my primary commentary when I preached through the book of This is the best commentary on James I have found。 Moo is deliberate and detailed without being too lengthy。 He touches on the major controversies in the text and presents a balanced view with a fair amount of application。 One of the things I like from a pastoral/preaching perspective is his willingness to be uncertain about places where the text is less clear rather than promote a theory that may be somewhat untrue to the text。 This was my primary commentary when I preached through the book of James in 2017。 。。。more

Spencer ，

The commentary I used for preaching through James this fall。 It was pretty good。 James is not an overly technical book， however。

Daniel ，

Excellent resource。

Andrea Engle ，

A cogently reasoned commentary on that gem of practical Christianity， the Book of James 。。。 makes even detailed discussions of the Greek accessible and definitive 。。。 a masterpiece of exegesis 。。。 should be required reading for every Bible believer 。。。

Bfleegs ，

Moo delves into the cultural mileu - including intertestamental Jewish writings - in order to fully grasp the meaning of James。 He deals deeply with the Greek text and does extensive word studies in the NT as well as the LXX in order to find the correct contextual meaning。 A very good study of the book。

Drake ，

This was an excellent commentary on the book of James。 Douglas Moo did a great job of handling the various exegetical issues in manner that was easy to follow， providing appropriate historical and cultural contexts， connecting the teachings of James to the teachings of Scripture as a whole， and occasionally giving examples of how to practically apply James's message to one's everyday life。 Which is pretty much everything a great commentary should do。 This was an excellent commentary on the book of James。 Douglas Moo did a great job of handling the various exegetical issues in manner that was easy to follow， providing appropriate historical and cultural contexts， connecting the teachings of James to the teachings of Scripture as a whole， and occasionally giving examples of how to practically apply James's message to one's everyday life。 Which is pretty much everything a great commentary should do。 。。。more

Brian Pate ，

I read most of this commentary while preaching through the book of James， fall 2016。Very impressed; excellent commentary！ Moo does a great job of showing how James relies on the OT， especially Proverbs and Leviticus 19。

Josh Gaudreau ，

I'll write a comparative review with some other James commentaries later， but briefly it was a decent and helpful commentary on the book of James to supplement other commentaries used。 I'll write a comparative review with some other James commentaries later， but briefly it was a decent and helpful commentary on the book of James to supplement other commentaries used。 。。。more

Luke Evans ，

Best commentary on James， IMO。

Mark Schlechty ，

Excellent resourceMoo does a good job of trying to bring in the most relevant scholarship of the day to interpret James。 He looks at all angles end typically ends up at the commonsense interpretation when all is said and done。

Josh McClellan ，

One of the most useful commentaries on James I have come across to date。 Theologically insightful but also practically valuable。 One of those commentaries that actually helps you with your sermon。

Lindsey ，

Great commentary。 Readable but academic。

Graham ，

Overall a good commentary。 The introduction does leave something to be desired。 Also， Moo has to do some maneuvers to reconcile his reformed monergistic view of soteriology with James comments in chapter 2。 But， this is still a very useful and reliable source for the most part， and succeeds at being accessible at the pastoral or well-read laity level。

Jamie Page ，

So， yeah， fantastic commentary on James。 My only discouragement， though， is to say that this was the first commentary that I was moderately bored with。 Not bored at all because of the content of the commentary。 Just that the letter of James is so concise， simple， and practical that it barely needs a commentary。 James says， "be a hearer， and a doer。" Simple。 Just go do something。 The most helpful part of the commentary for me was the breakdown of the text。 James， the Proverbs of the New Testament So， yeah， fantastic commentary on James。 My only discouragement， though， is to say that this was the first commentary that I was moderately bored with。 Not bored at all because of the content of the commentary。 Just that the letter of James is so concise， simple， and practical that it barely needs a commentary。 James says， "be a hearer， and a doer。" Simple。 Just go do something。 The most helpful part of the commentary for me was the breakdown of the text。 James， the Proverbs of the New Testament， makes for a sometimes difficult， "What's the connection。 Where's the common thread。" While reading this commentary a sort of "mental-GPS" was created in my mind。 You don't really know where the road ahead may be going。 But you can anticipate - see - how it all connects。 。。。more

David Holford ，

It is hard to decide between two and three stars for this commentary， and I would probably give it 2。5 were that option available。 I bought it with great anticipation to assist in teaching preparation。 On the positive side， I was impressed with Moo's willingness to note the references in James to the deutero-canonical books of the Old Testament， even if they are indexed as "Early Extrabiblical Literature"。 I was heretofore unaware of James' reliance on Sirach， for example。 Moo is an able exegete It is hard to decide between two and three stars for this commentary， and I would probably give it 2。5 were that option available。 I bought it with great anticipation to assist in teaching preparation。 On the positive side， I was impressed with Moo's willingness to note the references in James to the deutero-canonical books of the Old Testament， even if they are indexed as "Early Extrabiblical Literature"。 I was heretofore unaware of James' reliance on Sirach， for example。 Moo is an able exegete and does well in tying the whole book together， showing the inter-relation of themes as they progress。 On the negative side， Moo's pre-millenialism and his ambivalence toward thing sacramental and things charismatic strongly color his views and create very weak arguments especially in chapter 5。 。。。more

Paul， ，

Douglas Moo is a great Pauline scholar and a master of New Testament Greek。 In this volume， he turns to the letter of James。 It takes a certain level of presumption to find fault in the work of such a man， but I believe that my criticism is just。Dr。 Moo does a great job in his handling of matters of Greek grammar and syntax， as one would expect。 However， I believe this commentary leads one to a false conclusion because Dr。 Moo tries to read it as a Greek letter。 For this reason， he sees it as a Douglas Moo is a great Pauline scholar and a master of New Testament Greek。 In this volume， he turns to the letter of James。 It takes a certain level of presumption to find fault in the work of such a man， but I believe that my criticism is just。Dr。 Moo does a great job in his handling of matters of Greek grammar and syntax， as one would expect。 However， I believe this commentary leads one to a false conclusion because Dr。 Moo tries to read it as a Greek letter。 For this reason， he sees it as a collection of mostly disjointed commands。 To be fair， the majority of NT commentaries hold the same opinion。 However， it seems to me that James is a letter written by a Jewish thinker in the Greek language。 This letter is full of connections， but it is not written in Greek outline format。 It is self-referential， going over a few key themes over and over and over。 These connections are crucial to understanding the book， but Moo overlooks or discounts many of these connections。 Many newer studies looking at this letter from a more literary angle find much more unity than Moo does。 Dr。 Moo also focuses on the influence of Second Temple Judaism on the letter。 However， it seems to me that the influence is exaggerated。 Some concepts， for example， patience in suffering， naturally go together。 This leads down some false trails， and it also leads one to under-emphasize the obvious dependence on the Old Testament。 This also influences one's understanding of the text。This is a book worth referencing， but， in my opinion， one should use it primarily for the analysis of the Greek and not for its analysis of the structure。 。。。more

Logan ，

I suck at doing everything in James。 Honestly I always just feel really beat up after reading it because I fail at everything in it。 Not asking for wisdom （1:5）？ Yup。 Hearing the word but not doing it （1:22）。 Yup。 Letting my tongue have free reign （1:26）。 Neglecting the orphans and widows （1:27）。Who wrote this book？ James， the half-brother of Jesus。Why does the author think so？If this is the case， why doesn’t he mention his relationship to Jesus when he introduces himself？ Because what qualified I suck at doing everything in James。 Honestly I always just feel really beat up after reading it because I fail at everything in it。 Not asking for wisdom （1:5）？ Yup。 Hearing the word but not doing it （1:22）。 Yup。 Letting my tongue have free reign （1:26）。 Neglecting the orphans and widows （1:27）。Who wrote this book？ James， the half-brother of Jesus。Why does the author think so？If this is the case， why doesn’t he mention his relationship to Jesus when he introduces himself？ Because what qualified him to write this letter was not his physical relationship to Jesus but his spiritual relationship。 He was， in some sense， viewed as an apostle （Galatians 1:19）， despite not being one of the original twelve。Why doesn’t the author think it could have been James the brother of John？Why doesn’t the author think it could have been James the son of Alphaeus？What is the one thing that James wants from his readers？ Spiritual wholeness as exhibited in a consistent and undivided commitment to God in Christ。Why does James jump so rapidly from topic to topic？ Because he is addressing the specific situations and needs of his audience。1:1It is grammatically possible that θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ could be translated "of Jesus Christ， both God and Lord。" Why doesn't Moo believe this to be the case？ Because this would have been more apparent if the clause had read κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ Ἰησοῦ ΧριστοῦWhat is the significance of James calling his readers "the twelve tribes"？ Moo sees an eschatological significance here--God had promised that he would someday regather the tribes of Israel， despite their scattering by Assyria and Babylon （Isa。 11:11-12; Jer。 31:8-14; Ezek。 37:21-22; Zech。 10:6-12）。 This was the common Jewish hope of the time。 Moo cites Talmudic literature of the time highlighting the eschatological significance of "the twelve tribes": "But in your allotted place will be the temple of God， and the latter temple will exceed the former in glory。 The twelve tribes shall be gathered there and all the nations， until such time as the Most High shall send forth his salvation through the ministration of the unique profit" （T。 Benjamin 9:2）。 Moo also sees a similar significance in Christ's selection of twelve apostles （Mt。 19:28）。 See also Rev。 7:5-8; 21:12。 Hence， "by calling his readers 'the twelve tribes，' then， James claims that they constitute the true people of God of the 'last days。'"Does the "Dispersion" refer to the literal scattering of Jews outside of Palestine or to the scattering of Christians in general？ Moo takes it literally--James is writing specifically to Jews。1:2What does James mean when he refers to Πᾶσαν χαρὰν？ He is probably signifying intensity （complete and unalloyed joy） rather than exclusivity （nothing but joy）。 This is similar to 1 Pt。 2:18's ἐν παντὶ φόβῳ。 It is not "in nothing but fear" Peter wants his readers to be subject to their masters， but rather "in wholehearted， sincere， complete， mature fear。" "James does not， then， suggest that Christians facing trials will have no response other than joy， as if we were commanded never to be saddened by difficulties。 His point， rather， is that trials should be an occasion for genuine rejoicing。"1:4How do we let steadfastness have its full effect？ By not only enduring trials， but by responding rightly to them。What is the opposite of a spiritually whole person？ The double-minded man （1:8） who doesn't find wisdom （though he asks for it） and is contrasted to the one who is perfect and complete， lacking in nothing （even wisdom） （1:4）。What does James mean when he talks about Christians being "a kind of firstfruits of his creatures"？ He means that the new birth that Christians enjoy make up the first step in God's plan to bring （spiritual？） "wholeness" to all of creation。WORDPLAYS IN THE GREEK TEXT OF JAMES 1 NOT APPARENT IN THE ENGLISHI found this interesting。 Moo points out four wordplays in James 1 that provide perhaps a bit more connectivity throughout the whole chapter。1:1-2 （this one's the most obscured by English）χαίρειν。 Πᾶσαν χαρὰν"Greetings。。。pure （lit。 'all'） joy"1:4-5ἐν μηδενὶ λειπόμενοι。 Εἰ δέ τις ὑμῶν λείπεται"lacking in nothing。 If any of you lacks"1:12-13Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς ὑπομένει πειρασμόν。。。μηδεὶς πειραζόμενος λεγέτωBlessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial。。。Let no one say when he is tempted1:4，17，25τέλειος （"perfect"） is repeated in these three verses。 。。。more

Kevin Morse ，

If you want one commentary on James， get this one。 Well written， well reasoned， and thorough。 That's all I got。 If you want one commentary on James， get this one。 Well written， well reasoned， and thorough。 That's all I got。 。。。more

Jeff Holton ，

I am using this resource as a study aid for my sermon series on the Letter of James。 Douglas Moo is exhaustive in his commentary and yet is written in a very readable and easily understood way。 The PNTC series is a fantastic series and I would recommend Moo's commentary on James in a heartbeat。 I am using this resource as a study aid for my sermon series on the Letter of James。 Douglas Moo is exhaustive in his commentary and yet is written in a very readable and easily understood way。 The PNTC series is a fantastic series and I would recommend Moo's commentary on James in a heartbeat。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Letter of James

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Letter of James&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Letter of James&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0