The Letter of James and the Greek Orthodox Church Tradition

Yianni Lagos

LIFE CONTEXT:

Every reader of the Bible brings their own views when interpreting its message. I am an Orthodox Christian, who grew up in a mostly Baptist area, and am currently attending Vanderbilt University. I have grown up in an upper middle-class household, never knowing what a real struggle was. When I read the letter of James, I bring along this past to find its meaning.

No part of my past influences my religious interpretations more than my Eastern Orthodox Church upbringing. This Christian Church is separated from the Catholic and Protestant Churches, which are more prevalent in the United States, because of its separate historical path. But the differences do not stop there. The Orthodox Church two most prized beliefs are Community and Tradition. “In the (Orthodox) Church there is neither dictatorship nor individualism, but harmony and unanimity; its members remain free but not isolated, for they are united in love, in faith, and in sacramental communion.” (Ware 15) Church to Orthodox Christians is more than people coming to pray for themselves; it is people coming together to pray and worship for one another. To an Orthodox Christian, Tradition also means a great deal. “It means the books of the Bible; it means the Creed; it means the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils and the writings of the Fathers; it means the Canons, the Service Books, the Holy Icons in fact, the whole system of doctrine, Church government, worship, spirituality and art which Orthodoxy has articulated over the ages.” (Ware 196) This lengthy explanation is at the center of the Orthodox Church. Orthodox Christians believe in these things whole-heartedly, and for better or worse, we feel that nothing in this tradition should be changed.

This past year at Vanderbilt, I was paired up with a devout non-denominational Christian for a roommate. He and I had many discussions about our religion. We differed on many issues of the Bible and its meaning, and the most essential difference was the path to heaven. He believed it was through faith in Jesus, and I believed it was a combination of faith and works and a constant struggle to improve oneself. One day when we were discussing this very issue, he expressed how, of course, he saw the need for works, and went on to explain how he had gone on a mission trip, and how his lifestyle was righteous. Being an antagonist, I replied “so”? One mission trip with friends is hardly a lifetime of good works. Then it made me think “what have I done?” Sure I have been a part of service groups and been active in my church, but what have I ever given up to help someone else? Nothing. I have given up leisure time, but I have never sacrificed. How can I say a person has to do good works, when I have done so little in my life?

Problem:

The problem starts with me, but is prevalent throughout the world. The problems of racism, sexism, economic poverty, genocide, terrorism, and war are terrible things, but the real problem is lack of action. I have grown up in a country that has given me every advantage, and I have given nothing back. But most of my peers at Vanderbilt have been equally blessed, and many of them have not returned their blessings to others either. By combining myself with a group, the problem is exacerbated. Look these people are not doing it; why should I? If other Christians only do this much, that is all I need to do. Being in college, can I say I am learning right now, and I will do good things later? Then when I get a job will I have that excuse, then a family as another excuse, and then old age as another excuse? There is always a reason not to give. There is always a reason not to share one’s blessings, but there is also always a reason to give. And that reason is the horrible problems in this world, and to stop them it takes action. The only person I can point a finger at, and tell to get to work is me.

Root Problem:

The problem is me. So where this problem stems from is very hard to answer. Why do I do nothing? I have been given many blessings in life, so I have the ability to help others. I see that there are many problems in the world, so I know that something is wrong. I also see a need for change, so I have a vision of a better world. Despite all these things, I still do not do my part in helping others. The reason I do nothing must be a lack of will. Right now my education is more important to me. I can argue to myself that I am just improving my abilities to do good things, but that excuse will only last me a couple more years, if it is valid at all. It is all about deciding what is important to me: a life dedicated to good works done through faith in Jesus, or a life that satisfies my own desires. Most people never make a choice, but I understand that there is a life for oneself and a life for God. My will and my wants will decide my choice, even though I may never make a conscious decision.

Analysis of the problem from the perspective of James:

James, the brother of Jesus or James the Righteous is a person who lived life with God as his center. He was a man known by both Jews and Christians as a person of righteousness. The letter attributed to him calls for the need of a righteous life. Throughout the letter James stresses the importance of the law and works, which is a very different focus than other books of the Bible such as Paul’s letters. In this letter James sees the problem of lack of action, and tries to clarify the need for works to go along with faith. In 2:14-17 James gives an example of how one needs works to have faith. James believes if a person does not help out those in need then he/she really has no faith.

James also explains the need to do works for the right reasons. In 3:13-18 he warns not to do good works for selfish reasons. If one does good works for oneself, it is not a righteous act to James but an earthly act. Good works should be done by “the meekness of wisdom” (3:13). This means if a believer has the knowledge to do what is right, he/she should do it because he/she cares. James is calling on Christians to do good work, and I am a member who has not done his part. James expresses in 5:17 that if one knows what to do, and does nothing he/she is committing a sin. Most Christians do not see lack of action to help those in need to be a sin, but those who can help, know how to help, and do nothing are committing a worse crime.

James ends his letter explaining what my church calls the sacrament of Holy Unction in 5:13-28. He explains how in congregation by praying together a righteous prayer, God will heal all sickness. This sacrament is very important, and is spoken by James because of God’s healing power. Praying together to the Lord for forgiveness will cure us of all of our sickness, but only if it is done in righteousness. To be righteous one must not only pray for oneself, but for everyone else. For James being healed is done to those who embrace others and not just themselves. So if I want to have my own physical but more importantly spiritual infirmities healed I must care for others.

James has seen the problems of the world, and has called on Christians to help out those in need. I feel as a Christian the letter of James is challenging me to do what is right in my heart. It provides a stimulant to live a life of righteousness just as James himself did. James wants all Christians to live a life full of good works done because of their faith and love in Jesus. Personally, I must make the first step to try to make a difference in the world, but James sees that change can only be done together. James had done his part and called to others to help do good things in a way only a righteous person can call to others. James believed Christians had to fight against the problems in this world, and I can only blame myself for the problems I do nothing to stop.

Comparison of the problem with the GBC:

Cristina Conti:

Conti is from Uruguay who has seen her country go from “the highest rate of human development in Latin America and illiteracy was practically erased” to a country where “approximately 30 percent of the population is now below the poverty line.” (Patte 539)

She feels inequality has caused this change in Uruguay. Favoritism and nepotism has led to the erasing of a middle class, and a rise in an elite class. Conti sees James as a message against partiality. James speaks out against the elites, as Conti expresses “God’s Mercy demands from them to be merciful, thus performing the law of love.” (Patte 543) For Conti, James attacks the rich and oppressive, and gives hope to the poor and powerless by showing that God and Jesus are on their side.

Conti finds lack of knowledge and lack of ability as the root problem of inequality. The elite class who continue to take in all the profits of a country do not see that this action is causing poverty in their country, and, in turn, do not see a need to make a change. The other side is those who have received the worst end of the growing inequality. The average person from Uruguay does not have the ability to stop and turn around the forces that have caused inequality in their country. Conti does not expect this to be solved from the elite helping those in need, though I think that is what James is calling them to do, but by teaching the powerless “to help themselves and, above all, their self-respect must be rebuilt.” (Patte 544) Conti finds James as empowering words for the oppressed to rise up against the inequality now present in Uruguay.

Overview of James:

The letter of James is said to be written by the brother of Jesus or James the righteous. He was the first leader of the Jerusalem church, and a man known for his morals and strict adherence to the law. The Jews not the Christians called him righteous because he lived his life with more loyalty to the laws of Moses than they did. This moral righteousness is the focus of the letter of James. The HarperCollins Bible Commentary describes, “James’ Specific Interest is the double minded person (1:8; 4:8), who wants to live by both measures at once, confessing commitment to God, but contradicting it in action.” The letter of James’ main goal is to confess the need to back up one’s commitments to God by actually doing good works.

This letter’s destination is unknown, and its audience is not known for certain, which differs from many of the Pauline letters. James begins the letter “to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion” (1:1), which seems to be “directed to Jewish Christian congregations” according to The New Oxford Annotated Bible, but the whole Christian community could have been exposed to this letter.

Despite its uncertain reader the purpose of this letter is clear. It is meant to dispel the belief of justification through faith alone. James expressed, “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (2:17) This idea seems to be in complete contradiction with Pauline theology of salvation through faith. But as the Oxford Bible points out, “the conflict, however, is more apparent than real.” The idea that James’ letter is written to contradict Paul’s is simply false; James’ letter simply clarifies the need to do good works because works are an essential part of having living faith.

The HarperCollins Bible Commentary points out that the letter is more “general rather than particular.” This is an important clarification about the letter. James’ letter is a call on Christians to do good works, not what those works are. He gives some examples, such as in 2:1-7, 2:14-17, 3:13-18, but James is not writing to tell them what to do; these passages are just examples of ways for Christians to fulfill one’s confession to God. That is a life of God, which James views as a life of righteousness. The letter of James as “Role of Scripture” is simply a call to action to do what is right, without specific lamp to my feet guidance of what those right things are.

James’ letter finishes with a ritual way of healing. James wrote, “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” (5:16) James is finishing his letter with a pathway to a life of works. The Greek Orthodox Church describes this sacrament as Holy Unction. It is a way of healing one’s physical and spiritual infirmities. The key to this healing is that it is done together. In order to heal oneself, one must pray for others. This is a concept that some Christians do not agree with, but James stresses it throughout the letter. If one has faith, but does not help others then that is not faith to James. Faith is not simply an inward relationship to James, it is a relationship shared with not only God and Jesus but the world as a whole.

CONTEXTUAL COMMENTS:

Faith and Works

The concept of faith and works working together is central to the message of the letter of James. “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (2:17) This phrase has few words but is filled with lots of wisdom. The idea of salvation by faith and works sounds very different from salvation through faith as Paul declares. This difference is not necessarily true, and in fact Paul and James are expressing the same idea but with different motives. The Patristic writers described the key to harmonizing these two views by looking at the point of reference. “Paul, they said, addressed the faith that leads to conversion before baptism, whereas James addressed the faith of Christians already baptized.” (Johnson 78-79) This difference is very important to understanding both Paul and James. Paul’s mission was the conversion of all different people to Christianity. To start the journey into Christianity one must start with faith in Jesus. But faith does not end there and Paul never expresses belief being the end. James saw that the next step was works as he spoke to an already converted audience. The different audiences appear to be a reason for the different emphases of James and Paul.

To examine James more closely, Luke Cheung shows the need to look at the original Greek form of the letter of James. By doing this Cheung discovered the similarity between passages 1:3-4 and 2:17: “faith must come to perfection through works.” (Cheung 179) This brings more light on the apparent difference between Paul and James, and furthers the understanding of 2:17. Works is a different step than believing in Jesus, but both are faith. Johnson further examines this paradox by looking at the original Greek, and finds in 2:22 that “faith was co-acting his (Abraham’s) deeds, and faith was brought to completion out of his deeds.” (Johnson 31) By examining different passages in James both scholars came to the same conclusion: belief and works are the same in the letter of James. So James is not contradicting Paul’s letters at all, he is simply adding to them by expressing the need to expand one’s faith through works.

By examining the letter of James one can find that works is just adding to faith, but what does this interpretation mean to 2:17, and more importantly what does it say to my life context? The Orthodox Study Bible expresses, “Our faith grows and affects our actions, or it dies.” This is another important clarification about James. If one is Baptized, and receives the Holy Spirit he/she is not automatically saved. James is trying to disregard that notion. Instead James is saying to keep one’s faith healthy and alive one must live through that faith. Right before 2:17 James tells of the need to help out the “naked and destitute of daily food.” (2:15) For James helping others is an essential part of having faith. James’ use of the terms faith and works is a redundant statement, which he uses to emphasize how works is an essential part of faith. In order for myself to have faith, I must nourish my faith by doing good works. By adhering to James’ call to action, I will begin to stop the problems of the world by starting to help others.

Godly Wisdom

In 3:13-18 James makes some very strong statements to add on to his discussion of faith and works. Here James shows that good works should be done of Godly wisdom and not earthly wisdom. James begins this section with a question “who is wise and understanding among you?” (3:13) and continues “Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” Here James is expressing that the good works done should be done using wisdom. What kind of wisdom? In the original Greek form, “the word sophos or Sophia implies in ancient Greek literature the highest kind of wisdom and knowledge and ability.” (Kendall 262) This definition of wisdom shows that James is referring to wisdom from God, which to him is the highest kind of wisdom. So James is calling on Christians to perform good deeds done through Godly wisdom.

James clarifies this idea in the next few lines. James gives an example of non- Godly wisdom, “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth.” (3:14) James is arguing to do good works for the right reason, wisdom through God. It is important to recognize that James does not condemn the act of helping for wrong reasons, he is condemning lying about the reason for the act. James then puts out a warning, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” (3:16) Helping others while trying to help yourself is dangerous because it is not based on Godly wisdom, and is surrounded by evil. This act of double mindedness, which James warns against, is examined by Cheung. He explains, “‘selfish ambition’ (3:14) that has its seat in the human ‘heart’ must be expelled by an act of cleansing and renewal (4:8; 3:17).” (Cheung 77) The acts done on human ambitions are the root of sin, and James warns that these acts are contrary to faith in Jesus. But there is a way to beat those human desires.

“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” (3:17) The wisdom from above is the only wisdom that can produce truly righteous acts, and that is the wisdom that James calls on Christians to use when they perform good works. One who acts with wisdom from above is doing Godly acts, and to say to live a life like this would be hypocritical for anyone who did not live a just life. James was named “the Righteous because of his outstanding virtue.” (Eusebius 72) This is very important to understanding where James finds the nerve to tell others to do good deeds with only Godly wisdom which leads to perfect acts. James lived the life he preached, and it is very important to understand James is not speaking of some unattainable ideal, but something that can be done with God’s help.

James sums up this passage, “Now the righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (3:18) This is James’ answer to having understanding. “The ultimate manifestation of wisdom in one’s life is found in one’s performing ‘just acts in a peaceful way.’” (Cheung 75) The Godly way of action is peace. If one is acting in a peaceful manner, he/she is acting with righteousness. Peace is the new way of the Lord for James, and he is expressing the need to do good deeds using peaceful means. Here James is calling on Christians to act in a peaceful way in order to do good works. This is the only way the Lord Jesus dealt with issues, and James hopes all Christians will follow suit.

Having Godly Wisdom and following it sounds like a fantastic idea, but what it means to my life context provides its use to me. James’ call to do God’s works begs the question: what are those works? For James those works are all things that peacefully combat any evil and unfortunate thing in the world. James never specifically addresses these problems, but it is not hard to see these problems in the world: poverty, hate, oppression, racism are all a part. Godly Wisdom not only tells us these are wrong, it tells us why they are wrong, and why one should fight against them. James is showing how Godly wisdom calls on Christians to fight against these problems because that is part of God’s will. I do little to stop these problems because of a lack of will. If I truly believe in Christ and understand Godly Wisdom, and I do nothing to stop them, I am not Christian. If Christianity is important to me that is all the will I should need to peaceably fight against the problems of the world.

Holy Unction

In 5:14-16 James gives the secret to healing. James first described, “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (15:14) Here James is describing the actual process of healing the sick. The Orthodox Church describes the actual process as, “The faithful Christian who is sick requests with reverence and conviction, the priests of his Church to perform Holy Unction on him with the faith that Almighty God will perform his blessings to heal his afflictions.” (Mastrantonis 9) This ritualistic process of anointing the believer with oil is important, but it is not what heals a person.

James continues, “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (5:15) Prayer heals people. James is showing that God answers prayers, and if one needs help all he/she needs to do is ask for it. But this is only part of the process. James goes on, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (5:16) The true key to healing yourself is praying for others. In other words, only together can we be healed. Luke Johnson sums this passage up, “Far from avoiding the sick, the community gathers to the sick, touching them with healing oil and praying for them (5:14-15). The community heals itself as well by mutual confession of sins using speech not as a weapon of self-assertion and arrogance, but as an instrument of self-revelation and mutual vulnerability (5:16).” (Johnson 37) Johnson is pointing out that healing is given to those who come together and embrace others in a community. To heal oneself and others a community must come together as one with the goal of each member being the mutual healing of the group. So in order to heal any of my own physical and spiritual infirmities, I must reach out to others not only to help them but understanding that those I reach out to can help heal myself.

This is important for solving the world’s problem of lack of action. To say that I must do what I can to stop the problems in the world is simply doing God’s will and my Christian duty according to James. But to say I can even begin to solve the world’s problems is naive. The only way to heal any true problem in the world is together. So anyone who can do something and does not is part of the problem. I found the root problem to lack of action, my own lack of will because I can only control what I do but everyone not doing all they can is part of the problem. James is showing that only as a community can the world’s problems be solved, and James’ call to action is to all people who can help. Again I am being naive in saying everyone, or even every Christian, needs to come together to do their part in healing the world because it will not happen. But at least I can control myself and try to do my part and do God’s will. This empowering word of a better world is the ultimate catalyst for my own lack of will. If I believe what I have just expressed, even in the tiniest amount, then that is all I should need to do everything I can to help other people because that will lead to a better world.

Textual Comparison of James with the GBC:

Cristina Conti

When reading the text of James, I was focused on what guidance it had for my life, while Conti is reading the text of James with the present situation of inequality of Uruguay on her mind. These differing life contexts and problems, which I discussed earlier, have led to us uncovering different messages in the letter of James. It is important to remember that both of our interpretations can be right, and that both of our interpretations can be taken and used to help different people.

The difference in textual comparisons is obvious from Conti’s overview of the letter of James. In James, Conti finds a structure that I never even considered. She saw James’ structure as converging to the middle where the true message of the letter lies. I found the structure to be much less organized with a basic theme that is the same throughout the letter with a conclusion that explains a ritual way of healing. Her concentric structure is very symmetric having parallel ideas on either side of the center, which does make her view of the structure very appealing. At this center, Conti finds “(2:1-13) making distinctions between the rich and the poor ( = transgression of the law.” (Patte 541) This central focus of the letter was a passage I viewed as an example. Conti sees partiality as the focus of James, while I see it as one of a few examples of things James is urging Christians not to do. I found the centerpiece of James’ argument in line 2:17, which is concerned with faith and works. This difference in the central passage of James leads to our analyses of different passages of James.

Conti’s first examines 1:27 and 2:14-17. Only coincidently do I examine part of one of her passages, being 2:17. Conti’s main purpose of looking at these two arguments is to find parallels between them. She uses them to form “the frame of the center” (Patte 541) to further illustrate the symmetric structure and how that structure leads to what she considers to be the main passage. Her argument is convincing, and does show the similarities between the two passages, but I found much more meaning in 2:17 than Conti found. In it lies a very controversial position, that one needs works to keep one’s faith alive. I felt James’ theology here could be used to motivate Christians into doing good works, which could easily involve helping society move to equality. I believe that Conti here fails to see how this passage can motivate people to help improve the situation now present in Uruguay.

Conti then proceeds to look at her central message of the book in 2:1-13. Here Conti really attacks partiality by saying that, “partiality is a transgression of ‘the royal law’.” (Patte 542) This way of describing partiality has very strong effects on me. She is explaining how partiality is not only against what Jesus stood for, but it is against the basis of what Jesus stood for, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (2:8) This puts partiality in perspective for me, and shows me that partiality is more than a problem. It is probably the first problem that needs addressing before any other steps in society are taken. In my analysis of the text, I examine Godly wisdom. Conti has added to my understanding of this by emphasizing how partiality is against Godly wisdom, so it is an essential problem that must be addressed. In calling it an essential problem, I feel that Conti failed to see other problems that James felt were very important, such as selfishness, uncontrolled tongues, and failing to help those you pray for. Conti has shown me how important partiality is to James, but I feel she fails to see how important many other aspects of James are.

Conti finishes by seeing how the letter critiques the rich. Her analysis of 5:1-6 is especially troublesome for me. In it, Conti shows how God is against the rich, and how they will be punished. I quickly glanced over this section, but Conti makes it painfully obvious how serious God views the rich. But a few lines later, I find hope. In James’ discussion of Holy Unction, I believe I have found a solution. Because I have been blessed, it does not mean that I am doomed. It just means I must come together with others to share my blessings with them, and receive blessings that they have to offer me. Conti does not realize the power of people coming together as one. Instead she decides to separate the poor from the rich. I see how saying the rich are damned and the poor will be saved can be empowering for the unfortunate, but I do not see how that will solve any problems. She was very right in calling partiality an awful thing, but I feel that she is only adding to partiality when she tries to find a solution by how God takes sides.

I disagree with Conti in many ways because of my life context. I am sure that if I was put in a different circumstance, I would have different views and maybe would have viewed James in a similar light. But this is not the case, and I do not want to sound unsympathetic toward the poor when I disagree with Conti’s opinion. I feel that Conti does bring to light in my mind the seriousness of partiality, but I feel that by saying that the poor are God’s people and the rich are not can only lead to more partiality. Instead, I find the solution to the problem of partiality and all other problems in another view of James. That is problems can only be solved together. Only if we come together as equals trying to help each other as well as ourselves can partiality be avoided, and that is the only way that we can really begin to solve all the problems the world throws at us.

CONCLUSION:

I should do more. There is no excuse for not trying to help others. Only by beginning to share my blessings will I truly develop my faith, and only through works done through Godly wisdom really can I become a better Christian. More importantly I should help others because I care. Only by coming together with others to help them and to help myself will I improve myself and improve others. James’ analysis of good works and Godly wisdom has shown that to help others is God’s will. Cristina Conti stressed the importance of avoiding partiality in the process of doing God’s will. But I find that my church has provided the most inspiration to me. Holy Unction has provided me with the most important aspect of the letter of James. Only together can anyone become better. Whether it is improving one’s faith or improving the economic position of those in need the world does need to come together. I have found in James that the real reason to do good works is to make the world better by making yourself better and by making others better. Everyone wins by taking down the boundaries of partiality and injustice, so why would I not do my part to tear down those boundaries?

WORKS CITED

Cheung, Luke L. The Genre, Composition and Hermeneutics of James. Paternoster Press: Georgia, 2003.

Coogan, Michael. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Oxford University Press: New York, 2001.

Eusebius. The History of The Church. Radice, Betty. Penguin Classics: Great Britain 1965.

Johnson, Luke Timothy. Brother of Jesus Friend of God. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Michigan, 2004.

Kendall, R.T. Justification by Works. Paternoster Press: Georgia, 2001.

Mastrantonis, George. Holy Unction: The Sacrament of Healing and Health. OLOGOS: Missouri.

Patte, Daniel. Global Bible Commentary. Abingdon Press: Nashville, 2004.

The Orthodox Study Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers: Tennessee, 1993.

Ware, Timothy. The Orthodox Church. Penguin Books: England, 1993.