The epistle of James and the sayings of the Lord.
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2020 1:55 pm
I have been collecting instances in the epistle of James of statements which run parallel to dominical sayings found especially in the gospels. This post is a basic list of what I have so far, with a couple of comments to follow.
It will be given:
Doers of the word/law:
The poor:
Out of the (same) mouth:
Figs and olives (by their fruits):
Ask and receive:
Cleanse your hands:
Mourn and weep:
Humble yourselves:
Riches, rust, and moths:
Yes, yes, and no, no:
It will be forgiven:
I once suggested that some sayings attributed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels may have originally derived from the epistle of James:
The sentiment in James 4.3 certainly looks like a reaction to that in Matthew 7.7-8 = Luke 11.9-10, and not the other way around. It sounds as if something like Matthew 7.7-8 = Luke 11.9-10 was written or spoken first; then people tried to follow its simple principle, and that principle failed (because that is not how life works); and then, finally, something like James 4.3 was written as an explanation for why the principle failed.
There is another passage which may imply the same directionality:
This rhetorical question presumes reader familiarity with the statement: God has elected the poor to inherit the kingdom.
But the directionality seems, if anything, to reverse itself in yet another parallel:
The Matthean version prohibits a longer list of possible substitutions for God, and does so for more specific reasons: not just "heaven" and "earth" as in James, but also Jerusalem and even one's own head, with a distinct rationale for each. It is as if something fairly simple and straightforward, like what we find in James 5.12, came first; then people found and exploited loopholes; and then finally someone else had to draw out the ruling to cover as many bases as possible.
When the directionality seems to cut in both directions, it becomes doubtful either that James copied directly from Matthew or that Matthew copied directly from James (which was my original suggestion). Rather, both may have been tapping a separate source. I have suggested before that at least one collection (and probably more than one) of "words of the Lord" circulated in the early church, since that category: sayings from "the Lord" (and I do not prejudge whether this title was originally intended to designate Jesus of Nazareth or whether it was originally intended to designate the God of the Jews), seems to hold a special place in early Christian literature. It seems quite possible to me that the sayings in James which overlap sayings in the gospels hail from some such collection of sayings, whether written or oral, text or tradition.
Ben.
It will be given:
James 1.5: 5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him [δοθήσεται αὐτῷ]. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
Matthew 7.7: 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you [δοθήσεται ὑμῖν]; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Luke 11.9: 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you [δοθήσεται ὑμῖν]; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Matthew 21.21: 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen."
Mark 11.23: 23 "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him."
Matthew 7.7: 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you [δοθήσεται ὑμῖν]; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Luke 11.9: 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you [δοθήσεται ὑμῖν]; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
Matthew 21.21: 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen."
Mark 11.23: 23 "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him."
Doers of the word/law:
James 1.22: 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word [ποιηταὶ λόγου], and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Romans 2.13: 13 For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law [ποιηταὶ νόμου] will be justified. [Relevant link.]
1 Maccabees 2.67: 67 "You shall rally about you all the doers of the law [τοὺς ποιητὰς τοῦ νόμου], and avenge the wrong done to your people."
Matthew 7.24: 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them [ποιεῖ αὐτούς] may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock."
Luke 6.47: 47 "Everyone who comes to Me and is hearing My words and is doing them [ποιῶν αὐτούς], I will show you whom he is like."
Romans 2.13: 13 For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law [ποιηταὶ νόμου] will be justified. [Relevant link.]
1 Maccabees 2.67: 67 "You shall rally about you all the doers of the law [τοὺς ποιητὰς τοῦ νόμου], and avenge the wrong done to your people."
Matthew 7.24: 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them [ποιεῖ αὐτούς] may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock."
Luke 6.47: 47 "Everyone who comes to Me and is hearing My words and is doing them [ποιῶν αὐτούς], I will show you whom he is like."
The poor:
James 2.5: 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Matthew 5.3: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοὶ] in spirit [τῷ πνεύματι], since theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
Isaiah 61.1a OG: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to poor ones [πτωχοῖς]....
Luke 6.20b: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοί; one of the Sinaiticus correctors adds "in spirit"], since yours is the kingdom of God.
Marcion 6.20b (?): Blessed are the poor; theirs is the kingdom of God.
Polycarp to the Philippians 2.3: ...and once more, "Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοὶ]...."
Thomas 54: Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5.3: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοὶ] in spirit [τῷ πνεύματι], since theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
Isaiah 61.1a OG: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to poor ones [πτωχοῖς]....
Luke 6.20b: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοί; one of the Sinaiticus correctors adds "in spirit"], since yours is the kingdom of God.
Marcion 6.20b (?): Blessed are the poor; theirs is the kingdom of God.
Polycarp to the Philippians 2.3: ...and once more, "Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοὶ]...."
Thomas 54: Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven."
Out of the (same) mouth:
James 3.10: 10 Out of the same mouth come [ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται] both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Matthew 15.18-19: 18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth [ἐκ τοῦ στόματος] come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come [ἐξέρχονται] evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders."
Matthew 15.18-19: 18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth [ἐκ τοῦ στόματος] come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 For out of the heart come [ἐξέρχονται] evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders."
Figs and olives (by their fruits):
James 3.12: 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
Matthew 7.16: 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?"
Matthew 7.16: 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?"
Ask and receive:
James 4.3: 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Matthew 7.7-8: 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Luke 11.9-11: 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened."
1 John 3.21: 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Matthew 7.7-8: 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Luke 11.9-11: 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened."
1 John 3.21: 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Cleanse your hands:
James 4.8: 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you doubleminded.
Matthew 5.30: 30 "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell."
Matthew 18.8: 8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire."
Mark 9.43: 43 "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire."
Matthew 5.30: 30 "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell."
Matthew 18.8: 8 "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire."
Mark 9.43: 43 "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire."
Mourn and weep:
James 4.9: 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep [πενθήσατε καὶ κλαύσατε]; let your laughter [γέλως] be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
Luke 6.25: 25 "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing [γελῶντες] now, for you shall mourn and weep [πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε]."
Luke 6.25: 25 "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing [γελῶντες] now, for you shall mourn and weep [πενθήσετε καὶ κλαύσετε]."
Humble yourselves:
James 4.10: 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Matthew 23.12: 12 "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Luke 14.11: 11 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Matthew 23.12: 12 "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Luke 14.11: 11 "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Riches, rust, and moths:
James 5.2: 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten [σητόβρωτα]. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted [κατίωται]; and their rust [ἰός] will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
Matthew 6.19-21: 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth [σής] and decay [βρῶσις] destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Luke 12.33-34: 33 "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth [σής] destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Epistle of Jeremiah 1.23/24: 23/24 As for the gold which they wear for beauty, they will not shine unless some one wipes off the rust [ἰόν]; for even when they were being cast, they had no feeling.
Matthew 6.19-21: 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth [σής] and decay [βρῶσις] destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Luke 12.33-34: 33 "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth [σής] destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Epistle of Jeremiah 1.23/24: 23/24 As for the gold which they wear for beauty, they will not shine unless some one wipes off the rust [ἰόν]; for even when they were being cast, they had no feeling.
Yes, yes, and no, no:
James 5.12: 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no [ἤτω δὲ ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ], so that you may not fall under judgment.
Refer to Matthew 5.33-37; 2 Corinthians 1.15-20; Justin Martyr, 1 Apology 16.5; Midrash, Proverbs 19.18. Link.
Refer to Matthew 5.33-37; 2 Corinthians 1.15-20; Justin Martyr, 1 Apology 16.5; Midrash, Proverbs 19.18. Link.
It will be forgiven:
James 5.14: 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him [ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ].
Matthew 12.32: 32 "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him [ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ]; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Luke 12.10: 10 "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him [ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ]; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him."
Matthew 12.32: 32 "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him [ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ]; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Luke 12.10: 10 "And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him [ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ]; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him."
I once suggested that some sayings attributed to Jesus in the synoptic gospels may have originally derived from the epistle of James:
I wound up backing off of that suggestion somewhat in light of the following saying:Ben C. Smith wrote: ↑Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:08 pmJames nowhere attributes the sayings to Jesus (not that he has to do so in order to prove their origin, but it is an observation). What if they are, in fact, Jacobian sayings instead, sayings which have been placed on Jesus' lips in the gospels, but which were originally the teachings of James? Alternately, but similarly, perhaps Jesus did utter them, but he himself got them from James. I do not think that this option is necessarily any better or more provable than the traditional option (that Jesus uttered the sayings and then James, or whoever wrote the epistle in his name, took them as his own); but I do not think it is any worse or less provable, either.
James 4.3: 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Matthew 7.7-8: 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11.9-10: 9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
Matthew 7.7-8: 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11.9-10: 9 So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
The sentiment in James 4.3 certainly looks like a reaction to that in Matthew 7.7-8 = Luke 11.9-10, and not the other way around. It sounds as if something like Matthew 7.7-8 = Luke 11.9-10 was written or spoken first; then people tried to follow its simple principle, and that principle failed (because that is not how life works); and then, finally, something like James 4.3 was written as an explanation for why the principle failed.
There is another passage which may imply the same directionality:
James 2.5: 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor [τοὺς πτωχούς] of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Matthew 5.3: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοὶ] in spirit [τῷ πνεύματι], since theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
Luke 6.20b: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοί], since yours is the kingdom of God.
Matthew 5.3: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοὶ] in spirit [τῷ πνεύματι], since theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
Luke 6.20b: Blessed are the poor [οἱ πτωχοί], since yours is the kingdom of God.
This rhetorical question presumes reader familiarity with the statement: God has elected the poor to inherit the kingdom.
But the directionality seems, if anything, to reverse itself in yet another parallel:
James 5.12: 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
Matthew 5.33-37: 33 "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be: 'Yes, yes,' or: 'No, no.' Anything beyond these is of evil."
Matthew 5.33-37: 33 "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be: 'Yes, yes,' or: 'No, no.' Anything beyond these is of evil."
The Matthean version prohibits a longer list of possible substitutions for God, and does so for more specific reasons: not just "heaven" and "earth" as in James, but also Jerusalem and even one's own head, with a distinct rationale for each. It is as if something fairly simple and straightforward, like what we find in James 5.12, came first; then people found and exploited loopholes; and then finally someone else had to draw out the ruling to cover as many bases as possible.
When the directionality seems to cut in both directions, it becomes doubtful either that James copied directly from Matthew or that Matthew copied directly from James (which was my original suggestion). Rather, both may have been tapping a separate source. I have suggested before that at least one collection (and probably more than one) of "words of the Lord" circulated in the early church, since that category: sayings from "the Lord" (and I do not prejudge whether this title was originally intended to designate Jesus of Nazareth or whether it was originally intended to designate the God of the Jews), seems to hold a special place in early Christian literature. It seems quite possible to me that the sayings in James which overlap sayings in the gospels hail from some such collection of sayings, whether written or oral, text or tradition.
Ben.