The Unifing Theme of the Epistle of James杰姆斯的书信的主题.docVIP

Bibliotheca Sacra 135 (July 1978) 221-31. Copyright ? 1978 by Dallas Theological Seminary. Cited with permission. The Unifying Theme of the Epistle of James D. Edmond Hiebert The Epistle of James is notoriously difficult to outline. This is confirmed by the great diversity of the outlines which have been proposed. They range all the way from two1 to twenty-five2 major divisions. The epistle itself does not herald any clear structural plan concerning the organization of its contents. Hendriksen well re- marks, A superficial glance at this epistle may easily leave the impression that every attempt to outline it must fail.3 This impression that the epistle lacks any unifying theme for its contents is strengthened by the peculiar practice of James of connecting sentences by the repetition of a leading word or one of its cognates. As an illustration, note 1:3-6 (NASB) : endurance (v. 3) —endurance (v. 4) ; lacking in nothing (v. 4) —if any of you lacks (v. 5); let him ask (v. 5) — but let him ask (v. 6) ; without any doubting (v. 6) — the one who doubts (v. 6). See also 1:12-15, 21-25; 3:2-8; 4:1-3. The brief paragraphs, the rapid shift of thought, and the apparent diversity of themes further support the impression that the epistle is disjointed and lacks a unifying theme. The disjointed character of its contents is stressed by scholars 1 Robert G. Gromacki, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974), p. 341. 2 Burton Scott Easton and Gordon Poteat, The Epistle of James, in The Interpreters Bible, ed. George Arthur Buttrick, 12 vols. (New York: Abing- don Press, 1957), 12:18. 3 William Hendriksen, Bible Survey: A Treasury of Bible Information (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1949), p. 329. 221 222 / Bibliotheca Sacra — July-September 1978 who view this book as simply another example o