Reading James with New Eyes

The letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude are among the most neglected letters of the New Testament. Thus, methodological advances in New Testament study tend to arise among the Gospels or Pauline letters. But now these letters are beginning to receive increased attention in the scholarly community. Reading James With New Eyes is the first of four volumes that incorporate new research in this area. The essays collected here examine the impact of recent methodological developments in New Testament studies to the letter of James, including, for example, rhetorical, social-scientific, socio-rhetorical, ideological and hermeneutical methods, as they contribute to understanding James and its social context. Each essay has a similar three-fold structure, making them perfect for use by students: a description of the methodological approach; the application of the methodological approach to James; and a conclusion identifying how the methodological approach contributes to a fresh understanding of the letter.

-Mention. The Chronicle of Higher Education/ July 13, 2007, -Mention. The Chronicle ofHigher Education/ July 13, 2007, Reviewed in International Review of Biblical Studies, 2007.

Robert L. Webb, McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, ON, Canada. Robert Webb is the co-editor of Jesus and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ: The Film, the Gospels, and the Claims of History and the author of John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Socio-Historical Study. John S. Kloppenborg is Professor of Religion at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is well-known for his ground-breaking work on the Sayings Gospel Q. His most recent publication is Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel. He is currently writing a commentary on James for the Hermeneia series.