The Meaning of the Name of Some Epistles "Conciliar"

About the author

The author calls himself "James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:1). In the Gospel story, three persons with the name of James are known: James, the son of Zebedee, is one of the twelve Apostles and the brother of St. John the Theologian; James of Alphaeus, brother of the holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, also one of the twelve, and James, called the brother of God, who was one of the 70 Apostles of Christ and had as brothers Josiah, Simon and Judas (Matt. 13:55) [1], who later became the first Bishop of Jerusalem and received the nickname "righteous" from the Jews. Unlike the other two, which belong to the twelve, he was called even "the lesser".St. James Zebedee ended his life very early with a martyr's death (about 44 AD in Jerusalem, according to Acts 12:1-2) [2]. St. James Alpheus, as is known from tradition, preached among the pagans. Meanwhile, the Epistle of St. James is addressed to the Jews in the diaspora (1:1) [3]. Church tradition ascribes the Conciliar Epistle of the holy Apostle James to the third James, the brother of God, who was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. As such, he could consider all Jewish Christians, wherever they might be, to be under his hierarchical jurisdiction. In addition, he enjoyed great respect and authority among all Jews, even those who did not believe in Christ, for his righteousness. He led a strict ascetic life, was a virgin, drank neither wine nor strong drink, abstained from eating meat, wore only linen clothes and strictly observed the law, often retiring to pray in the Jerusalem temple. The Jews, even among those who did not believe in Christ, called him "the righteous man" and "the support of the people." In view of all this, it is natural that he could address with an authoritative authoritative word to all the "twelve tribes that are scattered." He was the eldest son of Joseph, the betrothed of the Most Holy Virgin, by his first wife, the brother of Josiah, Simon and Judas mentioned in the Gospel (Matt. 13:55) and the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ. He accompanied Joseph and Mary with the baby Jesus on their flight to Egypt. Apparently, he and his brothers did not fully believe in the Lord Jesus as the Messiah (John 7:3-5) [4] for quite a long time, which is why, perhaps, he was not worthy to be among His closest twelve disciples. But then he believed with all his heart, and the Lord, after His resurrection, vouchsafed James with His special appearance (1 Cor. 15:7) [5].After the Ascension of Christ, he, as predestined to do so by the Lord Himself, was made the first bishop of the Church of Jerusalem, and as such, as well as one who enjoyed especially high respect from the Apostles themselves, presided over the first Apostolic Council in Jerusalem (Acts ch. 15). It must be assumed that all his activity was concentrated in Palestine, and he did not go preaching to other countries, like the rest of the apostles. He ended his life with a martyr's death around the year 64, having been thrown down by the Jewish leaders from the portico of the Jerusalem temple.The Jewish historian Josephus, enumerating the reasons for the fall of Jerusalem as a result of the war with the Romans, says that the Lord punished the Jews, among other things, for the murder of the righteous James. Tradition ascribes to St. James, the brother of the Lord, the compilation of the ancient rite of the Divine Liturgy, which is still celebrated in Jerusalem on his feast day on October 23 (November 5). Is He not the son of carpenters? Is not His Mother called Mary, and His brothers James, and Josiah, and Simon, and Judas? ^ At that time King Herod lifted up his hands against some of those belonging to the church, to do them harm, and slew James, the brother of John, with the sword. ^ James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are scattered — to rejoice. ^ Then His brethren said to Him, "Come out from hence, and go into Judea, that Thy disciples also may see the works which Thou dost do." For no one does anything in secret, and seeks to be known himself. If You do such things, then manifest Yourself to the world. For even His brethren did not believe in Him. ^ Then the Lord appeared to James, and also to all the Apostles. ^

The purpose of the epistle, the time and place of its writing

As can be seen from the words of the first verse, the Epistle of the Holy Apostle James was assigned and sent to "the twelve tribes that are scattered," that is, to the Jews. Apparently, the author's speech is addressed not only to Jews who have accepted Christianity, but also to Jews who have not yet believed, especially since both of them did not separate themselves from each other for a long time and, as can be seen from the book of Acts, even had general meetings. The Apostle James enjoyed the greatest authority among the Jews who did not believe in Christ, and therefore he could address them with an authoritative word of instruction. The expression "to the twelve tribes in the diaspora" does not exclude the Jews who lived in Palestine.The time and place of writing the epistle are not indicated. The holy Apostle James died about the year 64 after the Nativity of Christ. Apparently, the epistle was written by him shortly before his death, for the state of the community of Jewish Christians is described in it very similar to the depiction of it in the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews. Most interpreters are inclined to think that it was written in 55-60 AD.The place of writing was probably Jerusalem or Palestine in general, since there is no evidence that St. James ever left Palestine.

The reason for writing the epistle

The reason for writing the Epistle of St. James was probably the sorrows endured by Jewish Christians who lived in the diaspora, both from their brethren who did not believe in Christ, and, especially, from the pagans. These trials were so great that many, not finding enough strength to endure them and not being able to correlate them with the blessings expected from the Messiah for the Jewish people, began to lose heart and waver in their faith in Christ the Savior. But at the same time, thinking as before to see their salvation in their descent from Abraham, they looked at prayer incorrectly, underestimated the importance of good works, and willingly became teachers of others out of conceit. At the same time, the rich Jewish Christians were exalted over the poor, as a result of which there was a great addiction to worldly goods, and brotherly love among Christians grew cold.

The Authenticity of the Epistle of James

From the testimonies of Origen and Eusebius of Caesarea it is known that the authenticity of the Epistle of James was not recognized by everyone in the ancient Church as indisputable, which gave Luther reason in modern times to doubt its authenticity, since it contained the assertion that "faith without works is dead" (2:26) [1]. However, none of the most famous and famous Fathers and Teachers of the Church expressed doubts about its authenticity.The only reason for doubts could be the fact that not all the most ancient writers of the Church mention this epistle, since there is little material in it to be used in their apologetic-polemical works, which appeared mainly in the first times of the Church. Moreover, his inscription says nothing about his apostolic authority, since St. James, out of humility, is silent about his apostolic dignity. On the other hand, there is reason to believe that such ancient Christian writers as Clement of Rome, the author of the Shepherd of Hermas, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian knew this epistle. It is also found in the oldest Syriac translation of the 2nd century Peshito [2]. From the time of Eusebius of Caesarea, all doubts about the authenticity of this epistle ceased, the epistle was recognized by the whole Church and included in the canon of the sacred New Testament books. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. ^ Peshito — The Syriac Church, from the very beginning of Christianity, had a translation of the Old and New Testaments. The translation adopted by her bears the Aramaic name "peshito" or "simple". It was made according to the Hebrew original for books written in Hebrew, and according to the Greek text, for books written in Greek or preserved to us only in this language. It is accurate and true, but without slavish literalism. ^

General Nature of the Epistle and Its Content

The general character of the Epistle is purely moralizing, and the moral exhortations of the Apostle are distinguished by special power, sublimity and ascetic strictness. The exposition is fragmentary, bears a tone of special importance and at the same time love. The material by chapters is arranged as follows:Chapter One. Inscription and greeting (v. 1). The doctrine of temptations (2-4), wisdom and prayer (5-8), and the insignificance of wealth (9-11). The source of temptation is not God (12-18). On bridling anger and tongue and keeping the law (19-26). The Essence of True Piety (27).Chapter Two. Exhortation to an impartial attitude towards one's neighbors (1-13). The Doctrine of the Relationship between Faith and Good Works (14-26). A Warning Against Self-Appointed Teaching and Unbridled Tongue (1-14). True and False Wisdom (15-18). A diatribe against lust (1-3), against friendship with the world (4-10), against backbiting (11-12) and presumptuousness (12-17). Rebuke of the hard-hearted rich (1-6). Instruction on long-suffering and suffering (7-13), on the sacrament of unction (14-15), on the confession of sins (16-18), on the conversion of those who err (19-20).

Chapter One

Doctrine of Temptations 1:2-4

At the beginning of the epistle, St. James, keeping silent about his apostolic dignity, calls himself "a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ." The greeting "to rejoice" in the mouth of the Apostle, which was common among the ancients, of course, has a special supreme meaning of joy in the Lord Jesus as the Redeemer.After greeting, the holy Apostle immediately begins to speak about temptations, by which is undoubtedly meant the test of our faith in the form of various kinds of calamities that befall a Christian in earthly life. These trials temper our faith and raise us higher and higher to moral perfection through the feat of patience.