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Book Review: The Epistle of James: A Commentary on the Greek Text

PETER DAYIDS PRESENTS a conservative yet provocative look at the Epistle of James. His work is conservative in at least three ways. First, as with other volumes in the same series, Davids' commentary is on the Greek text; Greek insights are so intricately woven into the book that the reader who does not have Greek will quickly become lost and will miss important insights. Davids thus helps to conserve the text. Secondly, he also conserves the scholarly opinions of others; indeed, one of his goals is to collect and digest the work of others (p. xi). The seventeen pages of bibliography are ample evidence of his success in carrying out this second goal, especially as virtually every item is utilized in the body of the book. Davids' constant dialogue partner is Martin Dibelius, but he also engages a steady stream of scholars besides Dibelius. In fact Davids' writing at times becomes overburdened with references to the work of others; vague references to entire books are particularly disturbing (pp. 47 and 54, e.g.). Thirdly, Davids is conservative in seeking to connect closely the Epistle of James with the man, James of Jerusalem. It is at this point that Davids is also the most provocative. His hypothesis is that the Epistle of J ames is a two-stage work. Stage one is a series ofJewish Christian homilies, sayings, and maxims which could well be traced to James of Jerusalem; certainly they have a Palestinian provenance which fits well the thirty years