The Commentary of James B. Adamson

I have been working my way through the Book of James using the commentary of James B. Adamson¹. As I read, every section seems relevant to our political conversation so I decided that I may as well share it here. This first article in the series will introduce Dr. Adamson and explain his unique approach to James. This is important in my opinion, because it adds to the enjoyment of the work.

I didn’t know anything about this commentary when I ordered it. It was last on a recommended list of commentaries and I only ordered it because it was the favorite of the person who compiled the list. However, I think you will agree that it was a good choice.

At the time of publication, James B. Adamson, M.A., Ph.D. was a Presbyterian minister in Santa Rosa, CA. He has many professional qualifications but I would like to share the information that first caught my eye when I opened the book:

The Sayings of Jesus, the Tradition of Elijah and Moses, and the Style of the Psalms and the Prophets

James B. Adamson was convinced that James was a master writer whose knowledge and choice of Greek bestow on his epistle a sustained unity of style and content that bears a close affinity with the Synoptic Gospels and the sayings of Jesus. The substance and authoritative tone of this epistle follow in the tradition of Elijah and Moses, and the style and diction resemble some of the outstanding qualities of the Psalms and the prophets. (W. Ward Gasque, Eastern College)

Adamson’s view of James was unique among scholars at the time he was writing this commentary. However there is general agreement that James was committed to Jewish Christianity. His epistle has been called ‘the Amos of the new Covenant’.

Adamson Wanted to Address an Error Made by Luther and Subsequent Commentaries

Adamson wrote in his preface that one of his most important aims was to combat what he considered a fatal error made by Luther and included in subsequent commentaries. These sources argue that James’s epistle lacks cohesion of thought or design. Adamson disagrees and uses the structure of the epistle to identify its date and authorship. For example, he argues that James 5: 1-8 has a strong Old Testament and Jewish element, especially in the verb ‘howl,’ in 5:1. This verb occurs here alone in the New Testament, and in a passage of prophetic character, Isaiah 34:1.

James thus takes us back to the techniques of the Old Testament and the synagogue, comforting the afflicted in the Hebrew manner with a prediction of the fall of their enemies and oppressors, in the same way as, for example, the comprehensive curse of Isa. 34 upon the evil is immediately followed by the next chapter’s sublime comfort for their victims (Adamson, p. 12).

• Instagram
• Facebook
• X

1. Adamson, James B., The Epistle of James, The New International commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976. ↩︎

Series Navigation

The Epistle of James, Chapter 1 >>