James

Sleeper's lucid exposition of James restores this often neglected work to itsrightful place in the Christian canon. Carefully charting the verbal structures andargument of the letter, he demonstrates that it is a coherent piece of moralteaching intended to encourage the development of Christian character, not just acollection of disparate maxims. As he guides the reader through the letter's basicthemes, Sleeper is attentive to its echoes in the Old Testament, Hellenistic Jewishwisdom literature, and sayings of Jesus, as well as to its affinities with otherChristian writings. Moreover, he shows that the author's understanding of God and ofhuman nature provides a significant theological foundation for practical wisdomabout the Christain moral life.