The Start of the Letter of James (James 1:1)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

The first verse of this letter identifies its author as James, servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note that he does not call himself an apostle or give any other information about himself. He may, indeed, be James, the brother of the Lord, who probably died, martyred, in 62 AD. He is presented in the New Testament as a strong supporter of maintaining Jewish tradition in Christianity, which fits with the tone of this letter. Of course, arguments can be made against this, notably the fact that it is written in excellent Greek – which seems unlikely for an Aramaic-speaking Palestinian from a poor background. The length it took for the letter to enter the canon also speaks against his authorship. However, it seems likely that, at the very least, it was written by someone close to James.

This first verse also tells us that the letter was addressed to the 12 tribes in the Diaspora which means it was sent to Jewish Christians outside Palestine. Such an identification also tells us that James (and other early Christians) saw these communities as the new chosen people, although these 12 tribes were not based on biology but belief. After the destruction of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, a hope had emerged in Judaism that God would send a Messiah who would restore the ancient kingdom of David, uniting all the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons. The prophets had visions of this new, more glorious Israel that would be an ideal society based on obedience to the Lord.

By simply greeting his audience this way, James shows that he believes this Messiah has come and that the hope so long awaited has been realized. In a very real sense, the end time has begun for Jesus’ sacrifice has saved us. So, the letter of James begins by challenging all Christians to see themselves as the new people of God and the heirs of Israel. The Messiah has come and his sacrifice will lead to a better world.