The Catholic Epistle Of St James

The epistle of James is often poorly understood. Beyond questions of authorship and dating, its contents are troubling. Its powerful accusations of sin seem to overshadow the Gospel. For this reason Luther called it an epistle of straw and questioned whether it should be in the Bible at all. Author David Scaer thinks differently, and he shares his insights with us in 'James, the Apostle of Faith'. As the title indicates, faith in Christ and the comforting Gospel are prominent in many places throughout this epistle. Far from being a dreary series of moralisms, James is filled with references to the atonement, faith, and forgiveness - the sublime Gospel themes of the New Testament. Particularly revealing are many parallels between the Epistle of James and the Gospel of Matthew, especially the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' agricultural parables. In this study of James, Dr. Scaer makes exciting discoveries, some of which will surprise you. You may not agree with everything he says, but your thinking will certainly be stimulated. Dr. Paul Maier, Professor of Ancient History at Western Michigan University and author of several best-selling studies of the New Testament, provides a most interesting and informative Foreword, giving valuable historical background about James, the brother of our Lord, and the times in which he lived.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

The James Study Set provides the home study component of James: Pearls for Wise Living. Its ten lessons take you through the Letter of James verse by verse, drawing on pertinent passages from the Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church to help you understand what you are reading and how to apply it to your life. Group discussion of the questions reinforces the lesson, while the suggested responses provide additional insights and explanations. Each lesson should be concluded with the corresponding presentation from the DVD or CD series, which contains expert commentary presented by Jeff Cavins.