James

Joel B. Green is Senior Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has authored or edited more than sixty books, including Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. He served as a general editor of Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship and Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, is editor of the New International Commentary on the New Testament series, and was the founding editor of the Journal of Theological Interpretation. Green has been elected to membership in both Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas and the International Society for Science and Religion.

"With his characteristic clarity and literary insight, Joel Green helps us attune our ears to the Letter of James and its message concerning the embodied life of faith. Not only is Green's commentary a welcome addition to the renowned New Testament Library series, but it also provides an indispensable guide to the wisdom of the practical theologian known as James."—Brittany E. Wilson, Associate Professor of New Testament, Duke University Divinity School"Joel Green's commentary on the book of James is a masterful blend of clarity and depth. He presents James as a practical theologian, deeply attuned to the pressing realities of his time. By illuminating the social struggles of Jews in the diaspora and drawing meaningful connections to contemporary challenges, Green offers a fresh and compelling perspective on the enduring relevance of James's call to justice, faith, and action. This commentary is an indispensable resource for scholars, pastors, and anyone seeking a profound engagement with this transformative epistle."—Ekaputra Tupamahu, Associate Professor of New Testament, Portland Seminary"Green's commentary demonstrates that he has taken his own advice: he has read and reread the letter of James such that he sounds very similar to his muse. His prose is elegant and clear-sighted, and the commentary is dense in its richness without being loquacious. In addition to exposition of the grand themes that provide insight into the letter itself, like single-mindedness and the deep influence of Jesus's teaching, nuggets of wisdom appear throughout the volume, instructing readers on the virtues of faithful New Testament interpretation. This is commentary writing at the master level: not a string of obvious restatements of the scriptural text, whose lack of ingenuity barely qualify for the moniker 'comment,' but a wise invitation that sets the reader before the biblical text 'for the sake of having our dispositions and reflexes shaped by James-as-Scripture.' Green prepares me and compels me to want to read James; there is no higher praise for a commentary."—Amy Peeler, Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College"In this thoroughly engaging and deeply insightful commentary on the Epistle of James, Joel B. Green masterfully explores the first-century contexts of the epistle and illuminates modern contexts. James emerges as a practical theologian who speaks powerfully to two of the troubling issues of our time—growing poverty amid scandalous wealth and incendiary rhetoric in public discourse. A must-read for pastors and academics who care about these issues."—Raj Nadella, Samuel A. Cartledge Associate Professor of New Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary"Professor Green has crafted a coherent and carefully argued ethical reading of what can appear to be disjointed exhortations in a Jewish Christian writing of little interest to twenty-first-century believers. Providing a user-friendly translation, helpful charts, and careful attention to the resources James drew on from the Old Testament and Jesus tradition, Green finds contemporary challenges for readers to act according to God’s vision of the world. In today's media environment, the detailed presentation of a Christian 'speech ethic' and the significance of metaphors for strengthening communal bonds is particularly illuminating."—Pheme Perkins, Professor of New Testament and Joseph Professor of Catholic Spirituality, Boston College"Preachers and teachers in the church often avoid James. Joel Green’s commentary will change that, showing once and for all that James never was and certainly is not now an 'epistle of straw.' With historical and rhetorical insight, Green demonstrates how James is a powerful practical theology that shapes the vocation of Christian individuals and communities over against ancient and contemporary societal values that do harm to the vulnerable."—O. Wesley Allen, Jr., Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University