Sacra Pagina James

In his commentary on the letter of James, Hartin offers a unique approach toward understanding a much-neglected writing. Refusing to read the letter of James through the lens of Paul, Hartin approaches the letter in its own right. He takes seriously the address to "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" (1:1) as directed to Jews who had embraced the message of Jesus and were living outside their homeland, Israel. At the same time, Hartin shows how this letter remains true to Jesus' heritage. Using recent studies on rhetorical culture, Hartin illustrates how James takes Jesus’ sayings and performs them again in his own way to speak to the hearers/readers of his own world. Hartin examines the text, passage by passage, while providing essential notes and an extensive explanation of the theological meaning of each passage. The value of this commentary lies in its breadth of scholarship and its empathic approach to this writing. The reader will discover new and refreshing insights into the world of early Christianity as well as a teaching that is of perennial significance.

Throughout this century the Letter of James has been viewed consistently as a disjointed set of instructions. Father Hartin deviates radically from this approach. He shows that the "call for perfection" provides a unifying meaning for the letter. Examining the concept of perfection against the background of the Greco-Roman world, the Old Testament, and the Septuagint, the author shows that perfection provides a key to define the spirituality of the Letter of James. It offers an understanding of God and of the way one is called "to be in the world." Hartin adopts a fresh approach toward understanding the categories of wisdom, eschatology, and apocalyptic as they illuminate the letter's advice.

By paying attention to passages in the New Testament where "James, the brother of the Lord" or "James, the Righteous One", or simple "James the Just" appears (directly or indirectly), this study illustrates James' role within the early Christian movement. It shows the richness and diversity of early Christianity and how it defined itself in relationship to its roots in Judaism and ever-increasing number of believers who joined the movement from the wider Greek and Roman worlds.

What makes this commentary on Luke stand apart from others is that, from beginning to end, this is a literary analysis. Because it focuses solely on the gospel as it appears and not on its source or origin, this commentary richly and thoroughly explores just what Luke is saying and how he says it.

Who would not relish the opportunity to read two-thousand-year-old letters? These four of the seven catholic letters" are addressed not to any specific church, as are Paul's epistles, but to the church in general. Giving us valuable insights into early Christianity, they insist on the need to join good works with faith, present Jesus' sufferings as the model for enduring persecution and warn against intruders intent on undermining traditional faith and morals. Far from being mere exercises in nostalgia for the "good ol' days," the letters offer principles that have not lost their value for the Church of the third millennium. Patrick Hartin's clarity and conciseness update the Church's earliest struggles to remain faithful to the spirit of Jesus Christ. These are letters for us today, too. Fr. Patrick J. Hartin, PhD, is professor of New Testament at Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, and the author of the Sacra Pagina commentary on James and A Spirituality of Perfection: Faith in Action in the Letter of James, published by Liturgical Press.

At issue in the Book of Job is a question with which most all of us struggle at some point in life, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" James Crenshaw has devoted his life to studying the disturbing matter of theodicy-divine justice-that troubles many people of faith. Few individuals come from reading Job unmoved. If they seek answers, they likely will be disappointed. And, many find the depiction of God troubling. If God were merely to meet our expectations, the Creator would hardly be anything more than our own projections into the heavens. Perhaps the ancient poet serves readers best by starkly portraying the brutal reality that life and this world are not fair, and that justice is a human project.

The Acts of the Apostles is really the second volume in the two-part writing scholars call Luke-Acts. It continues the story begun in the Gospel of Luke, showing how the Good News offered by Jesus to the outcast of the people was eventually extended "to the end of the earth," so that Gentiles as well as Jews came to share in the blessings of God. This commentary treats Luke-Acts as an apologetic history. It takes with equal seriousness both Luke's literary artistry and his historical interests, fitting his methods comfortably within the ancient standards of historiography. This perspective illustrates in particular that Luke's historical narrative serves a definite religious intent. Tracing that intent through the specific contours of Luke's story is the special contribution of this commentary.

Through a social-scientific approach, this study pays attention to four main aspects relative to Apollos: his collectivistic nature as a person of the first-century Mediterranean; his relationship to Corinth and its emerging conflicts; his roots in the city of Alexandria and its contributions to his personality and identity; and, finally, his relationship to Paul and his social network. With this book, readers will see the highly educated person of Apollos and the entire New Testament through new lenses.