Early Christianity presents us with a wide diversity in attitudes towards the law. There were also many different Christologies circulating in different communities. The book of James presents one unique perspective. It seems to be written in the tradition of Jewish wisdom literature in its presentation of sayings and its concern for the poor. James also presents a view of works and faith that seems to oppose Pauline teaching. However, the terms "faith" and "works" function differently in Paul's writings and in the book of James
- 00:00 - Chapter 1. Diversity in Early Christianity: Attitudes towards the Jewish Law
- 03:57 - Chapter 2. Diversity in Early Christianity: Christology
- 21:03 - Chapter 3. James as Jewish Wisdom Literature
- 27:47 - Chapter 4. Faith and Works in James in Comparison to Paul
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses
Interesting to think about how much of our culture is built on the writings of the rich and privileged and the compounding effect it has had over the millennia.