This third release in Zondervan’s Biblical Theology of the New Testament series offers a comprehensive exploration of the theology of James, 1-2 Peter, and Jude, including introductory issues and major themes, but also shows how each book relates to the broad picture of New Testament theology. In this volume, Peter Davids offers a comprehensive study of the General or Catholic Epistles of James, 1-2 Peter, and Jude, which are often insufficiently covered in more general New Testament introductions, theologies, and surveys.

In A Theology of James, Chris Morgan lays out a coherent biblical theology of the epistle of James, connecting the particulars of the book to the big picture of the Bible. With Chris Morgan’s helpful analysis, readers will find James’ message to be both grounded in theology—and livable.

The whole Bible has a purpose, because the Spirit inspired the writing of each book. The purpose of James has vexed Christians throughout the centuries, yet its overarching purpose is to encourage, to warn, and to teach—all practical—and stresses the content of Christian living more than creed. This study of James shows that he is not an armchair theologian. He tackles issues of faith, worldview, and right living, in the context of a suspicious and skeptical age.

Through a detailed examination of the historical shaping and final canonical shape of seven oft-neglected New Testament letters James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude, this text introduces readers to the historical, literary, and theological integrity of this indispensable apostolic witness. While most modern scholars interpret biblical texts against the diversity of their individual historical points of composition, Robert Wall and David Nienhuis make the case that a theological approach to the Bible as Scripture is better served by attending to issues that occasioned these texts’ historical point of canonization—those key moments in the ancient church’s life when apostolic writings were grouped together into collections designed to maximize the Spirit’s communication of the apostolic rule of faith to believers everywhere.

In recent years, the apostle James and his epistle have received renewed attention, and Edgar’s contribution to the revival examines the way in which James and his addressees are depicted within the social world of emerging Christianity. Edgar finds strong points of contact with the sayings of Jesus and with early Christian itinerant proclaimers, who are often seen as having been active in preserving and transmitting these sayings. The Epistle challenges the commitment of its reader to a new allegiance with God and, in no uncertain terms, proffers the choice one must make between loyalty to Him and identification with the earthly value system dominated by the rich.