Letters for the Church: Reading James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude as Canon
Overview
The Catholic Epistles often get short shrift. Tucked into a few pages near the back of our Bibles, these books are sometimes referred to as the “non-Pauline epistles” or “concluding letters,” maybe getting lumped together with Hebrews and Revelation. Yet these letters, Darian Lockett argues, are treasures hidden in plain sight, and it’s time to give them the attention they deserve.
In Letters for the Church, Lockett reveals how the Catholic Epistles provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice. Based on evidence from the early church, he contends that the seven letters of James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, and Jude were accepted into the canon as a collection and should be read together. Here Lockett introduces the context and content of the Catholic Epistles while emphasizing how all seven letters are connected. Each chapter outlines the author, audience, and genre of one of the epistles, traces its flow of thought, and explores shared themes with the other Catholic Epistles.
The early church valued the Catholic Epistles for multiple reasons: they defend orthodox faith and morals against the challenges of heretics, make clear that Christianity combines belief with action, and round out the New Testament witness to Christian faith and life. By introducing the coherent vision of these seven epistles, Letters for the Church helps us rediscover these riches.
- Reveals how the Catholic Epistles provide a unique window into early Christian theology and practice
- Emphasizes how all seven letters are connected
- Explores shared themes with the other Catholic Epistles
- Introduction
- The Letter of James
- The Letter of 1 Peter
- The Letter of 2 Peter
- The Letter of 1 John
- The Letters of 2 and 3 John
- The Letter of Jude
- Conclusion
Top Highlights
“Repentance is never just a turning away from evil, but also entails turning to God in complete loyalty” (Page 40)
“Perhaps the lowly are an example of those who are completely or wholeheartedly devoted to God—by contrast, later in the letter the rich are associated with the arrogant (Jas 4:13–17) and proud (Jas 4:6; 5:1–6).” (Page 21)
“we should not think of the New Testament as developing book by book but rather collection by collection.” (Page 5)
“path of error is to return them on the way to wholeness or perfection” (Page 49)
“attaining wholeness has a future orientation. Throughout” (Page 20)
What do the epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude have in common? They are often either neglected or cherry-picked for a few key themes, like faith and works (James) or God is love (1 John). Darian Lockett, an accomplished researcher in this field of study, removes these letters from the shadows by combining patristic evidence, the best of contemporary scholarship, and his own keen reading. His concise, direct, and sometimes passionate style results in a remarkably full historical introduction and canonical exposition of all seven catholic letters in under three hundred pages. Pastors, students, and other serious Bible readers will find here fresh insight and understanding based on solid learning and due reverence for the treasures these letters contain.
—Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary
Darian Lockett knows the books of James through Jude well, having written about them extensively. This helpful primer on the Catholic epistles, which takes a canonical-collection approach, will help readers think carefully about the meaning of these letters and their relevance for today. Here also is a reminder why we need all of Scripture.
—Brandon D. Crowe, professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary and book review editor for the Westminster Theological Journal
- Title: Letters for the Church: Reading James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude as Canon
- Author: Darian R. Lockett
- Publisher: IVP Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2021
- Pages: 232
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. N.T. James › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 1 Peter › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 2 Peter › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 1 John › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 2 John › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. 3 John › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Jude › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9780830850907, 9780830850891, 0830850902, 0830850899
- Resource ID: LLS:LTTRS1213JDSCNN
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:23:32Z
Dr. Darian Lockett (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is an associate professor of biblical and theological studies at the Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.
Darian grew up in the Kansas City area where he graduated from the University of Kansas in 1998 (BA in history) and Midwestern Seminary in 2001 (MDiv). In 2002, he and his family moved to St. Andrews, Scotland where they lived for three years while Dr. Lockett completed his PhD in New Testament. While in Scotland, he filled the pulpit for several small churches in the East Neuk of Fife.
Academically, Dr. Lockett is particularly interested in the Catholic Epistles, hermeneutics, biblical theology, and political/economic philosophies and Scripture. He's the author of Understanding Biblical Theology (Zondervan), An Introduction to the Catholic Epistles, and Purity and Worldview in the Epistle of James (both with T&T Clark). When he's not reading history or theology, he likes to play guitar, wrestle with his kids, and watch the Kansas Jayhawks play basketball. He lives in Brea, California with his wife, Nicole, and his three children: Madeleine, Evan, and Aidan.