James and Jude (Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament)
Overview
In this volume of Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament, scholars John Painter and David A. deSilva offer a practical commentary on James and Jude that is conversant with contemporary scholarship, draws on ancient backgrounds, and attends to the theological nature of the texts. Students, pastors, and other readers will also appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary. This commentary, like each in the Paideia series, approaches each text in its final, canonical form, proceeding by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Each sense unit is explored in three sections: (1) introductory matters, (2) tracing the train of thought, (3) key hermeneutical and theological questions.
- Examines cultural context and theological meaning
- Discusses key hermeneutical and theological questions
- Provides notes, outlines, images, and tables
James and Jude makes an excellent contribution to the impressive Paideia commentary series. John Painter's commentary on James exhibits all the traits of a master interpreter. The introductory material is rich without being dense or convoluted. The commentary itself is concise and loaded with insight. David deSilva's commentary on Jude is a gem. Who knew that so much of interest could be extracted from such a brief epistle? Students will benefit greatly from this well-written volume. Veteran scholars are also encouraged to add it to their library.
—Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University
I can think of no one more qualified than John Painter and David deSilva to write on James and Jude respectively. They have produced an admirable work, both in its scholarly integrity and in its literary clarity. They have adhered to the goal of the Paideia series in not writing a detailed exegetical commentary but rather 'attending to the cultural, literary and theological settings of the final form of the text' and bringing out the rhetorical strategies employed. This increases rather than limits the value of the work, allowing for a focus and clarity that might not otherwise be possible. I recommend this work; no future work on these two letters will be complete without using it.
—Peter Davids, Houston Baptist University
Painter and deSilva are to be congratulated for taking their readers and the biblical text seriously. They do not dumb down their discussions, but neither do they make brute historical, linguistic, and sociological facts the centerpiece of what they say. In these pages, thoughtful and practical reflection ('Theological Issues') always follows a close analysis of the Greek text ('Tracing the Train of Thought'). The authors teach that understanding is not an end in itself; they insist that a robust faith is alien in any culture and that it is lived.
—James Riley Strange, assistant professor of religion, Samford University; author of The Moral World of James: Setting the Epistle in Its Greco-Roman and Judaic Environments
- Title: James and Jude
- Authors: David A. deSilva, John Painter
- Series: Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament
- Publisher: Baker Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2012
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Pages: 272
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. N.T. James › Commentaries; Bible. N.T. Jude › Commentaries
- ISBNs: 9781441255648, 9780801036347, 1441255648, 0801036348
- Resource ID: LLS:PAIDEIA80JAM
- Resource Type: Bible Commentary
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:07:38Z
Dr. David A. deSilva, PhD, is the Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ohio, where he’s taught since 1995.
He has written over 20 books in the areas of New Testament and Second Temple Judaism, including Unholy Allegiances: Heeding Revelation's Warning (2013), The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude (2012), Seeing Things John’s Way: The Rhetoric of the Book of Revelation (WJKP, 2009), An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation (2004), Introducing the Apocrypha (2002), and Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle “to the Hebrews” (2000). He’s also interested in spiritual formation, having written Sacramental Life: Spiritual Formation through the Book of Common Prayer (2008) and Praying with John Wesley (2001).
Dr. John Painter, PhD, is Professor of Theology and St. Mark's National Theological Centre, Charles Sturt University, Canberra, Australia. He is the author of Mark's Gospel: Worlds in Conflict (1997), The Quest for the Messiah (2d ed., 1993), Theology as Hermeneutics: Rudolf Bultmann's Interpretation of the History of Jesus (1987), Reading John's Gospel Today (1980), and John: Witness and Theologian (1975).
Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament approaches each text in its final, canonical form, proceeding by sense units (pericopes) rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Thus, each commentary follows the original train of thought as indicated by the author instead of modern artificial distinctions. Using this approach, one is able to grasp not only the exegetical-historical information of a passage, but also follow a coherent theological expression throughout. Additionally, this series is enormously helpful and practical through its usage of small visual presentations of historical, exegetical, and theological information. Highly user friendly, this is a great resource for college students, pastors, or those who want to take their Bible study to another level.
The Paideia series explores how New Testament texts inform Christian readers by:
- Attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs
- Showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits
- Commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book
- Focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text
- Making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format
