Following is a Summary of Theology that I prepared for the conclusion of a seminary class on James in 2008.  I believe that it offers a good departure point for our continuing consideration of how the Big Book of A.A. reflects much of its foundational thinking in I Corinthians, James, and The Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.

It is clear that the writer of James had a thorough understanding of Torah, both written and oral, and the Sermon on the Mount.  James offers a text that appears to be an interpretation of Torah as seen through the lens of the Jesus teachings, especially the Sermon on the Mount, for a latter time and a different place.  However the textual arguments in James, even though they often seem scattered and fragmentary, are built upon the roots of these solid and historical foundations.

The similarities between James and the Sermon on the Mount are striking.  Basic teachings are illuminated by illustrative examples and metaphors, and, very much like the Sermon, James offers a model to assist a person in sorting the complexities of Torah.   James 4:17 lends itself to an interpretation that allows it to function as a fulcrum point, similar to the ”Golden Rule” in the Sermon.  The construction of the text is very reminiscent of a traditional model of rabbinic teaching.  Even the seeming disconnects in the text appear to be in the style of this tradition.

Unlike the Pauline epistles, James is not addressed, at least in the text, to a specific community or group of people.  Perhaps this allows the text to speak to a wider constituency regardless of its unknown original intention or audience.  Like the Sermon, James provides an outline for proper living – Kingdom living.  James offers a sort of “Cliff’s Note” for life as God intends it to be lived.

The next post will begin a “step by step” study of the relationship between The Twelve Steps and the instructions for living as God’s people outlined by the writer of James.