Jean-Noël Aletti, «James 2,14-26: The Arrangement and Its Meaning», Vol. 95 (2014) 88-101
The main goal of this essay is to demonstrate that the author of the Letter of James knows how to reason according to the rules of arrangement then in place in the schools and elsewhere, rules that he uses with originality. His rhetoric is not Semitic: for him, Greek is not only a language or a style but also what structures the development of his thought. The choice of a chreia as the pattern of arrangement allowed him to repeat an opinion that had become common in some Christian communities and criticize it, showing that it was erroneous. By presenting this common opinion as a maxim (gnoee), he did not need to cite Paul and thereby avoided attributing to him what was only an erroneous recapitulation of his doctrine of justification.
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JAMES 2,14-26
function of proving. Those who see in vv. 21-26 a distinct unit are
more sensitive to the semantics of justification that appears only in
these verses. As one can see, the proposed arrangement changes
according to whether the argumentative or the semantic dimension
is preferred. Here are some of the choices made by commentators:
three sub-units: vv. 14-17, 18-20 and 21-26 two sub-units: vv. 14-17 and 18-26
E. Ruckstuhl 3 D. Moo 5
H. Frankemölle 4
For the most recent commentary, that of J. Assaël – E. Cuvillier 6,
the arrangement is also tripartite, vv. 14-17, 18-19 and 20-26, but more
well-founded than the preceding one: clearly v. 20, which is in oppo-
sition to what precedes it (cf. the adversative de,), must be associated
with the verses that follow because it is announcing them.
The division can also be semantic, like that of J. MacArthur, ac-
cording to whom there are two types of faith, dead and living, that
regulate the passage 7:
vv. 14-20 Dead Faith (three sub-units: v. 14, 15-17 and 18-20)
vv. 21-26 Living Faith (two sub-units: vv. 21-24 and 25-26).
The majority of commentators opt for the number of sub-units
just listed by relying upon, as we have already indicated, rhetoric or
semantics but without spending much time on their choice because,
for them, the differences in the choices of the arrangement are of
much less importance than the question of justification by works of
faith and its comparison with the Pauline position. The only commen-
3
E. RUCKSTUHL, Jakobusbrief. 1–3. Johannesbrief (Die Neue Echter
Bibel. Neues Testament; Würzburg 1985) 18-21.
4
H. FRANKEMÖLLE, Der Brief des Jakobus (Ökumenischer Taschenbuch-
kommentar zum Neuen Testament 17/2; Gütersloh 1994) 420-478: vv. 14-17
faith without works, vv. 18-20 works demonstrating faith, vv. 21-26 examples
from the Scriptures illustrating faith accompanied by works.
5
D.J. MOO, The Letter of James (Grand Rapids, MI 2000) 119. The author
is sensitive to the dialogical nature of vv. 18-26: v. 14 an introduction to the
subject; vv. 15-17 (A) and dialogue vv. 18-26 (B).
6
J. ASSAËL – E. CUVILLIER, L’Épître de Jacques (Commentaire du Nou-
veau Testament. Deuxième série 13a; Geneva 2013) 199-209.
7
J. MACARTHUR, James (Chicago, IL 1998) 119-142.
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