“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
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There are question marks about the writer of this epistle. James the Just is thought to have been an older step brother of Jesus. He would lead a Christian church in Jerusalem and was thought to have been martyred in 62. This epistlewas possibly written by him in 62, just prior to his death.
Had it been written by a brother of Christ, it is worth considering the motivation of the writer having openly despised Jesus before crucifixion. According to historians of the day, James was martyred defending Jesus, having been asked by Temple leaders to denounce Jesus. Some connect the death of James with the destruction of the Temple in 69, but the issue was not that clear cut. The temple was destroyed after Nero failed to properly put down a rebellion in France. Imagine James speaking to Children, and families of Jesus after the crucifixion, and then being visited on. That is key to this verse, and epistle.
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