The meaning and teaching of νόμος in James

Abstract

Diverse theological allegiances and conflicting voices concerning the relevance and role of God's Law (i.e. the Torah)1 makes it a complex, confusing, and even a controversial issue in the church. This is a serious matter because the way Christians view the Law profoundly impact on how they interpret God's will, discern between right and wrong, and how they relate to God and to other people. Clearly, sound teaching about the Law is critical for the unity, health, wellbeing, and witness of the Church. For their doctrine of the Law, many lean heavily on the evidence in Paul's Letters, which can produce a rather negative view of the Law of God given through Moses (i.e. the Torah). James, however, speaks remarkably positively about the Law. And since he speaks infallibly as Scripture, his voice deserves to be heard. This Study carefully investigates James's Epistle in order to determine the "meaning and teaching of 'nómos' (νόμος) in James". The purpose is to work out what James means by "nómos" and what can be derived about his doctrine about "nómos". This is done with the goal of gaining clarity about the Law of God from James, which in turn could clarify the New Testament's position about it, and thus clarify the orthodox Christian position. Chapter 1 introduces the Study and outlines the Study plan. A three-pronged analytical approach is taken to answer the overarching research question, "What is James's doctrine of the Law of God?", with its five supporting questions. By answering them, the main aim of outlining James's doctrine of the Law, with its five supporting objectives, is achieved. The analytical processes include: Thought Structure Analysis, Semantic Discourse Analysis, and a survey of the Old Testament biblical roots of James. The results are documented in the successive chapters of the Study. Chapter 2 documents the historical and literary context of James. This provides the framework within which to interpret the Letter. The framework includes the following key elements: (1) The author is James, the brother of Jesus, leading apostle and pillar of the church, presiding over the headquarters of early Christianity in Jerusalem, and being renowned for his justness and Torah observance. (2) The original recipients were predominantly Jewish Christians who met in their own synagogue where the Torah was doubtlessly cherished. 1 The terms "Law", "Law of God", and "Torah" will be used interchangeably in this Study. However, the preferred term is "Torah" because its Hebrew roots more accurately convey its true meaning than the English word "Law", which could have overly "legal" connotations that could overshadow the more dominant sense of "God's fatherly instructions". Refer to "Torah" in the Glossary of Terms.

(3) The Letter was likely written very early, to displaced believers who were vulnerable socially, and who were spiritually in danger of becoming like the world (i.e. being worldly), possibly due to antinomian tendencies. (4) Therefore, James wrote a passionate and pastoral Letter to them, replete with instructions, to protect and exhort them to avoid doubleness and strive for perfection and wholehearted devotion to God, in the face of trials and in the light of the coming judgment. (5) The Letter is thoroughly Jewish and thoroughly grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures and thought. (6) It is held together by the connecting themes of Law and wisdom at key locations. Chapter 3 determines the extent to which the Old Testament and especially the Torah feature in James and how the original readers' conception of the OT and Torah would have most likely shaped their understanding of the word "nómos" in James. It is found that: - The OT was their "Bible", with the Torah being foundational and central and the Prophets and Writings expanding and applying, rather than replacing or nullifying it. At the heart of the Torah is the Ten Commandments, which contain its most sacred, fundamental, absolute, and ultimate moral principles. Furthermore, the Greek Translation of the OT (i.e. LXX) was most likely their version of the "Bible", according to which "nómos" (νόμος) stands for "Torah". - James refers to Old Testament Scriptures no less than 60 times in 108 verses. Closer examination, however, reveals many more connections with the OT. Clearly, therefore, James's teaching is deeply rooted and firmly anchored in the OT Scriptures. Six of James's seven citations and quotations are from the Torah (mostly the Decalogue) and the seventh is within the context of the Second Commandment of the Decalogue. James's most fundamental teachings are all rooted in the Torah, with allusions to the Shema, Holiness Code, Ten Commandments, and Abraham the father of faith. - While James is silent on the ritual commandments, he entirely focusses on the "weightier matters" of the Torah, so much so that the entire contents of the Letter can be divided into sections that all fall, either under "justice"/"mercy" (i.e. loving neighbour), or under "faith"/"faithfulness" (i.e. loving God). - It is concluded that James's readers would most likely and most naturally have understood "nómos" (νόμος) to refer to "Torah". Chapter 4 closely examines and meticulously exegetes each passage in James in which the word "nómos" (νόμος) is used (incl. Jas. 1:19-27; 2:8-13; 4:11-12). The purpose of the analysis is to determine the contextual and intended meaning of "nómos" in James and what James

teaches about "nómos". The analysis includes outlining the exegetical context, translating the Greek text into English, analysing the thought structure, establishing the meaning structure, highlighting the meaning indicators, explaining the meaning of words and phrases, and outlining the absolutes. The analysis is done with extensive consultation of and engagement with secondary resources, including scholarly works. The meanings of the five "nómos" terms are as follows: (1) "nómon téleion" (νόμον τέλειον) "tòn tēs eleutherías" (τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας) (Jas. 1:25), translated: "perfect Torah, that of freedom", which means that the Torah is both perfect and liberating. (2) "nómon basilikòn" (νόμον ... βασιλικὸν), translated: "Kingdom Torah" (Jas. 2:8), which means the Torah instructs/guides those in God's Kingdom. (3) "toū nómou" (τοῦ νόμου) (Jas. 2:9) or "nómou" (νόμου) (Jas. 2:11; 4:11) simply, translated the "Torah", which means God's Law (originally given through Moses). (4) "hólon tòn nómon" (ὅλον τὸν νόμον) (Jas. 2:10), translated: "the whole Torah", which again means Torah, with emphasis on its entire body of instruction; and (5) "nómou eleutherías" (νόμου ἐλευθερίας) (Jas. 2:12), translated: "Torah of freedom", which means Torah is liberating. "Torah of freedom" (Jas. 2:12) is a short form of "perfect Torah, that of freedom" (Jas. 1:25). It is concluded that with the five terms James has essentially one and the same Torah in mind: God's Torah given through Moses. James's teaching about the Torah, as expounded in Chapter 4, is outlined below. Chapter 5 outlines the answer to the overarching research question, "What does James teach about the nature, content, and function of the Law of God?". The answer can be summarised, as in Chapter 7, as follows: (1) Concerning the nature of the Torah: - God is the giver and source of the Torah. - It is perfect, righteous, and liberating in its essence. - And violation of it is sin. (2) Concerning the content of the Torah: - The Torah is God's Torah given through Moses, the core of which is the Ten Commandments, the summary and purpose of which is the Two Greatest Commandments, the exposition and application of which are found in the rest of the Pentateuch and Scriptures as a whole, and the priority of which is to express and practice "justice", "mercy", and "faith". - James focuses on the "moral" commandments of the Torah and is silent on the "ceremonial" commandments. One has to look at the rest of the New Testament for clarity about the applicability of the latter.

(3) Concerning the function of the Torah: - The Torah reflects God's character and the righteous standards of His kingdom, and it mirrors the true moral state of the believer. - It delineates pure and useful religion, it defines sin, and it outlines God's standards for judgment. - The Torah instructs believers in their moral and social obligations, and trains them to practice "ḥesed" (or "lovingkindness") and to be God's merciful people. - Being implanted within, the Torah protects believers against transcendent danger, it is a means or guide for their own perfection, and a safeguard for their freedom. Chapter 6 compares James's teaching concerning the Torah with that of the rest of the New Testament, in order to demonstrate the harmony between James and the rest of NT and to highlight James's contribution to the NT's teaching on the Law of God. For this, the following seven key NT passages are carefully exegeted: Matthew 5:17-20; 23:23-24; Romans 3:28, 31; 8:1-4; Hebrews 8:10-12; 1 John 3:4; and 5:1-4. These passages show remarkable agreement with James about the nature, content, and function of the Torah: (1) Concerning the nature of the Torah: - Jesus teaches that Torah is permanent and connects it with right living. - Paul affirms that Torah's standards are righteous, and John defines sin as "Torah-lessness". - By nature, Torah belongs in the hearts of God's people, as Hebrews implies. - And John adds that, to the believer, it is not a burden but a liberating delight. (2) Concerning the content of the Torah: - Jesus' purpose was not to empty Torah of its original content, but to fill it up by giving it its true and full meaning. - Its key ingredients include "justice", "mercy", and "faith", without necessarily excluding the lesser matters such as giving. - And according to Hebrews, its core contents surely include the Decalogue. (3) Concerning the function of the Torah: - Jesus expects His followers to keep and teach the Torah. - And that is why, as Hebrews imply, the Torah is written on their hearts so that they might know, understand, love, and obey it. - But, as Paul implies, it is not Torah's function to produce such obedience. - That is why Christ atoned for His people's sin (to free them from guilt against and condemnation by the Torah) and secured the Holy Spirit for them to indwell, liberate, and empower them to finally live out God's righteous standards (of the Torah) as they should. While there seems to be a tension between James and Paul about justification by faith (alone), and while James is fairly silent about the vitally important role of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and sanctification, these two matters are not contrary to James and can be harmonized with his teaching. The points of difference are found not to be contradictions but areas where they complement one another for a fuller understanding of the NT's teaching about the Torah.

Chapter 7 concludes the study by recapping the meaning and teaching of "nómos" in James, critiquing common interpretations of "nómos" in James, drawing practical implications from the Study, and making suggestions for possible further research. Of the nine common understandings of "nómos" listed in the Study Introduction, the first is found to be possible, the next four quite likely (with preference for Options 2 & 3), and the last four very unlikely. Since James's meaning and teaching of "nómos" are reasonably well defined, the key implications from this Study are as follows: (1) James's contribution to the NT's teaching about the Torah is significant and indispensable. (2) Several common interpretations about "nómos" in James can and should be discounted. (3) Common questions about the role of the Torah in Christianity can be answered with reasonable certainty. (4) Commonly held doctrines about the Torah can be tested against James's teaching. (5) James's voice needs to be heard and heeded by the church in the face of increasing antinomianism and moral decline.