James: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary

Written by William Varner Reviewed By Chris A. Vlachos

“Of the writing of books there is no end,” writes the author of Ecclesiastes. Up until recently, the same could not have been said about the number of commentaries on James. Though there were the weighty treatments of Mayor (1913) and Dibelius (1921), for whatever reasons (Luther's assessment of the book as “an epistle of straw”? the Roman Catholic tradition of identifying the letter's author as James the Less?), James's epistle never received the attention that the Pauline and Petrine writings did. Presently, however, NT commentary series are appearing one after another, and within these series, volumes on James. It is within this growing milieu that William Varner's James takes it place. Why another series and commentary on James? Because, Varner argues, fresh linguistic methods demand a fresh look and, citing a Pilgrim axiom, “God yet has light to spring forth from His word” (p. 14n4).

Although the introduction might lack the scholastic depth of Martin, the grammatical breadth of Mayor, and the rhetorical finesse of Johnson, it is nevertheless comprehensive (almost seventy pages) and (especially appreciated by pastors hard-pressed for time) easily more accessible, thanks in part to the clear and concise summary statements that are interspersed throughout. For example, on provenance Varner states,

James, the uterine brother of Jesus and the undisputed leader during the first generation of the Christian movement (at least from A.D. 44-62), is writing a sort of “Diaspora encyclical” from Jerusalem to groups of primarily Jewish-Christian congregations. His writing most likely took place during the mid-to-late forties A.D., and the original recipient communities were probably located somewhere in or around Syria. (p. 25)

With regard to the conclusions that the introduction presents, most are not new. Varner provides a fresh repackaging, however, and tightens some screws where more precision has been needed. Well-stated, for example, is his analysis of the Greek of James and corrective that its elevated style has been overstated (pp. 45-46). Fresh arguments also abound drawn from untapped sources. For instance, Varner gleans evidence from Josephus's reference to James ( Ant. 20.200) to establish his leadership position in the early church (why else would Josephus single out James? [pp. 21-22]), and he argues for the early date of the letter by bringing to the stand the supportive testimony of two scholars whom most evangelicals would consider hostile witnesses, J. A. T. Robinson and Martin Dibelius.

True to the epistle he introduces, Varner is also practical; he moves everywhere from information to implication. For example, regarding authorship Varner states,

If James was the leader of the early church, there are some serious implications of this fact both for Roman Catholicism [which elevates Peter] and also for Protestant evangelicalism [which is prone to elevate Paul] . . . . As James the leader should not be marginalized, so James the letter should not be marginalized. (pp. 22, 56)

Unfortunately, while Varner's discussions are cogent and thoughtful, the interchange of bold and italic headings and subheadings is often confusing. Perhaps a table of contents would force a more consistent arrangement. In addition, some of the discussions could be rearranged. For example, Varner's conclusion regarding the date of the letter (p. 25) oddly appears prior to his section on Dating, and the discussion of the letter's canonical role sits uncomfortably between analyses of the sayings of Jesus in the epistle and the epistle's structure.

There are also discussions that could be more substantive. For instance, in light of the virtually countless similarities that he cites between the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and the letter, Varner could well provide a lengthier critique of the theory that the letter is an allegory patterned after Jacob's farewell address (e.g., A. Meyer's Das Ratsel des Jacobusbriefes). More importantly, since Varner considers the question of structure to be among “the biggest internal issues that have engaged scholars studying the book” (p. 56), his assertion that 3:13-18 comprises the thematic peak that casts its shadow over the entire epistle (and becomes the meta-narrative that permeates the commentary itself) deserves more literary evidence than he provides. Perhaps these sections can be beefed up in a later version.

The commentary section is the bread and butter of the volume, suitable for readers who have an intermediate-to-expert knowledge of biblical Greek. Textual units (averaging 3-4 verses long) are thoroughly analyzed and discussed under the following headings, a quick glance at which will distinguish the volume from current NT syntactical/lexical analyses, such as the Baylor Handbook on the Greek Text series on the one hand and traditional commentaries on the other:

  • Introduction
  • Outline
  • Original Text
  • Textual Notes
  • Translation
  • Commentary
  • Biblical Theology Comments
  • Application and Devotional Implications
  • Selected Bibliography

As can be expected, the reader may not agree with all of Varner's interpretations, and in some cases, it is virtually Varner against the world (e.g., his interpretation that 4:5 contains a question, “Does the spirit that he has caused to dwell in us long enviously?” that assumes a negative response, “No” [pp. 300-301]). And while there is hardly a stone left unturned, there could be a bit more digging underneath some of the rocks. For example, in 1:25 the phrase νόμον τέλειον τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας (“the perfect law of freedom”) begs the question of how the genitive is functioning and how the law can be related to freedom when elsewhere it is associated with bondage (e.g., Rom 7).

Typical of an effort of this length, there are typos and glitches too numerous to list here: e.g., overused phrases (consecutive sentences beginning with “in other words” [p. 300]); scores of standalone Greek words with grave accents; misspellings (e.g., “even” on p. 78 should be “ever”; Kammel on pp. 106n96, 111, 136, 139 should be Kamell); improper page citations (e.g., the Moo quotes are from p. 103 not p. 107 [p. 208n416] and p. 133 not p. 138 [p. 273]; bibliographical confusion (Moo 2000? or Moo 1985? [p. 84n145]); and improper spacing of ellipses. Nevertheless, though there may be bones in the filet (to change the above metaphor of bread and butter), they are few and are easily removed, and none are anywhere near large enough to choke on.

As with the Introduction, Varner's commentary on the text is both comprehensive and comprehensible. Like a catcher, he sees every player and the entire field of play. Virtually every issue that faces a student of James is addressed, an up-to-date corpus of James-related literature is canvassed, a wide net is cast to draw light from a vast range of ancient extrabiblical literature, current insights of linguistic and rhetorical analysis are applied, all the major commentators are engaged, and where interpreters differ, most every exegetical option is perceptively weighed.

Although it is wise for pastors to have a witness of two or three commentaries on their desk to consult as they prepare their sermons, if they had only Varner's they would be provided with a virtual education of the book of James-and yet more than an education. Because Varner writes, as it were, with one foot behind the lectern and the other behind the pulpit, the volume contains a treasure of exegetical and theological insights that will provide payoff in the pew.


Chris A. Vlachos

Chris A. Vlachos
Wheaton College
Wheaton, Illinois, USA

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