The Theology of the Letters of James, Peter, and Jude

A balanced and comprehensive treatment of these greatly neglected New Testament letters.

The letters of James, Peter, and Jude are among the most neglected parts of the New Testament. The authors of this study seek to remedy such neglect, arguing that these epistles are important both for the theology of the New Testament generally and for contemporary discussion about the nature of Christian faith.The letters of James, Peter, and Jude have been greatly neglected within the Christian tradition: James, because it seems both to attack Paul's gospel and also to lack any coherent, overall argument or theology of its own; Peter and Jude because they lack the specificity of the Pauline letters and because the personalities of the authors are hardly direct and immediate. Andrew Chester argues that James is more theologically significant than is usually considered the case, and has a distinctive role to play in the contemporary discussion of the Christian faith. He sets James in context and discusses its main themes, exploring its significance especially for issues of power, justice and Christian living. Ralph P. Martin similarly stresses the importance of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude and demonstrates how they cast light on Jewish Christianity in its early development and show how the post-apostolic church used the memory of Peter.