Friendship and Benefaction in James

Download or read book Friendship and Benefaction in James written by Alicia J. Batten and published by SBL Press. This book was released on 2017-06-23 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now available from SBL Press Employing social description, social scientific models, and rhetorical analysis, Alicia J. Batten argues that the letter of James is conversant with the topic of friendship within Greek and Roman literature, as well as within various texts of early Christianity. She illustrates how James drew upon some of the language and concepts related to friendship with an intriguing density to advocate resistance to wealth, avoidance of rich patrons, and reliance upon God. Features: Use of friendship, benefaction, and patronage as lenses through which James and related texts can be viewed A strong case for how the letter appels to the language and ideas of friendship with regard to God's relationships with humans Exploration of the relationship between the book of James and the teachings of Jesus