Texts in Conversation
James uses the language of Leviticus 19, which forbids showing partiality to either poor or rich and requires fair judgment. James follows this principle in the Torah by teaching to not honor the wealthy more than the poor.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Leviticus 19:15
Septuagint
13 You shall not injure your neighbor, neither shall you rob him, neither shall the wages of your hireling remain with you until the morning. 14 You shall not revile the deaf, neither shall you put a stumbling block in the way of the blind; and you shall fear the Lord your God: I am the Lord your God. 15 You shall not act unjustly in judgment: you shall not accept the person of the poor, nor show favoritism to the powerful; with justice you will judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not walk deceitfully among your people; you shall not rise up against the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord your God. 17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, so you shall not bear sin on his account.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
James 2:1
New Testament
1 My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? 4 If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?
Date: 80–90 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Recognizing the poor (and the rich) as made in God's image ought to prohibit slanderous communications between brothers and sisters in the messianic community. To anticipate what comes at 2:8-9, the partiality James denounces in 2:1-4 contradicts the second half of the Jesus Creed (Mark 12:28-32), the command to love neighbor as self, which comes from Leviticus 19:18, which also prohibits prejudice against the poor: "You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor" (Leviticus 19:15) ..."
Scot McKnight, The Letter of James (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2011), 189.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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