Texts in Conversation
James quotes Leviticus 19 and follows a Jewish tradition that uses one command as the center of interpreting the Torah. By placing “love your neighbor” at the center, James makes it the main rule for how all other commands should be understood.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Leviticus 19:18
Septuagint
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. 18 And your hand shall not avenge you; and you shall not be angry with the children of your people; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord. 19 You shall observe my law: you shall not let your cattle breed with one of a different kind, and you shall not sow your vineyard with diverse seed; and you shall not put upon yourself a mingled garment woven of two materials.
James 2:8
New Testament
6 But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? 8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. 10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
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Notes and References
"... The teacher (or person) who avoids stumbling in speaking is 'perfect.' By now the careful reader of James is familiar with this term. James has spoken of believers being 'mature and complete' in 1:4, of God's gifts as 'perfect' in 1:17, and more importantly of the 'law of liberty' being the 'perfect law' in 1:25. The law of liberty in 1:25 is a synonym for the 'royal law,' the second half of the Jesus Creed (e.g., Leviticus 19:18) in 2:8. Thus, when James speaks of a 'perfect' teacher in 3:2, his concern is more focused than on just Torah observance. This person is a fully developed follower of Jesus' own teachings of the Torah as the Torah of loving God and loving others. The perfect teacher is one whose love shapes how he or she teaches and speaks of others ..."
* 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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