King James Version · Under Rome
James 2
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My brethren, have not the of our , of , with respect of persons. For if there come unto your a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to , Stand thou there, or sit here under : Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil ? , my beloved brethren, Hath not chosen of this world rich in , and of which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised . Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law according to the , Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye , and are convinced of as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep , and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not , said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no , yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of . So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by of . For he shall have without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against . What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath , and have not works? can him? If a brother or sister be , and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so , if it hath not works, is , being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast , and I have works: shew me thy without thy works, and I will shew thee my by my works. Thou believest that there is one ; thou doest well: the devils also , and tremble. But wilt thou know, O man, that without works is ? Was not by works, when he had offered his son upon the ? Seest thou how wrought with his works, and by works was made perfect? And the was fulfilled which saith, , and it was imputed unto him for : and he was called the Friend of . Ye see then how that by works a man is , and not by only. Likewise also was not the by works, when she had received the , and had sent them out another way? For as the body without is , so without works is also.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Which of God's laws still bind a Christian? · James 2:8-12
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.