[B-Greek] James 2:18
Harold R. Holmyard III
hholmyard at ont.com
Sat Aug 13 17:58:59 EDT 2005
Dear Ben,
>The initial clause, "But someone will say," obviously introduces
>some type of imaginary interlocutor into the situation, a typical
>device of a homiletic style. The style predisposes the reader to
>view this person as a hostile or erring voice, for it is in this way
>that Paul uses the clause (1 Cor. 15:35 and similarly Rom. 9:19;
>11:19; Lk. 4:23) and also other Greek writers (Jos. War 8:363; 4
>Macc. 2:24; Barn. 9:6; Xen. Cyr. 4.3.10), and of course the Stoics.
>So I would like to know how vv.18-19 can be taken as hostile or
>erring when viewed as a unit.
HH: The interlocutor would be responding to the person described in
verses 14-16. It's true that verse 17 already does that, but it is
not a direct comment to the person, who is pictured as speaking in
16. Since the person is described as "one of you," he has gained a
certain reality in James's rhetoric. So the interlocutor would be
replying to that person, and there would be a certain hostility in
his voice because of the other person's refusal to meet the needs of
naked person he so kindly addressed.
Yours,
Harold Holmyard
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