Review of a proposal on the structure and theme of James

This text is from a letter written by David Gooding in 1991.

Thank you very much for letting me see your paper on the structure and theme in James.

In my own studies the first major critique I would level against any suggested structure of my own would be, 'what is the point of this structure; what lessons is the structure itself intended to convey?'. I am interested, therefore, in your suggestion that the structure as you see it gives expression to the principle of augmentation. Yes, I accept that principle as being, in theory, highly reasonable and highly profitable. It has to some extent been suggested by various authors as the principle upon which 1 John is constructed.

I myself would wonder, however, whether there might be more to it than that. My own tentative layout of 1 John¹, for instance, would not only give expression to augmentation, but would also serve the purpose of differential diagnosis². While all three major parts of the Epistle deal with the topic of manifestation, and are therefore similar, they each show their individual differences. Or again, while each part deals with the question of the world, and are therefore similar, they each deal with a different aspect of the world. While each concludes with a warning, each warning is a variation on a common theme.

Your study of James is far more advanced than mine on 1 John, and in James I am an utter novice; but would you say that your eventual structure of James will serve more than straightforward augmentation?

The other thing that weighs with me in my own study is that thought flow is ultimately more important than structure, and therefore I would suspect a structure if it were able to cope only with certain vivid similarities between one part and another, but not able to cope with other equally vivid similarities.

To take an example or two from your tentative structure:

1. The rich and poor theme occurs in your first column at James 1:9–11, standing over against James 4:13–5:6 in the second column. And, of course, the similarity of thought is very striking. But then James 2:1–13 deals, likewise very prominently, with the rich and poor theme; but in your three columns it does not appear as a parallel to the other two. Now that, of course, does not mean that your structure is necessarily wrong. Indeed, the value of your structure could lie here, that theoretically it points to the fact that, whereas at James 1:9–11 and again at James 4:13–5:6, the rich and poor theme is the main theme of those two sections, at James 2:1–13 it is included as merely one example among many examples of another and quite distinct dominant theme. Structure can be a very valuable pointer to guide us in determining what are major and minor themes in any one place; but I would at least want to question your tentative scheme at this point, and similarly one or two other examples which I now list.
2. The theme of judge and law occurs at James 2:8–13 and James 4:11–12, but does not show up in your layout. Instead, James 2:8–13 is said to be augmentation of the theme of 'perfect work'.
3. The theme of doublemindedness occurs in James 4:11–12 and in James 1:6–8; but why has James 4:11-12 to be tacked on to James 4:1–10?
4. The theme of glorying, both true and false, occurs very aptly in your plans at James 1:9–11 and James 4:13–17; however, why do the false boasting against the truth of James 3:14, and the true boasting of James 2:13, not appear in your lists?
5. Why does 'you lust and have not, you covet and kill, etc.' not stand over against James 1:13–15?

Thank you very much for a paper that has richly stimulated my thought, and made me want to get back to studying the Epistle of James more seriously than I have hitherto done.

¹ Editor's note: See the Study Guide resource for 1 John on www.myrtlefieldhouse.com

² Editor's note: As in medicine, the distinguishing of a disease or condition from others presenting with similar signs and symptoms

Yours very sincerely in Christ,