Bridget Kiely
Dr. McGinn
RL 205
21 March 2006

Review of Harris, Chapter 19: General Letter on Faith and Behavior

In this chapter Harris deals with all the letters on faith written to different groups of people. He begins with the two most commonly associated with Jewish Christianity, Hebrews and James. Then he follows with the epistles from Peter, Jude, and John.

The Book of Hebrews was written by an early Christian scholar who was familiar with the Hebrew Bible as well as Greek philosophy. The Book of Hebrews is said to be more like an elaborate sermon rather then a letter. Where and when the Book of Hebrews was written is debatable; some critics suggest Alexandria, Rome, Antioch, or Corinth around the time 80 to 100 C.E. The purpose of the book was to urge believers to hold their faith, remembering their former loyalty during persecution and avoid the pitfalls of apathy or indifference.

The author of James called himself “James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” but does claim to be an apostle or mention any relationship to Jesus. But church tradition refers to him as the person who Paul calls, “James the Lord’s brother, if this is the case that he is Jesus ’ brother or close relative it is strange that he makes no mention of this kinship. The topics of James’s writings vary; the only unifying topic is the purpose and function of religion. James describes the purpose and function of religion as typically Jewish good works, charitable practices that will save the soul and cancel a multitude of sins.

James was said to be one of the three Jerusalem “pillars,” 1 Peter is also described as one of the “pillars.” Like the Book of Hebrews the authorship of 1Peter is also debatable; some say it was the apostle Peter writing in Rome while others argue that churches in Asia Minor are mentioned, so it could have been written there. 1 Peter’s purpose is to encourage believers to hold their integrity and promote Christian ethics.

Jude is placed last among the general epistles. Its primary purpose is to persuade the receipients to join the writer in defending the orthodox Christian traditions. The author calls himself Jude (Judas) as servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James. It is assumed he was some family member of Jesus.

2 Peter was also written with two purposes in mind; condemning false teachers and warning of the imminent world judgment. The author of 2 Peter is unknown, but practically no one believes that is was written by Jesus’ chief disciple.

Harris finishes up the last few pages of the chapter explaining the less important letters of 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John and the teaching of the twelve apostles.

Important Terms

Typology: a form of biblical interpretation in which the narrative and teachings of the Hebrew Bible are viewed as prophetic types or patterns for what Jesus was later to say and do.

Melchizedek: the king-priest of Canaanite Salem to whom Abraham paid a tenth of his spoils of war cited by the author of Hebrews as foreshadowing Jesus Christ.

Tabernacle: the portable tent-shrine, elaborately decorated, that housed the Ark of the Covenant.

Tithes: a tenth one’s income paid in money, crops, or animals to help support a government or religion.

Expiation: the act of making atonement for sin, usually by offering a sacrifice to appease divine wrath.

Apostasy: the act of abandoning or rejecting a previously held religious belief; from a Greek term meaning “to revolt.” An apostate is one who has defected from or ceased to practice his or her religion.

Eucharist: the Christian ceremony of consecrated bread and wine that Jesus initiated at the Last Supper.

Liturgy: the customary rites observed in public worship.