Dr Hort's share included the Synoptic Gospels, the Acts, and the
Epistles of St James, St Peter, and St Jude. After a brief period of
work on the Gospels, of which only a few unimportant fragments remain,
Dr Hort set to work on St James. If we may judge from the condition of
the MS. the Commentary on Chapter I was complete when he came back to
Cambridge, as a Fellow of Emmanuel College, in 1871. His notes were,
however, worked over and written out afresh when he chose St James as
the subject for his first three courses of Lectures as Hulsean
Professor in 1880, 1881. It is idle now to regret that his attention
was called away to lecture in 1882 on Tatian's Apology, leaving the
Commentary incomplete, but within sight of the end. When at length he
returned to the Epistle in the Summer Term of 1889, he dealt mainly
with questions of Introduction. The introductory matter printed in this
volume was prepared for that course of Lectures. It was supplemented by
condensed notes on select passages from the earlier chapters of the
Epistle. No further progress was made with the Commentary on the Text.
