The Genre, Composition, and Hermeneutics of the Epistle of James

James reflects both features of Hellenistic paraenesis and wisdom instruction, but its contents owe more to the latter. The work can be seen as a ""countercultural"" wisdom instruction containing various aphorisms, aiming to challenge the hearers' worldview and to reorient them to the values acceptable to God. The concern of perfection comes at the prologue and the epilogue, which forms the framework from which James is to be understood. The units 2:8-13, 3:13-18, and 4:11-12, which link th...