An African Commentary on the Letter of James
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
Africa is a necessary but an often neglected continent. So also is the letter of James necessary but neglected. Yet there is perhaps no biblical text that speaks to the life situation in Africa in the twenty-first century more directly than the book of James. An African Commentary on the Letter of James is an attempt to hear the message of James's letter from a non-Western social and cultural setting. It seeks to demonstrate how one's worldview, language, culture, economic status, and religion make a significant difference in appropriating the message of the biblical text. The commentary explores how the written word impacts the readers in a predominantly oral culture. It attempts to hear what James is saying from a different context but, in doing so, explains James with a different "voice." Like the letter of James itself, the commentary uses pithy sayings, proverbs, and aphorisms to explain the meaning of the text.
Endorsements (6)
“The importance of the letter of James to the church in Africa is not lost on anyone who is interested in the development of Christianity on the continent. This is a letter that speaks to contemporary African socioeconomic and political realities. Readers will find in Adewuya’s simple, but profound volume, studies on what a portion of the Scriptures has to teach us about the relationship between faith and the public sphere in contemporary Africa.”
“Drawing on the resources of African proverbs and stories, as well as his personal experience, Adewuya spotlights the pastoral and formational message of the letter of James. But this commentary is not just for Africans. Adewuya’s sensitivity to the letter’s communal dimension and to its message of hope for the marginalized will enable Western Christian to read James more faithfully. If you are looking for an outstanding example of contextual interpretation that remains faithful to the biblical text, this book is for you!”
“Adewuya has filled in a hole on our bookshelves that many of us may never have known we had. In a commentary that is exegetical and scholarly, he models exegeting well through story, through history, and through the experience of the African peoples. This is a commentary for the community.”
“This book is much more than an interpretation of the letter of James for African contexts. Adewuya’s use of African language translations and his applications of this letter’s lessons for Africa illumine the text for all readers. These interpretive moves provide a clearer understanding of its meaning for its original readers and bring its message alive for present-day readers. Adewuya has given readers of James a great gift.”
“In this volume, Adewuya draws on his multi-decadal life in Africa, his vast international pastoral experience, and his impeccable academic New Testament training to produce an African commentary on the Letter of James. Offering a careful reading of the text, Adewuya draws heavily on the African reception (history) of James with much profit. By this means, the author pushes the global conversation about the New Testament forward in helpful and concrete ways.”
“Adewuya invites us to listen with him to the Letter of James as it speaks to an African context. Readers will particularly appreciate his attention to cultural intertexture, as he sets the wisdom of James alongside and in conversation with the pithy maxims encapsulating facets of the wisdom of several African peoples, seating James at a place of honor within the local council of elders.”
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