404 Introduction

that the congregations in the Dispersion to whom our Epistle was addressed comprised a certain number ef Gentile- as well as Jewish- Christians, and the latter must have known that the former were not circumcised, neither they nor their children, and therefore the ques- tion must have arisen as to which was the right course; it was a subject with which St. Paul had had to deal (1 Cor. vii. 18); as soon as thetwo classesof Christians began to associate, it must have become necessary to have some uniformity in this matter; it concerned the children more especially. On the assumption of an early date for the Epistle one might almost have a right to expect some reference to the question on account of its importance in the eyes of Jews, whereas on the assumption of a late date, when the usage of non-cir- cumcision had been in vogue for some time, the silence on the subject would be natural. It is, perhaps, worth while pointing out that the question was probably to some extent complicated by the fact that baptism, as well as circumcision, was practised among the Jews, as regards proselytes, both before and after the founding of Christianity ; during the first centuries of Christianity it became a burning ques- tion among the Rabbis whether circumcision without baptism was sufficient; some maintained that baptism alone sufficed. These were things concerning which the scattered congregations of the Dispersion must, in these early years of the planting of the faith, have needed guidance. As regards the Sabbath, some authoritative expression of opinion would also seem to have been demanded if the Epistle were of early date; those who had only comparatively recently become Christians might be expected to have required some guidance as to the observance of the Sabbath and the Lord’s Day; even if both were observed, as was probably the case among the early Jewish-Christians, questions as to the relative importance of each can scarcely have been wanting when one remembers the punctilious- ness in all that concerns observances which is so characteristic of the Jew. The silence on these two subjects is, of course, inconclusive as to date; all that can be said is that, assuming an early date for the Epistle, some reference to them might reasonably be expected, while if it were written about 125-130 Α.Ρ. this silence would be natural. The net result, then, of these considerations as to authorship and date appears to be as follows: A great deal is to be said in favour of St. James’ authorship, and, therefore, in favour of an early date ; at least as much is to be said in favour of a late date (say the first or second quarter of the second century), and, therefore, against the authorship of St. James. Against every argument adduced in favour of either view serious objections can be urged ; but then these