James, Epistle of, is a book of the New Testament. It is one of eight letters called “General Epistles” because they were addressed to Christians in general. According to tradition, the Epistle was written by James, Jesus’ brother and an early leader of the church in Jerusalem (see James, Saint ). This James should not be confused with James, the son of Alphaeus, and James, the son of Zebedee, who were among the 12 apostles. But not all scholars are convinced that James wrote the letter. Some believe the author may have lived in Antioch because the epistle is written in Greek and seems to contain Greek ideas. It warned Christians that profession of faith cannot take the place of good deeds. See also Bible (The Letters) .
