Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

The Venerable Bede

AD 673–735

Bede explains the seven letters of James, Peter, John and Jude, which the church calls the Catholic or general letters because they were written to all believers. The commentary begins with a prologue on the seven letters and then takes them one after another, chapter by chapter.

Prologue on the Seven Canonical Epistles

James, Peter, John, and Jude issued seven Epistles, which the ecclesiastical custom calls Catholic, that is, universal. Among these, the first Epistle of James is placed first because he took over the governance of the Church of Jerusalem. For in the catalog of apostles, Peter and John are usually named first. However, the fountain and origin of evangelical preaching began [from Jerusalem] and spread throughout the world. The dignity of this chair is also revered by the Apostle Paul, who, when naming it, says, "James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars of the Church"; or certainly because he (James) sent his Epistle to the twelve tribes of Israel, who first believed, it justly should be placed first; deservedly, the second should be Peter's, because he wrote to the chosen strangers, who in Greek are called proselytes, that is, to those who converted from Gentilism to Judaism, and from Judaism to the grace of evangelical election. Justly, the Epistles of John are placed third because he wrote to those who believed from the Gentiles, though neither by nature nor by profession did they exist. Finally, many ecclesiastical writers, among whom is Saint Athanasius, bishop of the Church of Alexandria, testify that his first Epistle was written to the Parthians. Justly, Jude's Epistle is placed last because although he is also great, he is lesser compared to the three preceding apostles; or because the first [supplying James'] Epistle was written, then Peter's, after these, John's; therefore, they now retain the order in which they were written.

For it is known that blessed James completed his martyrdom in the thirtieth year after the Lord's passion. Peter suffered in the thirty-eighth year, that is, the last year of Nero, and he himself wrote in his second Epistle: "I am certain that the putting off of my tent is imminent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ indicated to me by revelation. Whence it is evident that he wrote this Epistle while his passion was impending, as James had departed for Christ long before. Nor indeed did it seem proper to separate his Epistles from one another, which he wrote to the same churches. Furthermore, John wrote his Epistles and the Gospel much later, who, after the Lord's assassination, returned from exile and found the Church troubled by heretics in his absence, whom he often names Antichrists in his Epistles.

James 1

James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. The apostle Paul spoke of this James: James, and Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, gave the right hand of fellowship to me and to Barnabas, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised (Galatians II). Therefore, since he was appointed as an Apostle to the circumcised, he took care of those who were from the circumcision by instructing them both by speaking in person and by comforting, teaching, reproving, and correcting those absent through his letter. To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion, greetings, he says. We read that after the blessed Stephen was killed by the Jews, there was a great persecution on that day against the church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. To those who were dispersed and suffered persecution for righteousness, he sends the letter. Not only to them, but also to those who, despite having received the faith of Christ, had not yet been perfect in works, as the subsequent parts of the Letter testify, as well as to those who remained faithless and continued to persecute and disturb the believers as far as they were able. All of these, driven from their homeland by various circumstances and suffering countless slaughters, deaths, and hardships wherever they were oppressed by enemies, as ecclesiastical history sufficiently explains.

Even in the Acts of the Apostles, we read that they were widely dispersed by the time of the Lord's passion, as Luke says: Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven (Acts II). Many of these nations are expressly named as it continues: Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, etc. (Ibid.). Therefore, he exhorts the righteous not to fall away from faith in temptations, rebukes the sinners and admonishes them to refrain from sins and to advance in virtues, lest they become unfruitful or even damned after having received the sacraments of faith. He admonishes the unbelievers to repent for the killing of the Savior and their other crimes in which they were involved before divine retribution overtakes them, whether invisibly or even visibly.

James 1:2

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials. The word begins with the more perfect, so that it may reach those in order whom he saw being corrected and raised to the height of perfection. And it is to be noted that he does not simply say, "Rejoice" or "Consider it joy," but "Consider it all joy," when you encounter various trials; deem yourselves worthy of all joy if it happens that you endure trials for the sake of faith in Christ. This is grace, if someone endures suffering unjustly for the sake of God’s conscience, as Peter says (1 Pet. II). And his co-apostle Paul: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. And all the apostles departed rejoicing from the presence of the council, because they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. Therefore, we should not be saddened if we are tempted, but if we have been overcome by temptations.

James 1:3

Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. And let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Therefore (he says) you are tempted by adverse things, so that you may learn the virtue of patience, and through it, you may be able to show and prove that you carry in your heart a firm faith in future reward. Nor should this place be considered contrary, but rather understood to be in harmony with, what the apostle Paul says: Knowing that tribulation produces patience, and patience, experience (Rom. V). For patience produces experience, because he whose patience cannot be overcome is proved to be perfect. Which is also subsequently taught here when it is said: And let patience have its perfect work. And again: The testing of your faith produces patience. Because that reason makes the faithful exercised through patience, so that through this their faith may be proved how perfect it is.

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all abundantly and without reproach, and it will be given to him. All truly salvific wisdom must be asked of the Lord, because, as the wise man says: All wisdom is from the Lord God, and it was always with him (Ecclesiasticus I). Nor can anyone through free will, without the help of divine grace, although the Pelagians strongly contend otherwise, understand and be wise. But here it seems especially to be said of that wisdom which we need to use in temptations. If anyone (he says) among you cannot understand the usefulness of temptations that happen to believers for the sake of testing, let him ask God to grant him the sense by which he may discern with how much compassion the Father chastises the children whom He cares to make worthy of eternal inheritance. And he deliberately says: Who gives to all abundantly, lest anyone, conscious of his own frailty, should doubt that he can receive by asking, but rather let each one remember that the Lord has heard the desire of the poor. And as the same one says elsewhere: The Lord has blessed all who fear Him, the small with the great (Psalms CXIII). However, because many ask for many things from the Lord, who nevertheless do not deserve to receive, he adds how they ought to ask if they desire to obtain.

James 1:6

But let him ask in faith, without doubting. That is, let him show himself to be such by living well, that he may be worthy to be heard when he asks. For he who remembers that he has not obeyed the Lord's commandments justly despairs that the Lord will attend to his prayers. For it is written: He who shuts his ear to the law, even his prayer shall be abominable (Proverbs XXVIII). [James 1:6] -- For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. He who, with a conscience biting him for sin, doubts about receiving heavenly rewards, easily abandons the state of faith at the impulse of temptations, in which he seemed to serve God in peace, and at the whim of the invisible enemy, as if by a gust of wind, is carried away through various errors of vices.

James 1:8

A man of double mind is unstable in all his ways. In all his ways, in adversity and prosperity, he says. A man, however, is double-minded, who both kneels to pray to the Lord and utters prayerful words, yet inwardly doubts, due to his accusing conscience, that he can obtain. A man is double-minded who wants to rejoice here with the world and reign there with God. Likewise, a man is double-minded who seeks not inward reward in the good things he does but outward favor. Hence, it is well said by a certain wise one: Woe to the sinner who enters the land on two paths (Eccli. II). For the sinner enters the land on two paths, when what he shows in action belongs to God, and what he seeks in thought belongs to the world. However, all these are unstable in all their ways, because they are easily deterred by worldly adversities and entangled by prosperities, so that they stray from the path of truth.

James 1:9

Let the humble brother boast in his exaltation. Therefore, he says, you must consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, because everyone who humbly endures adversities for the Lord receives lofty rewards of the kingdom from Him. [James 1:10] -- But the rich man in his humility. It is understood from the previous verse to boast. It is clear that this is said with sarcasm, which in Greek is called irony. Thus, he says, the rich man must remember that his glory, in which he boasts of his wealth and despises or even oppresses the poor, is to end, so that humbled, he may perish forever, like that rich man in purple who despised the poor Lazarus. [James 1:10] -- For like the flower of the grass, he will pass away. The flower of the grass delights both the sense of smell and sight, but swiftly loses the grace of its charm and sweetness. Therefore, the present happiness of the wicked is most rightly compared to this, which can in no way be lasting.

James 1:11

For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls. The scorching heat of the sun is taken to mean the stern sentence of the judge, by which the temporal glory of the reproved comes to an end. However, the elect also flourish, but not like the grass. For the righteous will flourish like a palm tree (Ps. XCI). The unrighteous flourish temporarily, who will quickly wither like grass, and like the herbs of the field will soon fall. The righteous flourish like trees, because their flower, that is, their most certain hope, awaits everlasting fruit. And their root, that is, charity, remains firm and immovable. Hence, the wise man says: I have flourished like a vine with the sweetness of fragrance (Eccl. XXIV). Finally, Naboth, a just man, preferred to die rather than transfer the vineyard of his fathers into a garden of herbs. For to transfer the vineyard of the fathers into a garden of herbs is to change the strong works of virtues, which we have received from the teaching of the fathers, into the fragile pleasure of vices. But the righteous prefer to lay down their soul rather than choose earthly goods over heavenly ones. Hence, it is almost sung about them that they will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, which bears its fruit in its season (Ps. I), and so forth. But what of the unrighteous? And his face's beauty perishes. So too, the rich man withers away in his ways.

He does not mean every rich man, but the one who trusts in uncertain riches. For he has set the rich man in opposition to the lowly brother, showing that he speaks of that rich man who is not humble. For even Abraham, though he was rich in the world, after death received the poor man in his bosom, leaving the rich man in torment. But he did not leave the rich man because he was rich, for he himself had been rich, but because he was not merciful and humble, which he himself had been. And conversely, he received the beggar Lazarus, not because he was poor in possessions, which he himself had been, but because he was humble and innocent, which he himself had been. Therefore such a rich man, that is, proud and impious, preferring earthly joys over heavenly ones, will wither away in his ways, that is, will perish in his wicked acts, because he neglected to enter the straight path of the Lord. But while he, like grass before the sun's heat, falls, the righteous, on the contrary, like a fruitful tree, endure the same sun's heat, that is, the severity of the judge, and further bring forth the fruits of good works for which they are eternally rewarded. Hence it is rightly added:

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he is tested, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. This is similar to that in Revelation: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life," which God has promised, He says, to those who love Him (Revelation 2). He openly admonishes that one ought to rejoice all the more in temptations, the more it is evident that God imposes a greater burden of temptations on those He loves, so that through the exercise of temptations they may be proven perfect in faith; when they have been proven to be truly faithful, that is perfect and entire, lacking nothing, they rightly receive the promised crown of eternal life. [James 1:13] -- No one, when tempted, should say that they are tempted by God. Hitherto he has spoken about the temptations which we endure externally by the permission of the Lord for the sake of being tested; now he begins to address those which we endure internally, instigated by the devil, or even persuaded by the fragility of our nature. Here he first destroys the error of those who believe that just as good thoughts are inspired by God in us, so also bad ones are thought to be generated in our mind by His instigation. Therefore, no one, when tempted, should say that they are tempted by God, namely with that temptation by which a wealthy person withers while traveling his paths. That is, no one who has committed robbery, theft, false testimony, murder, adultery, or other such things, should say that they had to commit these acts under the compulsion of God, and thus could by no means avoid the perpetration of these deeds.

James 1:13

For God is not a tempter of evils. It is understood as temptations. Indeed, He tempts no one. That is, with the temptation that deceives the merciful so that they sin. For there are two kinds of temptation. One which deceives, another which tests. According to that which deceives, God tempts no one. According to that which tests, God tempted Abraham. Of whom even the prophet asks: "Test me, O Lord, and try me" (Psalm 26). [James 1:14] -- But each one is tempted by his own desire, being drawn away and enticed, etc. Drawn away from the right path and enticed into evil. On this verse, Jerome, against Jovinian, says: "Just as in good works God is the perfecter, for it is not of the one willing, nor of the one running, but of God who shows mercy and helps, so that we may be able to reach the goal, so in evils and sins, our seeds are the incentives, but the perfection is of the devil. When he sees us building on the foundation of Christ with hay, wood, and stubble, he sets fire beneath it. Let us build with gold, silver, precious stones, and he will not dare to test it, although even in this there is no certain and secure possession: for a lion lies in wait in hiding places to kill the innocent. And the furnace tests the potter's vessels, but testing of tribulation tests just men."

James 1:15

Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin. And sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Temptation occurs in three ways: by suggestion, by delight, by consent. By the suggestion of the enemy, and by delight or also by the consent of our frailty. But if, while the enemy suggests, we do not want to delight or consent to sin, this very temptation leads us to victory, by which we may deserve to receive the crown of life. Yet if, by the suggestion of the enemy, we are gradually drawn away from right intention, and begin to be enticed by vice, we indeed offend by delighting, but have not yet incurred the fall of death. However, if from the delight of the offense conceived in the heart, the birth of a wrong action follows, then we, already guilty of death, are left by the victorious enemy. To prove this by examples, Joseph was tempted by the words of his mistress, but because he did not have lustful desire, he could only be tempted by suggestion, not by delight or consent; thus, he emerged victorious. David was tempted by the sight of another man's wife, and because he had not yet overcome the desire of the flesh, he was drawn and enticed by his own desire. And when he completed the conceived crime, he fell into the guilt of death, which he nonetheless escaped by repenting.

Judas was tempted by avarice, and being greedy, he was drawn and enticed by his own desire, and fell into destruction by consenting. Job was tempted in many ways, but because he did not place his possessions or bodily health above divine love, he could be tempted by hostile suggestion, but never could he consent to or even delight in sin. Therefore, what is said, "Sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death," looks back conversely to this, which was said above about the one who endures temptation, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life. For just as the one who overcomes temptation merits the rewards of life, so indeed the one who is enticed by his desires and overcome by temptation, rightfully incurs the ruin of death.

James 1:16

Do not therefore err, my most beloved brethren, by assuming that the temptations of vices originate from God. Although we know that some, due to the demands of the merits of preceding crimes, have again fallen into other wickednesses by the permission of the just and rigorous judge. Hence is the saying of the Apostle: "And as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient, being filled with all unrighteousness" (Rom. I). [James 1:17] -- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. After he has taught that the vices by which we are tempted do not come from God to us, but arise from ourselves, he shows on the contrary that whatever good we do, we receive this by the gift of God. Hence he calls Him the Father of lights, whom he knows to be the author of spiritual gifts. To which also agrees the saying of the Apostle Paul: "For what do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. IV).

James 1:17

With whom there is no variability or shadow of turning. Because in God's nature there is no changeability, nor does His light, as the light of this world, suffer any shadow of turning, it is clear that He sends us gifts of light alone, and does not also send us the darkness of errors. [James 1:18] -- Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth. And the Lord in the Gospel: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John XV). And in the prophet Hosea: "I will love them freely" (Hosea XIV). Therefore, what he had said, that every good and every perfect gift comes from God, he confirms by adding consequently, that not by our merits, but by the benefit of His will, through the water of regeneration, He has transformed us from children of darkness into children of light.

James 1:18

That we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. Lest we imagine that by saying, "He begot us," we become what He is, this demonstrates that a certain preeminence is granted to us in creation by this adoption. Indeed, some have translated the verses as follows: "Of His own will He begot us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." That is, that we should be better than the other creatures we see. For the law commanded to consecrate the firstfruits of crops or animals to the Lord, and the firstfruits of gold and silver were to be offered for the work of the tabernacle, which means the best of the metals. And of the ancient people of God, the prophet Jeremiah said: "Israel is holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of His harvest" (Jer. II).

James 1:16

You know, my most beloved brothers. "It is well known," he says, "to you that you yourselves had the inclination to fall to the depths, but it happened that you were enlightened by the Lord, not by your own provision, but by heavenly grace anticipating you." [James 1:19] -- But let every man be quick to listen, but slow to speak. Hence, he instructs the listener with moral precepts. And rightly first admonishes one to adapt an ear as quickly as possible to the teacher, but slowly to open the mouth to teach, for it is foolish for anyone to desire to preach to others what he himself has not learned. Therefore, whoever loves wisdom should first, as he previously admonished, ask for it from God. Then, as a humble listener, let him seek a teacher of truth. And in conducting himself, let him most cautiously restrain his tongue not only from idle talk but also from proclaiming the very truth he has recently learned. Hence, Solomon, writing about the distance of times, says: "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak" (Eccles. 3). Thus, the Pythagoreans, equipped with the teaching of natural science, command their listeners to be silent for five years and only then permit them to preach. For it is safer for truth to be heard than to be preached. Because when it is heard, humility is preserved; but when it is preached, it is scarcely that some amount of boasting does not creep upon any of the men. Hence, Jeremiah, describing the life of a well-instructed youth, counts the modesty of silence among the foremost studies of virtues. "It is good for a man," he says, "that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and be silent" (Lamentations 3).

James 1:19

And slow to anger. Because the maturity of wisdom is only perceived with a tranquil mind. For it is written, anger rests in the bosom of fools (Eccles. VII). However, it does not so much alter the speed of anger, as to approve its slowness, but rather admonishes this, that even in the hour of perturbation and quarrels, let us beware lest anger creeps upon us; or if it has crept upon us, let us restrain its impulse within the confines of the mouth, and after the hour of crisis has passed, let us more freely purify it from our heart over time. Or certainly, he commanded us to be slow to anger, so that we do not turn the serenity of our countenance into austerity for any reasons, but only for certain reasons. For example, if we see that those near us, especially those entrusted to us, cannot be corrected otherwise, let us then exhibit the severity of the word or even of stricter judgment, while maintaining as much as human nature allows, the serene state of our mind. For (as I believe) Phinehas, Samuel, Elijah, and Peter were slow to anger, and yet they punished the sinners, whether by sword or by word. But Moses, though he was a very meek man, went out from Pharaoh whom he saw as incorrigible, very angry, and threatened him with punishment, which he also carried out in deed.

James 1:20

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. The meaning is clear, because whoever rashly subjects himself to the sin of anger, even if he appears just to men, is not yet perfectly just in the divine judgment. But it can be understood more profoundly, because it is said of the Lord: "But you, Lord of hosts, judge with tranquility" (Wisdom XII). Any human judge who judges a delinquent with a disturbed mind, even if he judges justly, cannot imitate the justice of divine judgment, into which disturbance does not enter. [James 1:21] -- For this reason, putting away all filthiness and abundance of malice, in meekness you have received the implanted word. First, he orders both the body and the mind to be cleansed from vices, so that they may be worthy to receive the word of salvation. For he who does not first turn away from evil cannot do good. Indeed, he designates all impurity of both flesh and soul. But malice properly refers to the depravity of the inner man. "Receive," he says, "the implanted word," that is, the word which we impose on your hearts by preaching, you must receive by learning. Or certainly, it should be understood this way: the word which was implanted in you on the day of redemption, when God voluntarily begot you, now receive it more perfectly, even fulfilling it with works, which you already hold in ministry.

James 1:21

Which can save your souls. Even if you suffer temptations in body, or are consumed by death from the unfaithful. [James 1:22] -- Be however doers of the word, and not hearers only, etc. Thus also Paul about the observers of the law. "Not the hearers," he says, "of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Rom. II). And in the Apocalypse John, having said: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy of this book," immediately added: "And keep those things which are written therein" (Apoc. I). [James 1:25] -- But he who has looked into the perfect law of liberty and has continued in it. By the perfect law of liberty, he means the grace of the Gospel. For the law brought nothing to perfection (Hebr. VII). And elsewhere: "For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption of sons" (Rom. VIII). And again: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (II Cor. III). And the Lord Himself: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed" (John VIII).

James 1:25

Not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Not by the futile hearing of the word, but by the execution of the work is happiness prepared. Thus also the Lord speaking to the disciples: "If you know these things," He says, "blessed are you if you do them" (John XIII). [James 1:26] -- But if anyone thinks that he is religious, not restraining his tongue, but deceiving his heart, this person's religion is worthless. He had previously advised not only to hear the word of God but also to do it. Now he adds that even if someone seems to exercise the Lord's commands, which he has learned, in deeds, if he does not also restrain his tongue from slanders, lies, blasphemies, foolish talk, even from much speaking itself, and other things by which he usually sins, he boasts in vain about the righteousness of his works. Just as Paul, approving the sentence of a Gentile poet, says: 'Bad company ruins good morals' (I Cor. XV).

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this. Beautifully did he add "before God and the Father," because there are those who seem religious to men, while they are considered profane by God. Therefore, Solomon also says: 'There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death' (Prov. XIV). [James 1:27] -- To visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. Because he said that the doer of the work will be blessed in his act, now he says which deeds are most pleasing to God, namely mercy and innocence. For in that he commanded to visit orphans and widows in their distress, he suggests all that we must do mercifully towards our neighbors. How much this matters will be revealed at the time of judgment, where the Judge will say: 'As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me' (Matt. XXV). Furthermore, in that he commanded us to keep ourselves unspotted from this world, he shows all those things in which it is fitting to keep ourselves chaste. Among these are also those things which he had previously advised to observe, that we should be slow to speak and slow to anger.

James 2

James 2:1

My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. He showed that those to whom he wrote were indeed imbued with evangelical faith, but were empty in works. And since the Lord taught that his commandments should be fulfilled through alms for the poor, he saw that they, contrary to what should be done for the poor for the sake of eternal rewards, were rather doing it for the rich for the sake of earthly advantages, and therefore he reproved them as they deserved. And fittingly, at the beginning of this passage, he surnames our Lord Jesus Christ as "of glory," so that we may remember that it is to his commands we ought to obey, who, being the splendor of glory (Hebrews 1), rewards eternally whatever is given to the poor out of love for him, rather than any human dignity which is generally said to be all flesh is grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass, etc. (Isaiah 40).

James 2:2–3

For if there comes into your assembly a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there also comes in a poor man in shabby clothing, and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or "Sit down at my feet." In this exposition of the sentence let us use the words of blessed Augustine. "If," he says, "we refer this difference of sitting and standing to ecclesiastical honors, it must not be thought a small sin to have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. For who can tolerate that a rich man should be chosen to the seat of honor in the Church, disregarding a poorer but more learned and holier man? But if he speaks of everyday seating arrangements, who sins here (if indeed he sins) except when he judges internally within himself that the other seems better to him to the degree that he is richer?"

James 2:4

Do you not judge among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? It follows: [James 2:5] -- Listen, my beloved brothers. He says, pay closer attention, because those who are richer in the world are not necessarily better in the divine judgment. [James 2:5] -- Has not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? He calls the poor, humble, and those who, through contempt of visible things, but faith in invisible riches, are despicable to this world. For such the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen by saying: Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. He has chosen such when he created poor parents for himself, whose service nourished him coming into the world. But he has made them illustrious and noble by the expectation of the future kingdom.

James 2:6

But you have dishonored the poor. For the one to whom it was said: You stand there, when it was said to the one with the gold ring: You sit here well. [James 2:6] -- Do not the rich oppress you by power, and drag you into courts? Do they not blaspheme the honorable name which was invoked upon you? Here he shows more clearly who are the rich, concerning whose humiliation and destruction he previously disputed. Truly, those who place their riches before Christ, entirely alien to his faith, nonetheless oppress those who believe by power, dragging them into the courts of the powerful, and blaspheming the name of Christ, which is above every name. This is shown quite clearly in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles of Paul the Apostle, that many leaders among the Gentiles, especially among the Jews, did this in the times of the apostles.

James 2:8

If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scriptures: You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. See how he calls them transgressors, because it is said to the rich: Sit here, and to the poor: Stand there. Thus, lest they think it a contemptible sin to transgress the law in this one matter, he added:

James 2:10

Whoever shall keep the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all. For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill." Now if you do not commit adultery but you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. Because of what was said: Convicted by the law as transgressors. Therefore, it seems accordingly (unless it can be otherwise understood) that he who says to the rich man: Sit here, and to the poor man: Stand there, giving more honor to this one than to that one, should be judged guilty of all crimes. For he who offends in one is made guilty of all. Hence, it must be questioned, how is he guilty of all if he has offended in one who has kept the whole law? Or perhaps because the fullness of the law is love, by which God and neighbor are loved, upon which commandments of love the whole law and the prophets depend, he rightly becomes guilty of all who acts against that in which all things hang? No one sins except by acting against it. Because "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not kill," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. XIII). Hence, he becomes guilty of all by doing against that in which all things hang. Why then are not all sins said to be equal? Or perhaps because he acts more against charity who sins more gravely, and less who sins lightly? Yet even if he offends in one, he is guilty of all, because he acts against that in which all things hang.

James 2:12

Thus speak, and thus act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. The law of liberty is the law of charity, of which it is said: If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scriptures: You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. Therefore, he says, speak thus, and act thus, that by loving your neighbors, you may deserve to be loved by God, and by showing mercy to your neighbors, you may expect mercy in the divine judgment. Otherwise, as the law of servitude is what was given through Moses, so the law of liberty is the grace of the Gospel which was given through Jesus Christ, as the Apostle attests, who says: For you have not received the spirit of slavery again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, in which we cry, Abba, Father (Hebr. VII). And again, where there is the Spirit of the Lord, there is liberty (II Cor. III). Therefore, if you speak, he says, and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. This is indeed to begin being judged. For it is more severe to be judged by the law of Moses than by the natural law. Likewise, it is more severe for those who despise the known grace of the Gospel than those who despise the edicts of the Mosaic law. For to whom much is given, much will be required from him.

And to whom much has been entrusted, more will be asked from him (Luke XII). Hence, the Apostle also says: For if the word spoken by angels was confirmed, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? Which at the beginning was spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard him (Hebr. II). And again: If anyone sets aside the law of Moses, he dies without compassion on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severe do you think the punishment will be deserved by the one who has trampled the Son of God, and has considered the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified to be defiled, and has insulted the Spirit of grace (Hebr. X)? But both meanings regard one end, namely that responding to divine grace with just works, we should be kind to one another, merciful, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ forgave us.

James 2:13

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Without mercy shall be judged the one who, though able to show mercy, did not do so before being judged. While this is rightly thought of all the unmerciful, it is certainly understood that the greater the mercy someone has received from the Lord, the more unjustly they have denied mercy to a needy neighbor and thereby will more justly suffer the penalties for their wickedness. Hence the Lord wisely warns: Do not judge, so that you may not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you (Luke 6). Therefore, judgment without mercy will be for the one who has shown no mercy. [James 2:13] -- But mercy exalts over judgment. For as the one condemned in God's judgment will grieve who did not show mercy, so the one who did will rejoice and exult when rewarded. Alternatively: Mercy exalts over judgment. It is not said: Mercy overcomes judgment. For it is not opposed to judgment but exalts over it, because many are gathered through mercy, but those who have shown mercy. For blessed are the merciful, since God will have mercy on them (Matthew 5). Again, Mercy exalts over judgment, that is, mercy is placed above judgment. In which, if a work of mercy is found, even if there is reason for punishment in judgment, like a wave of mercy, the fire of sin is extinguished.

James 2:14

What will it profit, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? And so on. Here he discusses the works of mercy more extensively, so that he might console those he had strongly frightened with knowledge preceding, by reminding them how even daily sins, which cannot be lived without here, are expiated by daily remedies. Lest a person, who, by offending in one thing, becomes guilty of all, and by offending many, since we all offend in many ways (James 3), brings a great heap of accumulated guilt before the tribunal of so great a Judge and does not find the mercy they did not show. Instead, by forgiving and giving, they may merit to have their debts forgiven and the promises returned to them.

James 2:15–16

But if a brother or sister is naked and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them: Go in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things that are necessary for the body, what does it profit? So too faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself, etc. It is clear that just as mere words of piety do not refresh the naked or hungry, unless food and clothing are also offered, so faith kept only in words does not save. For it is dead in itself without works of charity, by which it might be revived and animated. Nor is this contrary to what the Lord said: He who believes and is baptized will be saved (Mark XVI). For it must be understood that he truly believes who exercises what he believes by doing. And since faith and charity cannot be separated, as Paul attests, who says: There is faith which works through love (Gal. V), John the Apostle aptly gives such a judgment on charity as James gives on faith, saying: Whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him (I John III)?

James 2:19

You believe that there is one God, you do well, and the demons also believe and tremble. Do not think that you are doing something great by believing that there is one God. For the demons also do this, and not only do they believe in God the Father, but also in the Son. Hence Luke says: "And demons also were coming out of many, shouting and saying, 'You are the Son of God.'" And rebuking them, He did not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ (Luke 4). Not only do they believe, but they also tremble. Hence the legion that was possessing the man cries out to Him with a suppliant voice: "What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me" (Mark 5). Therefore, those who do not believe that God exists, or do not fear Him when believed, are certainly to be considered more sluggish and defiant than demons. But it is not great to believe in God and to tremble, if one does not also believe in Him, that is, if the love of Him is not held in the heart. For it is one thing to believe Him, another to believe in Him, another to believe into Him. To believe Him is to believe that what He says is true. To believe in Him is to believe that He is God. To believe into Him is to love Him.

For many, even the wicked, can believe that what He says is true. They indeed believe it to be true, but they do not want to do it, because they are lazy in action. But to believe that He is God, even demons were able to do this. But to believe into God is known only by those who love God, who are not Christians in name only, but also in deeds and life. Because faith without love is empty. With love, it is the faith of a Christian; without love, it is the faith of a demon. Therefore, he who does not want to believe in Christ does not even imitate the demons. And if he already believes in Christ but hates Christ, he has a confession of faith in fear of punishment, not in love of the crown. For they too feared punishment. Finally, when the blessed Peter confessedly said to the Lord: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16), he seems to utter almost the same words that the demons also spoke, but the confession of the demons, because it was spoken with hatred, was rightly condemned by Christ, and Peter’s confession, because it proceeded from internal love, was rewarded with eternal blessedness.

James 2:20

Do you want to know, O empty man, that faith without works is idle? Because the Apostle Paul, preaching that a man is justified by faith without works, was not well understood by those who took it to mean that once they believed in Christ, even if they acted badly and lived wickedly and wickedly, they would be saved by faith: this passage of this epistle explains how the same sense of the Apostle Paul should be understood. Therefore, he uses the example of Abraham more, showing that faith is empty if it does not work well, because Paul also used the example of Abraham to prove that a man can be justified without works. For when he recalls the good works of Abraham, which accompanied his faith, he sufficiently shows that the Apostle Paul did not teach that a man is justified by faith without works in such a way that if anyone has believed, it does not matter for him to do good works, but rather to ensure that no one thinks he has achieved the gift of justification, which is by faith, through the merits of previous good works. In this, the Jews wanted to prefer themselves over the Gentiles believing in Christ, because they said they had achieved evangelical grace through the merits of good works which are in the law. And therefore, many who believed from them were scandalized because the grace of Christ was given to the uncircumcised Gentiles. Whence the Apostle Paul says that a man can be justified by faith without works, that is, preceding works. For being justified by faith, how can he not act justly? Therefore when James says:

James 2:21

Our father Abraham was justified by works, offering Isaac his son upon the altar. Elegantly, the example of good works from the patriarch himself was pointed out to be learned, urging those who believed from among the Jews to follow the deeds of their first and greatest ancestor as good offspring. And since he admonished them not to fail in temptations and to prove their faith through works, he elegantly used the example of the patriarch, by which he could instruct them in both virtues. For what greater temptation, except those pertaining to the wounds of one's own body, can occur than for an old man to be compelled to kill his only beloved son? How then would he delay in giving his tunics or food to the poor for the love of God, who did not delay in giving his son, whom he had received in his old age as an heir, to death at the prompt command of the Lord? Therefore, this statement of blessed James is in harmony with what Paul says: "By faith Abraham offered Isaac his son when he was tested, and he offered his only begotten son whom he had received by promise, to whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called,' considering that God is able to raise even the dead" (Heb. 11). Indeed, in the same act, James praised the magnificence of Abraham's works, while Paul lauded the constancy of his faith. Yet Paul did not present a different or contrary opinion to James.

For both knew that Abraham was perfect in both faith and works, and therefore each of them praised that virtue in him which they saw as needed more by their own audiences. Because James wrote to those who held faith without works idle, he presented that relevant example where Abraham’s notable faith, which was previously praised by Scripture, appeared, showing that it did not lie dormant idly in his heart but was proven fervent in obedience to divine commands. But Paul demonstrated to those who boasted in their works without the grace of faith that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11), and by collecting examples from all the patriarchs, clearly taught that all were proven by the testimony of faith. Hence he specifically mentioned Abraham: because by faith he offered Isaac, considering (he says) that God is able to raise the dead (Heb. 11). So he joined the work of faith, who therefore was willing to offer his son at once, because he believed God would immediately raise him. He believed this because he held as true what he had heard: “In Isaac your seed shall be called. This combination of both virtues blessed James also expounds by saying:

"You see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect, and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.'" Paul's firm discussion addressed to the Romans clearly teaches this testimony, showing that the strength of faith is such that once its mysteries are perceived, it can instantly make a righteous man out of an impious one. Because Abraham believed God with such great and fervent faith, that he was ready in spirit to perform whatever God commanded, by God's judgment, his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness. And so that we might also know the faith by which he was justified, God tested him by commanding him to offer his son, and by works, faith was completed, that is, it was proven perfect in his heart by the execution of works. Likewise, in this time, if someone newly comes to faith, receives baptism, and resolves in his heart to follow God's commandments, if he soon departs from this life justified by faith alone, he departs without works, because by God's providence, who foresaw and prepared it, there was no time for him to prove his faith by works. But those who, having received the sacraments of faith, survive a long time and do not care to engage in good works, must be reminded of the example set by blessed James of faith combined with the works of Abraham, and he immediately added, saying:

James 2:24

Do you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith only? What he says by works means by works of faith. Because no one can have perfect works without faith, but many can have faith without works if they do not have the time to act. Of such it is said: He was taken away lest wickedness should change his understanding or deceit beguile his soul (Wis. IV).

James 2:25

In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? Lest they excuse themselves as unable to imitate the works of so great a father Abraham, especially since no one now compels them to offer their sons to God to be killed, but rather God Himself forbids this to be done through the Scriptures, he adds also of a sinful woman, a foreign woman, who nevertheless by acts of mercy, by the duty of hospitality, even at the risk of her life, received the servants of God and was deemed worthy to be justified from sins, to be numbered among the citizens of the people of Israel, to be counted in the catalog of their royal lineage, to be inserted in the genealogies of our Lord and Saviour descending from the fountain of the patriarchs, to be rescued from the destruction of her perishing country, whose treachery she abandoned. By the examples of this woman turned to better things, he therefore advises his listeners to avoid entering the perishing homeland, and to remember to separate themselves by fruitful works from the sins they had left by believing, so that they may be united with the assemblies of the saints and may deserve to reach the fellowship of their Redeemer. And so he exhorts them to receive the messengers of Jesus, that is, to gladly hear the preachers of the word of the Gospel.

And when they know that these have been rejected by their kinsmen or even sought after to death, as the Acts often show to have happened, they themselves, taking from them counsel for their salvation, should send them back to the Lord Jesus in peace. So the Book of Acts of the Apostles indicates that Gamaliel, the master of the blessed apostle Paul, by the revelation of the relics of the proto-martyr Stephen, effected something once honorable to all the people of the Jews and now more honorable to the whole Church of Christ, when the Jewish council, planning to slay the apostles, himself with wiser counsel thwarted their machinations and sent the apostles, rescued from their snares, back unharmed to evangelize Jesus.

James 3

James 3:1

Do not become many teachers, my brethren. The Acts of the Apostles show that there was much zeal among believers during the time of the apostles to spread the word more widely, so much so that Apollos, a man very learned in the Scriptures, knowing only the baptism of John, confidently preached Christ. Yet because he was wise, as soon as a teacher was present, he most easily fulfilled what he had lacked, and returned now perfected to the office of preaching. Others, departing from Judea to Antioch with greater ignorance, were teaching the Gentile believers that unless they were circumcised according to the law of Moses, they could not be saved, and they brought no small labor of debate to the chaste preachers. Therefore, blessed James removes these and such teachers from the office of the word, lest they become an impediment to those who could properly fulfill it.

James 3:1

Do you not know that you shall receive greater judgment? For as he who ministers well acquires a good degree for himself, so also he who, being unlearned, tries to usurp the office of teaching, who does not sincerely announce Christ, would deserve a greater judgment of condemnation than if he had perished alone in his own sin. [James 3:2] -- For in many things we all offend. He did not say "you offend," when he reproved those whom he saw as less perfect in both knowledge and action, and would remove such from the chair of teaching, fearing lest they might harm the little ones by preaching erroneously, and turn their ears away from the hearing of teachers by forestalling them; or certainly might defile what they rightly preached with the filth of incorrect action, and thus obscure the path of evangelical perfection with sinister opinion; but he said, "we offend," when we are of Christ; thus speaks the Apostle. And he prefaced it with "in many things," he added "all," so that the imperfect might consider themselves all the more cautiously in acting or speaking, as they would know more certainly that not even the perfectly good, who walk under the guidance of the grace of the Holy Spirit, can by any means pass through the path of this life without offending by some sin, according to what is written elsewhere: "The heavens are not clean in His sight" (Job XV). And as Solomon says: "There is no just man upon earth, that does good, and sins not" (Eccl. VII).

James 3:2

If anyone does not offend in word, this one is a perfect man. How can he say that the man who does not offend in word is perfect, when he has previously stated: Because in many things we all offend? Is it because the elect can offend in many things, and yet remain perfect? Indeed, it is to be understood in this way. For there are different kinds of offenses. The elect offend in one way, the reprobate in another, as Solomon testifies, who says: For the just man falls seven times, and rises again; but the wicked stumble into evil. And if the just man indeed offends through the frailty of the flesh or through ignorance, he nonetheless does not cease to be just. Because just as such daily and unavoidable offenses occur, so too is there a daily remedy of prayers and good works, which quickly raises the offending just man, so that he does not fall to the ground, and stain the wedding garment of charity and faith with the dust of vices. Therefore, if anyone does not offend in word, this one is a perfect man, that is, in that word whose offense human frailty can avoid, such as the word of deceit, of detraction, of cursing, of pride, of boasting, of excusing sins, of envy, of dissension, of heresy, of lying, of perjury, and also of idle and unnecessary and even superfluous speech in those things which seem necessary. In whatever word anyone keeps himself without offense, this one is a perfect man. For he who keeps his mouth and his tongue, keeps his soul from troubles (Prov. XXI).

James 3:2

He can also bridle his whole body. This verse depends on the previous one. If anyone, he says, does not offend in word, this one is a perfect man, and he can also bridle his whole body. Which is to say openly: If anyone avoids the slip of the tongue, which is nearly inevitable, he will learn also to observe the other members of the body, which can be more easily disciplined, so that they do not stray from the right path. [James 3:3] -- But if we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. How much more fitting it is to put the bit of restraint into our own mouths to comply with our Creator, so that by guarding our tongue we may also seek to obtain the rectitude of deeds? If, as some copies have it, we read: Just as we put bits into the mouths of horses, there will be no question, because it is connected to what is said subsequently: So also the tongue is indeed a small member, etc.

James 3:4

Behold, even ships, though they are so great, and are driven by strong winds, are steered by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. The great ships on the sea are the minds of men in this life, whether good or bad. The strong winds by which they are driven are the inclinations of the minds, compelled by nature to act, by which they reach either a good or bad end. The rudder by which such ships are steered wherever the will of the pilot directs is the intention of the heart itself, by which the elect, having crossed the waves of this world, reach the happy harbor of the heavenly homeland, while the reprobate, killed by the stormy errors of this life, which they did not know how to leave, perish like those destroyed by Scylla or Charybdis. And because the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart, it is rightly added:

James 3:5

Thus also the tongue is indeed a small member, and it exalts great things. Certainly, it exalts great rewards if the force of the guiding mind rightly governs it. According to that of Solomon: He who understands possesses the steerage. But if it governs badly, it exalts great evils of destruction both for itself and its people. Wherefore Solomon says: Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. XVIII). Therefore it exalts life if it teaches the Church well. Against this, it exalts death if it acts gravely. For this is said against those who, lacking both life and knowledge, presumed to teach and, therefore, harmed the Church even more; but if it is read as in some manuscripts: It also rejoices greatly, that exultation must indeed here be understood, of which it is said in the following, when he enumerated through many vices of the tongue, he added: But now you exult in your arrogances. All such exultation is evil. From which also the mother of blessed Samuel restrains us with devout exhortation, saying: Do not multiply speaking proudly (I Kings II). Therefore, the tongue exalts greatly, which, despising the senses and words of others, boasts singularly of being wise and eloquent itself.

James 3:5

Behold how great a fire a small forest kindles. How much he says how small. Indeed, the manuscripts also have it so: Behold a small fire. Just as from a small spark the growing fire often kindles a great forest, so the incontinence of the tongue, nourished by its lightness, destroys much of the material of good works, many fruits of spiritual life, where it touches, but also very often consumes countless leaves of speech which seemed the best. [James 3:6] -- And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is a fire because it consumes the forest of virtues by speaking badly. Hence the wise man says of the foolish: "The opening of his mouth," he says, "is a flame." To which indeed the fire of perdition is opposed, that saving fire which, being a tongue, consumes the hay, stubble, and vices, and illuminates the secrets of the heart. By this fire, the holy teachers are kindled, so that they both burn with love and, as if with fiery tongues, ignite others by preaching. Of such it is well written: "There appeared to them tongues as of fire, and they rested on each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2). Rightly, it is said of the undisciplined tongue that it is a world of iniquity, because almost all crimes are either concocted by it, such as robberies, rapes; or perpetrated, such as perjuries, false testimonies; or defended when any impure person, by excusing the crime he has committed, pretends to display a good deed that he has not done.

James 3:6

And it sets on fire the wheel of our birth, being set on fire by hell. By hell, it means by the devil and his angels, for whom hell was made, and who, whether they fly in the air, wander on earth or under the earth, or are detained, always bring with them the torments of flames, like a feverish person who, even if placed on ivory beds or in sunny places, cannot avoid the heat or cold of his inherent disease. Thus, demons, even if they are worshipped in golden temples or roam through the air, always burn with the hellish fire, and, reminded by their own punishment, suggest to deceived men the fuel of vices that cause their downfall. In contrast, the holy city of God, the new Jerusalem, is said to descend from heaven by God, because clearly, whatever heavenly things we do on earth, we have certainly received the celestial gift to do so. Moreover, the wheel of our birth refers to the continuous course of temporal life, in which from the day of birth until death we are driven like a constantly running wheel. Hence, Solomon rightly said: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of affliction come” (Ecclesiastes XII), and shortly after added: “And the wheel is broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth from which it came. Therefore, the tongue sets on fire the wheel of our birth, contaminating our entire state of being with corrupt speech.

Again, he calls it the wheel of our birth, because due to the merit of the first transgression, having been cast from inner stability, we are carried hither and thither with a wandering mind, and in all our uncertain paths, we know not where danger or safety lies. This wheel of our birth is set on fire by the corrupting fire of the tongue when the vice of our inherent disturbance is further compounded by foolish and harmful words.

James 3:7

For every kind of beast, and bird, and serpent, and that of others, is tamed and has been tamed by human nature. We read in Pliny that the most enormous asp of serpents in Egypt was tamed by the head of a household, and daily emerged from its hole, accustomed to take provisions at his table. We also read, as Marcellinus Comes writes, that a tamed tiger was sent from India to Emperor Anastasius. Therefore, it is meant to be understood that the tongue of the wicked surpasses beasts in ferocity, birds in lightness or exultation, serpents in venomousness. There are indeed those who have sharpened their tongues like a sword (Psalm LXIII), there are those who are flighty and have set their mouth against the heavens (Psalm LXXII), and whose mouth speaks vanity (Psalm CXLIII), there are those serpentine, of whom it is said: The venom of asps is under their lips (Psalm XIII).

James 3:8

However, no man can tame the tongue. This sentence can be correctly understood in two ways: both that none of the good teachers can tame the tongues of those who neglect to restrain themselves from foolish prattling, and that there is no speaker who does not sometimes offend with his tongue. Finally, it was truthfully said of a perfect man placed in the moment of greatest temptation: In all this Job did not sin with his lips (Job I). And yet he afterward blamed himself, upon hearing the words of God, for the foolishness of his unwise speech, saying: I have spoken once, which I wish I had not said, and again, but I will add no more (Job XXXIX). [James 3:8] -- A restless evil, full of deadly poison, etc. He adds restless, because he had said it can't be tamed, whereas beasts and birds are tamed. He indeed calls it full of deadly poison, to explain why he called it untamable, since serpents are known to be tamable. He subsequently adds many things about the atrocity of its venom.

James 3:10

Blessing and cursing proceed from the same mouth. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Just as sweet and bitter water cannot simultaneously bubble up from a single vein of the fountain, but if they are mixed in a vessel or a cistern, the sweet water immediately becomes bitter from the bitter water, but the bitter water cannot be changed into sweetness by the mixture of sweet water, so blessing and cursing cannot be in any way combined in one mouth; but whoever is accustomed to bless God by praying or preaching His word, but still does not cease to curse men, it is evident that the sweetness of his blessing is consumed by the bitterness of the cursing. For a little leaven corrupts the whole mass (I Cor. V). And there is no fair praise in the mouth of a sinner (Eccli. XV). Finally, if you make a pipe with double openings for the water to enter, and a single one for it to exit, and you pour bitter water in one side and sweet water in the other side, without any doubt where there is one exit opening, they will be mixed, and the water will appear bitter. For it is certainly much easier for sweet to turn into bitter when they are mixed together, than for bitter to turn into sweet. From this example, it is gathered that bad conversations, as testified by the Apostle, corrupt good morals as well as good speech.

James 3:12

Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a vine figs? etc. It is clear, because just as a tree cannot, having lost its natural fruit, produce the fruit of another tree from itself, so a slanderer, even if he seems to speak some good temporarily, is in no way able to have the fruit of blessing. But if someone wishes to discuss this more deeply, in the fig tree whose leaves our first parents, after the recognition of their transgression, used to cover their nakedness, can be understood the veil of excuse, by which they then tried to repel the reproach of the Creator and to cast it back on the Creator Himself, and now many of the foolish turn their hearts to an evil word, to excuse excuses in sins (Psalm 140). In olives can be taken the fruit of mercy, in the vine the fervor of love. But I, he says, like a fruitful olive tree in the house of the Lord, have hoped in the mercy of my God (Psalm 51), that is, just as one who produces the fruit of mercy, I have hoped for mercy myself from the Lord. Likewise: And your cup inebriates me, how excellent it is (Psalm 23)! Which is understood to speak of the love of God, which is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5). Therefore, a fig tree cannot produce olives, because whoever tries to excuse himself for sins rather than accuse himself, in no way performs works of piety for sins perfectly towards others, but gives more with a proud heart. Nor can a vine produce figs, because he who is perfectly inebriated with divine love, accuses none of his errors, except himself.

James 3:13

Who among you is wise and disciplined, let him show by good conduct his works in the humility of wisdom. Because he had imposed silence on wicked teachers and had forbidden them to hold the rank of teacher, since he saw that they had neither the perfection of life nor the restraint of the tongue, he consequently admonishes that if anyone among them is wise and disciplined, or appears to be so to himself, let him show his wisdom and discipline more by living wisely and disciplined than by teaching others. For he who with meek heart and calm speech does the good which he can, surely gives evident proof of a wise man. For the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Psalm 110). But he who is more inclined to preach the word than to act often incurs the guilt of foolishness through the love of boasting, through the zeal of contention, through the facility of eloquence, through the envy of other teachers, through ignorance of the catholic truth. Well does that saying of Solomon apply to him: For in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin (Proverbs 14). Hence it is rightly added here:

James 3:14

But if you have bitter zeal, and there are contentions in your hearts, do not glory, etc. He says 'bitter zeal' because there is also sweet zeal, from which also the apostle Simon rightly received the name of perfect heart. Which also Elijah had, when he said: I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant (1 Kings 19). And the apostle Paul: For I am jealous for you with a Godly jealousy (2 Corinthians 11). There is also good contention, which the Lord commanded us to have, saying: Strive to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13). Do not, he says, glory, and lie against the truth. For the Truth itself proves that those who utter words of wisdom from their mouth, and carry bitter zeal and the zeal of unfruitful contention in their heart, are not worthy of glory.

James 3:15

This is not the wisdom descending from above, but earthly, unspiritual, demonic. And Paul says that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. It should be noted that the natural man, or natural wisdom, is derived not from the animal, but from the soul, as the Apostle testifies, because the first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit (I Cor. XV). But it is not first that which is spiritual, but that which is natural. The authority in Greek, in which language ψυχὴ means soul, and ψυχικὸν means natural, confirms that it is derived from the soul. Moreover, though animals in Latin seem to derive their name from the soul, in Greek they have a very different and dissimilar etymology. For they get their name from the fact that they live. Among the Greeks, ζωὴ means life, ζῶα means animals. Therefore, when the Apostle in his Epistles often mentions the carnal man, the natural man, and the spiritual man, he calls spiritual either the Lord Himself, who, appearing in flesh and soul, was full of the Holy Spirit, or every elect person, who, naturally consisting of flesh and soul, also received the grace of the Holy Spirit according to the measure of Christ's gift, by which he is enlightened. But he calls carnal or natural the man who, having no grace of the Spirit, knows only to think or do those things which are naturally implanted in the senses of the flesh or the soul. Therefore, contentious and proud wisdom is rightly remembered as earthly, unspiritual and demonic, because while the soul seeks earthly glory, while, devoid of spiritual grace, remaining alone, it thinks of those things which are naturally implanted in it after the fall of the first transgression, rightly deluded by the evil spirit, it turns to doing those things which are mad and harmful.

James 3:16

Where there is jealousy and contention, there is inconstancy and every wrongful work. With all, he says, guard your heart, for from it comes life. For just as the root of the heart is, so in the sight of internal judgment is the whole fruit of action. And he who conceals wickedness in a heart filled with envy or contention, every work of his is wrongful, however righteous it may seem to men, evidently because of the inconstancy of a mind fluctuating here and there, because he has neglected to anchor himself firmly to the heavenly gaze. [James 3:17] -- But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits. This is the gentleness of wisdom that he previously instructed to be possessed, certainly as opposed to the bitterness of jealousy and contention, which is foolish, by which the virtue and doctrine of the holy preachers are mutually associated with each other in the peace of charity and concord. First, he says, pure, then peaceable. Pure, evidently, because it understands chastely; peaceable, because it does not separate itself from the society of others through pride. Gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, because it is certainly the wise man's task to give assent to the persuasion of the good, just as Peter promptly agreed with the one rebuking him, and to repudiate the doctrine of the wicked with all intention, either by teaching or by living.

James 3:17

Full of mercy and good fruits. And this is the good conduct that he urged above to show the wise and disciplined, that is, to be merciful in mind, and to show outwardly the fruits of that mercy through works of piety. [James 3:17] -- Judging without hypocrisy. This virtue is as much used properly by pure wisdom as contentious and blasphemous wisdom entirely lacks it. For he who desires to appear more learned and more perfect than others must labor greatly, so that he can skillfully chastise his neighbor as if he were less prudent, and also to always falsely pretend that he has never done or said anything wrong, even to those whom he is estranged from.

James 3:18

The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. Everything we do in this life is a seed of future retribution, and that retribution itself is the fruit of present works, as the Apostle bears witness, saying: For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. And he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians VI). And therefore it is rightly said that the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. For the fruit of righteousness is eternal life, which is rewarded for just works, because those who seek peace follow it; with that same peace which they study, they sprinkle the soil of their heart as with the best seed, so that through the daily growth of good works they may be able to arrive at the fruit of heavenly life. Concerning this, it is written elsewhere: Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy (Psalm 126), and so on to the end of the psalm. But the wicked also sow and reap, because they will receive according to their deserts in judgment. However, they are known to reap not fruit, but corruption, because they do not enjoy eternal goods (for fruit is named from enjoying), but they will pay eternal penalties for the corruption in which they lived.

James 4

James 4:1

From where come wars and fights among you? Do they not come from this? That is, from jealousy and contention, which he previously forbade. Hence also here he more fully explains the same, adding: [James 4:1] -- And from your desires which wage war in your members, etc. Desires wage war in the members when the hands, or tongue, or the consent of other members intemperately obey the wicked suggestions of an evil mind. Concerning this, also in the earlier parts of this Epistle, he says: But each one is tempted by his own desire, being drawn away and enticed, etc. But desires for earthly goods can also be understood in this place, namely the desire for kingdoms, riches, honors, dignities. For because of these and similar innumerable things, fights and wars frequently arise among the wicked. [James 4:2] -- You quarrel and fight, and you do not have because you do not ask. You quarrel, he says, and fight for temporal glory, and you are not able to obtain this, precisely because you do not care to ask the Lord, so that he himself might bestow upon you whatever is beneficial. For if you were to ask him with pious intention, he would grant you both the earthly necessities for temporal use and the heavenly goods for eternal enjoyment.

James 4:3

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, etc. He had foretold that they do not ask, and now he says that they ask wrongly, because he who asks wrongly seems to ask nothing at all in the sight of the inner witness. He asks wrongly who, despising the Lord’s commands, desires supreme benefits from the Lord. He also asks wrongly who, having lost the love of higher things, seeks merely to gain lower goods, and this not for the sustenance of human frailty, but for the excess of unrestrained pleasure. This is indeed what he means when he says: So that you may spend it on your passions.

James 4:4

Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with this world is enmity with God? He rightly calls adulterers those whom, having turned from the love of heavenly wisdom to the embrace of worldly friendship, he reproaches, seeing that they serve mammon more than the Creator whom they despise. He had indeed spoken above about the manifest enemies of God: Do not the rich oppress you by their power, and do they not drag you to the courts? Do they not blaspheme the good name that has been invoked upon you (James II)? But lest you think that only those who openly blaspheme God, who persecute His faith in the saints, and unjustly condemn them are His enemies, he shows that those are also enemies of God who, under the faith and confession of the name of Christ, serve the lure and love of the world, who, only in name being faithful, set earthly things above heavenly ones. This he more earnestly enforces in the following verse, adding: Whoever therefore wishes to be a friend of this world constitutes himself an enemy of God. Therefore, all lovers of the world are enemies of God, all seekers of trifles, all who belong to those of whom it is said: Behold, your enemies, O Lord, shall perish (Psalm XCI). Whether they enter the churches or do not enter the churches, they are enemies of God. For a time they may flourish like grass, but when the heat of judgment appears, they will perish, and the beauty of their face shall fade.

James 4:5

Do you think that the Scripture says uselessly? Namely, that Scripture which, restraining the faithful from the society of evildoers, thus speaks through Moses: You shall not make a covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against Me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a scandal to you (Exodus XXIII). And again: You shall not make their works, but you shall destroy them and break their statues (Ibid.). [James 4:5] -- Does the spirit that dwells within you desire to envoke envy? It should be read as a rhetorical question, as if he were saying: Does the Spirit of grace, with which you were marked on the day of redemption, desire this, that you should envy one another? Not, indeed, a good spirit in you, but an evil spirit causes the vice of envy. There is a similar mode of expression in the psalm: “A brother cannot redeem; a man shall redeem” (Psalm 48). For it is understood thus: If Christ, who deigned to become our brother through humanity, did not redeem us, could any mere human suffice to redeem us? Some interpret this passage thus: The spirit that dwells within you desires against envy—desiring, that is, that the sickness of envy be conquered and eradicated from your minds. Others understand it to refer to the human spirit, with the sense being: Do not covet, do not cling to the friendships of this world because the spirit of your mind, while it covets earthly things, indeed desires envy when you desire to acquire things for yourself, envying others who have them.

James 4:6

But He gives greater grace. The Lord gives greater grace than the friendship of the world, because while it provides these earthly goods temporarily and with the pain of losing them, He bestows eternal joy. He subsequently explains to whom He grants this grace.

James 4:6

For this reason it says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Thieves, indeed, perjurers, the lustful, and other sinners are punished by God as despisers of His precepts, but He is said to resist the proud especially, because those who trust in their own virtue, who neglect to submit by repenting to divine power, who act as if they are sufficient to save themselves, and refuse to seek the aid of heavenly grace, are certainly afflicted with greater punishment. On the other hand, He gives grace to the humble, because those who submissively submit to the hands of the true physician in the wounds of their vices deservedly receive the gifts of the desired health. It is to be noted, however, that this statement regarding the proud and humble was placed by the blessed James from the proverbs of Solomon according to the ancient Translation, just as Peter did in his Epistle. In our Edition, which descends from Hebrew truth, it is said thus: He will mock the mockers, and He will give grace to the meek. The Lord will mock the mockers according to what Paul speaks about those who, refusing to receive Him coming in the name of His Father, will accept the Antichrist coming in his own name (John V): Because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved, therefore God will send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie (Thess. II). He mocked the mockers when, to the Jews saying:

If he is the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross and we will believe in him (Matt. XXVII), He patiently endured until, having died and been buried, He overcame their insults and even death itself by a swift resurrection. But He will give grace to the meek, because to those who humbly follow Him, He abundantly grants both the perfection of good work and the gifts of blessed eternity.

James 4:8

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you: Draw near to the Lord by following His footsteps in humility, and He will draw near to you through mercy, freeing you from distress. For no one is far from God in terms of regions, but in terms of affections. Indeed, dwelling in one place on earth, both he who is diligent in virtues and he who wallows in the filth of vices, one is far from God, the other has God near. Hence the Psalmist says: "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth" (Psalm 145). Again: "Salvation is far from sinners" (Psalm 119). That same salvation of which we sing: "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" (Psalm 27). And the Lord Himself, when He encouraged us to draw near to Him by saying: "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11), immediately demonstrated that this should be fulfilled not by feet but by actions when He added: "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart" (ibid.).

James 4:8

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. This is truly to draw near to the Lord, namely to have purity of works and simplicity of heart. "Innocent," he says, "with clean hands and a pure heart, this one shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy" (Psalm 25). And this is truly the Lord drawing near to us, to give to us simply those gifts of His mercy which we seek. For the Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit, and will withdraw from thoughts that are without understanding (Wisdom 1). [James 4:9] -- Be miserable, mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. Do not, He says, love to become wealthy and rejoice in this world, but being mindful of the sins you have committed, rather aim that through the brief miseries, poverty and transient lamentation of this life you may reach the eternal joys of the heavenly kingdom, so that you do not, for the temporary joy of wealth which you have acquired through unjust labor, perpetually beg, mourn, and pay the penalties in torment.

James 4:11

Do not slander one another, my brothers. This vice of slander looks to the deadly venom of the tongue, about which it is said: You quarrel and fight. [James 4:11] -- He who slanders a brother or judges his brother, slanders the law and judges the law. He slanders the law who slanders a brother, as if it were not right for it to have forbidden slander, saying through the Prophet: "I pursued the one who secretly slanders his neighbor" (Psalm 101). And in Leviticus: "You shall not be a slanderer, nor a whisperer among the people" (Leviticus 19). It can also be understood this way: He who slanders a brother who is obeying the law, slanders the law and judges the law that gave such commands. For instance, the law commanded, saying: "You shall not remember the wrongs of your fellow citizens." Therefore, he who slanders a brother and judges a brother whom he sees willingly accepting injuries for the love of God, certainly slanders the law and judges the law that commanded us to forget wrongs.

James 4:12

But who are you to judge your neighbor? He condemns the recklessness of the one who delights in judging his neighbor without taking care to consider the state of his own frailty and the uncertainties of his temporal life. And because sometimes, through the change of the right hand of the Most High, those who judged their neighbor are subjected to the power of the one they judged, sometimes they are suddenly taken from the world while still living, he subsequently also condemns the recklessness of those who, having no certainty of their own life, stretch their minds into the future, thinking of the profits of many years to come. For it follows: [James 4:13-14] -- Behold now, you who say: "Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and spend a year there, and trade, and make a profit," yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. He notes the folly in this kind of planning in many ways, since clearly they both consult about the increase of profit and assume they will live for a long time, and that it is within their power to spend a year there, and in all of these things they disdain to recall the judgment of the Supreme Judge to mind.

James 4:14

For what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. He does not say what is our life, but what, he says, is your life? Because the righteous truly begin to live when they reach the end of this life. But the enemies of the Lord, when they have been honored and exalted, will perish like smoke (Psalm 36). However, it should not be thought that this is the same sentiment which the ungodly are reported to have expressed in the book of Wisdom: For we are born from nothing, and after this we will be as though we had never been (Wisdom 2). Because smoke has been blown into our nostrils, and a word as a spark to stir up our heart. When this is extinguished, the body will be ashes, and the spirit will be dispersed like soft air. For these things reasoned with those who believed in no life except this one, saying with Epicurus: “After death there is nothing, and death itself is nothing.” But the blessed James added that the life of the wicked is short in the present, yet in the future, eternal death follows, according to the saying of the blessed Job: They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave (Job 21).

James 4:17

To him therefore who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin. Throughout the text of this Epistle, the blessed James shows that those to whom he wrote had the knowledge of doing good, and had also learned the right faith, so that they had presumed they could become teachers to others, yet had not attained the perfection of works, or humility of mind, or even moderation of speech. Hence, he now among other words of reproof and exhortation greatly frightens them with this statement, that he who knows how to do good, and does not do what he knows, is said to have a greater sin than he who sins out of ignorance. Although he who sins in ignorance cannot be entirely free from guilt, for ignorance of good itself is not a small evil. Hence the Lord said: The servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few (Luke 12).