James and Jude: Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament

John Painter (PhD, Durham University) is biblical research scholar and professor of theology at the Charles Sturt University School of Theology in Canberra, Australia. He is the author of Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition and several other books. David A. deSilva (PhD, Emory University) is Trustees' Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. His numerous books include Introducing the Apocrypha and An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation.

James and Jude makes an excellent contribution to the impressive Paideia commentary series. John Painter’s commentary on James exhibits all the traits of a master interpreter. The introductory material is rich without being dense or convoluted. The commentary itself is concise and loaded with insight. David deSilva’s commentary on Jude is a gem. Who knew that so much of interest could be extracted from such a brief epistle? Students will benefit greatly from this well-written volume. Veteran scholars are also encouraged to add it to their library.
-Craig A, Evans,
Acadia Divinity College

I can think of no one more qualified than John Painter and David deSilva to write on James and Jude respectively. They have produced an admirable work, both in its scholarly integrity and in its clarity. They have adhered to the goal of the Paideia series in not writing a detailed exegetical commentary but rather ‘attending to the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the final form of the text’ and bringing out the rhetorical strategies employed. This increases rather than limits the value of the work, allowing for a focus and clarity that might not otherwise be possible. I recommend this work; not future work on these two letters will be complete without using it.
-Peter Davids,
Houston Baptist University

Painter and deSilva are to be congratulated for taking tgheir readers and the biblical text seriously. They do not dumb down their discussions, but neither do they make brute historical, linguistic, and sociological facts the centerpiece of what they say. In these pages, thoughtful and practical reflection always follows a close analysis of the Greek text. The authors teach that understanding is not an end in itself; they insist that a ribust faith is alien in any culture and that it is lived.
-James Riley Strange,
Samford University