Controversies regarding the authorship of the Letter of James the date of its composition its
addressees and when compared to other biblical writings similarities and differences on
lexical semantic and theological levels generated debates concerning its literary genre
coherence its associations with other texts as well as intertextual strategies. This
structural commentary is part of this discussion. What is emphasized in the commentary is not
the issue of justification and the relationship between deeds and faith but the sapiential
character of the Letter of James. The new analytical approach has become possible due to an
innovative view of the structure of the letter. The authors propose a structure organized
around the catalogue of attributes of wisdom enumerated in James 3:17. The second important
value of this study is its ecumenical (Catholic-Lutheran) dimension.
