Hilary of Arles

In his own words on James

• James 1:1

  Christ deigned to reveal himself to James after his passion, and eventually it became proverbial to say: "He appeared also to James." James refers to himself as a servant, but we must remember that there are two kinds of servitude, voluntary and involuntary. The involuntary servant is a slave who fears punishment, and therefore his service does not spring from love. But the voluntary servant is really no different from a son.

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• James 1:2

  Just as the world has to pass through winter before the spring comes and the flowers bloom, so a man must go through many temptations before he can inherit the prize of eternal life. For as Paul said: "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." Temptations come in three ways, by persuasion, by attraction and by consent. Satan persuades, the flesh is attracted, and the mind consents.

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• James 1:3

  Temptations can be endured by spiritual knowledge and faith in the Trinity.

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• James 1:4

  Perfection is the love of God, which is that very same "perfect love which casts out fear," that is, the fear of being tempted. Perfection is also patience, which is the guardian of the soul as Scripture says: "By your patience you will gain your souls."

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• James 1:5

  Why does James tell them to seek wisdom? It is so that they might have God's assurance. Only God should be asked for wisdom, not philosophers or astrologers. God gives wisdom like a fountain which never runs out of water, and he fills everyone whom he enters, but the wisdom of philosophers and other human agents is not given in abundance, and it is soon spewed out.

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• James 1:6

  James shows that the basis of human wisdom is faith. Here he may be contending against Simon Magus, who asked the apostles to give him the Holy Spirit but did not ask in faith.

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• James 1:9

  This verse applies to Hebrew slaves who were great and proud and high in their own eyes but in their slavery had become the lowest of the low. It is as if he were saying that life was harder for the rich people with whom they were living than it was for them as their servants. The boasting referred to here is not vain glory but joy in times of temptation.

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• James 1:10

  Scripture says that "whoever exalts himself will be humbled." Wealth is a rich man's flower, but the elements of the universe are out to snatch it away from him. James says very little about the humble man, but it is enough, for he will receive his glory from God. But the rich are condemned at great length, so that no one will be tempted to follow their example.

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• James 1:16

  This refers to the deception of the heretics who think that because God rules the physical world in darkness and in light, in drought and in rain, in cold and in heat, so he also rules over human wills with the same determinateness—in good and in bad, in sadness and in joy, in death and in life. Because of this error, James goes on to add that it is "every good endowment and every perfect gift" which comes from the Father of lights.

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• James 1:18

  Just as the heavenly powers rule over the angelic creatures, so we human beings rule over the lower creation.

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• James 1:21

  Filthiness and wickedness arise out of anger.

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• James 1:23

  There are two kinds of mirrors—large and small. In a small mirror you see small things—this is the Old Testament, which leads no one to perfection. But in a big mirror you see great things—this is the New Testament, because in it the fullness of perfection is seen.

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• James 1:27

  James calls God the Father because as far as he is concerned there is no other god who made the world (as the Marcionites and other heretics claim). What he says about widows has to be understood in the light of the fact that there were many who tried to rob them of their possessions, as it says in the Gospel.

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• James 2:2

  What James says here applies not just to rings but to any sign of wealth, for the ring is meant to stand for a treasure house of riches.

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• James 2:5

  Some people say that this is meant to be a comfort to the poor whohave been thrown out of the houses of the rich or who dwell in inferior accommodations. Even if they are poor in material things, they may be rich in faith.

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• James 2:7

  This is the name of the God of Israel, which was invoked on your behalf in Egypt, as well as in your baptism.

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• James 2:8

  "Love your neighbor" means three different things. The first is corporal, that is, the literal sense of the words. The second is spiritual, according to which we love those close to us even though we may be absent from them. The third is contemplative, by which love itself is beheld. But we have to understand that one leads to another. The corporal inspires us to go on to the spiritual, and that in turn lifts us up to the contemplative. The spiritual may sometimes regress to the merely corporal, but the contemplative never fails us. The corporal and spiritual forms of love are common to human beings and have analogies in animals, but the contemplative is reserved for humans alone.

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• James 2:9

  It is a sin to show any class distinction among persons, for the law says: "You shall not be partial in judgment, you shall hear the small and the great alike." Jesus confirmed this when he said: "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."

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• James 2:11

  Why does James choose these two commandments as his examples? Because they are the ones which deal most closely with loving and with hating one's neighbors.

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• James 2:12

  By the New Testament law everyone is born again, free and equal with one another.

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• James 2:13

  If you are merciful and lenient to the poor in your judgment, you will have nothing to fear from the judgment of God.

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• James 2:15

  These are the words of faith, spoken to those who know that there is only one God, who is the Father of all his children. True love has two sides to it—help for the body and help for the soul. Here James concentrates on the first of these because he is speaking especially to those who are rich.

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• James 2:17

  Works give life to faith, faith gives life to the soul, and the soul gives life to the body.

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• James 2:19

  Those who believe but who do not fear God are even worse than the devils. And those who believe and tremble but who do not practice what they preach are just like the devils.

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• James 2:21

  When Abraham went up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac, he took four things with him—a sword, fire, a heavy heart and a pile of wood. What does the fire stand for if not the suffering of Christ? What does the sword signify, if not death? What does the wood indicate, if not the cross? And what is the importance of Abraham's heavy heart, if it does not stand for the compassion of the Father and the angels as they beheld the death of Christ? Isaac was an earthly type of Christ and was offered up for us all. According to tradition this occurred on 25 March, the day on which the world was created, the day on which the last judgment will occur. The place where it happened was none other than the one which God would later choose for the site of his temple on Mount Zion, which is so called because Zion means "mirror of life," for it was there that Abraham saw as in a mirror the life which was to be revealed in the New Testament.

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• James 3:1

  The apostle here prohibits a large number of teachers, for even our Lord Jesus Christ chose only a few for this role. He had only twelve disciples, and not all of them went on to become teachers of the gospel.

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• James 3:2

  Perfection consists of righteousness, and silence is the way to achieve it. This is why James connects perfection with keeping one's mouth shut.

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• James 3:6

  Iniquity stains us in the same way as wood is scorched by fire, and hell burns as if it were a fire.

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• James 3:11

  The spring is the heart of man, the flowing stream of water is his speech, and the opening through which it pours is his mouth. The sweet water is sound doctrine, while the bitter water is just the opposite.

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• James 4:4

  Love of honor and pride and boastfulness is hostile to God, for these things were the undoing of the fallen angels as well as of the first human couple, which is why to this day they are described as "enemies of God."

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• James 4:12

  The law of the Bible was given through many agents, like Moses and Elijah and John the Baptist, but ultimately it is still only one law, and there is only one lawgiver.

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• James 5:1

  The rich must repent while there is still time for them to do so. James is speaking here of those rich people who have shown themselves to be too stingy to offer any help to the poor.

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• James 5:3

  It is true of course that gold does not rust, but James is comparing it to material things which do rust in the course of time.

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• James 5:4

  What James means here is not that God has ears but that he can use his power to put right the wrongs which exist on earth.

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• James 5:14

  This sickness is the sickness of sin. If someone is struck down by his own thoughts, then he should pray on his own, but if he has committed some sin he should ask for the church's prayers. The custom mentioned here is followed even today, for the grace of mercy is symbolized by oil.

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• James 5:15

  The prayer of faith is the consensus of the whole church, as it is said in the Gospel: "Whatever you ask in my name shall be done for you."

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• James 5:17

  The apostle regards himself as inferior to the prophets, who performed such miracles. The three years and six months represent the time of the antichrist, but the three years may also stand for the three ages of human history from the creation to the time of David, or they may symbolize the patriarchs, the prophets and the apostles. The miracle mentioned here is meant to encourage believers to persevere in their struggle against the unrighteous, for as in the case of Elijah, even if only one person prays, his prayer represents the common mind of all the righteous.

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• James 5:20

  Someone who preaches to sinners in order to convert them will save his soul, even if the people he preaches to are not actually converted.

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