James: Jewish Roots, Catholic Fruits

by Shane Kapler

The Epistle of James has long been a reminder that the Tree of Life--Christ's Cross and Gospel--was planted in rich, Jewish soil. James, steeped in Israel's wisdom literature, law, and prophets, and set aflame by his encounter with the Risen One, passionately addresses matters of spiritual life and death. Shane Kapler looks at the epistle through the eyes of its first-century Jewish-Christian readers, unpacking its lavish content and showing how this inspired text has yielded, century after century, abundant fruit for the Church. Discover Readers will also find an in-depth explanation of James's identity as a "brother of the Lord," and what the historical reception of his epistle reveals about the formation of the New Testament canon and Christ's mechanism for overcoming doctrinal divisions.

144 pages, Hardcover

Published February 10, 2021

About the author

For the past 20 years Shane has been involved in evangelism and catechesis in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He has served on the core teams of both a Catholic charismatic youth group and LifeTeen program as well as coordinating programs for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and ongoing faith formation.

He was a long-time member of the Archdiocese's Retreat, Evangelization, and Prayer (REAP) Team and writes for Catholic Exchange,Catholic Lane, and YOUCATholic.com.

Shane also holds an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology and is engaged in clinical practice. He vehemently maintains, however, that his "best gig" is being the father of two.