The Wisdom of James: Parallels with Mahayana Buddhism

by John P Keenan

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In this fascinating book John Keenan offers a classical commentary on the New Testament Letter of James, section by section, informed by a thorough study of contemporary Jamesian scholarship. His approach is unique in theat it employs Mahayana Buddhist Philosophy as the interpretive lens to focus on this early Christian text. The author argues that the first chapter of James' letter presents wisdom as non-discriminative, in a manner very similar to Mahayana Buddhist teaching on wisdom. And James' insistence upon deeds of compasssion and justice recommends a notion of Christian practice that is quite close to the Mahayana ideal of Bodhisattva engagement in the world. Because of these areas of resonance, James in particularly amenable to a Mahayana reading-a reading that enables us to elicit fresh insights from the text.
  • ISBN10 080914168X
  • ISBN13 9780809141685
  • Publish Date 1 January 2004
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 20 January 2015
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Paulist Press International,U.S.
  • Format Paperback
  • Pages 230
  • Language English