GETTING READY: When was the Epistle of James written?

The second book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle of James.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

When was the epistle of James written?

Unlike Paul's epistles, whose references can be fit into the narrative in Acts, James's letter is harder for scholars to pinpoint.  It was clearly written to Christians living in the first century (i.e. from 1 to 99 A.D.)  Various evidences indicate it was written between 47 and 60 A.D., possibly in the last years before James (brother of Jesus) was martyred in 62 A.D.  The book mentions the persecutions going on in Jerusalem as current affairs, which are recorded in Acts and elsewhere in church history.

GETTING READY: When was Romans written?

The first book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle to the Romans.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

When was the epistle to the Romans written?

Knowing for sure that the apostle Paul wrote this letter is very helpful to figuring out when (and where!) it was written.  In Acts 20, we read about Paul's third missionary journey.  During this journey, he collected funds for the church in Jerusalem (which you may remember was undergoing severe persecution).  He mentions in Romans 15 that he has collected the money and the reason he can not go to Rome himself, is that he needs to deliver it.  This pinpoints the timeframe for the letter in 57 A.D. (A.D. - if you forgot - means anno domini or "the year of our Lord", i.e. after Jesus was born).

He mentions in Romans 16 that the letter will be delivered by a woman named Phoebe from Cenchrea. Cenhrea was a town near Corinth, so it is likely that Paul wrote this letter while ministering in Corinth (the same place that both 1 Cornithians and 2 Corinthians are written to).

Tomorrow's Quiz Meet Details

WHAT: The First Quiz Meet of the Year
WHEN: Tomorrow, Saturday, September 19
WHEN DO WE LEAVE: 7:00 AM Sharp (Plan to arrive around 6:45 AM)
WHEN DO WE RETURN: Approximately 3:30 PM (depending on traffic)
WHAT COSTS ARE THERE: $5 per person for gas (Lunch is free this time)
WHAT CHAPTERS ARE WE COVERING: 1 Corinthians 1 & 2
WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW: Essex Fells is throwing a (free) community fair around noon, after the Quiz Meet. We will be having lunch there, and enjoying the event for some time. Quiz Team shirts are not required for this meet (but welcome).