Context
In James 5, James closes the letter by addressing suffering, patience, oaths, confession, and prayer in the life of the community. The chapter presents prayer in the setting of endurance, restoration, righteousness, and life together before God.
Common Interpretations
The Greek word προσκυνέω (proskuneō (PROS-koo-neh-oh)), which means to bow down or prostrate oneself in homage, is rendered generically as "worship" — collapsing a specific, embodied act of submission into a vague modern concept of religious feeling. The word λατρεύω (latreuō (lat-REW-oh)), meaning priestly service or sacred vocation, is similarly flattened to "worship" — erasing the distinction between a lifestyle of holy service and an hour on Sunday morning. The word ἀσθενέω (asthenoō (as-theh-NEH-oh)), meaning "weak," is rendered "sick" in James 5:14 — a choice that generated an entire theology of miraculous physical healing from a passage that may have been addressing spiritual restoration. Each of these is examined in detail, with the original Greek and its full range of meaning, in the companion document: Worship as the Early Church Knew It
Current Position
No defined position is stated here yet beyond the common interpretations above. As related study develops, this section will be updated where the text warrants a clearer conclusion.
Deeper Study
No deeper study linked yet.