New Book—James: An Honor-Shame Paraphrase
The new book James: An Honor-Shame Paraphrase is now available. Along with 1 Peter, Esther, and Psalms this is the fourth title in the Honor-Shame Paraphrase series.
With fresh language and research insights, Dr. Daniel K. Eng unpacks the honor-shame themes of James. He deftly traces James’ main exhortation to remain loyal to God alone and the pastoral strategies for developing biblical community. With an introduction to the socio-cultural context of the epistle, this book clearly presents the original, cultural meaning of James.
Learn more about the Honor-Shame Paraphrase series, or buy the book here. Click here to request a free PDF copy for classroom use or public review. The next post will feature the honor-shame paraphrase of James chapter 1.
Endorsements
“The proliferation of Bible translations today results from debates about the best ‘literal’ rendering of ancient linguistic and grammatical forms into modern languages. Daniel Eng’s paraphrase of James takes this a step farther by highlighting more subtle social and cultural matters of the ancient world, related to family, community, loyalty, and allegiance. Its implications for our theology and our church cannot be underestimated. Indeed, it offers an important corrective for today’s Christianity informed by Western cultural values.”
—Dr. Alexander Chow, Senior Lecturer in Theology and World Christianity, University of Edinburgh, author of Chinese Public Theology
“Daniel Eng is imminently qualified to write an honor-shame paraphrase of James. His doctoral studies have given him a thorough understanding of the book, and his experiences in an Asian culture enable him to readily see the honor-shame nuances of the letter. Equally significant, he shows that James is not simply a collection of disconnected pearls, but is instead a progressive unfolding of a single theme—“God esteems those who persevere in loyalty to him.” An added bonus for preachers are the many delightful contemporary expressions for biblical phrases. This is an engaging and valuable book!”
—Donald R. Sunukjian, Professor of Preaching, Talbot School of Theology, author of Invitation to James
“I plan to use this translation in future courses on the epistle of James to help my students break out of their preconceptions of this challenging little text.”
—Dr. Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn, Professor at Regent College, author of James: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
“Daniel K. Eng’s Honor-Shame Paraphrase of James is a true treasure and an excellent tool for studying the social-cultural background of James. With language that exposes implicit nuances hidden beneath the text, Eng brings the modern reader back into the original context by capturing the implied-values of honor and shame. Values such as loyalty, allegiance, family, and social status come to the surface. Seeing the communal pressures of bringing honor or shame to one’s family is a critical undertone that is often lost when reading through the individualistic perspective of Western Christianity. These passages are helpfully rephrased to reflect the communal paradigm of the original audience. Pastors ministering in cultural contexts that are steeped in an honor and shame framework will find language that is directly applicable to their congregations. Preachers, in general, will welcome this paraphrase as a powerful resource for illustrating the biblical text. I highly recommend this work for any serious student of James.”
—Rev. Hanley Liu, English Pastor, First Chinese Baptist Church of Walnut
“What Eng has successfully done with his paraphrase of James is provide modern readers access to the ancient context of an important New Testament epistle. We now know that the benefits for understanding the ancient world of the Bible are inestimable. This work is a valuable part of that pursuit. Anyone interested in the New Testament should read this book.”
—Dr. Jeffrey P. García, Assistant Professor in Bible, Nyack College
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