Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Epistle of James might be the most quietly radical book in the New Testament — it insists that faith without works is dead, that mercy triumphs over judgment, and it may be pushing back directly on Paul.
This episode, we dig into who actually wrote it (probably not Jesus's brother), why nobody quoted it until the third century, why "James" is really "Jacob," and why Martin Luther wanted to demote it to an "epistle of straw."
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Get your Data Over Dogma merch at our online store:
data-over-dogma-shop.fourthwall.com
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Support Data Over Dogma and get every episode early and ad-free, plus exclusive bonus content — become a patron:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
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Listen to the podcast on every app:
pod.link/1681418502
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Follow us:
Instagram — instagram.com/dataoverdogmapod
TikTok — tiktok.com/@data.over.dogma.pod
Threads — threads.com/@dataoverdogmapod
X — https://x.com/data_over_dogma
Facebook — facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
_______________________________________________
Get Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book, The Bible Says So:
static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
_______________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Cold Open
0:44 The Epistle of James
2:17 It's Actually "Jacob"
4:01 Which James Wrote This?
6:07 Nobody Quotes It for 200 Years
7:45 Was James Really the Author?
10:20 James vs. Paul on Faith
12:06 Chapter 1: Wisdom Literature
13:45 The Rich, the Poor, and the Law
17:12 Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
20:06 What "Chesed" Really Means
22:36 Faith Without Works Is Dead
28:49 Abraham, Isaac, and Works
31:16 Luther's "Epistle of Straw"
32:56 Pure Religion: Orphans and Widows
_______________________________________________
#DataOverDogma #BibleScholarship #EpistleOfJames #FaithAndWorks #DanMcClellan
The Epistle of James might be the most quietly radical book in the New Testament — it insists that faith without works is dead, that mercy triumphs over judgment, and it may be pushing back directly on Paul.
This episode, we dig into who actually wrote it (probably not Jesus's brother), why nobody quoted it until the third century, why "James" is really "Jacob," and why Martin Luther wanted to demote it to an "epistle of straw."
_______________________________________________
Get your Data Over Dogma merch at our online store:
data-over-dogma-shop.fourthwall.com
_______________________________________________
Support Data Over Dogma and get every episode early and ad-free, plus exclusive bonus content — become a patron:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
_______________________________________________
Listen to the podcast on every app:
pod.link/1681418502
_______________________________________________
Follow us:
Instagram — instagram.com/dataoverdogmapod
TikTok — tiktok.com/@data.over.dogma.pod
Threads — threads.com/@dataoverdogmapod
X — https://x.com/data_over_dogma
Facebook — facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
_______________________________________________
Get Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book, The Bible Says So:
static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
_______________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Cold Open
0:44 The Epistle of James
2:17 It's Actually "Jacob"
4:01 Which James Wrote This?
6:07 Nobody Quotes It for 200 Years
7:45 Was James Really the Author?
10:20 James vs. Paul on Faith
12:06 Chapter 1: Wisdom Literature
13:45 The Rich, the Poor, and the Law
17:12 Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
20:06 What "Chesed" Really Means
22:36 Faith Without Works Is Dead
28:49 Abraham, Isaac, and Works
31:16 Luther's "Epistle of Straw"
32:56 Pure Religion: Orphans and Widows
_______________________________________________
#DataOverDogma #BibleScholarship #EpistleOfJames #FaithAndWorks #DanMcClellan
