The Catholic Epistle of James
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
was written by James for Jewish Christians living in the Dispersion, that is, outside Jerusalem (Jas 1:1; 2:1, 7; 5:7). It undoubtedly appeared shortly before the apostle's death and was written in Jerusalem, or at least in Palestine, since James is not known ever to have left that country. The whole epistle consists of five chapters. Almost all interpreters of Holy Scripture have remarked upon the elegance and beauty of its style. Its comparative freedom from Hebraisms is noteworthy, and it is wholly permeated by an elevated doctrinal and moral character (Winer, Alford, and others).
Its concluding and deeply exalted words are: 'Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins' (Jas 5:20). Tradition says that after His Resurrection the Lord imparted a special gift of knowledge to James the Just, John, and Peter; they passed it on to the other apostles, and the others to the seventy disciples.