“Faith” vs. “works” became a central debate of the Protestant Reformation, where theologians including Martin Luther quoted Paul to argue “by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Luther’s opponents regularly quoted the Epistle of James which seems to make a direct counter argument: “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (2:17), causing Luther to consider removing the Epistle of James from the canon. Traditionally understood to have been composed by Jesus’ brother James the Just, most scholars today believe it is pseudonymous but nevertheless reflects the perspective of the community James led. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will examine and outline this interesting text to see what it tells us about early Christianity and the questions of “Faith” and “Works.”