The Epistle of James was Written

Church History: (variously dated from A.D.44 to 62)
James is thought to be the earliest of the New Testament’s letters. It was written when there was a company of Jewish believers, probably between a.d. 45-48. The author is James “the Lord’s brother,” not James the Apostle (see Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18; 1 Cor. 15:7; Galatians 1:19; Galatians 2:9). James the Apostle, the brother of John, was martyred about a.d. 44 (Acts 12:1-3).
Like the other brothers of Jesus, James did not believe in Him at first (John 7:2-5). But after the Resurrection this brother was not only converted but became a key leader in Jerusalem and at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). One tradition nicknames James “camel knees,” because of the calluses he was supposed to have developed from long hours spent in prayer.
James’ theme is “faith.” But here faith is not saving faith, or justifying faith. James’ theme is practical: he looked at the lifestyle which is to be produced by faith in Jesus. James knew, with Paul, that true faith generates obedience, and so he gently encouraged the early Jewish church to live a life that was worthy of their profession of Jesus as the Christ. In structure, James is much like Proverbs. He gave a series of short, pithy exhortations, touching on a variety of subjects important in the Christian life. What a wonderful book to teach if we, like James, want to help our people learn to live for the Lord.
The church we see portrayed in the early chapters of Acts was both typical of what the church is to be, and yet different. At first the Jewish people viewed Christianity as a sect, as much an expression of Judaism as Sadduceeism, Phariseeism, or the withdrawn Essenes. Recognized and named “the Way,” the Christian community took part in the life and culture of Judea, worshiped at the temple as did the others, and maintained the lifelong patterns of obedience to the Law.
It is in this context that the first of our New Testament letters was penned. Later sharp distinctions would occur between Christians and Jewish doctrine and practice. Later would come the exploration of the meaning of a faith that reaches out to encompass the Gentile as well as the Jews. But none of this is found in the Book of James. Instead of emphasizing salvation by faith, James presupposed the apostolic teaching we see in Acts 2-3. What James emphasized is the life of faith, which followers of “the Way” are encouraged to live