Identifying a Mysterious “Scripture”: Romans 4:6 as Further Evidence That James 4:5–6 Is a Gloss of Proverbs 3:34

Abstract

James 4:5 is a classic crux interpretum. Craig Carpenter has suggested that Jas 4:5–6a is a gloss preceding the quotation of Prov 3:34 found later in Jas 4:6b, but his view has not gained wide acceptance because the construction appears unprecedented. Among the numerous “saying” citation formulae in early Christian literature, however, Rom 4:6 is among a handful of parallels that support Carpenter’s thesis but have remained unnoticed because they use functional synonyms of “scripture” rather than the word γραφή itself. Comparison with Rom 4:6 also indicates that Jas 4:5 concerns human envy rather than divine jealousy.