Chapter 12 James and Paul on the Works of the Law and the Pure Food of 4QMMT

The discovery of the phrase, “works of the law,” in 4QMMT in reference to purity, which entails the avoidance of Gentile food, sheds important light on Paul’s argument in Galatians 2. It is noteworthy that Paul uses this language in response to Peter’s decision no longer to eat meals with Gentiles. A more nuanced understanding of Paul’s language also aids in understanding better the discussion of faith and works in James 2. It may also show that James fits better in a mid-first century setting, the period in which Paul wrote the letter to the Galatian churches and in which the early Church convened a counsel in Jerusalem to discuss what aspects of Judaism, if any, Gentile converts were expected to adopt. If James fits better in a mid-first century setting, then its traditional Jacobian authorship should be reconsidered.