St. James writes to his fellow disciples of Jesus, calling them brothers. This is an important word in this epistle, for James uses it as an affectionate term of address fifteen times. This shows that he addresses his hearers, not as an exalted judge, but as a fellow believer (compare Matt. 23:8), appealing to them to submit to the same teaching to which he himself submits, even though he is the leader of the community. The entire epistle breathes this free air of Christian egalitarianism. James