Abstract:
The question is what the speaker in James 2:2-3 intended when he said that the
rich man may sit "here" on a good place, but that the poor man must stand over
"there" or may sit "under" his footstool. It is argued that this episode should be
located within a larger ancient house which was used as a gathering place for the
Christian community. The poor man is asked to stand in the courtyard or may sit
on the ground in the sittingroom. The rich man gets a place on the couches,
common pieces of furniture in these rooms.
