James 3:15

οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ σοφία ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη : The wisdom referred to, acute argumentl subtle distinctions, clever controversia, methods which took small account of truth so long as a temporary point was gained, skilful dialectics, bitter sarcasms, the more enjoyed and triumphed in if the poisonous shaft came home and rankled in the breast of the opponent, in short, all those tricks of the unscrupulous controversialist which are none the less contemptible for being clever, this was wisdom of a certain kind; but, as expressed by the writer of the Epistle with such extraordinary accuracy, it was earthly (ἐπίγειος) as opposed to the wisdom which came down from above, it was human (f1ψυχική, i.e., the domain wherein all that is essentially human holds sway) in that it pandered to self-esteem, and it was demoniacal (δαιμονιώδης) in that it raised up the “very devil” in the hearts of both opposer and opposed. Nowhere is the keen knowledge of human nature, which is so characteristic of the writer, more strikingly displayed than in these James 3:15-16.