Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

JAMES

(Gk. Iákōbos, from Heb. yaʿăqōḇ, “Jacob”)

1. James the son of Zebedee. Among the first whom Jesus called as disciples (Mark 1:16-20 par.), James belonged with his (likely younger) brother John and Peter to the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples. In the four lists of the Twelve (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), James the son of Zebedee is always among the first three names. Zebedee was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and his sons were partners with Peter and Andrew (Matt. 4:21; Luke 5:10). Matt. 27:56 may identify Salome as their mother.

Jesus named both James and John “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), probably for their strong, brash personalities. He rebuked them for their murderous anger toward the Samaritan village that refused him entry (Luke 9:51-56) and for their desire for precedence among the 12 disciples in the kingdom of God (Mark 10:35-45; but compare Matt. 20:20-28, where their mother made the request for them). Jesus refused this request, and predicted that they must “drink the cup that I drink,” the cup of death. James did drink it when executed by Herod Agrippa I in 44 c.e. (Acts 12:2). While postbiblical Christian legend claims that all the Twelve except John were martyrs for the faith, this James is the only one of the Twelve whose martyrdom is substantiated in the biblical record.

Christian tradition has called this James “the Great/Major” to distinguish him from James the son of Alphaeus, “the Less/Minor.” Legend tells how James preached in Spain and was eventually buried there; his supposed tomb in the church of Santiago [St. James] de Compostela in northwest Spain has been a major pilgrimage site since medieval times.

2. James the son of Alphaeus. In the four lists of the apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) a second James is listed, always called explicitly “the son of Alphaeus” to distinguish him from the more prominent James. To judge from his position in the last third of the lists, this James was of comparatively little importance; indeed, he is not mentioned in the Gospels beyond these lists. This James may possibly be the same as James the son of Mary (3 below).

3. James the son of Mary. Not one of the Twelve, his parents likely were Clopas and the Mary who with the other women was a witness of Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1; Luke 24:10). This James is often identified in older scholarship as James the son of Alphaeus, probably because Mark was thought to call him “the young” or “the small” in order to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee. Nothing else is known of him.

4. James the father of Judas (not Iscariot). In the Lukan lists of the Twelve (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13) the patronymic “son of James” is likely added to distinguish this Judas carefully from Judas Iscariot, whose name immediately follows. Nothing else is known of him.

5. James the brother of Jesus. The exact relationship of James and “the brothers of the Lord” (1 Cor. 9:5; cf. Mark 6:3 par.) to Jesus has been strongly debated in the ancient Church and in modern times. Three main positions have emerged: (1) James is the son of Joseph and Mary, the literal brother (or half-brother, given Jesus’ virginal conception) of Jesus. Most Protestant and some Roman Catholic scholars hold this meaning of “brother.” (2) James is a son of Joseph from a previous marriage, and hence Jesus’ step-brother. This position derives from the NT apocrypha, especially the influential Protevangelium of James. Eastern Orthodox churches favor this view, but it is not a serious option in most contemporary historical scholarship. (3) James is Jesus’ cousin or other near relative. Supporters of this position argue from Heb./Aram. ʾāḥ, which means both “brother” and “kinsman.” It is the traditional Roman Catholic position in both piety and scholarship.

While not a follower of Jesus during his ministry, James seems to have been converted shortly afterwards, perhaps when the risen Jesus appeared to him (1 Cor. 15:7; cf. Acts 1:14). James gradually took over the leadership of the Jerusalem church from the leaders among the Twelve, becoming one of the most important leaders in the 1st-century Church. Paul witnesses to James’ leadership in Jerusalem (Gal. 2), and in Acts 15 James presides over the Apostolic Council and issues its decision. As evidence of his position in the Church, after the death of James the son of Zebedee most references to him call him only James, although there were others by that name alive as well. This James died for the faith at the hands of the high priest Ananus, shortly before the Jewish revolt (Josephus Ant. 20.9.1 [197-203]; for a probably more legendary account, cf. the witness of Hegesippus cited by Eusebius HE 4.22.4).

James is the traditional author of the NT letter in his name. While most contemporary scholars dispute the authenticity of the letter, some stoutly defend it. The author of Jude presumably refers to this James as his own brother (Jas. 1:1). In post-NT times, James became the traditional head of the Jewish-Christian wing of the Church, figuring in Gnostic, Jewish-Christian, and Great Church writings.

Bibliography. R. Bauckham, Jude and the Relatives of Jesus in the Early Church (Edinburgh, 1990), 5-44; F. F. Bruce, Peter, Stephen, James, and John (Grand Rapids, 1980); L. T. Johnson, The Letter of James. AB 37A (New York, 1995), 89-123.

Robert E. Van Voorst