James, brother of Jesus

"James the Brother of Jesus" and "James the Just" redirect here. For the book, see James the Brother of Jesus (book). For the King of Aragon, see James II of Aragon.
Saint

James the Just
Neo-Byzantine icon of James
Apostle[1] and Martyr, Adelphotheos
BornEarly 1st century
Died62 AD[2][3] or 69 AD[4]
Jerusalem
Venerated inAll Christian denominations that venerate saints
CanonizedPre-Congregation
FeastMay 3 (Catholic), October 23 (Lutheran), (Episcopal Church (USA)), (Eastern Orthodox), December 26 (Eastern Orthodox)
AttributesRed martyr, fuller's club; man holding a book
ControversyThere is disagreement about the exact relationship to Jesus.[a]

James the Just, or a variation of James, brother of the Lord (Latin: Iacobus from Hebrew: יעקב, Ya'aqov and Greek: Ἰάκωβος, Iákōbos, can also be Anglicized as "Jacob"), was, according to the New Testament, a brother of Jesus. He was the first leader of the Jerusalem Church of the Apostolic Age. Traditionally, it is believed he was martyred either in AD 62 by being stoned to death on the order of High Priest Ananus ben Ananus, or in AD 69 by being thrown off the pinnacle of the Temple by scribes and pharasees and then clubbed to death. James, Joses, Simon, and Judas are mentioned as the brothers of Jesus as well as two or more unnamed sisters. (See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3.)

Catholics and Orthodox Christians teach that James, along with others named in the New Testament as brothers[b] of Jesus, were not the biological children of Mary, mother of Jesus, but were cousins of Jesus,[7] or step-brothers from a previous marriage of Joseph (as related in the non-canonical Gospel of James).[8][c] Others consider James to be the son of Mary and Joseph.[12][13]

The Catholic tradition holds that this James is to be identified with James, son of Alphaeus, and James the Less.[14] It is agreed by most that he should not be confused with James, son of Zebedee also known as James the Great.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Saint-James. Apostle, the Lord's brother". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 15 March 2024.
  2. ^ Eddy, Paul R.; Boyd, Gregory A. (2007). The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition. Baker Academic. p. 130. ISBN 9780801031144.
  3. ^ According to Josephus
  4. ^ According to Hegesippus, Clement of Alexandria, and Eusebius of Caesarea
  5. ^ Septuagint
  6. ^ Greek New Testament, Matthew 13:55: "οὐχ οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ τέκτονος υἱός; οὐχ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ λέγεται μαριὰμ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἰάκωβος καὶ ἰωσὴφ καὶ σίμων καὶ ἰούδας;"
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Catholic Answers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Origen of Alexandria. "The Brethren of Jesus". Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.17 in Ante-Nicene Fathers Volume IX. Retrieved 2008-09-18. "But some say, basing it on a tradition in the Gospel according to Peter, as it is entitled, or 'The Book of James', that the brethren of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former wife, whom he married before Mary. Now those who say so wish to preserve the honour of Mary in virginity to the end…"
  9. ^ Longenecker, Dwight; Gustafson, David (2003). Mary: A Catholic Evangelical Debate. Gracewing Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 9780852445822. Retrieved 8 July 2014. The perpetual virginity of Mary is a beautiful and fitting belief upheld by the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, as well as many Anglicans and Lutherans. Furthermore, it was defended not only by the ancient church fathers, but by Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and the classic Anglican theologians. John Wesley also believed in the perpetual virginity of Mary, writing, "I believe he [Jesus Christ] was born of the blessed Virgin, who, as well after she brought him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin."
  10. ^ Richard R. Lorsch, All the People in the Bible (Eerdmans 2008, p. 283 ISBN 978-0-80282454-7)
  11. ^ Jackson, Gregory Lee, Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant: a doctrinal comparison. 1993 ISBN 978-0-615-16635-3 page 254
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tasker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference NewAdvent was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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