JAMES
Under this heading several characters named James in the NT are discussed. In our versions, the book written by James, and identified as the brother of the Lord, is called the Universal Epistle of James (see JAMES [EPISTLE OF]). In Spanish, the form Santiago is a contraction of Santo and Heb. Yacob.
(a) James, son of Zebedee (Mt. 4:21; 10:2; Mark 1:19; 3:17) and brother of the apostle John (Mt. 17:1; Mark 3:17; 5:37 ; Acts 12:2). He was one of the first disciples (Mt. 4:21; Mark 1:19, 29; cf. Jn. 1:40, 41), and one in whom the Lord had greater confidence (Mt. 17:1; Mr. 5:37; 9:2; 13:3; 14:33; Luke 8:51; 9:28).
We do not know where he was born or where he spent his adolescence. Associated with Peter and Andrew, he was engaged in fishing on the Lake of Galilee (Lk. 5:10), which could be an indication that he came from somewhere nearby. The right to free fish on the Lake of Galilee was formally reserved to each Israelite. Zebedee had hired workers, so it seems that there must have been a social difference between his children and Jonah’s (Mark 1:20).
John, for example, was known to the high priest (John 18:16), and possibly his family, or he himself, owned a house in Jerusalem (John 19:27). The father, Zebedee, appears only once in the gospel account (Mt. 4:21; Mark 1:19); He does not object to his children following Jesus. The comparison of Mt. 27:56 with Mr. 15:40; 16:1 and Jn. 19:25 allows us to assume that James’ mother was called Salome, and that she was the sister of Jesus’ mother.
In that case, James would have been a close relative of the Lord, and, like Him, a descendant of David. The name James only appears in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, but in the Gospel of John he is alluded to twice (John 1:40, 41; 21:2).
James is always mentioned along with John, and his name usually precedes John’s (Matt. 4:21; 10:2; 17:1; Mark 1:19, 29; 3:17; 5:37 ; 9:2; 10:35, 41; 13:3; 14:33; Luke 5:10; 6:14; 9:54), while John is designated as brother of James (Mt. 4:21 ; 10:2; 17:1; Mr. 1:19; 3:17; 5:37).
It is believed for all this that Jacobo was the older brother. In Lk. 8:51; 9:28, John is named before James. This reversal (which also appears in Acts 1:13, but not in Acts 12:2) may have come from John having a more active role within the apostolic college. Christ gave both brothers the nickname “Boanerges”, sons of thunder (Mark 3:17).
James, like John, deserved a rebuke from the Lord, having both expressed intense anger against the Samaritan people who did not want to receive the Lord Jesus (Lk. 9:55). His ambition attracted to him, as to his brother John, the indignation of the other apostles (Mt. 10:41). After the crucifixion, James went to Galilee, with the apostles (John 21:2) and then to Jerusalem (Acts 1:13).
It was probably in the year 44 AD. that Herod Agrippa I had him killed by the sword Acts. 12:2). James was the first of the apostles to seal his testimony with his blood. (b) James son of Alphaeus; one of the twelve apostles (Mt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).
We know nothing about him that is absolutely true; but it is generally admitted that he is the James mentioned in Matt. 27:56; Mr. 15:40; 16:1; Lk. 24:10. He is nicknamed “the Lesser,” undoubtedly because of his small stature (Mark 15:40); His mother, called Mary, was one of the women who accompanied the Lord; he had a brother named Joseph (Mt. 27:56).
Levi, also called Matthew, was another son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). It is possible that he was Jacob’s brother, but it seems more likely that he is another Alphaeus. The ellipsis of the passages of Lk. 6:16; Acts. 1:13 can be interpreted so that the apostle Judas, not the Iscariot, is the brother of James.
On the other hand, it is possible to identify Mary, wife of Cleopas (Jn. 19:25) as sister of the mother of the Lord. In that case, James, son of Alphaeus, would be Jesus’ first cousin. But these are just conjectures. (c) James, the brother of the Lord (Mt. 13:55; Mark 6:3; Gal. 1:19); he was at the head of the Church in Jerusalem in apostolic times (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal. 1:19; 2:7, 12).
The Gospels do not mention this James’ name more than twice (Mt. 13:55; Mark 6:3), but he is included among the “brothers of the Lord,” who did not believe in Him during His life (Jn. 7:5), but who became His disciples after His resurrection (Acts 1:14). The question of the relationship that united the Lord with these “brothers” has always been a cause of controversy.
Certain exegetes want to see in them the children of Alphaeus, and declare them cousins of Jesus. Others think that they are the children of Joseph’s first marriage. But they are always found accompanying Mary, participating in her life, her travels, and behaving toward her as her children (Mt. 12:46, 47; Luke 8:19; Jn. 2:12); It cannot be rejected in any way that they were truly the brothers of the Lord, children of Mary born to Joseph after the birth of the Lord (cf. Mt. 1:24, 25: «And… Joseph… received the wife of he.
But he did not know her until she gave birth to her first-born son… »). (See BROTHERS OF JESUS.) James is at the head of the list (Mt. 13:55; Mark 6:3), probably because he was the eldest of Mary’s other sons. He undoubtedly participated in their unbelief (John 7:5) and in their apprehensions toward the Lord’s behavior (Mark 3:21, 31).
The Gospel does not say when or how James became a servant of Christ (Acts 1:13, 14; James 1:1). It is possible that his conversion occurred as with Paul, thanks to a special appearance of the Risen One (1 Cor. 15: 7). Since the Church was organized in Jerusalem, James presides over it (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gal. 1:19; 2:7, 12).
Already around the year 37 AD, Paul, going to Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion, considered it necessary to visit James (in the year 44 AD) as the most prominent among the brothers; in the visit of Acts. 21:18 (58 AD) sees in him, apparently, one of the leaders of the church (cf. Gal. 2:12) (See ELDER) The brothers who came to Jerusalem first made themselves known to James to explain to him the reason for his visit (Acts 12:17; 21:18; Gal. 1:19; 2:7-9).
Its mission was to facilitate the Jews’ transition to Christianity. James had the same conception as Paul of salvation by faith: this is clear not only from Paul’s statement in Gal. 2:7-9, but also from James’ speech in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21); In any case, James also represents the position of Christians of Jewish origin.
This explains why the ardent Judaizers took shelter under the name of James (Gal. 2:12); For this reason it is also understandable that the Jews themselves had admiration for the one they themselves called “the just” (Eusebius, “Ecclesiastical History” 2:23). According to Acts. 21:18 (in AD 58), the NT no longer mentions this James.
Profane history reports that he suffered martyrdom in a riot by the Jerusalem populace, between the death of Festus and the appointment of his successor, in 62 AD. (Ant. 20:9, 1). (d) James, father of the apostle Judas (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). Nothing is known about him.