James, James, and James: Which is Which?
First, let's look at this so-called name "James." The REAL name of all three of these men in the Greek-language New Testament is Jacob, not James. (Consult a Spanish Bible, for instance.) The original "Jacob" is the son of Isaac, grandson of Abraham, and father of twelve sons who came to lead the twelve tribes of Israel--which, by the way, was Jacob's other name.
So how did we get an English translation of "James" from the Greek name Jacobus? I have not yet been able to follow the tortuous path that got us here. What happened to the hard "C" in the name? Where did the ridiculous letter "M" come from? A partial answer is in the Latin Bible. There the Greek Jacobus is translated "Giacoma."
And why do we have three Jacobs playing major roles in the New Testament? In the first century AD, Jacob was the most popular name to give to a newborn Jewish boy. Jacobs littered the landscape, and they needed additional names or nicknames to tell them apart. Let's take them one at a time, using today's English translation:
James son of Zebedee:
This apostle named James was also known as "Big" James, or by the later church, "James the Great." He was the brother of John, the "disciple Jesus loved."
James son of Alpheus:
This apostle named James was known as "Little" James, because he was of small stature compared to Big James. The later church called him "James the Less." He was also the father of Judas Thaddeus, another one of the apostles. Judas was also a common name, and secondary names were used to tell them apart. At one place in the Bible, he is called "Judas, not Iscariot."
James son of Joseph:
This was the oldest son of the first wife of the Joseph who later became the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. This James later became known by nicknames such as "James the Just." He is the subject of this blog post, and we will deal with his additional nicknames farther down the post.
James, Eldest Brother of Jesus
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Four Sons of Joseph
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Four brothers of Jesus are named in the Gospels: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. (This is Judas #3, who we call "Jude.") Two or three sisters are also mentioned, but not named. The orthodox churches of the East follow the earliest tradition of the church (first and second century), which identifies these six or seven siblings as the offspring of Joseph and his first wife. Joseph is considered to be rather elderly in this tradition.
The eldest son, then, would have been born between, say, 20 BC and 12 BC. It is likely that their mother died in childbirth to the youngest, perhaps a girl. Joseph needed a wife to take care of these infants, toddlers, children, and teens. Tradition has it that Mary was quite young when she was betrothed to Joseph, which would mean that James and Mary would be of similar ages. This no doubt was an issue for Mary, the new wife and mother to the family of Joseph. When Joseph died, his son James became head of the family.
When Jesus started his preaching ministry, he upset the apple-carts of the ruling classes, who tried to get rid of him of by accusing him of lunacy. If Jesus were a lunatic, it would be the responsibility of the family to take care of him and confine him if necessary. As head of the family, it was up to James to investigate these claims. He took his brothers and Jesus' mother along with him to find out whether there was any truth to these claims.
Although Jesus was laying out some unorthodox teachings, once the family heard him preach there was no more mention of the spurious lunacy accusations. In fact, a year or two later Joseph and his brothers took it upon themselves to try to give Jesus some practical advice in how to advance his Messianic ministry. This is the first hint of a strong trait seen later in Joseph: he was a practical man who taught practical solutions.
The eldest son, then, would have been born between, say, 20 BC and 12 BC. It is likely that their mother died in childbirth to the youngest, perhaps a girl. Joseph needed a wife to take care of these infants, toddlers, children, and teens. Tradition has it that Mary was quite young when she was betrothed to Joseph, which would mean that James and Mary would be of similar ages. This no doubt was an issue for Mary, the new wife and mother to the family of Joseph. When Joseph died, his son James became head of the family.
When Jesus started his preaching ministry, he upset the apple-carts of the ruling classes, who tried to get rid of him of by accusing him of lunacy. If Jesus were a lunatic, it would be the responsibility of the family to take care of him and confine him if necessary. As head of the family, it was up to James to investigate these claims. He took his brothers and Jesus' mother along with him to find out whether there was any truth to these claims.
Although Jesus was laying out some unorthodox teachings, once the family heard him preach there was no more mention of the spurious lunacy accusations. In fact, a year or two later Joseph and his brothers took it upon themselves to try to give Jesus some practical advice in how to advance his Messianic ministry. This is the first hint of a strong trait seen later in Joseph: he was a practical man who taught practical solutions.
James, a Leader in the Early Messianic Sect
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| Peter and James |
After the incident of his advice to Jesus, James the Just disappears from the historic record, to reappear some 10 years after Jesus' crucifixion. By this time Big James has been killed by Herod Agrippa and the rest of the 12 apostles seemed to have scattered. Not so Peter, who is in Jerusalem accompanied by James the Just. When Peter escapes from prison he sends instructions specifically to this James. A year or two later, the apostle Paul finds Peter and James together, and identifies James as an apostle, like himself.
James, the Leader of the Jerusalem Church
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| James the Practical One |
By AD 49, 19 years after the crucifixion, James and Peter seem to be the leaders of the Jerusalem church, along with a few unnamed apostles from the Twelve. Paul the Apostle comes to them to with a doctrinal question, specifically whether Paul's new converts from paganism have to obey the laws given to Moses. The leaders and elders, including some Pharisees who were followers of Christ, convened what has become known as the Jerusalem Council to consider this question.
Paul made a presentation of the great things that he had accomplished and the many new believers he had accrued from among the pagans, making a case that the Mosaic law was unnecessary for these non-Jews. The Pharisees disagreed, saying that these converts must be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses.
Peter replied with a visionary view of what God was accomplishing, saying that God had saved both Jews and Gentiles by the grace of the Lord Jesus, and that the yoke of the Mosaic law need not fall on these converted Gentiles.
Here James stepped in, and proposed a practical solution. He proposed that the whole of the Law of Moses need not fall on the new Gentile Christians. Instead, he proposed that a letter be sent giving them four restrictions to follow--restrictions which would enable Jewish believers to participate in table fellowship with the Gentile believers.
Paul made a presentation of the great things that he had accomplished and the many new believers he had accrued from among the pagans, making a case that the Mosaic law was unnecessary for these non-Jews. The Pharisees disagreed, saying that these converts must be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses.
Peter replied with a visionary view of what God was accomplishing, saying that God had saved both Jews and Gentiles by the grace of the Lord Jesus, and that the yoke of the Mosaic law need not fall on these converted Gentiles.
Here James stepped in, and proposed a practical solution. He proposed that the whole of the Law of Moses need not fall on the new Gentile Christians. Instead, he proposed that a letter be sent giving them four restrictions to follow--restrictions which would enable Jewish believers to participate in table fellowship with the Gentile believers.
James the Writing Teacher -- Author of Two Letters in the Bible
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| James the Writer |
James' proposal was accepted by the Jerusalem Council, and the letter "written through their hand" was prepared and sent to Antioch accompanied by elders from Jerusalem. There is little doubt that it was the "hand" of James that actually wrote the letter, subject to the consent of the council. James' first letter may be found in the Book of Acts, chapter 15, verses 23b through 29.
(The four restrictions in the council's letter were: 1) Things contaminated by idols, 2) Sexual activity outside marriage, 3) Eating things that had been strangled, and 4) Eating blood.)
Within a few years, James the brother of Jesus wrote the letter we now call the Book of James, included in our Bibles and packed with plenty of practical instruction on how to lead a Christian life.
(The four restrictions in the council's letter were: 1) Things contaminated by idols, 2) Sexual activity outside marriage, 3) Eating things that had been strangled, and 4) Eating blood.)
Within a few years, James the brother of Jesus wrote the letter we now call the Book of James, included in our Bibles and packed with plenty of practical instruction on how to lead a Christian life.
James, First Bishop of the Jerusalem Church
Although the earliest Jerusalem church was clearly governed by a council of elders, it could be argued that Peter was the first "overseer" (bishop) due to the extra weight given to his counsel. But after Peter's departure to Antioch and then Rome, James came to be the central leader in Jerusalem.
James son of Joseph Sr. organized a council of twelve elders to advise the church, which included his brothers Joseph Jr., Simon, and Judas (the third Judas, after Thaddeus and the Iscariot). Ancient church fathers looked at this list of twelve elders and interpreted it as a list of twelve sequential bishops of Jerusalem, which could only come about if there was an extraordinarily high turnover among the overseers of this Jewish Christian church.
But why "James the Just"? Perhaps it was James' practical, fair and even hand that led to his new nickname among believers in Christ. But through the years, the character of James began to be admired among not only believers, but also members of the Pharisee party. History shows that he was respected for his piety and his strict personal observance of Mosaic Law. He was also called "James the Righteous." Modern scholars call him "James of Jerusalem" for his prominence and historical significance leading the Jerusalem church.
James son of Joseph Sr. organized a council of twelve elders to advise the church, which included his brothers Joseph Jr., Simon, and Judas (the third Judas, after Thaddeus and the Iscariot). Ancient church fathers looked at this list of twelve elders and interpreted it as a list of twelve sequential bishops of Jerusalem, which could only come about if there was an extraordinarily high turnover among the overseers of this Jewish Christian church.
But why "James the Just"? Perhaps it was James' practical, fair and even hand that led to his new nickname among believers in Christ. But through the years, the character of James began to be admired among not only believers, but also members of the Pharisee party. History shows that he was respected for his piety and his strict personal observance of Mosaic Law. He was also called "James the Righteous." Modern scholars call him "James of Jerusalem" for his prominence and historical significance leading the Jerusalem church.
The Trial and Death of James
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| Trial of James |
By their nature, leaders have enemies that oppose their leadership. The success in converting some of the leading Pharisees alarmed many of the ruling class in Jerusalem. In the meantime the winds of war were stirring up trouble with Rome. The priests and Sadducees were advocating cooperation with Rome, while the Zealots were spreading rebellion.
The Roman governor was dismissed, and Rome was sending in a new governor who could perhaps deal with the rebellion. Ananus son of Annas was high priest, and he took advantage of the absence of a Roman ruler to put James on trial. He called the Sanhedrin (high council of the Jews) into session and maneuvered James into publicly declaring his faith in Jesus.
Ananus condemned James to death and had him thrown from the highest peak of the temple. James actually survived the fall, so a mob was induced to stone him and beat him to death with clubs. When the new governor arrived, he promptly fired Ananus, who did not have the authority to do these things. But it was too late. James the Just was dead.
The Roman governor was dismissed, and Rome was sending in a new governor who could perhaps deal with the rebellion. Ananus son of Annas was high priest, and he took advantage of the absence of a Roman ruler to put James on trial. He called the Sanhedrin (high council of the Jews) into session and maneuvered James into publicly declaring his faith in Jesus.
Ananus condemned James to death and had him thrown from the highest peak of the temple. James actually survived the fall, so a mob was induced to stone him and beat him to death with clubs. When the new governor arrived, he promptly fired Ananus, who did not have the authority to do these things. But it was too late. James the Just was dead.
The Bone Box of James Son of Joseph
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| Ossuary of James |
According to custom, James was buried in a tomb sealed with a large rock. But these rock tombs were not designed to hold the revered dead forever. Instead, after a person had been deceased for a long time, his bones were collected and placed in an ossuary, a box for his bones. Traditions like that exist today, in which the ashes of those who have been cremated are preserved in an urn.
BUT, THE OSSUARY OF JAMES OF JERUSALEM HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!
BUT, THE OSSUARY OF JAMES OF JERUSALEM HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!
Inscription on the Bone Box of James of Jerusalem
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| Inscription on the Ossuary |
The custom for ossuaries was that the man's name and often the name of his father would be inscribed in the stone. But this ossuary had something additional and unique: inscribed in the stone was also the name of the man's brother.
Unique Inscription on Joseph's Bone Box:
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| Text of the Inscription on the Ossuary of James |
The inscription is written in Aramaic, and reads, Jacob (James), son of Joseph, brother of Jesus. It therefor attests to the overriding faith of this James, and to the high regard that the church had for the relatives of Jesus, who called them the Family of the Master.
Incidentally, the word "brother," inscribed above in Aramaic, cannot be translated as "cousin." We will hear more about the Family of the Master in my next post, when I will deal with the other three brothers of Jesus.
Incidentally, the word "brother," inscribed above in Aramaic, cannot be translated as "cousin." We will hear more about the Family of the Master in my next post, when I will deal with the other three brothers of Jesus.
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