Who Is James?

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Guided Bible Study

Background on James

The Scandal of James

A Word for the Wise

The End is at Hand

Finding Spiritual
Wholeness in James

James' View of
The World

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STILL TO COME

Will the Real James Stand Up?

By J. Ann Craig and Elizabeth M. Magill
The earliest Christians had no writings of Jesus life nor of Paul's theology. It is likely that the word scripture meant the Septuagint, a Greek translation of Torah and prophets, and writings from the Jewish tradition. In some areas scripture may have meant only Torah. But as centuries past, Christian leaders began to collect stories about Jesus life and letters from the early churches. The time came to decide which of these writings reflected the true Christian church. The authenticity of the Epistle of James has been debated since those earliest decisions were being made. The issues today are the same as those in the first years--who wrote James? When was James written? Is the theology accurate to the Good News as preached by Jesus and reflected upon by Paul?

Background Pages
What's In A Word? | James uses Biblical Texts | Paul and James
Will the REAL James Stand Up? | When was James Written?
To Whom is James Sent? | Canon: Is James IN or OUT?
Read it Yourself: Comments on James in the Canon
Annotated Bibliography

Who is James?
Which James wrote the Epistle of James? In the epistle he only identifies himself in the greeting as "James a servant (slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ..." In the New Testament there are several different people named James. Did one of these write this epistle? Was he a disciple? A stepbrother? A brother of Jesus? Whose son was he? What we discover about the various men named James has a big impact of how we think about the historical family of Jesus.

You can click on any of the following "James" or read them in order by scrolling down through the article

1. James Son of Zebedee: Early Disciples of Jesus
2. James Brother of Jesus: Leader of the church in Jerusalem
3. James Son of Mary: The Marys at the tomb.
4. James Son of Alphaeus: A Tax Collector?
5. James Son or Brother of Judas/Jude: A connection to Jude?
6. Someone else writing as James

The following study of the various men named "James" in the New Testament is best read with an open Bible by your side-or maybe even three so you can compare the three synoptic Gospels on a particular story. The insights are in the details so take your time.

1. James Son of Zebedee
Let's begin with James and John who are the sons of Zebedee. The brothers were called early as Jesus' disciples. In Matthew and Mark, they were called immediately after Peter and his brother Andrew. Luke 5:10 says the four brothers were fishing together as "partners." (See Matthew 9:1-8, Luke 2:1-12, Luke 5:27-32 and also Matthew 4:18;22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11).

When the twelve are listed, the two sets of brothers (James and John, Peter and Andrew), come first.
(See Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:12-16.) We often see Peter, James and John (without Andrew) grouped together with Jesus for particularly important events:

The Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36);
Raising of the dead daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-43, Luke 8:40-56);
Praying in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:46, Mark 14:32-42).

Matthew leaves them out in the story of Jairus' daughter and Luke does not mention the trio in Gethsemane. Mark places Peter, James, John and Andrew with Jesus in a private conversation about what will be the signs of when all will be accomplished (Mark 13:3-4). If James the son of Zebedee wrote the Epistle of James, we have some evidence that he was in on some private teachings from Jesus.

James and John do some duo appearances in a couple of inauspicious moments. Not long after the twelve are identified in Luke, a Samaritan village rejects Jesus. James and John ask Jesus if they should call down fire from heaven to consume the town. Jesus responds with a rebuke (Luke 9:51-56).And, it is James and John who ask for seats at the right hand and left hand of Jesus when he comes into his kingdom. Matthew says the mother of James and John made the request which means she may have been traveling with Jesus. Luke does not mention James and John but recounted a conflict when the disciples were fighting over who would be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus used these points of tension as teachable moments to talk about the cost of discipleship and the role of servant. (See Matthew 20:2-28, Mark 10:35-45, Luke 22:24-30).

2. James Brother of Jesus
Jesus' brother James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. The first mention of this James is when Jesus was rejected in Nazareth. In Matthew, the townspeople asked, "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?" Mark cites the same lines except for "Joseph" is replaced by "Joses" which is another way to say "Joseph." Luke elaborates the story but leaves out the list of siblings. It is interesting to note that in the Gospel of John, James is not mentioned at all. (Matthew 13:55-56, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:16-30).

In Acts 15, James is clearly a leader and decision maker in the church of Jerusalem. First, Peter speaks in favor of sharing of the Gospel to uncircumcised Gentiles. Then Paul and Barnabas recount the signs and wonders of conversions among the Gentiles. But finally, it is James who makes the pronouncement of inclusion without circumcision. Later, when Paul visits Jerusalem in Acts 21:17, his first stop is to see James and the elders. In Galatians 1:18-19, Paul recounts his visit to Jerusalem where he stayed with Peter fifteen days and saw James, the brother of Jesus. Paul notes that it is James, Peter and John who were "pillars" of the church. James is listed first (Galatians 2:9).

Despite these various references to James who was a leader in Jerusalem, there are only two specific references telling us that James is the brother of Jesus. One is in the parallel texts about the family of Jesus in the Gospels; the other is when Paul recounts his trip to Jerusalem in Galatians and says he spoke to "James, the brother of Jesus." Some say Paul was talking about James being a spiritual brother of Jesus but this would have to be in contrast to all the others who loved Jesus, even Paul himself, so it is probable that Paul was referring to a sibling relationship.

These references to Jesus having a human family gave the early church real problems. As "Jesus as God" came to overshadow Jesus as the "Human One" or "Son of Man" the church became increasingly uncomfortable with the idea that Jesus has a brother, and that Mary had additional children. A late account of Jesus' birth, The Protoevangelium of James, makes James a stepbrother to Jesus.

Check out these web links for the debate on whether there is really a James, the brother of Jesus:

Josephus' History comments on James, the brother of Jesus
http://www.uncc.edu/jdtabor/james.html
Was James Jesus' brother? Details on the scholarly debate
http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Chilton_James.htm

3. James Son of Mary
In Acts 12:2, James, the brother of John, was killed on the order of King Herod. In that same sequence of events, Peter is imprisoned and miraculously brought out by an angel. When he escapes, he goes to the house of Mary who was the mother of John called Mark. Peter tells his miraculous story and then says, "Tell this to James and to the believers." We can surmise that there must have been another James besides the one who was killed. Mary, mother of John (Mark) could be the mother of the deceased James or another Mary with a son named John who was distinguished as the John called Mark.

Let's look more closely at the Marys at the tomb. Who were the women? Mary Magdalene is named in all four Gospels. Matthew adds "the other Mary." Mark lists "Mary the mother of James and Salome." Luke adds "Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women." (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1, Luke 24:10.)

The conclusion that Mary was the mother of James and therefore of John (Mark) is not the only conclusion possible from this maze of people. Jesus also had a brother by the name of James as mentioned in Matthew and Mark, it is within the realm of possibility that Mary the mother of James was also Jesus' mother. This would suggest a cultural practice of not naming Mary as the mother of Jesus as she went to his tomb or perhaps this represents the ambivalence early believers had about Jesus having an earthly family if he was the Christ. In any case, it helps explain where Jesus' mother was on that day. She was there to prepare his body.

Another scripture supporting the argument that it was Mary the mother of Jesus and James at the tomb with Mary Magdalene comes from the crucifixion scene. Matthew lists Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee among the women "looking on from afar." Mark lists Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome as being among the women. Luke just mentions "the women" and does not name them. John specifically places Jesus' mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene at the cross within speaking distance. When we hear Mary, mother of James and Joses, it correlates with both the list of siblings at the rejection scene in Nazareth and with the reference to Mary the mother of James at the tomb and would have modeled the reference to Jesus' brothers rather than to Jesus, the victim of the execution. (Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, Luke 23:49, John 19:25.)

It is also feasible, given that the names Mary and James are used so often, that these were all distinct people-that John Mark whose mother was Mary was different from John the brother of James. But given the prominence of James and John and the presence of their mother in the request to seat them in Heaven, it seems likely that this Mary had two sons who were two of Jesus' closest companions. Matthew places her at the crucifixion, she was very likely among the women at his tomb as a close family friend-if not spiritual next-of-kin.

4. James Son of Alphaeus
Another "James" shows up as one of the twelve. He is the son of Alphaeus. It is curious that in Mark 2:14, Levi is called "son of Alphaeus." Matthew and Luke call the tax collector Luke and do not mention Alphaeus. This may be another brother pair but there is no further mention of a relationship and no other references to Alphaeus. (Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:14-19, Luke 6:12-16)

5. James Father or Brother of Judas
Finally, there is a James who is the father or brother of Judas who is present in the upper room (Acts 1:13). A New Revised Standard Version footnote suggests it can be read as either father or brother. This raises the possibility that Judas might be another brother of Jesus who became actively engaged in spreading the gospel. Jude opens his brief letter with the claim that he is the brother of James. Like Joses and Joseph, Jude may be a short hand reference to Judas.

6. Someone Else writing as James
Although the letter opens by identifying James as the author, it is common for authors to use pseudonyms of prestigious people to add value to their work. The modern concept of plagiarism is completely foreign to first century writing. It is, therefore, quite possible that a later Christian wrote the letter and attributed it to James as a way of adding authority to the text. Some scholars argue for a pseudonym because the letter of James shows signs of being written long after the Biblical James would have died. (When was James written?)

The Letter of James is written in higher quality Greek than other New Testament books. It contains no description of the writer James, nor how James is knows Jesus. In addition, some scholars insist that the Letter's argument: You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24) is a response to Paul's letters to Galatia and the Romans, and so must be written after these letters.

Could a first century Palestinian Jew have written such a polished Greek text? For years this was a strong argument against a Biblical James as writer, but recent research has shown that Judaism was heavily influenced by Hellenistic language and ideas. It is possible that even the poor in Galilee may have learned to speak Greek fluently.

Although it is frustrating that James doesn't tell us more about himself, today this is actually understood as strong evidence that James, a well-known Christian, wrote the letter. Clearly, the writer did not feel it necessary to explain who he was. A later writer, attributing his work to the earlier James, is more likely to build up the character.

The question of whether James view on faith and works is earlier or later than Paul's is a subject of much debate. It is important to remember that the Letter of James and the Paul's letters are each written to specific communities with specific needs to be addressed. These are not theological treatise, but rather advice to congregations facing specific problems. James is concerned that his readers are failing to live out their Christian commitment.

James, the Writer of the Epistle
One is tempted to quip, "Will the REAL James, please stand up!" We do have a challenge here. Let's establish some basics. Either the epistle was written by someone named James or the writer was giving the letter authority by claiming the name of James. Given the minimal emphasis on the name and its authority, it seems like a good possibility that someone by the name of James probably wrote the letter.

Which James was it? Acts accounts for the death of James the brother of John. James, the brother of Jesus speaks as the most prominent leader in Jerusalem. The epistle of James is full of Jewish teachings yet it is written in "clear and even somewhat elegant Koine Greek." Would Jesus' brother have written in almost perfect Greek? Was it dictated by James? Was it written in Aramaic and then translated later by a Greek writer? A variety of scenarios are possible but it is quite feasible, and even likely, that James, the brother of Jesus was responsible for the letter.

From our close look at the various men named James, the narrative of Jesus' last days takes shape with only close female relatives and friends being named at his crucifixion and burial. Moreover, there appears to be more involvement of Jesus' siblings than we may have thought. James, Judas/Jude and Solome may have been his siblings and the children of Mary as well as spiritual companions. James took on prominent leadership in Jerusalem and Jude followed and wrote a letter of his own.

We see also that a closer cadre than even the twelve was at work in Jesus ministry. It was Peter, James and John who Jesus called on repeatedly to witness to the turning points of his life.

Resources (Link to full Bibliography for web site)
Biblegateway.com (an on-line concordance with access to various versions of the Bible)

Johnson, Luke Timothy, "The Letter of James: Introduction" The New Interpreter's Bible Vol. XII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1998).

Painter, John. Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition, (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999).

Throckmorton, Burton, H. ed. Gospel Parallels, (NY: National Council of Churches 1979).

Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James in The Pillar New Testament Commentary, DA Carson, general editor. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000).

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All material ©Women's Division, 2002. For permission to use, or to link to our site, contact J. Ann Craig. Unless otherwise noted, articles are by Elizabeth M. Magill, MDiv. 2002 Episcopal Divinity School.