Comparative Theology · Pauline Epistles & Early Church
James the Just: the successor history forgot
Handle with care. Catholic and Orthodox Christians hold that James was a cousin or step-brother. State their view accurately before giving the alternative.
In short
- 1.James is called the brother of Jesus (PBUH) in Mark 6:3 and by Paul himself in Galatians 1:19.
- 2.He chairs the council in Jerusalem and gives the ruling: "it is my judgement" (Acts 15:19).
- 3.Josephus records his killing in 62 CE by the high priest Ananus, and the public anger that followed.
- 4.Hegesippus, quoted by Eusebius, says he was so devout people called him James the Righteous.
The claim being examined
Jesus (PBUH)''s brother James led the Jerusalem community for roughly thirty years, yet he is nearly invisible in the Christianity that followed.
The Islamic position
The person closest to a prophet in blood, practice and place carries the strongest claim to represent him. In the earliest sources that person is James.
Analysis
Josephus, a Jewish historian who was not a Christian, records in Antiquities 20.200 the stoning of "the brother of Jesus who was called Christ, whose name was James", and says fair-minded people in Jerusalem were so angry that the high priest responsible was removed from office. That tells you James was a man of standing in the city. Hegesippus, preserved in Eusebius (Church History 2.23), describes him as an ascetic who prayed in the Temple. In the New Testament itself, it is James — not Peter — who gives the verdict at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:19), and Paul reports to James when he arrives in the city (Acts 21:18). James Tabor argues in The Jesus (PBUH) Dynasty that leadership passing within Jesus's (PBUH) family was the original pattern, later covered over. The question to put gently is not whether James existed. It is how a man who led the community for thirty years left almost no mark on the Christianity that followed. State their view first: Catholic and Orthodox Christians hold that James was a cousin or a step-brother. Say that accurately before you offer the alternative.
Side by side
| Acts 15:19 | Who rules at the council | James: it is my judgement. |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 21:18 | Who Paul reports to | Paul went to see James, and all the elders were present. |
| Josephus, Antiquities 20.200 | Non-Christian witness, 93 CE | The brother of Jesus (PBUH) who was called Christ, whose name was James — stoned in 62 CE, to public outrage. |
| Eusebius, Church History 2.23 | Quoting Hegesippus | He was called the Just by all, from the Lord's time to ours. |
From the Qur'an
۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰٓ ءَادَمَ وَنُوحًۭا وَءَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَءَالَ عِمْرَٰنَ عَلَى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
inna l-laha iṣ'ṭafā ādama wanūḥan waāla ib'rāhīma waāla ʿim'rāna ʿalā l-ʿālamīna
Indeed God chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all people — descendants, some of them from others.
From the Bible
ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἰακώβου
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?
Read it in their BibleἸάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ κυρίου
I saw none of the other apostles, only James, the Lord's brother.
Read it in their Bibleδιὸ ἐγὼ κρίνω
James spoke up… It is my judgement, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.
Read it in their Bibleεἰσῄει ὁ Παῦλος … πρὸς Ἰάκωβον
Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.
Read it in their BibleSources
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