James, Son Of Alphaeus
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James, son of Alphaeus (
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: , ;
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
: ; ; ; ) was one of the
Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
, appearing under this name in all three of the
Synoptic Gospels The gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Mark, and Gospel of Luke, Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical ...
' lists of the apostles. He is generally identified with
James the Less James the Less ( ) is a figure of early Christianity. He is also called "the Minor", "the Little", "the Lesser", or "the Younger", according to translation, James is styled "the Less" to distinguish him from the Apostle James the Great (also ca ...
( , Mark 15:40) and commonly known by that name in church tradition. He is also labelled "the Minor", "the Little", "the Lesser", or "the Younger", according to translation. He is distinct from
James, son of Zebedee James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...
and in some interpretations also from
James, brother of Jesus James the Just, or a variation of James, brother of the Lord ( from , and , , can also be Anglicized as "Jacob"), was, according to the New Testament, a brother of Jesus. He was the first Jewish bishop of Jerusalem. Traditionally, it is bel ...
(James the Just). He appears only four times in the
New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.


Identity


Possible identity with James the Less

James, son of
Alphaeus Alphaeus (; ) is a man mentioned in the New Testament seemingly as the father of two of the Twelve Apostles: Matthew the EvangelistMark 2:14 and James, son of Alphaeus. However, Mark 2:14 in Codex Bezae uses the name Levi rather than Matthew. ...
is often identified with James the Less, who is only mentioned four times in the Bible, each time in connection with his mother. () refers to "Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses", while () and ( Matthew 27:56) refer to "Mary the mother of James". Since there was already another James (James, son of Zebedee) among the twelve apostles, equating James son of Alphaeus with "James the Less" made sense. (James son of Zebedee was sometimes called "James the Greater").
Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...
identifies James, son of Alpheus with James the Less writing in his work called '' The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary'' the following:
Papias of Hierapolis Papias () was a Greeks, Greek Apostolic Father, Bishop of Hierapolis (modern Pamukkale, Turkey), and author who lived c. 60 – c. 130 AD He wrote the ''Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord'' () in five books. This work, which is lost apart fr ...
, who lived circa 70–163 AD, in the surviving fragments of his work ''Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord'' relates that Mary, wife of Alphaeus is the mother of James the Less: Therefore, James, son of Alphaeus would be the same as James the Less. Modern Biblical scholars are divided on whether this identification is correct. John Paul Meier finds it unlikely. Amongst evangelicals, the ''New Bible Dictionary'' supports the traditional identification, while Don Carson and Darrell Bock both regard the identification as possible, but not certain.


Possible identification with James, the brother of Jesus

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...
, voicing the general opinion of
Early Church Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and bey ...
, maintains the doctrine of
perpetual virginity of Mary The perpetual virginity of Mary is a Christian doctrine that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin "before, during and after" the birth of Christ. In Western Christianity, the Catholic Church adheres to the doctrine, as do some Lutherans, Ang ...
.. He proposed that James, son of Alphaeus, was to be identified with "James, the brother of the Lord" ( Galatians 1:19) and that the term "brother" was to be understood as "cousin." The view of Jerome, the "Hieronymian view," became widely accepted in the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, while
Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of ...
s,
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
and
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
s tend to distinguish between the two. Geike (1884) states that Hausrath, Delitzsch, and Schenkel think James the brother of Jesus was the son of Clophas-Alphaeus. In two small but potentially important works ascribed by some to Hippolytus, ''On the Twelve Apostles of Christ'' and ''On the
Seventy Apostles The seventy disciples (Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα απόστολοι, ''hebdomikonta apostoloi''), w ...
of Christ,'' he relates the following: James, the brother of Jesus is attributed the same death; he was stoned to death by the Jews too. This testimony of "Hippolytus", if authentic, would increase the plausibility that James the son of Alphaeus is the same person as James the brother of Jesus. These two works of "Hippolytus" are often neglected because the manuscripts were lost during most of the church age and then found in Greece in the 19th century. As most scholars consider them spurious, they are often ascribed to "". The two are included in an appendix to the works of Hippolytus in the voluminous collection of Early Church Fathers. According to the surviving fragments of the work ''Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord'' by
Papias of Hierapolis Papias () was a Greeks, Greek Apostolic Father, Bishop of Hierapolis (modern Pamukkale, Turkey), and author who lived c. 60 – c. 130 AD He wrote the ''Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord'' () in five books. This work, which is lost apart fr ...
Cleophas and Alphaeus are the same person, Mary wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus would be the mother of James, the brother of Jesus, and of Simon and Judas (Thaddeus), and of one Joseph. Thus, James, the brother of the Lord would be the son of Alphaeus, who is the husband of Mary of Cleophas or Mary the wife of Alphaeus. However, the Anglican theologian J.B. Lightfoot maintains that the fragment in question is spurious. As reported by the Golden Legend, which is a collection of hagiographies compiled by
Jacobus de Voragine Jacobus de Voragine, OP (13/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the '' Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the mediev ...
in the thirteenth century:


Possible brother of Matthew

Alphaeus Alphaeus (; ) is a man mentioned in the New Testament seemingly as the father of two of the Twelve Apostles: Matthew the EvangelistMark 2:14 and James, son of Alphaeus. However, Mark 2:14 in Codex Bezae uses the name Levi rather than Matthew. ...
is also the name of the father of the tax-collector Levi mentioned in . The publican appears as Matthew in , which has led some to conclude that James and Matthew might have been brothers. The four times that James son of Alphaeus is mentioned directly in the Bible (each time in the list of the Apostles) the only family relationship stated is that his father is Alphaeus. In two lists of the Apostles, the other James and John are listed as brothers and that their father is Zebedee.


Gospel sources


Gospel of Mark


Calling of James, son of Alphaeus

Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek language, Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' ...
is the earliest known source in the Bible to mention "James, son of Alphaeus" as one of the
twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...
.
Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek language, Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' ...
mentions a "James, son of Alphaeus" only once and this is in his list of the 12 Apostles ( Mark 3, ()). At the beginning of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
' ministry he first calls
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...
and his brother
Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...
and asks them to follow him (). In the next verses it tells the story of how
James the Greater James the Great (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Syriac language, Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Accordi ...
and his brother
John the Apostle John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...
came to follow Jesus (). After some healing by Jesus he meets Levi son of
Alphaeus Alphaeus (; ) is a man mentioned in the New Testament seemingly as the father of two of the Twelve Apostles: Matthew the EvangelistMark 2:14 and James, son of Alphaeus. However, Mark 2:14 in Codex Bezae uses the name Levi rather than Matthew. ...
who was a tax collector and he then asks Levi (better known as Matthew) to follow him ( and ). Peter, Andrew, James the Greater and John the Apostle are listed as Apostles (). Levi, son of Alphaeus is listed as an Apostle under the name of Matthew and James alone is listed as the son of Alphaeus ().


Ambiguous Jameses

Overall,
Mark the Evangelist Mark the Evangelist (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek language, Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' ...
lists three different Jameses: "James, son of Alphaeus", James the Greater, and James the brother of Jesus (). On three separate occasions, he writes about a James without clarifying which James he is referring to. There is a James at the transfiguration, ( Mark 9, ), at the
Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet (; ; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem, east of and adjacent to Old City of Jerusalem, Jerusalem's Old City. It is named for the olive, olive ...
, (
Mark 13 Mark 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains the "Markan Apocalypse": Jesus' predictions of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and disaster for Judea, as well as Mark's v ...
, ), and the Garden of Gethsemane,
Mark 14 Mark 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains the plot to kill Jesus, his anointing by a woman, the Last Supper, predictions of his betrayal, and Peter the Apostle's three deni ...
, ). Although this James is listed alongside John the Apostle, a clear distinction is not made about which
Apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
James is being referred to, even when both Apostles are meant to be in a similar location. All twelve Apostles attend the Last Supper () which immediately precedes the Garden of Gethsemane. There is a reference to Mary mother of James the Younger and Joseph (
Mark 15 Mark 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. This chapter records the narrative of Jesus' Passion (Christianity), passion, including his Pilate's court, trial before Pontius Pi ...
, ); however, Mark the Evangelist has already said that James the brother of Jesus has a brother called Joseph (
Mark 6 Mark 6 is the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. In this chapter, Jesus goes to Nazareth and experiences rejection by his own family. He then sends his Apostles in the New Testament, Ap ...
, ).


Gospel of Matthew


Calling of James, son of Alphaeus

Peter, Andrew, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John were all called to follow Jesus (
Matthew 4 Matthew 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of Christianity, Christian Bible.Halley, Henry H. (1962), ''Halley's Bible Handbook'': an Abbreviated Bible Commentary. 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House.Holman I ...
, ). In a story that parallels the calling of Levi, son of Alphaeus, Matthew is called to follow Jesus ( Matthew 9, ). Matthew is never referred directly to as being the Son of Alphaeus in the Gospel of Matthew or any other book in the Bible, but as Levi, Son of Alphaeus ( Mark 2, ). In Mark, he is regarded as a tax collector (). In the Gospel of Matthew the tax collector (Matthew) called to follow Jesus is listed as one of the twelve Apostles. James, son of Alphaeus is also listed as one of the 12 Apostles ( Matthew 10, ).


Ambiguous Jameses

Matthew does not mention any James in his Gospel that is not identified without association to his family. There are three James that are mentioned by Matthew; James, Brother of Jesus, Joseph, Simon and Judas ( Matthew 13, ), James son of Zebedee and brother of John ( Matthew 10, ) and James, son of Alphaeus. At the Transfiguration it is specified that the James is brother of John (
Matthew 17 Matthew 17 is the seventeenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Jesus continues his final journey to Jerusalem ministering through Galilee. William Robertson Nicoll identifies "three impressive ...
, ) and at the Garden of Gethsemane it is specified that it is the son of Zebedee ( Matthew 26, ). It is not specified by Matthew that there was a James at the
Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet (; ; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem, east of and adjacent to Old City of Jerusalem, Jerusalem's Old City. It is named for the olive, olive ...
; he mentions only disciples ( Matthew 24, ). Matthew also mentions a Mary, the mother of James and Joseph who was at the crucifixion. This James is not given the epithet the younger (
Matthew 27 Matthew 27 is the 27th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, part of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. This chapter contains Matthew's record of the day of the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Scottish theologian William Robertson Nico ...
, ).


Death

James was arrested along with some other Christians and was executed by King
Herod Agrippa Herod Agrippa I ( Roman name: Marcus Julius Agrippa; ), also simply known as Herod Agrippa, Agrippa I, () or Agrippa the Great, was the last king of Judea. He was a grandson of Herod the Great and the father of Herod Agrippa II, the last known k ...
in his persecution of the church ( Acts 12, ). However, the James in has a brother called John. James, son of Zebedee has a brother called John (
Matthew 4 Matthew 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of Christianity, Christian Bible.Halley, Henry H. (1962), ''Halley's Bible Handbook'': an Abbreviated Bible Commentary. 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House.Holman I ...
, ) and we are never explicitly told that James son of Alphaeus has a brother. Robert Eisenman and Achille Camerlynck both suggest that the death of James in Acts 12:1–2 is James, son of Zebedee and not James son of Alphaeus. In Christian art, James the Less is depicted holding a fuller's club. One tradition maintains that he was crucified at Ostrakine in
Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ') is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into sev ...
, where he was preaching the Gospel. In Eastern Orthodox Church his feast is 9 October and 30 June ( Synaxis of the Apostles).


References

{{Authority control Christian saints from the New Testament Saints from the Holy Land Twelve Apostles 1st-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown James, brother of Jesus