Mary, mother of James is identified in 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 ...

as one of the women who went to Jesus' tomb after he was buried. and refer to "Mary the mother of James" as one of the Myrrhbearers, the women who went to the tomb of Jesus. Along with

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

and Mary of Clopas, Mary the mother of James is known as one of the Three Marys.

Background

says that "Mary the mother of James and Joseph" was watching the

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

from a distance. calls her "Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses". James the younger is often identified with James, son of Alphaeus. The ''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' identifies him with both James, son of Alphaeus and James the brother of Jesus (James the Just). According to the surviving fragments of the work ''Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord'' of the Apostolic Father

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 c. 70–163 AD, "Mary, mother of James the Less and Joseph, wife of Alphaeus was the sister of Mary the mother of the Lord, whom John names of Cleophas". For the Anglican theologian J.B. Lightfoot, this fragment quoted above would be spurious. Her relics are said to be both in France at the Church of the Saintes Maries de la Mer, and in Italy.

References

{{New Testament people 1st-century Christian female saints Angelic visionaries Followers of Jesus People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar Saints from the Holy Land Women in the New Testament Gospel of Mark Gospel of Luke Myrrhbearers The Three Marys Christian saints from the New Testament James, son of Alphaeus

Background

See also

References