![\"Marko](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Marko-Marina-Author-Bart-Ehrman.png\" "\\"Marko")
<\/span><\/p>\nWritten by Marko Marina, Ph.D.<\/a><\/p>\n Author | Historian<\/p>\n Author | Historian | BE Contributor<\/p>\n Verified! See our guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n Verified! See our editorial guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n \nDate written: September 8th, 2023<\/p>\n Edited by Laura Robinson, Ph.D.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\nDate written: September 8th, 2023\n Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. – Dr. Bart D. Ehrman<\/p>\n The history of Christianity is not solely woven through the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It’s a tapestry enriched by the stories of those who stood beside Him, questioned Him, and ultimately followed in His footsteps. <\/p>\n Among these figures, none is as enigmatic and intriguing as James, the brother of Jesus. This article endeavors to delve into his life and the significance he had within the early Church.<\/p>\n We must begin by asking whether the historical Jesus<\/a> had siblings. I still recall an evening when I found myself engaged in a spirited debate with a close friend, a devout Catholic, about this very issue. The mere mention of the possibility that Jesus might have had brothers left him visibly perturbed.<\/p>\n Why? Because the Catholic dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary asserts that Jesus\u2019 mother remained a virgin throughout her life<\/strong>. As such, any suggestion that Jesus had brothers challenges this long-held dogma and can rouse strong emotions in a country where the Catholic Church has been a cornerstone of cultural and religious identity.<\/p>\n The New Testament speaks of Jesus\u2019 brothers and sisters on multiple occasions, however (Mk 6: 31-35; 6:3; Jn 2:12; 7:3; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor 9:5). Mark names his brothers as James, Joses, Jude, and Simeon.<\/p>\n Furthermore, in Luke 2:7, Jesus is referred to as Mary’s firstborn, suggesting the possibility of her having additional children. Moreover, Matthew 1:25 mentions that Joseph refrained from knowing his wife until after the birth of their son, indicating the potential for the couple to have had more children after the birth<\/strong> of their first son.<\/p>\n As a result, early church figures like Tertullian<\/strong> (3rd century C.E.) and Helvidius<\/strong> (4th century C.E.) advanced the argument that Mary did not maintain perpetual virginity. Helvidius, in particular, contended that the brothers and sisters mentioned in the Bible were the natural offspring of Mary and Joseph. A Judeo-Christian group from the 2nd century C.E. named Ebionites<\/strong> held the same view as well.<\/p>\n However, there were some alternative voices in the early Church<\/strong>. Two additional streams of thought are worth mentioning:<\/p>\n That leaves us with the three different theories on James\u2019 relationship to Jesus<\/strong>:<\/p>\n The latter position was eventually adopted within the official doctrine<\/a> of the Catholic Church. What do we make of these theories? Was James the brother of Jesus? I opt in favor of the first theory<\/strong> because it passes the criteria of contextuality and the simple reading of our earliest sources. <\/p>\n Furthermore, the apostle Paul identifies James explicitly as \u201cthe brother of the Lord\u201d<\/strong> (Gal 1: 18,19) with whom he met in Jerusalem 3 years after his conversion. Additionally, we have a non-Christian source from the 1st century C.E. conveying the same notion. A Jewish historian Josephus<\/a> identifies James \u201cas the brother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah (Ant. 20.9.1).\u201d<\/p>\n In Did Jesus Exist? The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth<\/a><\/em>, Dr. Bart Ehrman concludes that a \u201cplain and straightforward reading of the texts in the Gospels and in Paul leads to an unambiguous result: these \u201cbrothers\u201d of Jesus were his actual siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n When did James the brother of Jesus believe in him? There are some possible indications in the Gospels that James was skeptical about Jesus and became his follower only after the resurrection<\/a>. A careful reading of Mk 3:20-21, as Bart explains in an article<\/a>, could be understood as saying that Jesus\u2019 family took him away from the public eye because they thought he was beside himself.<\/p>\n However, in Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition<\/a>, James Painter argued that the Greek text of Mk 3:20-21 is not as decisive as some scholars think. In his opinion, the Gospels don\u2019t provide us with enough evidence for James\u2019 disbelief in Jesus. Also, according to the Gospel of the Hebrews (2nd century C.E.),<\/strong> James was present at the Last Supper.<\/p>\n The Gospel of the Hebrews?! Yes, that\u2019s right! There were a lot of other Gospels that never made it into the Bible. Read about them in \u201cThe Other Gospels<\/a>\u201d by Bart Ehrman and Zlatko Plese.<\/em><\/p>\n Furthermore, James must have been with Jesus during his earthly ministry because that would have facilitated his eventual leadership of the early Church in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n In other words, he must have some connection with people such as Peter and John which would allow him to assume the role he did. Was Jesus\u2019 brother a disciple? I\u2019m inclined to affirmatively answer this question. Now the question is what kind of a role he took after Jesus\u2019 death.<\/p>\n Now and then a student asks me why James is called \u201cthe Just\u201d. Where did that come from? As it turns out, James was a common name in the 1st century Palestine. According to a church father Hegesippus<\/strong> (2nd century C.E.), James was called \u201cJames the Just\u201d because there were many James\u2019 within the first Christian community. <\/p>\n And this James, as the sources indicate, held a prominent position in Jerusalem. In 1 Cor 15:7 Paul states that the resurrected Jesus appeared to James and then to other apostles. <\/p>\n In Acts 12:12-16 Peter, who had just escaped from prison, goes to the house of John Mark\u2019s mother where the disciples have gathered in a prayer. There he asks them to \u201c tell James and the other brothers and sisters\u201d about his escape. James could have obtained the leadership role partly because of Peter\u2019s and John\u2019s absence due to either prison terms or their missionary works.<\/p>\n In the Gospel of Thomas, James becomes the leader of the Church based on Jesus\u2019 direct command. Furthermore, Clement of Alexandria (3rd century C.E.) observes that after Jesus\u2019 ascension, Peter and John chose James the Just as the bishop of Jerusalem<\/p>\n Did You Know?<\/strong><\/p>\n The term \u201cbishop\u201d comes from the Greek \u201c\u1f10\u03c0\u1f77\u03c3\u03ba\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03c2\u201d meaning an overseer.<\/em><\/p>\n As the head of the Jerusalem Church James obtained his most well-known role when he presided over the Apostolic council<\/strong> (Acts 15: 2-35). The issue that prompted this council was related to the entry of Gentiles into the Church. Should they first become Jews and uphold Mosaic Law? Do they need to get circumcised? <\/p>\n James had the final word in the debate. Decision? Gentiles are not obliged to circumcise!<\/em> <\/p>\n However, we should tread carefully through the account in Acts because its author tends to show that everything within the first community worked smoothly with the help of the apostolic guidance. <\/p>\n Paul offers a different view of James\u2019 role<\/strong>. In Galatians 2:12 James the Just is depicted as insisting that the Gentiles in the Church should be subjected to the ritual of circumcision.<\/p>\n In any case, the subsequent history showed that Paul won the debate on circumcision and the Mosaic Law. The Church adopted his proposition thus opening its doors to a multitude of Gentiles.<\/p>\n TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE of the Historical Jesus!<\/p>\n Think you know the Jesus of the Bible? Uncover the historical figure behind the texts!<\/p>\n __CONFIG_colors_palette__{“active_palette”:0,”config”:{“colors”:{“10c55”:{“name”:”Main Accent”,”parent”:-1}},”gradients”:[]},”palettes”:[{“name”:”Default”,”value”:{“colors”:{“10c55”:{“val”:”rgb(255, 133, 34)”}},”gradients”:[]},”original”:{“colors”:{“10c55”:{“val”:”rgb(19, 114, 211)”,”hsl”:{“h”:210,”s”:0.83,”l”:0.45,”a”:1}}},”gradients”:[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__ <\/span> sTART QUIZ<\/strong><\/span><\/span> <\/a> <\/p>\n It’s free!<\/em><\/p>\n The Epistle of James opens with the author, who calls himself \u201cJames, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations (James 1:1).\u201d By calling them \u201cthe twelve tribes in the dispersion,\u201d the author identifies the Christians to whom he writes as the new or true Israel. Did James the brother of Jesus write it?<\/p>\n While some advocate for its authenticity, others contend it was written under a pseudonym. Nevertheless, based on the available knowledge, it is worth noting that the prevailing consensus among historians<\/strong> tends to lean toward the view that the author is not James the brother of Jesus.<\/p>\n The strongest piece of evidence is the fact that the letter is written in elegant Greek while displaying the knowledge of rhetorical strategies<\/strong> from both Jewish and pagan literature in Greek. James the brother of Jesus spoke Aramaric, not Greek, and he almost certainly couldn\u2019t write in such an elegant manner. <\/p>\n Dale C. Allison’s Commentary on the Epistle of James<\/a> offers a thorough examination of all the available data, and his assessment carries significant weight. Ultimately, he concludes that the arguments against the traditionally ascribed authorship to St. James<\/strong> are more compelling and persuasive.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, I will refer to the author of the letter as James for convenience\u2019s sake!<\/em><\/p>\n We get a few glimpses of what church life was like when James wrote this letter. There appears to have been a somewhat advanced church community, with fairly organized leadership roles, and a wide range of members, with a tendency to give precedence to the wealthy ones.<\/p>\n To this group, James offers what he calls \u201cwisdom,\u201d<\/strong> full of moral exhortation and timeless advice about the moral life. For James, wisdom is not about thinking things or knowing things; it\u2019s about doing things and acting in the right way. <\/p>\n Explore the contrast between Paul\u2019s and James\u2019 views on salvation in the table depicted below!<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Who](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Who-Was-James-the-Brother-of-Jesus-The-Role-of-James-in-Early-Christianity.png\" "\\"Who")
<\/span><\/p>\nJames: A Close Kinship with Jesus<\/h2>\n
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James’ Journey of Belief: From Skepticism to Discipleship<\/h2>\n
James the Just: A Leading Figure in the Early Church<\/h2>\n
James the Just and the Inclusion of Gentiles<\/h2>\n
Did James of Jerusalem Actually Write the Epistle of James?<\/h2>\n
![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/James-brother-of-Jesus.png\" "\\"James")
<\/span><\/p>\nPaul vs. James: Faith vs. Works<\/h2>\n