James the Just, “brother” of the Lord, apostle and martyr (d. 62 AD)

Summary:

James the Less, son of Alphaeus (himself related to Joseph, putative father of Christ, probably through Cleophas, his father) and of his wife Mary; a prince of Judah, descended from David, he was also the older brother of Jude Thaddaeus. Both were cousins of Jesus, and were "called" by  Him (Mt 10:1) to be among the twelve apostles whom Christ "chose" (Jn 6:70), "appointed" (Mk 3:14) and "established" (Mk 3:16) "to be with him" (Mk 3:14) during his three years of public life, so that they might be "his witnesses" (Lk 24:48) and the foundation of the Church. James was indeed an eloquent witness to Christ through his testimony, his piety, his martyrdom and his Letter. He is also credited with writing the Gospel of James, which is highly respected in the Eastern Churches. The text extols the sanctity and virginity of Mary Mother of Jesus, evoking her Presentation in the Temple, as well as pre-Gospel traditions about Jesus' childhood.

Hegesippus mentions the "very great piety" of James, "consecrated to God", who "spent his days in the Temple of Jerusalem interceding for his people"; and who "knelt so often to pray that the skin of his knees was hardened like the soles of his feet. It was because of this extraordinary and constant state of righteousness that he was called just". And this: "After James the Just had given his testimony [i.e died] like the Lord and for the same doctrine, his uncle's son, Simeon, son of Cleophas, was made bishop: all preferred him as second [bishop] because he was the Lord's cousin" (quoted by Eusebius of Caesarea in Church History, IV, 22, 4).

St. Jerome adds that James, entirely devoted to God and unmarried, was so reverent and holy to the people that people would all try to touch the fringe of his garment.

James is presented in Acts (12:17; 15:13; 21:18) as a prominent figure in the early Church. In the many Christian texts that recount how the countries to be evangelized were assigned to the twelve apostles, all of whom were given distant lands, James was given the territory of Palestine. This corresponds to the function and action of James the Just, who was head of the Jerusalem Church for over 30 years, and who is never described as carrying out an evangelizing mission abroad. Acts records his important role in what would later be called the "First Council of Jerusalem" (Acts 15:6-31). Paul refers to James, "brother of the Lord", as one of only two apostles he met on his first visit to Jerusalem (Gal 1:19), and designates him, along with Peter and John, as one of the three "pillars of the Church" (Gal 2:9). Clement of Alexandria rightly points out: "There were two Jameses: the righteous one who was thrown over the parapet [of the Temple] and finished by a blow on the head with a club, and the one who was beheaded" (i.e. James of Zebedee, brother of the apostle John the evangelist; cf. Acts 12:2). 

It is striking to note the influence of James, who is even mentioned in the Talmud of the Jews, written a few centuries later. He is referred to as "Jacob the min" ("James the heretic") or "Jacob of Kfar Sikhnaya" (a village), and presented in turn as a polemicist, a missionary acting in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and also a healer. In fact, Jesus had given his disciples authority to heal the sick, and they had been able to heal them in his name: this fact was well known in the Talmud, and featured in this writing strongly hostile to Christians.

The death of James, "Jesus' brother", is also recorded in Jewish tradition by Flavius Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews, book XX, chapter 9 (197-203):

“And now Caesar, upon hearing the death of Festus, sent Albinus into Judea, as procurator. But the king deprived Joseph of the high priesthood, and bestowed the succession to that dignity on the son of Ananus, who was also himself called Ananus. Now the report goes that this eldest Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons who had all performed the office of a high priest to God, and who had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests. But this younger Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for Ananus to assemble a sanhedrim without his consent. Whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest.”

Eusebius of Caesarea also describes the dramatic circumstances of James' death and attributes another quotation to Flavius Josephus, who links the death of James the Just in 62 AD to the ruin and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a few years later:

“James, the brother of the Lord, succeeded to the government of the Church in conjunction with the apostles. He has been called the Just by all from the time of our Saviour to the present day; for there were many that bore the name of James.[...] James was so admirable a man and so celebrated among all for his justice, that the more sensible even of the Jews were of the opinion that this was the cause of the siege of Jerusalem, which happened to them immediately after his martyrdom for no other reason than their daring act against him.

Josephus, at least, has not hesitated to testify this in his writings, where he says, These things happened to the Jews to avenge James the Just, who was a brother of Jesus, that is called the Christ. For the Jews slew him, although he was a most just man.

Jacques, le frère de Jésus appelé le Christ, était vénéré des Judéens comme un homme juste ; il était célèbre pour son ascétisme et sa piété envers Dieu. À son sujet, on raconte que les Judéens furent tellement troublés par sa mort que l’empire romain, qui avait alors en charge la Judée, subit bientôt les effets de la colère divine. Peu de temps après, les Romains, venus pour réprimer une rébellion, prirent la ville, incendièrent le Temple et détruisirent la ville. Ce fut la fin de la nation juive, comme le prédit Moïse, car il avait dit aux Juifs que, s’ils s’égaraient dans leur conduite, ils subiraient de grands malheurs. Ces événements ont eu lieu sous le règne de Vespasien et de son fils Titus, comme je l’ai raconté dans mes livres sur la Guerre » (cf. Church History, book II, chapter 23).

James is the author of an epistle which, in the New Testament, ranks first among the so-called "Catholic Letters", i.e. those not addressed to a particular Church. In it, he presents himself not as a "brother of the Lord", but as a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus" (James 1:1), and makes a strong plea to live out one's faith in very concrete ways: "Before God our Father, pure and undefiled religious behavior is to visit orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27). He is very severe against the rich who let their money lie idle without helping the poor and needy (James 5:1-6), and affirms that "just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.ust as the body that no longer breathes is dead, so faith that does not act is dead" ( James 2:26).

Since the 6th century and Pope Pelagius I, most of Saint James the Less'  relics, along with those of the apostle Philip, have been preserved in the crypt of the Basilica of the Holy Apostles in Rome.

Beyond reasons to believe:

The memory of James, "witness to the inseparable relationship that binds Christianity to the Jewish religion as its eternally living and valid matrix" (Benedict XVI), reminds us of the importance of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith (cf. the article "Why do we need Judaism to worship Jesus Christ?").

Going further:

• Benedict XVI’s general audience on “James the Less” on June 28, 2006, in Rome.