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Easton's Bible Dictionary
(1) The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was
one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter ( Matthew
20:20 ; 27:56
). With John and Peter he was present at the transfiguration ( Matthew
17:1 ; Mark
9:2 ), at the raising of Jairus's daughter ( Mark
5:37 - 43
), and in the garden with our Lord ( Mark
14:33 ). Because, probably, of their boldness and energy, he and John were
called Boanerges, i.e., "sons of thunder." He was the first martyr among the apostles,
having been beheaded by King Herod Agrippa ( Acts
12:1 , 12:2
), A.D. 44. (Compare Matthew
4:21 ; 20:20
- 23
).
(2) The son of Alphaeus, or Cleopas, "the brother" or near kinsman or cousin of
our Lord ( Galatians
1:18 , 1:19
), called James "the Less," or "the Little," probably because he was of low stature.
He is mentioned along with the other apostles ( Matthew
10:3 ; Mark
3:18 ; Luke
6:15 ). He had a separate interview with our Lord after his resurrection (
1
Corinthians 15:7 ), and is mentioned as one of the apostles of the circumcision
( Acts
1:13 ). He appears to have occupied the position of head of the Church at
Jerusalem, where he presided at the council held to consider the case of the Gentiles
( Acts
12:17 ; 15:13
- 29
, 21:18
- 24
). This James was the author of the epistle which bears his name.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
same as Jacob
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(the Greek form of Jacob, supplanter)
(1) James the son of Zebedee, one of the twelve apostles.
He was elder brother of the evangelist John. His mothers name was Salome. We first
hear of him in A.D. 27, ( Mark 1:20 ) when at the call of the Master he left all,
and became, one and forever, his disciple, in the spring of 28. ( Matthew 10:2
; Mark 3:14 ; Luke 6:13 ; Acts 1:13 ) It would seem to have been at the time of
the appointment of the twelve apostles that the name of Boanerges was given to
the sons of Zebedee. The "sons of thunder" had a burning and impetuous spirit,
which twice exhibits itself. ( Mark 10:37 ; Luke 9:54 ) On the night before the
crucifixion James was present at the agony in the garden. On the day of the ascension
he is mentioned as persevering with the rest of the apostles and disciples, in
prayer. ( Acts 1:13 ) Shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44,
he was put to death by Herod Agrippa I. ( Acts 12:1 , 12:2 )
(2) James the son of Alpheus, one of the twelve apostles.
( Matthew 10:3 ) Whether or not this James is to be identified with James the
Less, the son of Alphaeus, the brother of our Lord, is one of the most difficult
questions in the gospel history. By comparing ( Matthew 27:56 ) and Mark 15:40
with John 19:25 we find that the Virgin Mary had a sister named, like herself,
Mary, who was the wife of Clopas or Alpheus (varieties of the same name), and
who had two sons, James the Less and Joses. By referring to ( Matthew 13:55 )
and Mark 6:3 we find that a James the Less and Joses, with two other brethren
called Jude and Simon, and at least three sisters, were sisters with the Virgin
Mary at Nazareth by referring to ( Luke 6:16 ) and Acts 1:13 we find that there
were two brethren named James and Jude among the apostles. It would certainly
be natural to think that we had here but one family of four brothers and three
or more sisters, the children of Clopas and Mary, nephews and nieces of the Virgin
Mary. There are difficulties however, in the way of this conclusion into which
we cannot here enter; but in reply to the objection that the four brethren in
( Matthew 13:55 ) are described as the brothers of Jesus, not as his cousins,
it must be recollected that adelphoi, which is here translated "brethren," may
also signify cousins.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
jamz (Iacobos):
(1) The Son of Zebedee: one of the Twelve Apostles (ho tou Zebedaiou):
I. In the New Testament.
1. Family Relations, etc.:
To the Synoptists alone are we indebted for any account of this James. He was
the son of Zebedee and the brother of John (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19 ; Luke 5:10).
As the Synoptists generally place the name of James before that of John, and allude
to the latter as "the brother of James," it is inferred that James was the elder
of the two brothers. His mother's name was probably Salome, the sister of the
mother of Jesus (compare Matthew 27:56 ; Mark 15:40 ; John 19:25), but this is
disputed by some (compare BRETHREN OF THE LORD). James was a fisherman by trade,
and worked along with his father and brother (Matthew 4:21). According to Luke,
these were partners with Simon (Luke 5:10), and this is also implied in Mark (Mark
1:19). As they owned several boats and employed hired servants (Luke 5:11 ; Mark
1:20), the establishment they possessed must have been considerable.
2. First Call:
The call to James to follow Christ (Matthew 4:18 - 22 ; Mark 1:16 - 20; Luke 5:1
- 11) was given by Jesus as He was walking by the sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18).
There He saw "James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with
Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they straightway
left the boat and their father, and followed him" (Matthew 4:21 , 22). The account
of Luke varies in part from those of Matthew and Mark, and contains the additional
detail of the miraculous draught of fishes, at which James and John also were
amazed. This version of Luke is regarded by some as an amalgamation of the earlier
accounts with John 21:1-8.
3. Probation and Ordination:
As the above incident took place after the imprisonment of John the Baptist, when
Jesus had departed into Galilee (Matthew 4:12 ; Mark 1:14), and as there is no
mention of James among those who received the preliminary call recorded by John
(compare John 1:35 - 51 ; 3:24, and compare ANDREW), it is probable that while
Peter and Andrew made the pilgrimage to Bethany, James and the other partners
remained in Galilee to carry on the business of their trade. Yet, on the return
of Peter and Andrew, the inquiries of James must have been eager concerning what
they had seen and heard. His mind and imagination became filled with their glowing
accounts of the newly found "Lamb of God" (John 1:36) and of the preaching of
John the Baptist, until he inwardly dedicated his life to Jesus and only awaited
an opportunity to declare his allegiance openly. By this is the apparently abrupt
nature of the call, as recorded by the Synoptists, to be explained. After a period
of companionship and probationership with his Master, when he is mentioned as
being present at the healing of Simon's wife's mother at Capernaum (Mark 1:29
- 31), he was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:2 ; Mark 3:17 ;
Luke 6:14 ; Acts 1:13).
4. Apostleship:
From this time onward he occupied a prominent place among the apostles, and, along
with Peter and John, became the special confidant of Jesus. These three alone
of the apostles were present at the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37 ; Luke
8:51), at the Transfiguration (Mark 17:1 - 8 ; 9:2 - 8; Luke 9:28 - 36), and at
the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36 - 46 ; Mark 14:32 - 42).
Shortly after the Transfiguration, when Jesus, having "stedfastly set his face
to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51), was passing through Samaria, the ire of James
and John was kindled by the ill reception accorded to Him by the populace (Luke
9:53). They therefore asked of Jesus, "Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come
down from heaven, and consume them?" (Luke 9:54). "But he turned, and rebuked
them" (Luke 9:55). It was probably this hotheaded impetuosity and fanaticism that
won for them the surname "Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder," bestowed on them
when they were ordained to the Twelve (Mark 3:17). Yet upon this last occasion,
there was some excuse for their action. The impression left by the Transfiguration
was still deep upon them, and they felt strongly that their Lord, whom they had
lately beheld "in his glory" with "countenance altered" and "glistering raiment,"
should be subjected to such indignities by the Samaritans. Upon the occasion of
Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem (Mark 10:32), the two brothers gave expression
to this presumptuous impetuosity in a more selfish manner (Mark 10:35 - 45). Presuming
on their intimacy with Jesus, they made the request of him, "Grant unto us that
we may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy glory" (Mark
10:37). In the account of Matthew (Matthew 20:20 - 28), the words are put in the
mouth of their mother. The request drew forth the rebuke of Jesus (Mark 10:38),
and moved the ten with indignation (Mark 10:40); but by the words of their Lord
peace was again restored (Mark 10:42 - 45). After the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem,
when He "sat on the mount of Olives over against the temple," James was one of
the four who put the question to Him concerning the last things (Mark 13:3,1).
He was also present when the risen Jesus appeared for the 3rd time to the disciples
and the miraculous draught of fishes was made at the sea of Tiberias (John 21:1
- 14).
5. Death:
James was the first martyr among the apostles, being slain by King Herod Agrippa
I about 44 AD, shortly before Herod's own death. The vehemence and fanaticism
which were characteristic of James had made him to be feared and hated among the
Jewish enemies of the Christians, and therefore when "Herod the king put forth
his hands to afflict certain of the church .... he killed James the brother of
John with the sword" (Acts 12:1 , 2). Thus did James fulfill the prophecy of our
Lord that he too should drink of the cup of his Master (Mark 10:39). |
II. In Apocryphal Literature.
According to the "Genealogies of the Twelve Apostles" (compare Budge, Contendings
of the Apostles, II, 49), "Zebedee was of the house of Levi, and his wife of the
house of Judah. Now, because the father of James loved him greatly he counted
him among the family of his father Levi, and similarly because the mother of John
loved him greatly, she counted him among the family of her father Judah. And they
were surnamed 'Children of Thunder,' for they were of both the priestly house
and of the royal house." The Ac of John, a heretical work of the 2nd century,
referred to by Clement of Alexandria in his Hypotyposis and also by Eusebius (Historia
Ecclesiastica, III, 25), gives an account of the call of James and his presence
at the Transfiguration, similar in part to that of the Gospels, but giving fantastic
details concerning the supernatural nature of Christ's body, and how its appearances
brought confusion to James and other disciples (compare Itennecke, Handbuch zu
den neutestamentlichen Apokryphen, 423-59). The Ac of James in India (compare
Budge, II, 295-303) tells of the missionary journey of James and Peter to India,
of the appearance of Christ to them in the form of a beautiful young man, of their
healing a blind man, and of their imprisonment, miraculous release, and their
conversion of the people. According to the Martyrdom of James (Budge, II, 304-8),
James preached to the 12 tribes scattered abroad, and persuaded them to give their
first-fruits to the church instead of to Herod. The accounts of his trial and
death are similar to that in Acts 12:1 - 2.
1. James is the patron saint of Spain.
The legend of his preaching there, of his death in Judea, of the transportation
of his body under the guidance of angels to Iria and of the part that his miraculous
appearances played in the history of Spain, is given in Mrs. Jameson's Sacred
and Legendary Art, I, 230-41.
2. James the son of Alpheus (ho tou Alphaiou; for etymology, etc., of James, see
above):
One of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:3 ; Mark 3:18 ; Luke 6:15 ; Acts 1:13).
By Matthew and Mark he is coupled with Thaddaeus, and by Luke and Acts with Simon
Zelotes. As Matthew or Levi is also called the son of Alpheus (compare Matthew
9:9 ; Mark 2:14), it is possible that he and James were brothers. According to
the Genealogies of the Apostles (compare Budge, Contendings of the Apostles, II,
50), James was of the house of Gad. The Martyrdom of James, the son of Alpheus
(compare Budge, ib, 264-66) records that James was stoned by the Jews for preaching
Christ, and was "buried by the Sanctuary In Jerusalem."
This James is generally identified with James the Little or the Less, the brother
of Joses and son of Mary (Matthew 27:56 ; Mark 15:40). In John 19:25 this Mary
is called the wife of Cleophas (the King James Version) or Clopas (Revised Version),
who is thus in turn identified with Alpheus. There is evidence in apocryphal literature
of a Simon, a son of Clopas, who was also one of the disciples (compare NATHANAEL).
If this be the same as Simon Zelotes, it would explain why he and James (i.e.
as being brothers) were coupled together in the apostolic lists of Luke and Acts.
Some have applied the phrase "his mother's sister" in John 19:25 to Mary the wife
of Clopas, instead of to a separate person, and have thus attempted to identify
James the son of Alpheus with James the brother of our Lord. For a further discussion
of the problem, see BRETHREN OF THE LORD.
3. James, "the Lord's brother" (ho adelphos tou Kuriou):
The Less, the brother of Joses and son of Mary (Matthew 27:56 ; Mark 15:40). In
John 19:25 this Mary is called the wife of Cleophas (the King James Version) or
Clopas (Revised Version), who is thus in turn identified with Alpheus. There is
evidence in apocryphal literature of a Simon, a son of Clopas, who was also one
of the disciples (compare NATHANAEL). If this be the same as Simon Zelotes, it
would explain why he and James (i.e. as being brothers) were coupled together
in the apostolic lists of Luke and Acts. Some have applied the phrase "his mother's
sister" in John 19:25 to Mary the wife of Clopas, instead of to a separate person,
and have thus attempted to identify James the son of Alpheus with James the brother
of our Lord. For a further discussion of the problem, see BRETHREN OF THE LORD.
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(2) James, "The Lord's Brother":
I. New Testament References.
1. In the Gospels:
This James is mentioned by name only twice in the Gospels, i.e. when, on the visit
of Jesus to Nazareth, the countrymen of our Lord referred in contemptuous terms
to His earthly kindred, in order to disparage His preaching (Matthew 13:55 ; Mark
6:3). As James was one of "his brethren," he was probably among the group of Christ's
relatives who sought to interview Him during His tour through Galilee with the
Twelve (Matthew 12:46). By the same reasoning, he accompanied Jesus on His journey
to Capernaum (John 2:12), and joined in attempting to persuade Him to depart from
Galilee for Judea on the eve of the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:3). At this feast
James was present (John 7:10), but was at this time a non-believer in Jesus (compare
John 7:5, "Even his brethren did not believe on him").
2. In the Epistles:
Yet the seeds of conversion were being sown within him, for, after the crucifixion,
he remained in Jerusalem with his mother and brethren, and formed one of that
earliest band of believers who "with one accord continued stedfastly in prayer"
(Acts 1:14). While there, he probably took part in the election of Matthias to
the vacant apostleship (Acts 1:15 - 25). James was one of the earliest witnesses
to the resurrection, for, after the risen Lord had manifested Himself to the five
hundred, "he was seen of James" (1 Corinthians 15:7 the King James Version). By
this his growing belief and prayerful expectancy received confirmation. About
37 or 38 AD, James, "the Lord's brother" (Galatians 1:19), was still in Jerusalem,
and had an interview there for the first time with Paul, when the latter returned
from his 3 years' sojourn in Damascus to visit Cephas, or Peter (Galatians 1:18,19;
compare Acts 9:26). In several other passages the name of James is coupled with
that of Peter. Thus, when Peter escaped from prison (about 44 AD), he gave instructions
to those in the house of John Mark that they should immediately inform "James
and the brethren" of the manner of his escape (Acts 12:17). By the time of the
Jerusalem convention, i.e. about 51 AD (compare Galatians 2:1), James had reached
the position of first overseer in the church (compare Acts 15:13,19). Previous
to this date, during Paul's ministry at Antioch, he had dispatched certain men
thither to further the mission, and the teaching of these had caused dissension
among the newly converted Christians and their leaders (Acts 15:1 , 2 ; Galatians
2:12). The conduct of Peter, over whom James seems to have had considerable influence,
was the principal matter of contention (compare Galatians 2:11 if). However, at
the Jerusalem convention the dispute was amicably settled, and the pillars of
the church, James, John and Cephas, gave to Paul and Barnabas the right hand of
fellowship (Galatians 2:9). The speech of James on this occasion (Acts 15:13 -
29), his sympathy with the religious needs of the Gentileworld (Acts 15:17), his
desire that formalism should raise no barrier to their moral and spiritual advancement
(Acts 15:19 , 20 , 28 , 29), and his large-hearted tributes to the "beloved Barnabas
and Paul" (Acts 15:25 , 26), indicate that James was a leader in whom the church
was blessed, a leader who loved peace more than faction, the spirit more than
the law, and who perceived that religious communities with different forms of
observance might still live and work together in common allegiance to Christ.
Once more (58 AD), James was head of the council at Jerusalem when Paul made report
of his labors, this time of his 3rd missionary Journey (Acts 21:17). At this meeting
Paul was admonished for exceeding the orders he had received at the first council,
in that he had endeavored to persuade the converted Jews also to neglect circumcision
(Acts 21:21), and was commanded to join in the vow of purification (Acts 21:23
- 26). There is no Scriptural account of the death of James From 1 Corinthians
9:5 it has been inferred that he was married. This is, however, only a conjecture,
as the passage refers to those who "lead about a sister, a wife" (the King James
Version), while, so far as we know, James remained throughout his life in Jerusalem.
This James has been regarded as the author of the Epistle of James, "a servant
of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ"; compare JAMES, EPISTLE OF. Also, for details
concerning his relationship to Christ, compare BRETHREN OF THE LORD. |
II. References in Apocryphal Literature.
James figures in one of the miraculous events recorded in the Gnostic "Gospel
of the Infancy, by Thomas the Israelite philosopher," being cured of a snake-bite
by the infant Jesus (compare Hennecke, Handbuch zu den neutestamentlichen Apokryphen,
73). According to the Gospel of the Hebrews (compare ib, 11-21), James had also
partaken of the cup of the Lord, and refused to eat till he had seen the risen
Lord. Christ acknowledged this tribute by appearing to James first. In the Ac
of Peter (compare Budge, Contendings of the Apostles, II, 475), it is stated that
"three days after the ascension of our Lord into heaven, James, whom our Lord
called his 'brother in the flesh,' consecrated the Offering and we all drew nigh
to partake thereof: and when ten days had passed after the ascension of our Lord,
we all assembled in the holy fortress of Zion, and we stood up to say the prayer
of sanctification, and we made supplication unto God and besought Him with humility,
and James also entreated Him concerning the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the
Offering." The Preaching of James the Just (compare Budge, II, 78-81) tells of
the appointment of James to the bishopric of Jerusalem, of his preaching, healing
of the sick and casting out of devils there. This is confirmed by the evidence
of Clement of Alexandria (Euseb., HE, II, 1). In the Martyrdom of James the Just
(compare Budge, II, 82 - 89), it is stated that J., "the youngest of the sons
of Joseph," alienated, by his preaching, Piobsata from her husband Ananus, the
governor of Jerusalem. Ananus therefore inflamed the Jews against James, and they
hurled him down from off the pinnacle of the temple. Hegesippus, quoted by Eusebius
(Historia Ecclesiastica, II, 23), and Josephus (Ant., XX, ix, 1), testify to the
general truth of this. It is thus probable that James was martyred about 62 or
63 AD.
Besides the epistle which bears his name, James was also the reputed author of
the Protevangelium Jacobi, a work which originated in the 2nd century and received
later additions (compare Henn, NA, 47-63; also JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF MARY). |
C. M. Kerr
Tags:
apostle, author of the book of james, bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, boanerges, brother of jesus, brother of john the apostle, define, james, james the less, sons of thunder
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