James, son of Alphaeus
Encyclopedia
Saint James, son of Alphaeus (Ἰάκωβος, Iakōbos in Greek
) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is often identified with James the Less
and commonly known by that name in church tradition.
James, the son of Alphaeus, is rarely mentioned in the New Testament, but he is sometimes identified with James the Just
, an important leader in the New Testament church. He is clearly distinguished from James, son of Zebedee, another one of the Twelve Apostles.
, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.
, who is only mentioned three 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". James, son of Alphaeus may also be identified as James the Just
.
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").
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.
. This was supported by Jerome
and therefore widely accepted in the Roman Catholic Church
, while Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Protestants tend to distinguish between the two.
is also the name of the father of the publican 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, James and John are listed as brothers and that their father is Zebedee.
is the earliest known source in the bible to mention "James, son of Alphaeus" as one of the twelve Apostles if the two-source hypothesis
is true. Mark the Evangelist
only mentions a "James, son of Alphaeus" only once and this is in his list of the 12 Apostles. At the beginning of Jesus
' ministry he first calls Peter
and his brother Andrew
and asks them to follow him . In the next verses it tells the story of how James the Greater and his brother John the Apostle
came to follow Jesus
. After some healing by Jesus
he meets Levi son of Alphaeus
who was a tax collector and he then asks Levi to follow him . Peter
, Andrew
, James the Greater and John the Apostle
are listed as Apostles . Levi, son of Alphaeus is not listed as an Apostle but James son of Alphaeus is .
lists three different James’. "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 too. There is a James at the transfiguration , at the Mount of Olives
and the Garden of Gethsemane . Although this James is listed alongside John the Apostle
a clear distinction isn't made about which Apostle
James is being referred to, even when both Apostles are meant to be in the similar location. All twelve Apostles attend the Last Supper which immediately precedes Garden of Gethsemane. There is a reference to Mary mother of James the Younger and Joseph , however, Mark the Evangelist
has already told us that James the brother of Jesus
has a brother called Joseph .
, Andrew
, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John
were all called to follow Jesus
. In a story that parallels the calling of Levi, son of Alphaeus, Matthew is called to follow Jesus . 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 like Levi, Son of Alphaeus 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 .
he mentions only disciples
. 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 .
. He was arrested along with an unspecified number of Christians and was subsequently beheaded by Herod in persecution of the church. However, the James in has a brother called John. James, son of Zebedee has a brother called John and we are never explicitly told that James son of Alphaeus has a brother. Robert Eisenman and The New Advent online Catholic Encylopeida 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 he is depicted holding a fuller's
club because he was martyred when beaten to death with a fuller's club at Ostrakine
in Lower Egypt
, where he was preaching the Gospel.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is often identified with James the Less
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. He is often confused with James the Great and may or may not be James the Just.- Sources :...
and commonly known by that name in church tradition.
James, the son of Alphaeus, is rarely mentioned in the New Testament, but he is sometimes identified with James the Just
James the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
, an important leader in the New Testament church. He is clearly distinguished from James, son of Zebedee, another one of the Twelve Apostles.
Sources
James, son of Alphaeus, appears only four times in the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.
Possible identity with James the Less
James, son of Alphaeus is often identified with James the LessJames 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. He is often confused with James the Great and may or may not be James the Just.- Sources :...
, who is only mentioned three times in the Bible, each time in connection with his mother. refers to "Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses
Joses
Saint Joses is the second of the brothers of Jesus appearing in the New Testament. Joses is first mentioned in , which related people talking about Jesus:...
", while and Matthew 27:56 refer to "Mary the mother of James". James, son of Alphaeus may also be identified as James the Just
James the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
.
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").
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
Don Carson
Donald Arthur Carson is a Canadian-born evangelical theologian and professor of New Testament.-Background and education:...
and Darrell Bock
Darrell Bock
Darrell L. Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, United States...
both regard the identification as possible, but not certain.
Possible identity with James, the brother of Jesus
James, son of Alphaeus, has also been identified with James the JustJames the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
. This was supported by Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
and therefore widely accepted in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, while Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Protestants tend to distinguish between the two.
Possible brother of Matthew
Another AlphaeusAlphaeus
Alphaeus is mentioned in the New Testament as the father of two of the Twelve Apostles, namely:*Matthew Levi the Apostle*James, son of AlphaeusThere may have been two separate men named Alphaeus...
is also the name of the father of the publican Levi mentioned in . The publican appears as Matthew
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
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, James and John are listed as brothers and that their father is Zebedee.
Calling of the James, Son of Alphaeus
Mark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
is the earliest known source in the bible to mention "James, son of Alphaeus" as one of the twelve Apostles if the two-source hypothesis
Two-source hypothesis
The Two-Source Hypothesis is an explanation for the synoptic problem, the pattern of similarities and differences between the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It posits that the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke were based on the Gospel of Mark and a lost, hypothetical sayings...
is true. Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
only mentions a "James, son of Alphaeus" only once and this is in his list of the 12 Apostles. At the beginning of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' ministry he first calls Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
and his brother Andrew
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name and surname common in many countries. Alternatives include André, Andrey, Andrei, Andrej, András, Andrés, Andreas, Andreu, Anders and Endrew. ‘Andrew’ is a common name in English-speaking countries. In the 1990s it was among the top ten most popular names...
and asks them to follow him . In the next verses it tells the story of how James the Greater and his brother John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
came to follow Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. After some healing by Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
he meets Levi son of Alphaeus
Alphaeus
Alphaeus is mentioned in the New Testament as the father of two of the Twelve Apostles, namely:*Matthew Levi the Apostle*James, son of AlphaeusThere may have been two separate men named Alphaeus...
who was a tax collector and he then asks Levi to follow him . Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, Andrew
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name and surname common in many countries. Alternatives include André, Andrey, Andrei, Andrej, András, Andrés, Andreas, Andreu, Anders and Endrew. ‘Andrew’ is a common name in English-speaking countries. In the 1990s it was among the top ten most popular names...
, James the Greater and John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
are listed as Apostles . Levi, son of Alphaeus is not listed as an Apostle but James son of Alphaeus is .
Ambiguous James’
Overall Mark the EvangelistMark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
lists three different James’. "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 too. There is a James at the transfiguration , at the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
and the Garden of Gethsemane . Although this James is listed alongside John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
a clear distinction isn't made about which Apostle
Apostle (Christian)
The term apostle is derived from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος , meaning one who is sent away, from στέλλω + από . The literal meaning in English is therefore an "emissary", from the Latin mitto + ex...
James is being referred to, even when both Apostles are meant to be in the similar location. All twelve Apostles attend the Last Supper which immediately precedes Garden of Gethsemane. There is a reference to Mary mother of James the Younger and Joseph , however, Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark. He is one of the Seventy Disciples of Christ, and the founder of the Church of Alexandria, one of the original four main sees of Christianity....
has already told us that James the brother of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
has a brother called Joseph .
Calling of the James, Son of Alphaeus
PeterSaint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
, Andrew
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name and surname common in many countries. Alternatives include André, Andrey, Andrei, Andrej, András, Andrés, Andreas, Andreu, Anders and Endrew. ‘Andrew’ is a common name in English-speaking countries. In the 1990s it was among the top ten most popular names...
, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
were all called to follow Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. In a story that parallels the calling of Levi, son of Alphaeus, Matthew is called to follow Jesus . 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 like Levi, Son of Alphaeus 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 .
Ambiguous James’
Matthew doesn’t mention any James is his Gospel that isn’t identified without association to his family. There are 3 James’ that are mentioned by Matthew, James, Brother of Jesus, Joseph, Simon and Judas , James son of Zebedee and brother of John and James, son of Alphaeus. At the Transfiguration it is specified that the James is brother of John and at the Garden of Gethsemane it is specified that it is the sons of Zebedee . It is not specified by Matthew that there was a James at the Mount of OlivesMount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
he mentions only disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
. 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 .
Tradition
A tradition holds that Saint James, though strongly clinging to Jewish law, was sentenced to death for having violated the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
. He was arrested along with an unspecified number of Christians and was subsequently beheaded by Herod in persecution of the church. However, the James in has a brother called John. James, son of Zebedee has a brother called John and we are never explicitly told that James son of Alphaeus has a brother. Robert Eisenman and The New Advent online Catholic Encylopeida 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 he is depicted holding a fuller's
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
club because he was martyred when beaten to death with a fuller's club at Ostrakine
Ostrakine
Ostrakine was an Ancient Egyptian city at a location that is known as El Felusiyat today.-Location:Ostrakine was located on the road between Alexandria and Gaza at Lake Bardawil, a saltwater lagoon near the Meditarranean coast of the northern Sinai.-History:Established as a harbour in the first...
in Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt
Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....
, where he was preaching the Gospel.