James the Less
Encyclopedia
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
.
, the name "James the Less" appears only in connection with his mother "Mary" in , who is also the mother of Joses
. "Mary the mother of James" is referred to in two other places, but he is not called "James the Less" there. This "Mary" may have been Mary of Clopas, mentioned only in . It is unlikely to be Mary the mother of Jesus
since she is only called the mother of James the Less and Joses.
, there are two apostles called James, who are differentiated there by their fathers: James, son of Zebedee, and James, son of Alphaeus
. Long-standing tradition identifies James, the son of Alphaeus, as James the Less. James, son of Zebedee, is then called "James the Great", which is not a name found anywhere in the New Testament.
If James the Less is neither James, the son of Alphaeus, whom some propose was the same man as Cleophas or at least the husband of Mary Clopas, nor James the Just, then the only fact known about him is that his mother is named Mary.
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James the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
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Sources
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....
, the name "James the Less" appears only in connection with his mother "Mary" in , who is also the mother 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:...
. "Mary the mother of James" is referred to in two other places, but he is not called "James the Less" there. This "Mary" may have been Mary of Clopas, mentioned only in . It is unlikely to be Mary the mother of Jesus
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
since she is only called the mother of James the Less and Joses.
Identification as James, the son of Alphaeus
The title, "the Less", is used to differentiate James from other people named James. Since it means that he is either the younger or shorter of two, he seems to be compared to one other James. In the lists of the twelve apostles in the synoptic GospelsSynoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
, there are two apostles called James, who are differentiated there by their fathers: James, son of Zebedee, and James, son of Alphaeus
James, son of Alphaeus
Saint James, son of Alphaeus 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....
. Long-standing tradition identifies James, the son of Alphaeus, as James the Less. James, son of Zebedee, is then called "James the Great", which is not a name found anywhere in the New Testament.
If James the Less is neither James, the son of Alphaeus, whom some propose was the same man as Cleophas or at least the husband of Mary Clopas, nor James the Just, then the only fact known about him is that his mother is named Mary.
Identification as James the Just
James the Less could also be identified as being the brother (or cousin) of Jesus, James the JustJames the Just
James , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...
.
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Saint James the Less, identifying the Apostle James with James, brother of JesusJames the JustJames , first Bishop of Jerusalem, who died in 62 AD, was an important figure in Early Christianity...