JAMES
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JAMES
salem (Acts xv, xxi), although contested by many
critics and, perhaps, not quite beyond doubt, is at
least most highly probable, and by far the greater
number of Catholic interpreters is considered as cer-
tain (see Brethren of the Lord, where the chief
argument, taken from Gal., i, 19, in favour of the
Apostleship of St. James, the brother of the Lord, is to
be found). The objection moved by Mader (Biblische
Zeitschrift, 1908, p. 393 sqq.) against the conmion
statement that " Apostles" in (Jal., i, 19 is to be taken
strictly in the sense of the " Twelve " has been strongly
impugned by Steinmann (Der Katholik, 1909, p. 207
sqq.). The James (5) of Jude i, 1 must certainly be
identified with James (3), the brother of the Lord and
the Bishop of Jerusalem. The identification of James
(3), the brother of the Lord and James (4), the son of
Mary, and prol)ably of Cleophas or Clopas offers some
difficulty. This identification requires the identity of
Mary, the mother of James (Matt., xxvii. 56 ; Mark, xv,
40), with Mary the wife of Cleophas (John, xix, 25),
and, consequently, the identity of Alpheus (2) and
Clopas (4). As Clopas and Alpheus are probably not
two different transcriptions of the same .\ramaic name
Halpai (see Cleophas), it must be admitted that two
different names have been borne by one man. Indeed,
there are several examples of the >ise of two names (a
Hebrew and a Greek or Latin name) to designate the
same person (Simon- Petrus; Saulus-Paulus), so that
the identity of Alpheus and Cleophas is by no means
improbable.
On the whole, although there is no full evidence for the identity of James (2), the son of Alpheus, and James (3), the brother of the Lord, and James (4), the son of Mary of Clopas, the view that one anfl the same person is described in the New Testament in these three ilitTerent ways, is by far the most probable, There is, at any rate, very good ground (Gal., i, 19: ii, 9, 12) for believing that the Apostle James, the son of Alpheus is the same person as James, the brother of the Lord, the well-known Bishop of Jerusalem of the Acts. As to the nature of the relationship which the name "brother of the Lord" is intended to express, see Brethren of the Lord.
IL — Had we not identified James, the son of Al- pheus with the brother of the Lord, we should only know his name and his Apostleship. But the identity once admitted, we must consequently apply to him all the particulars supplied by the books of the New Testament. We may venture to assert that the train- ing of James (and his brother Jude), had been that which prevailed in all pious Jewish homes and that it was therefore based on the knowledge of the Holy Scripture and the rigorous observance of the Law. Many facts point to the diffusion of the Greek lan- guage and culture throughout Judea and Galilee, as early as the first century b. c; we may suppose that the .Apostles, at least most of them, read and spoke Cireek as well as Aramaic, from their childhood. James was called to the Apostolate with his brother Jude; in all the four lists of the Apostles, he stands at the head of the third group (Matt., x, 3; Mark, iii, 18; Luke, vi, 16; .\cts, i, 13). Of James individually we hear no more until after the Resurrection. St. Paul (I Cor., XV, .5-7) mentions that the Lord appeared to him before the .\scension.
Then we lose sight of James till St. Paul, three years after his conversion {\. d. 37), went up to Jerusalem. Of the Twelve Apostles he saw onlv Peter and James the brother of the Lord (Gal., i,'l9; Acts, ix, 27). When in the year 44 Peter escaped from prison, he de- sired that news of his release might be carried to James who held already a marked preeminence in the Church of Jerusalem (Acts, xii, 17). In the Council of Jerusalem (\. D. 51) he gives his sentence after St. Peter, declaring as Peter had done, that the Gentile Christians are not bound to circumcision, nor to the observance of the ceremonial Mosaic Law, but at the
same time, he urged the ad\'isability of conforming to
certain ceremonies and of respecting certain of the
scruples of their Jewish fellow-Christians (Acts, xv,
13 sqq.). On the same occasion, the " pillars" of the
Church, James, Peter, and John " gave to me (Paul)
and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we
should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the cir-
cumcision " (Gal., ii, 9). He publicly commended the
great charter of Gentile freedom from the Law, al-
though he still continued the observance in his own
life, no longer as a strict duty, but as an ancient, most
venerable and national custom, trusting to "be saved
by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts, xv, 11).
When afterwards some came from James to Antioch
and led Peter into dissimulation (Gal., ii, 12), his name
was used by them, though he had given them no such
commandment to enforce their interpretation of the
concordat which, on his proposal, had been adopted
at the Council of Jerusalem. When St. Paul after his
third missionary journey paid a visit to St. James
(.\. D. 58), the Bishop of Jerusalem and "the elders"
"glorified the Lord" and advised the Apostle to take
part in the ceremonies of a Nazarite vow, in order to
show how false the charge was that he had spoken of
the Law as no longer to be regarded. Paul consented to
the advice of James and the elders (.\cts, xxi, 1 sqq.).
The Epistle of St. James (see James, Epistle op
S.unt) reveals a grave, meek, and calm mind, nour-
ished with the Scriptures of the Old Testament, given
to prayer, devoted to the poor, resigned in persecu-
tion, the type of a just and apostolic man.
III. — Traditions respecting James the Less are to be found in many extra-canonical documents, espe- cially Josephus (Antiq., XX, ix, 1), the "Gospel ac- cording to the Hebrews" (St. Jerome, De vir. iU., II), Hegesippus (Eusebius, "Hist, eccl.", II, xxiii), the pseudo-Clementine Homilies (Ep. of Peter) and Rec- ognitions (I, 72, 73), Clement of Alexandria (Hypot., vi, quoted by Eusebius, " Hist, eccl.", II, i). The uni- versal testimony of Christian antiquity is entirely in accordance with the information derived from the canonical books as to the fact that James was Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem. Hegesippus, a Jewish Christian, who lived about the middle of the second century, relates (and his narrative is highly probable) that James was called the "Ju.st", that he drank no wine nor strong drink, nor ate animal food, that no razor touched his head, that he did not anoint himself or make use of the bath, and lastly that he w-as put to death by the Jews. The account of his death given by Josephus is somewhat different. Later traditions deserve less attention.
For bibliography see James, Epistle of Saint; Protoevan- gelium Jacobi and Liturgy of St. James.
A. Camerlynck.
James Thompson (alia.? James Hudson), Blessed, martyr, b. in or near A'ork; having lived nearly all his life in that city, d. there, 28 Nov., 1582. He arrived at Dr. Allen's'college at Reims 19 September, 1580, and in May of the next year, by virtue of a dispensa- tion, was admitted at Soissons, with one Nicholas Fox, to all Sacred orders within twelve days, al- though at the time he was so ill that he could hardly stand. He was sent on the mission the following 10 August, and was arrested at York on 11 August, 1582. On being taken before the Council of the North he frankly confessed his priesthood, to the astonishment of his fellow-citizens who knew that he had not been away more than a year. He was then loaded with double irons and imprisonetl. first in a private pri,son, till his money was exhausted, and then in the castle. On 25 November he was brought to the bar and condemned to the penalties of high treason. Three days later he suffered with great joy and tranquillity at the Knavcsmire, protesting that he had never plotted against the queen, and that he
