Who was James the son of Alphaeus?

One of the twelve apostles, and brother of John the apostle. He was a fisherman, and was called to the apostleship while mending his nets. He at once forsook all and followed the Lord. Matt. 4:21; Matt. 10:2; Mark 1:19, 29; Luke 5:10; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13. James and his brother were named by the Lord BOANERGES, 'sons of thunder.' He with John asked if they should call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans. Luke 9:54.

Peter, James, and John were privileged by the Lord to attend Him on several occasions, as on the mount of transfiguration. Matt. 17:1; Mark 5:37; Mark 9:2; Mark 13:3; Mark 14:33; Luke 8:51; Luke 9:28. The mother of James and John requested that her two sons might sit, the one on the right hand and the other on the left of the Lord in His kingdom. This raised the indignation of the other disciples; but the Lord taught them all a lesson of humility: He Himself had come to minister and to give His life a ransom for many. Matt. 20:20. James was killed by Herod Agrippa I. about A.D. 43. Acts 12:2. The 'James' referred to in 1 Cor. 15:7 may be this apostle.

One of the twelve apostles. Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13. These are the only passages where with certainty this apostle is spoken of; but we find in the Acts of the Apostles a James at Jerusalem after the son of Zebedee had been killed, and holding a sort of first place there. He spoke with a measure of authority at the conference respecting the law not being enforced on the Gentiles, saying, 'My sentence is,' etc. This suggests that he was an apostle, and the son of Alphaeus. Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18; Gal. 2:9, 12. He was most probably the writer of the Epistle of James, and the brother of Jude, or Judas, who was also an apostle. Luke 6:16; James 1:1; Jude 1.

(9) James. In each of the four lists, Peter heads the first four names, Philip the second four, and James of Alpheus the third four.

James is a name of frequent occurrence among the Jews, and, on this account, the name is not easy of identification, apart from some distinguishing epithet. In the New Testament we read of (1) James of Zebedee, (2) James of Alphaeus, (3) James the Lord's brother, and (4) James the Less. The first is clear, but scholars are divided in their opinions as to the number of persons referred to by the following terms, whether three, two or one. A few words must suffice here upon what has been the subject of much controversy.

James [the son] of Alphaeus only occurs in each of the various lists of the apostles. But it has been supposed that Alphaeus is the Greek name for the Hebrew Cleophas (Clopas, John 19:25), whose wife stood by the cross with the other Marys, and is called the mother of James (Luke 24:10). In any case, that James of Alpheus was an apostle is fully established.

Though the word ἀδελφός is used in the LXX in a wider sense than 'brother,' it has been judged that its use in the N.T. is restricted to those born of the same mother; and therefore the Lord's brother could not have been the same person as the son of Alphaeus. Nor is it probable that he was one of the twelve apostles, for we read that "neither did his brethren believe in him." John 7:5. The first mention of the Lord's brethren being with the apostles is in Acts 1:14, and there they are referred to as distinct from them. James the Lord's brother was seen at Jerusalem by Paul. Gal. 1:19. The being thus designated distinguishes him from the apostle who is simply called James in Gal. 2:9, 12. Learned authorities state that in Gal. 1:19 the construction of the passage in the Greek does not necessarily imply that James the Lord's brother was an apostle. He is mentioned also in Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3

This occurs in Mark 15:40, and the same person is called simply James in Matt. 27:56; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10. He is only mentioned to point out his mother, whose name was Mary. James and Joses were common names and are found also among the brethren of the Lord. But James the Less may be, as some think, the same person as James the son of Alphaeus.

It may be well to add that, whatever the doubts of Alford, Neander and others, the writer was no other than James "the little," son of Alphaeus or Clopas (really the same Aramaic name rendered into Greek somewhat differently)*: the same man who took the lead after the martyrdom of the son of Zebedee, as is plain in the Acts (Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18). Compare 1 Cor. 15:7, and Gal. 2:9, 12. His words and ways elsewhere are strikingly in agreement with his letter. Patience and purity, love and lowliness, characterise the apostle and his writing for the sphere he laboured in. It is remarkable that his language, and style, consist of excellent Greek with great energy. But the work given him in the Lord was, not to unfold divine counsels or to insist on redemption, but the urgent assertion of the moral consistency day by day, in affection, speech, and ways, of those who are called to endure patiently the various temptations of this world. This becomes such men as look for the crown of life, being already begotten of God by the word of truth according to His sovereign will.

James the Lord's brother is so called by the apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians. He states that on his visit to Jerusalem, "other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother" (Gal. 1:19). This person appears to be distinguished in this way from the other James who is mentioned in the succeeding chapter without any qualifying phrase (Gal. 2:9, 12) [?]. Such a form of reference implies that the latter was too well-known in Galatia to require any special term of distinction. The latter may therefore be assumed to be the James who came into prominence in Jerusalem after the martyrdom of the son of Zebedee (Acts 12:17; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18), and to be identical [?] with James of Alphaeus, one of the twelve. He wrote the inspired Epistle to the twelve tribes (James 1:1), and is sometimes known as James the Just.

James the Lord's brother is mentioned with others (Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3); and in the account of the meeting in the upper room at Jerusalem before Pentecost, the brethren of Jesus are said to have been there, but they are mentioned separately from the apostles (Acts 1:14). In favour of the hypothesis that he wrote the Epistle of James it may be noted that like Jude he does not claim to be an apostle, but neither does John in any of his three Epistles. This argument therefore is not a weighty one.

James the less, or little, occurs but once (Mark 15:40), and is named as the son of Mary, one of the Galilean women who were last at the cross and first at the tomb. She was the wife of

What we have stated above identifies the author of this Epistle. Who is James (Greek: Jacobos--Jacob)? Certainly not James, the apostle, the son of Zebedee. He was martyred in the year 44, as recorded in Acts 12:2. Nor can the author be James, the son of Alphaeus, another apostle. His name is mentioned for the last time in the New Testament in Acts 1:13. We hear nothing more about him, and it is inconceivable that he should have held a position of authority which belongs to the author of this Epistle. There is another James, who is designated as "the brother of the Lord." He has been generally accepted, even by critics, as the author of the Epistle.

James — the son of Alpheus. The identification of the Jameses, the Marys, and the Lord's brethren, has long been a difficult point with critics. This would not be the place even to refer to their theories and arguments. But after looking at different sides of the question, we still believe that our apostle is the James who was a principal man in the church at Jerusalem — who is the author of "The General Epistle of James" — who is also called the Lord's brother and surnamed "the just," and "the less," probably because he was low in stature. Identification of persons is extremely difficult in such histories, from the habit, so common among the Jews, of calling near relations, brothers and sisters, and from nearly all of them having two or more names.

In the four lists of the apostles James holds the same place. He heads the third class. They appear to be in fours. Peter heads the first, Philip the second, and James the third. Very little is known of James until after the resurrection. From what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:7, it is evident that the Lord, before His ascension, honoured James with a personal interview. This was before the day of Pentecost, and may have been for the special encouragement, guidance, and strengthening of the apostle. We will now notice the principal passages, from which we gain our knowledge of James.

James, the Son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jerusalem, was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there beside the temple.

The epistle was doubtless written by James the son of Alphaeus; from whence it is not known, and its date is only conjectural, varying from A.D. 45 to 60. In the common versions it is called "the general, or catholic epistle," probably meaning no more than that it is not addressed to any particular assembly; but the word 'general' is not in any of the earlier Greek copies.

In the course of time many a suggestion has been made regarding the author of the Epistle of James. Some have thought of James being a pseudonym of an author who lived later on. Others have thought James to be an allegoric hint to Jacob the progenitor of Israel who wrote to his twelve sons, that is to the twelve tribes. Others again want to see James the apostle, brother of John and son of Zebedee who was killed as a martyr by the sword (Acts 12:2). Some even thought of James son of Alphaeus. But James son of Alphaeus is mentioned for the last time in Acts 1:13. James mentioned in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13 and father or brother of Jude is not known otherwise.