James the Just
c. 1 – c. 62 · Bishop of Jerusalem
Also known as James, brother of the Lord · James of Jerusalem
Feast: 3 May (Catholic) · 23 October (Orthodox)
Called 'brother of the Lord' in the New Testament (Galatians 1:19; Mark 6:3) — Catholic and Orthodox tradition reads this as kinsman or step-brother through Joseph's prior marriage; most Protestants read it as a literal sibling. Either way, leader of the Jerusalem church for some thirty years. Presided at the Apostolic Council (Acts 15); martyred c. 62 by stoning under high priest Ananus per Josephus and Hegesippus.
Highlights
- Main contribution
- James held the Jerusalem church together at the most delicate point in its early life.
- Event connection
- Council of Jerusalem (50)
- Primary source
- Galatians 1:19; 2:9
James held the Jerusalem church together at the most delicate point in its early life. Paul calls him 'the Lord's brother,' and Acts presents him as a leading voice at the Council of Jerusalem, where the church decided that Gentile believers did not have to become Jews first. That decision changed the future of Christianity. Josephus records his death under the high priest Ananus in AD 62, which gives James a rare place where New Testament memory and non-Christian history meet.
Primary sources
- ·Galatians 1:19; 2:9
- ·Acts of the Apostles 15
- ·Josephus, Antiquities 20.9.1
- ·Hegesippus in Eusebius HE 2.23
Book of the day
The Apostolic Fathers
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