James the Just
James the Just ( in exegesis referred to as " Lord's brother James " ) was a " brother of the Lord (Jesus) " a central figure in the Jerusalem church.
" Lord's brother "
James is referred to by Paul ( Gal 1:19 NIV ) as " the brother of the Lord." He stands in Mark 6:3 ELB and Mt 13,55 ELB first in the series of four "brothers" of Jesus of Nazareth; it can be concluded that he was the eldest brother of Jesus.
The decision whether to " brothers " blood brothers or close relatives are meant was discussed in the exegesis long. The traditional Catholic ( and Orthodox ) exegesis referred to the double meaning of the Aramaic or Greek origin word as well as in Mk 15,40.47 ELB; Mk 16.1 ELB called Mary, which definitely was not the mother of Jesus and their referred to in Mark 15:40 ELB sons James and Joseph with the first two " brothers " from Mark 6:3 ELB match the name. Therefore, they saw in the Lord brothers either stepbrothers from a previous marriage of Joseph or Jesus' cousins .
The bulk of the research is now ready to see James in a biological brother of Jesus. Therefore, the Lord's brother is probably neither with James the son of Alphaeus (also called James the Less ), nor with James the younger, who is mentioned by name only in the Gospels, identical.
Life
From early in life, James ' little is known. In Mk 3,21.31-35 EFA and Jn 7:1-10 NIV is said of Jesus ' brothers, they did not believe in Jesus' mission and claim. Whether this was actually the case or is located on the programmatic intent of the Gospel writers, Jesus in the tradition of rejected in the home prophets ( Elijah, Jeremiah ) classified remains questionable. With regard to 1 Cor 15.7 ELB is usually assumed that James has come to believe after a resurrection appearance. In Acts 1:14 ELB the brothers of Jesus appearing in the circle of believers and Paul encountered on his first journey to Jerusalem in the year 35 AD, in addition to Peter and James ( Gal 1:19 NIV ).
Although a special revelation of the Risen One he had been awarded as one of fours (next to Peter, Mary Magdalene and Saint Paul ) in the early Christian community (1 Cor 15.7 ELB close to the so-called pre-Pauline Urkerygma ), apparently he played under in the Jerusalem church the leadership of Peter not particularly outstanding leadership.
It was not until 42 AD, the Zebedaide James was killed during the persecution of King Herod Agrippa I in the year and Peter from Jerusalem fled, apparently James took over the leadership of the community. This suggests both the order of Peter in Acts 12:17 ELB as well as the reports of the Council of the Apostles around the year 48 AD In the biblical accounts to the meeting James is drawn as an outstanding leader of the community. Paul calls it in Galatians 2:9 ELB next to Peter and John, one of the three " pillars" of the Jerusalem church and in Acts 15:13 ELB he enters the debate with authority a. In all probability, he took over after the departure of Peter to Antioch around 49/50 AD, the sole management: When Paul around 58 AD, came to Jerusalem to bring the collection of the mission churches, he was of James and the received elders (Acts 21:18 NIV ).
Presumably, in the year 62 AD called the Sadducee high priest Annas II a the Sanhedrin, to accuse and some other of the transgression of the law, according to Flavius Josephus James, and to condemn the stoning. The sentence was carried out, although the Pharisees protested in the Council, and finally the Roman governor Albinus the dismissal of Annas ' reached. Since the year 62 AD, took place a change of the procurator of Judea by Porcius Festus, to Lucceius Albinus and Albinus deposed the High Priest according to the Pharisaic intervention, it is likely that Annas as high priest in this vacancy time, and the Sanhedrin jus poenae capitis had usurped.
James ' successor in the leadership of the Jerusalem church was by Eusebius ( Eusebius, HE III, 11) Simeon, son of Clopas ( Cleophas ) and close relative (possibly a cousin ) of Jesus.
Theological position
Even in the post- canonical literature and except his Torah loyalty is emphasized, as in the report of Josephus ( Josephus, Ant 20, 197-203 ), or when the Gospel of Thomas describes him as " James the Just " ( EvThom 12, see also Eusebius, HE II 1.3 ).
In contrast to Paul and Barnabas, and soon also to Peter, James apparently took a strictly Jewish Christian stance on the issue of dealing with converted Gentiles. In Galatians 2:12, Paul speaks of a EU that " people of James " in Antioch against the table and table fellowship of circumcised Jewish Christians turned with uncircumcised have. Whether James was actually the initiator of this so-called " Antioch incident " remains questionable. However, is probably, in fact, " that the proponents of circumcision [ newly converted ] could at least feel encouraged by the theological stance of James in their demands Christians from Greco- Roman tradition. " Even if the so-called " James " clauses of the Lukan presentation of Apostolic Council in fact go back to James and agreed at the Council of the Apostles, or recent date, is not unique.
James apparently saw the early church continued as a part of Judaism. Against Paul as exponents of circumcision and torafreien Gentile mission ( an attitude which also turned to Peter ) he wanted to know applied the cultic and ritual obligations from the Torah on the newly converted Gentiles. Josephus reports that James apparently was for this reason in high esteem by the Pharisees.
James is credited with the authorship of the canonical letter of James (James ) and the apocryphal Protevangeliums of James as well as the letter of James ( EpJac ) and two apocalypses ( 1ApcJac, 2ApcJac ) from the Nag Hammadi Codex.
Modern exegesis maintains the authorship of the canonical Epistle of James the Lord's brother today mostly improbable, and estimates the letter as a pseudepigraphic font dating from around 100 AD, which is nevertheless close to the theological school of James. The Protevangelium is certainly originated not from James, but probably in the middle of the 2nd century. The apocryphal Epistle of James is also classified in the Valentinian Gnosis as the two apocalypses.
The so-called James ossuary -
2001 a rogue James - ossuary was discovered, from which a commission of inquiry in 2003 but came to the conclusion that it was, this is a fake.
Nevertheless, the ossuary in 2007 fell into the media, as the film producer and director James Cameron in his highly controversial film " The Jesus grave " claimed that the ossuary came from the grave found in 1980 in the southern Jerusalem suburb Talpiot, which he called the grave Jesus wants to have identified.
Aftereffect
The Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of the Lord's brother, whom she identified in her calendar of saints with James the Less, on May 3 The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod celebrate his commemoration in marked contrast to James, son of Alphaeus on October 23. In the Orthodox Church the memorial day is celebrated on October 23 or Sunday, either after Christmas. As a saint he is depicted with a walker leg as a sign of his martyrdom. A head relic of the brother of the Lord is venerated in Ancona.
The relationship with Jesus of Nazareth brought the Lord's brother James a series of popular science representations and also the novel " James, stepson of God " by Nicholas Glattauer.
Swell
- Flavius Josephus: Jewish Antiquities XX.
- Eusebius of Caesarea: Church History II