Question:
Hi Hank, my name is Stefanie. I go to Elkhart Baptist Christian School. My bible class has given us an assignment on the twelve disciples and we broke it up into groups our group has James the less. Can you give me anymore information on him? This is what I do know. There are four men in the NT named James. 1.the Apostle James,brother of John.2.the disciple mentioned here, also called “James the less” 3. James ,father of Judas(not of Iscariot)4. James,the Lord’s half-brother, who wrote the epistle that bears the name. He also played a leading role in the early Jerusalem church. Are there any websites you could give me to help find information on him? Thanks
Answer:
JAMES THE LESS, called the Less because younger or smaller in stature than James the son of Zebedee. He was the son of Alphæus or Clopas and brother of our Lord (see above); was called to the apostolate, together with his younger brother Jude, in the spring of the year 28. At some time in the forty days that intervened between the resurrection and the ascension the Lord appeared to him. 1 Cor. 15:7. Ten years after we find James on a level with Peter, and with him deciding on the admission of St. Paul into fellowship with the Church at Jerusalem; and from henceforth we always find him equal, or in his own department superior, to the very chiefest apostles, Peter, John, and Paul. Acts 9:27; Gal. 1:18, 19. This pre-eminence is evident throughout the after history of the apostles, whether we read it in the Acts, in the epistles, or in ecclesiastical writers. Acts 12:17; 15:13, 19; 21:18; Gal. 2:9. According to tradition, James was thrown down from the temple by the scribes and Pharisees; he was then stoned, and his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club. (Smith’s Bible Dictionary). Women too were present at the Crucifixion, but they kept their distance (v. 40). Out of the many who had come up to Jerusalem with Jesus from Galilee, Mark identifies three of the group of women who were “watching from a distance”— Mary Magdalene; Mary the mother of James the younger and Joses; and Salome, the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John. Mary Magdalene (i.e., Mary of Magdala, a fishing village on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee), is mentioned only here in Mark. From Luke 8:2, however, we learn that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. The second Mary is designated as the “mother of James the younger and Joses.” Although little is known about her, her sons were apparently well known in the early church. She is referred to as the “mother of Joses” in 15:47 and the “mother of James” in 16:1. In the NIV James is described as “the younger.” The Greek adjective mikros can also mean “the less,” i.e., “the smaller,” “less important,” or “less known.” It is difficult to decide which meaning applies here. (The Expositor’s Bible Dictionary). The women followers were much less likely to be indicted than male followers, but they were still courageous to show up at the crucifixion. The epithet of James, “the Less” (NASB, KJV), is better translated “the younger” (NIV, TEV, NRSV), as the usage of the word in the ancient papyri indicates. (IVP Background Commentary). Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses. She is distinguished from the other Marys by the name of her sons. “James the Less,” (called “James the son of Alphaeus” in Matt. 10:2) was one of the 12. Salome. The wife of Zebedee (Matt. 27:56), and the mother of James and John. (MacArther Study Bible). Mary was the mother of James the less, one of the Twelve. (from the KJV Bible Commentary). Mary, mother of James the small and Joses: James was “little” in stature. If account is taken of Jn 19:25, then she might be the same as “Mary the wife of Clopas.” Some would identify this James with James the son of Alphaeus (Mk. 3:18; see AG 368); others with James, “the brother of the Lord” (Gal 1:19). (The Jerome Biblical Commentary). The second Mary seems to have been the mother of James the son of Alphaeus, one of the disciples (Mk 3:18). (Wycliffe Bible Commentary). The son of Alphaeus, another of the twelve apostles (Mt. 10:3; Acts 1:13). He is usually identified with ‘James the younger’, the son of Mary (Mk. 15:40). The description ‘the younger’ (Gk. ho mikros, ‘the little’) distinguishes him from the sons of Zebedee as either younger or smaller in stature. (New Bible Dictionary). The son of Alphaeus, or Cleopas, “the brother” or near kinsman or cousin of our Lord (Gal. 1:18, 19), called James “the Less,” or “the Little,” probably because he was of low stature. He is mentioned along with the other apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). He had a separate interview with our Lord after his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7), and is mentioned as one of the apostles of the circumcision (Acts 1:13). He appears to have occupied the position of head of the Church at Jerusalem, where he presided at the council held to consider the case of the Gentiles (Acts 12:17; 15:13–29; 21:18–24). This James was the author of the epistle which bears his name. JAMES, EPISTLE OF — (1.) Author of, was James the Less, the Lord’s brother, one of the twelve apostles. He was one of the three pillars of the Church (Gal. 2:9). (Easton’s Bible Dictionary). James, Son of Alpheus. The Gospels make only fleeting reference to James, the son of Alpheus (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). Many scholars believe that James was a brother of Matthew, since Scripture says that Matthew’s father was also named Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). Others believe that this James was identified with “James the Less”; but we have no proof that these two names refer to the same man (cf. Mark 15:40). If the son of Alphaeus was indeed the same man as James the Less, he may have been a cousin of Jesus (cf. Matt. 27:56; John 19:25). Some Bible commentators theorize that this disciple bore a close physical resemblance to Jesus, which could explain why Judas Iscariot had to identify Jesus on the night of His betrayal (Mark 14:43–45; Luke 22:47–48). Legends say that this James preached in Persia and was crucified there. But we have no concrete information about his later ministry and death. (Nelson’s Illustrated Manners and Customs).