James of Alphaeus the Apostle
His gentle[2], even ascetic[3] character contrasts with the dominant nature of his brother Jude.
His contemplative tendency, his "patient and secret" attitude recall his uncle Joseph, to whom he also physically resembles.[4]
James is very close to Jesus: they are approximately the same age. In their childhood, they shared the same teachings from the Virgin Mary.[5] When Homilizing him as an apostle, Jesus presents him thus:"my perfect childhood friend, the one who was my brother during our youth!"[6]
He is the 11th and penultimate apostle to join Jesus. For this reason, he is called "the lesser" in contrast to his namesake James of Zebedee the Apostle, "the Greater," one of the first to follow Jesus.
This late commitment is due to his concern about convincing his Family hostile to Jesus. Joseph, his elder brother, is stubborn and rigid. Simon, the second is fickle.
His father Alphaeus fumes against Jesus ("he is a madman!" he says). Only his mother Mary, daughter of Cleophas, and his brother Jude show favor towards Jesus.
His mother, having become a widow, follows Jesus as a woman disciple up to the foot of the cross. His brother Jude is already an apostle. James stays, as long as he can, with his dying father before being forced to choose between his Family and Jesus. He chooses Jesus:"But now that I know, now that you have told me that even above the father there is God, then I could no longer bear it. (...) But they did not want to understand us and did not even want to listen to us. And I left. Forced to choose: Jesus or the Family, it is You I chose. Here I am, if at least you want me (...)"[7]His father dies shortly after.
His gentleness is not without courage: despite his lack of confidence, he is the first of the Apostles to preach the Messiah.[8]
During a private meeting on Mount Carmel, Jesus reveals the Future to him and entrusts him with the future Church of Israel.[9] The Christ says to him:"you will be the leader of those who will be in the Jerusalem Christianized by your Jesus".[10]
Coming down from Mount Carmel, James performs his first miracle by healing, in the name of Jesus, the young child of a woodcutter.[11]
James is present at the main events of Jesus' public life: Witness of the Last Supper[12], the Resurrection[13], the Ascension[14] and Pentecost.[15]
But he does not attend the passion and the crucifixion of Jesus: he flees at the time of his capture.[16]
He becomes the first bishop of Jerusalem, one of the very first figures of the nascent Church.[17] He fears that he will not be able to carry out this task. Jesus appears to him to comfort him[18] and encourages him during his speech just before his Ascension.[19]
Together with others, he collects the body of Stephen, the first martyr, who died stoned.[20] Despite the burgeoning persecution and advice of prudence, he remains in Jerusalem.[21]
His name[edit | edit source]
Jacob, James (ז'אק – יעקב): Ya'aqob.
Etymologically: "he who takes by the heel, who supplants" (a reference to the birth of the twins); another etymology proposed is a contraction of Ya'-cob-El: "May God protect" -
Historical reference: Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebecca, the twin brother of Esau. He took the name Israel after struggling with the angel.
He is known under the triple title of James, son of Alphaeus, James the Lesser (became apostle after James "the Greater," son of Zebedee), or James the Just due to his reputation for holiness as bishop of Jerusalem for more than thirty years, until his assassination in 62 on the order of the High Priest Ananias II, the fifth son of the High Priest Hanne, reportedly.
Where is he mentioned in the work?[edit | edit source]
Hidden Life of Jesus: EMV 35 EMV 38 EMV 39Preparation for Public Life: EMV 44 EMV 51 EMV 56
Choice of the last Apostles: EMV 90 EMV 93 EMV 95 EMV 96 EMV 97
The last shepherds: EMV 98 EMV 99 EMV 100 EMV 101 EMV 102 EMV 103 EMV 104 EMV 105 EMV 106 EMV 108 EMV 109
In Judea before the common life: EMV 110 EMV 111 EMV 112 EMV 115 EMV 116 EMV 117 EMV 118
Teachings on the Ten Commandments: EMV 119 EMV 120 EMV 121 EMV 122 EMV 123 EMV 124 EMV 125 EMV 126 EMV 127 EMV 128 EMV 129 EMV 130 EMV 131 EMV 132
Year-end festivals: EMV 133 EMV 134 EMV 135 EMV 136 EMV 137 EMV 138 EMV 139 EMV 140 EMV 141 EMV 142
The Samaritan woman: EMV 143 EMV 144 EMV 145 EMV 146 EMV 147 EMV 149
Female apostleship: EMV 151 EMV 153 EMV 154 EMV 155 EMV 157 EMV 158
In Galilee, the choice of the Apostles: EMV 160 EMV 162 EMV 164 EMV 165 EMV 166
The Sermon on the Mount: EMV 169 EMV 170 EMV 171 EMV 172 EMV 173 EMV 174 EMV 176
Apostleship in Galilee: EMV 177 EMV 178 EMV 179 EMV 180 EMV 181 EMV 182 EMV 183 EMV 184 EMV 186
The second Easter journey: EMV 187 EMV 188 EMV 189 EMV 190 EMV 191 EMV 192 EMV 193 EMV 194 EMV 195 EMV 196 EMV 197 EMV 198 EMV 199 EMV 200 EMV 201 EMV 202 EMV 203
Apostleship in Judea: EMV 204 EMV 205 EMV 206 EMV 206 3.69 EMV 207 3.70 EMV 208 3.72 EMV 210 EMV 211 EMV 212 EMV 212 EMV 214 EMV 215
Apostleship in Philistia: EMV 216 EMV 217 EMV 218 EMV 219 EMV 220 EMV 221 EMV 222 EMV 223 EMV 224 EMV 225
The conversion of Mary Magdalene: EMV 226 EMV 229 EMV 230 EMV 232 EMV 233 EMV 235 EMV 237 EMV 238 EMV 239 EMV 240 EMV 241 EMV 242 EMV 243 EMV 244 EMV 245 EMV 246 EMV 247 EMV 248 EMV 249 EMV 250 EMV 251 EMV 252 EMV 253 EMV 254 EMV 255
Sending the Apostles and Disciples on Mission: EMV 256 EMV 257 EMV 258 EMV 259 EMV 260 EMV 261 EMV 262 EMV 265 EMV 268 EMV 269 EMV 271 EMV 272 EMV 273 EMV 274 EMV 275 EMV 276 EMV 277 EMV 278 EMV 279 EMV 280
Perea, Gilead and Trachonitis: EMV 281 EMV 284 EMV 285 EMV 286 EMV 287 EMV 288 EMV 289 EMV 290 EMV 292 EMV 293 EMV 294 EMV 296 EMV 297 EMV 298 EMV 299 EMV 300 EMV 301 EMV 302
Year-end festivals in Nazareth: EMV 304 EMV 307 EMV 312
The journey of the Disciples to Antioch: EMV 313 EMV 314 EMV 315 EMV 316 EMV 318 EMV 319 EMV 320 EMV 321 EMV 322 EMV 323 EMV 324 EMV 325 EMV 326
Phoenicia and Upper Galilee: EMV 327 EMV 328 EMV 329 EMV 330 EMV 331 EMV 332 EMV 333 EMV 334 EMV 335 EMV 336 EMV 338 EMV 339 EMV 340 EMV 341 EMV 342 EMV 343 EMV 344 EMV 345 EMV 346 EMV 347
The Transfiguration and the Bread of Heaven: EMV 348 EMV 349 EMV 350 EMV 351 EMV 352 EMV 353 EMV 354 EMV 355 EMV 356 EMV 357 EMV 358 EMV 359 EMV 360 EMV 361 EMV 362 EMV 363
The second-to-last Passover: EMV 364 EMV 365 EMV 366 EMV 367 EMV 368 EMV 369 EMV 370 EMV 371 EMV 372 EMV 374 EMV 375 EMV 376 EMV 377 EMV 378
In Judea: EMV 379 EMV 380 EMV 381 EMV 382 EMV 383 EMV 384 EMV 385
God in Judea: EMV 386 EMV 387 EMV 388 EMV 389 EMV 390 EMV 391 EMV 392 EMV 393 EMV 394 EMV 398 EMV 399 EMV 402 EMV 403
Plain of Sharon: EMV 404 EMV 405 EMV 406 EMV 407 EMV 408 EMV 410 EMV 411 EMV 412
Pentecost, Decapolis and Esdraelon Plain: EMV 413 EMV 414 EMV 415 EMV 416 EMV 417 EMV 418 EMV 419 EMV 420 EMV 421 EMV 422 EMV 423 EMV 424 EMV 425 EMV 426 EMV 427 EMV 428 EMV 429 EMV 430 EMV 431 EMV 432
Summer in Nazareth: EMV 433 EMV 435 EMV 436 EMV 440 EMV 441 EMV 443 EMV 444 EMV 445 EMV 446 EMV 447 EMV 448 EMV 449 EMV 450 EMV 451 EMV 452 EMV 453 EMV 454 EMV 455 EMV 456 EMV 457 EMV 458 EMV 459 EMV 460 EMV 461 EMV 462 EMV 463 EMV 465
In Syro-Phoenicia: EMV 466 EMV 467 EMV 469 EMV 470 EMV 471 EMV 475 EMV 473 EMV 474 EMV 475 EMV 477
The Feast of Tabernacles: EMV 488 EMV 489 EMV 490
In Moab and Judea: EMV 497 EMV 498 EMV 499 EMV 504 EMV 505 EMV 507 EMV 508 EMV 509 EMV 510 EMV 511 EMV 515 EMV 520 EMV 523
The Feast of Dedication: EMV 527 EMV 528 EMV 529 EMV 532 EMV 535 EMV 538
The resurrection of Lazarus: EMV 547
Exile in Samaria: EMV 551 EMV 552 EMV 554 EMV 555 EMV 556 EMV 566 EMV 567 EMV 568 EMV 571 EMV 574
Return to Jerusalem: EMV 577 EMV 584 EMV 585 EMV 586
Holy Week: EMV 590 EMV 593 EMV 596 EMV 597 EMV 599
The Passion: EMV 600
Easter Sunday: EMV 621 EMV 626
From Resurrection to Ascension: EMV 628 EMV 629 EMV 630 EMV 631 EMV 634 EMV 635 EMV 636 EMV 638
Apostolic times: EMV 639 EMV 640 EMV 641 EMV 642 EMV 646 EMV 649
Learn more about this figure[edit | edit source]
Excerpts from the Dictionary of Gospel Characters, Salton Maria Valtorta (Mgr René Laurentin, François-Michel Debroise, Jean-François Lavère, Éditions Salvator, 2012).James son of Alphaeus is celebrated on May 3 along with Philip the apostle.The theologian Jean Beleth[22] claims that his father Alphaeus was also the brother of Saint Joseph[23], but for Jacques de Voragine, this brother was Cleophas.[24] For Maria Valtorta, this Cleophas is the maternal grandfather of James.
James is also known as "James the Just" due to his reputation for holiness as bishop of Jerusalem for more than thirty years.
According to the faith of Hegesippus[25], a figure of the generation after the Apostles, Eusebius of Caesarea and then Saint Jerome call him Nazarene (consecrated to God) from birth: "He always preserved his virginity and his complete purity. His prostrations to the ground in prayer were so frequent that the skin of his knees had hardened like that of a camel."[26]
James was one of the "pillars of the" nascent "Church". Saint Paul even names him before Peter.[27] He is the presumed author of the first of the seven catholic epistles.[28] A 2nd-century apocryphon, the Protoevangelium of James, is attributed to him.
Saint Jerome and Saint Epiphanius confirm that he was bishop of Jerusalem, at the express request of Jesus.[29]
James was stoned in 62 by order of Ananias II, the acting high priest, along with several of his companions. Salton Flavius Josephus, he was thrown from the top of the Temple terrace into the Kidron Valley where a fuller finished him off with blows of a stick.[30] According to Hegesippus, his last words were those of forgiveness. He was buried near the Temple, on the very site of his martyrdom.[31] Part of his Relics rest in Rome[32] with those of Saint Philip, but many Churches claim fragments of his Relics.[33]
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ EMV 123.7
- ↑ EMV 577.1
- ↑ EMV 639.1
- ↑ EMV 577.7
- ↑ EMV 38.7-9
- ↑ EMV 95.2
- ↑ EMV 95.1
- ↑ EMV 130.2
- ↑ EMV 258.5
- ↑ EMV 258.4
- ↑ EMV 259.9-11
- ↑ EMV 600
- ↑ EMV 627 ; EMV 629.
- ↑ EMV 638.16-23
- ↑ EMV 640
- ↑ EMV 621
- ↑ EMV 638.12
- ↑ 1 Corinthians 15,7
- ↑ EMV 638.12
- ↑ EMV 646.1-2
- ↑ EMV 646.4
- ↑ A French theologian (c.1135-1182), rector at Paris and Amiens after having been a student at Chartres. He is known for his "Summa de ecclesiasticis officiis" one of the foundational works of Christian liturgy.
- ↑ Jean Beleth, Summa de ecclesiasticis officiis, chapter 124.
- ↑ Jacques de Voragine, The Golden Legend, Saint James, the apostle (the lesser).
- ↑ Fifth book of his Memoirs, Salton Eusebius of Caesarea. Work now lost.
- ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, chapter 23.
- ↑ Cf. Galatians 2:9.
- ↑ Benedict XVI, catechesis of June 28, 2006.
- ↑ St Jerome, in Gal. p 164, and St Epiphanius 78, c.7 (reported by Maistre, History of St James the Lesser 1870, p 395).
- ↑ Flavius Josephus Jewish Antiquities (20, 201sq).
- ↑ Eusebius of Caesarea Ecclesiastical History, Book 2, chapter 23.
- ↑ In the crypt of the Basilica of the Holy Apostles.
- ↑ Notably: Saint-Sernin Cathedral of Toulouse, Monastery of Saint Zoile of Compostela, Church of the Jesuits of Antwerp, Saint-Etienne of Forli, Cathedral of Langres, Saint-Cornelius of Compiègne...