Author of the Book of James

[Preston Pittman]

Responding to Robin's reply below - yes, that is my question.  Which James?
We have James the Greater("our" Santiago) and James the Lesser and then it
seems "other" Jameses?  Is "the Lesser" the author of the canocal  Epistle
of James?  Is the Book of James attributed to "our" James and is he the
"brother" of Jesus?  I was never clear on these distinctions and it seemed
the more I read about it the more unclear I became.  Linda! Kathy!
Maryjane!  Elyn!  Rosina!  Help!


>From: Robin <robtrewaLINEONE.NET>

>
>Which James?
>"Acts" isn't a very big book, you know, and worth a read to see that there
>is no appointment of a James to be sent to Spain!
>
>We have a) James the Son of Zebedee (nicknamed Boanerges) the older ( =
>Greater) brother of the more famous and beloved John. One of the "inner
>circle of three" with Peter and John. Possibly a cousin of Jesus based on
>the appearance of Salome at the cross. (Mark 15:40). This is the James
>allegedly buried at Compostela.
>b) James the son of Alphaeus - one of the twelve who, encouragingly for
>future followers is a complete nonentity.
>c) James the son of Mary and brother of Joses - known as "the less" Mk15:40
>= younger.
>d) James the father of Judas (not Iscariot, the one also called Thaddeus)
>e) James the brother of Jesus. Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3. The one Paul
>encountered as the head of the Jerusalem Church. Probably the one
>associated with the NT letter of St.James. Early Christian writers probably
>meant this literally but the development of the belief in the perpetual
>divinity of Mary has led to some reinterpretation. cf the Protevangelism of
>James ( a second century story based on the earlier gospels written by
>greeks in Egypt) which sees these brothers as sons of Joseph in an earlier
>marriage.
>
>The apostle who intended to visit Spain was Paul (Romans 15:24, 28) cf The
>Muratorian Fragment and the Letter of Clement to the Corinthians AD95 who
>says that Paul "came to the extreme limit of the west - presumably not
>California!). The first record of the Apostle James having been to Spain is
>not till the treatise De ortu et obitu patrum attributed to Isidore, Bishop
>of Seville AD 600-636. Irenaeus (Ad180), Tertullian (AD 200), Arnobius
>(AD306) all report Spain as becoming "subjugated to Christ" but I don't
>think that "our" James gets a mention.
>

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