Book of James

[Michael P. Barham]

By the way,

how many people are actually walking the camino out of CHRISTIAN faith, rather than "to find myself" or to push the limits or to see the sights?

Just curious,
Michael
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robin 
  To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU 
  Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 4:34 PM
  Subject: Book of James


  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.

  It seems to me, preparing to walk 21 May 2001, that I need to spend at least as much time as I spend worrying and planning about toilets, socks, beds, cash etc, investigating what it was about Jesus of Nazareth that enabled that motley crew of apostles or "sent ones" to Spain - and so to me. Have you noticed how short the Gospels are!?



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