Grace Thompson
James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is believed to be the same person as James the Less, James the Minor, the Little, the Lesser, or the Younger, according to translation. He is also identified as James, the brother of Jesus, and the author of the Book of James. However, the Bible does not explicitly confirm this. Jerome, a Catholic scholar, proposed that the term 'brother' could be understood as 'cousin', and that James was the son of Alphaeus and Mary of Clopas, who was the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Bible mentions James, son of Alphaeus, four times, each time in a list of the apostles, indicating he was less important than the others. While the specific cause of his death is unknown, it is assumed that he was martyred, like most of the other apostles.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | James, son of Alphaeus |
| Other Names | James the Less, James the Minor, James the Little, James the Lesser, James the Younger, James the Minor, James the Apostle, James the Just, James the Righteous, James the brother of Jesus, James the brother of the Lord |
| Mother | Mary, Mary of Clopas, Mary the wife of Alphaeus, Mary the sister of Mary the Lord's mother |
| Father | Alphaeus, Clophas-Alphaeus, Cleophas |
| Profession | One of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, one of the main disciples of Jesus Christ |
| Death | Unknown, but most members of the Twelve Apostles were martyred, and some sources say he was stoned to death by Jews in Jerusalem |
| Importance | Less important than other apostles, but still important as he was one of the people closest to Jesus |
| Legacy | Will sit on a throne in Jesus' earthly kingdom (Matthew 19:28), his name will be engraved in a foundation of the walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14) |
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What You'll Learn
- James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus
- He is identified with James the Less, James the Minor, the Little, the Lesser, and the Younger
- He was stoned to death by Jews while preaching in Jerusalem
- He was a cousin of Jesus, not his brother, according to Jerome
- He was one of the most important leaders of the early church
James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus
James, son of Alphaeus, is mentioned four times in the Bible, each time in a list of the Twelve Apostles. He is never mentioned in the Gospel of John, but John also never explicitly lists all the apostles. This means that James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the people closest to Jesus. He spent about three years living with him, witnessing his miracles, and hearing his teachings.
James, son of Alphaeus, is believed to be the son of Mary, the wife of Alphaeus, and the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This Mary is referred to as Mary of Clopas in the Gospel of John.
There is ambiguity and a lack of information about James, son of Alphaeus, and how he died. However, it is believed that he was stoned to death by the Jews while preaching in Jerusalem.
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He is identified with James the Less, James the Minor, the Little, the Lesser, and the Younger
James, son of Alphaeus, is identified with James the Less, James the Minor, the Little, the Lesser, and the Younger. He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, appearing under this name in all three of the Synoptic Gospels' lists of the apostles. He is also identified as James the Just, James the brother of Jesus, and the cousin of Jesus.
James the Less is mentioned four times in the gospels, always in relation to his mother, Mary, whom John refers to as Mary of Clopas. The identification of James, son of Alphaeus, with James the Less is based on the assumption that Mary, the mother of James the Less, was the wife of Alphaeus and the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This interpretation is supported by the fact that the Semitic word for "brother" can also be used for other close relatives.
James the Less is also identified with James, the son of Alphaeus, by Jerome, who writes in his work, "The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary":
> Do you intend the comparatively unknown James the Less, who is called in Scripture the son of Mary, not however of Mary the mother of our Lord, to be an apostle, or not? If he is an apostle, he must be the son of Alphæus and a believer in Jesus, "For neither did his brethren believe in him." The only conclusion is that the Mary who is described as the mother of James the Less was the wife of Alphaeus and sister of Mary the Lord's mother, the one who is called by John the Evangelist "Mary of Clopas".
Jerome's view, known as the "Hieronymian view," became widely accepted in the Roman Catholic Church, while Eastern Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants tend to distinguish between the two.
The identification of James, son of Alphaeus, with James the Less is significant because it associates him with Jesus' family and underscores his importance as one of the Twelve Apostles. However, it is important to note that modern biblical scholars are divided on whether this identification is correct.
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He was stoned to death by Jews while preaching in Jerusalem
James, son of Alpheus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is generally identified with James the Less, and commonly known by that name in church tradition. He is also referred to as "the Minor", "the Little", "the Lesser", or "the Younger", according to translation.
James, son of Alpheus, is listed in all the Synoptic Gospels' lists of the apostles. He is never mentioned in the Gospel of John, but John never explicitly lists all the apostles. This means that James was one of the people closest to Jesus, and he spent about three years living with him, witnessing his miracles, and hearing his teachings.
James, son of Alpheus, was stoned to death by Jews while preaching in Jerusalem. He sang the first mass in Jerusalem and was the city's first bishop. He was buried there beside the temple.
James, son of Alpheus, is distinct from James, son of Zebedee, and in some interpretations, also from James, brother of Jesus (James the Just). He appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles. His name will be engraved in the walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14).
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He was a cousin of Jesus, not his brother, according to Jerome
James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is also known as James the Less, James the Minor, James the Little, James the Lesser, or James the Younger. The New Testament mentions him four times, each time in a list of the Twelve Apostles, indicating he was less important than the others.
James, son of Alphaeus, is traditionally identified as James, the brother of Jesus. However, the Bible does not confirm this. The only family relationship stated is that his father is Alphaeus. Jerome, voicing the general opinion of the Early Church, proposed that the term "brother" should be understood as "cousin". He concluded that James "the brother of the Lord", is the same as James, son of Alphaeus, and that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the sister of Alphaeus' wife, Mary. Jerome's view, the "Hieronymian view", became widely accepted in the Roman Catholic Church.
Some scholars dispute this identification. They argue that James, the brother of Jesus, was stoned to death by the Jews, but this is not the generally accepted death of James, son of Alphaeus. Most members of the Twelve Apostles were martyred, but it is unclear how James, son of Alphaeus, died.
James, son of Alphaeus, is believed to have evangelized in Persia (modern-day Iran) and was martyred there. He was a faithful follower of Christ and a leader in the early church.
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He was one of the most important leaders of the early church
James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He is commonly identified with James the Less, James the Minor, the Little, the Lesser, or the Younger, and James, the brother of Jesus. The identification of James as the son of Alphaeus was perpetuated into the 13th century in the hagiography The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine.
James is believed to have been one of the most important leaders of the early church. He is mentioned in all three of the Synoptic Gospels' lists of the apostles. He is also mentioned in the Gospel of John, but only implicitly, as John never explicitly lists all the apostles. This means that James was one of the people closest to Jesus, and he spent about three years living with him, witnessing his miracles and hearing his teachings. He saw numerous demonstrations of Jesus' divinity.
James is traditionally identified as the author of the Book of James and one of the three men Paul called "pillars" of the church. He is also believed to have sung the first mass in Jerusalem and was the first bishop of the city.
James is often identified as the brother of Jesus, but this is a matter of interpretation. Catholics and Orthodox Christians teach that James and the other figures named in the New Testament as brothers of Jesus were cousins of Jesus or step-brothers from a previous marriage of Joseph. The Catholic doctrine maintains that James was not a biological child of Mary, upholding the belief in her perpetual virginity. Jerome, voicing the general opinion of the Early Church, also proposed that "brother" should be understood as "cousin". However, some biblical scholars distinguish them, and this is not Catholic dogma.
James's death is unknown, but most members of the Twelve Apostles were martyred. According to two small works ascribed by some to Hippolytus, James was stoned to death by the Jews while preaching in Jerusalem and was buried there beside the temple.
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Frequently asked questions
James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the twelve main disciples of Jesus Christ. He is commonly identified as James the Less, and James the brother of Jesus. He is mentioned four times in the Bible, each time in a list of the apostles.
There is no clear account of how James, son of Alpheus, died. However, most of the Twelve Apostles were martyred. One source states that James was stoned to death by the Jews while preaching in Jerusalem.
James, son of Alphaeus, is traditionally identified as James the Less. However, some scholars are hesitant to make this association.
Catholics and Orthodox Christians teach that James was not the biological son of Mary, mother of Jesus, but his cousin or step-brother. Jerome, voicing the opinion of the Early Church, proposed that "brother" should be understood as "cousin". However, some biblical scholars disagree.
