James – Introduction

There has probably been more discussion regarding the author and date of this letter than any other book of the New Testament. Clearly, neither the author nor the date of writing can be definitively identified. What will be provided here is a presentation of the major discussion points and what seems to be the most reasonable conclusion.

Who Wrote this Letter?

Throughout history there has been debate as to the identity of the man named James who wrote this letter. There is no definitive proof in spite of all the evidence quoted by the multitude of people who have wrestled with this issue. Herein is a summary of the facts and suppositions given in defense of the specific identity of James, the writer of this letter.

There are four men named James mentioned in the New Testament. They are:

1.James the Apostle, son of Zebedee and brother of the Apostle John.

Going forward from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, repairing their nets; and He called them. (Matthew 4:21)

This James was the disciple and apostle who, along with Peter and John, was present at the transfiguration of Christ.

2.James the Apostle, son of Alphaeus, also referred to as James “the less” or “the younger.”

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus (Thaddaeus); (Matthew 10:3)

There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome, (Mark 15:40)

This James was also a disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ.

3.James the father of Judas the Apostle (not Iscariot).

Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Luke 6:16)

Nothing more is specifically known about this James.

4.James the brother of our Lord.

Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? (Matthew 13:55)

But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. (Galatians 1:19)

We immediately run into a problem with this list as there is much debate as to what is meant by “His brothers” and “the Lord’s brother” as shown above, because it was common practice to refer to near relations as brothers and sisters even though they failed to have a common mother or father (or both). For example, according to the Apostle John in his gospel account, while Jesus was hanging on the cross, his mother Mary and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas were standing near Him.

And standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25)

By looking at the grammatical structure of the original Greek, we see that this verse describes three women, not four. The expression, “Mary the wife of Cleopas” is a parenthetical description of “His mother’s sister” and not a listing of a different person. It is not likely that two daughters of the same parents were both named Mary. And yet, they are referred to as sisters. Also, some contend that Cleopas and Alphaeus are the same person since these two names can be derived from the same Hebrew word. Since James #2 above was the son of Cleopas, making him a near relative (perhaps cousin) to Jesus, he may very well be the one referred to as the Lord’s brother. This is the view held by the Catholic Church, which would harmonize with their belief that Mary was a virgin for her entire life. They even quote Matthew’s gospel where it says,

Then Joseph, having been aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had given birth to her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. (Matthew 1:24-25)

Yet, this verse does not say that Joseph did not know her ever, only that he did not know her until (the Greek word heōs, meaning “up until the time that”) she bore Jesus. The clear implication is that he did know her after the birth of Jesus.

Another problem with this view is the fact that there is a Greek word that means “near relation.” In the book of Colossians, we have the following:

Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), (Colossians 4:10)

Here we see that Mark and Barnabas were said to have been cousins (the Greek word anepsios, meaning “a cousin, a nephew, or a near relation”). However, this word is never used to describe James’ relationship to Jesus. If James and Jesus were cousins or even near relatives, surely this word would have been used to describe their relationship somewhere, but it is not.

Therefore, it is my opinion that James #2 (the Apostle James “the less”) and James #4 (the brother of the Lord) are two different people. This is my opinion based on my study of the issue. Since it cannot be proven conclusively, it must remain as I have stated, my opinion.

So we still have four men by the name of James as potential authors for this book. Since there is no other references to James, the father of Judas the apostle or James “the less”, (other than those quoted here) either in the Bible or by early church historians, it is reasonable to assume that neither of these is the James who wrote this letter. The writer of this letter was apparently well known because he makes no attempt to identify himself in this letter.

That leaves us the two apostles named James – James #1, the brother of the apostle John and James #4, the brother of Jesus. The brother of John was put to death by Herod somewhere between about AD 41 and 44, which is before the writing of this letter:

Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to harm them. And James the brother of John he killed with a sword. (Act 12:1,2)

Therefore, it is my opinion that the writer of this letter is James, the half-brother of Jesus (the same mother, but Jesus was fathered by the Holy Spirit whereas James was fathered by Joseph). In support of this view are the writings of Origen, Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius, Augustine, and many other early writers.

It is said of this James that he was a man well known for his integrity of life, which earned him the nickname “James the Just.” He was also known for his strict, holy manner of life, and the historian Hegesippus says that he frequently prostrated himself on his knees in the Temple, calling on God to forgive the sins of his people. In fact, he was known to spend so much time on his knees in prayer for others that he is called “old camel knees” by some because of the calluses built up from such constant prayer.

In the book of Acts, James appears as a prominent and leading man in the church at Jerusalem and is called by early church writers “Bishop of Jerusalem.” During the council that was held in Jerusalem to decide the rules that should be imposed on Gentile converts to Christianity (Acts 15:13-29), after the other apostles had expressed their positions, James expressed his thoughts and his advice was followed. Also, after being released from prison in Acts 12:17, Peter expressed to those around him that they should “go and show these things to James, and to the brethren” indicating James’ prominent position. Finally, when Paul visited Jerusalem after his conversion and again some fourteen years later, James is named among the apostles there and even referred to as one of the “pillars” of the church along with Peter (Cephas) and John.

and knowing the grace given to me, James and Cephas and John, those seeming to be pillars, gave Barnabas and me the right hands of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2:9)

Thus, James the half-brother of Jesus, “the Just”, the Bishop of Jerusalem, was clearly in a position of prominence within the early church and, as one in such a capacity, is very likely the writer of this letter.

When Was this Letter Written?

James deals with the issue of works as evidence of faith and yet does not mention at all the Jerusalem Council (AD 48 or 49) over which he presided. This council addressed whether or not a Christian was required to uphold the Law of Moses in order to be truly saved. Surely, James would have made mention of the council or its findings if this letter had been written after that time. We must conclude, therefore, that the book was written before that time. A date between AD 45 and 48 is widely accepted, which would make this the first of the New Testament books to have been written.

To Whom Was this Letter Written?

This letter is referred to as a general epistle (letter), because it was not addressed to any particular church, but to Jewish believers who had been dispersed (James 1:1), possibly as a result of Stephen's martyrdom (Acts chapter 7). It is probable that James is addressing chiefly the Eastern Dispersion in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Babylonia as Peter writes to five provinces in the Western Dispersion in Asia Minor. As the leader of the church in Jerusalem and as a devout Jew and half-brother of Jesus, the message of James had a special appeal to these widely scattered Jewish Christians.

Why Was this Letter Written?

The epistle is addressed to Jewish Christians. It is not doctrinal, but full of practical instruction in the duties of life. It was written from a Jewish standpoint, teaching Christianity, not as a new religion, but as an improvement of the Jewish faith. There are frequent references to the law in this Letter. However, James does not teach that his readers are under law either for salvation or as a rule of life. Rather, portions of the law are cited as instruction in righteousness for those who are under grace. As such, James presents the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. The author refers to his audience as "brethren" fifteen times, which was a common expression among the first-century Jews. Not surprisingly then, the book of James has a strong Jewish flavor and content. For example, the Greek word translated "assembly" (James 2:2) is sunagōgē, the word for synagogue. Further, James contains more than forty allusions to the Old Testament and its teachings.

The content of the letter is largely an outgrowth of the Sermon on the Mount, the language of which it reflects more than any other book of the New Testament. In fact, there is little contained in this letter that cannot be traced back to Jesus’ personal teaching.