James Minor (II)

II. JAMES Minor surnamed the brother of our Lord¹, and Bishop of Jerusalem, was the son of Cleopas, otherwise called Alphæus, and Mary sister to the blessed Virgin; consequently cousin-german to Jesus Christ according to the flesh. He was surnamed the Just, for the admirable holiness and purity of his life². He is said to have been a Priest, and to have observed the laws of the Nazarites from his mother’s womb, eating and drinking nothing that was capable of intoxicating³; he never cut his hair, never eat any thing that had had life, used no bathing, nor oils, wore no sandals or woollen clothes, but only a linnen cloak, and a tunick of the same. The very great respect which his virtue had acquired, was the reason, they say⁴, of his having a very extraordinary privilege allowed him, viz. the liberty of entring when he pleased into the Holy Place of the Temple of Jerusalem. St. Jerom assures us⁵, that the Jews had such an esteem for St. James, that they strove with emulation to touch the hem of his garment. The Jewish Talmud relates several miracles said to be wrought by James the Disciple of Jesus the Carpenter; among others, it is there affirmed, that he being called to cure a Jew, whose name was⁶ Eligazar, and who had been bitten by a serpent, one of the Rabbins maintained that he ought not to suffer himself to be healed in the name of Jesus Christ. While they were deliberating hereupon, Eligazar died, to the great satisfaction of those obstinate Jews, who preferred death to health procured by the name of Jesus Christ.

Our Saviour appeared to James Minor 1 Cor. xv. 7.eight days after his Resurrection, and communicated the gift of knowledge to him⁷: And when he ascended up to heaven, trusted him with his throne upon earth, and recommended his Spouse to him, the Church of Jerusalem. He was therefore from that time appointed to be Bishop of that Church; but he performed none of the Offices belonging to this Dignity, till the Apostles either by election, or out of esteem and respect for him, had conferred this honour on him. We are assured⁸, that he wore a plate of gold upon his forehead, as a mark of his Episcopacy, with the name of God in all probability imprinted on it, in imitation of the Jewish High-Priests. St. James was at Jerusalem, and there considered as one of the principal Pillars of the Church, when St. Paul first came thither after his conversion, Gal. i. 18.in the year of Jesus Christ 37. And in the Council of Jerusalem held in the year 51, St. James, as Bishop of the City, gave his vote last; and the result of the Council Acts xv. 12, 13, &c.was principally formed from what St. James said, who, notwithstanding he observed the ceremonies of the Law, and took care that others should observe them in his Church, was of opinion, that such a yoke was not to be imposed upon the Faithful, who were Converts from Judaism.

Euseb. l. 2. c. 23.The progress which the Gospel made, having alarmed the chief persons among the Jews, Ananus the son of Annas the High-Priest, mentioned in the Gospel, undertook to put St. James to death. To this end he chose the time when Festus being dead, who had been Governour of Judæa, and Albinus his successor not yet arrived, the Province was without a Governour. Ananus therefore and the principal Pharisees, convening him in a publick manner, told him, that the people were led into an error concerning Jesus Christ, whom they took to be the Messiah, and that it was in his power to convince them of this mistake, since every one was ready to believe whatever he should say of it. They made him therefore go up into one of the Galleries of the Temple, that he might be heard by the whole multitude, which was assembled from all parts to keep the Feast of the Passover. When therefore he was placed above, they cried out to him from below, Tell us, thou Just Man, what we should believe concerning Jesus, who was crucified. He answered with a loud voice, Jesus the son of man, whom you speak of, is now seated at the right hand of the supreme Majesty as Son of God, and must one day come, borne upon the clouds of heaven. At these words a great number of persons gave glory to God, crying out, Hosanna. But the Pharisees and Doctors exclaimed, what, is he, whom we call the Just, likewise mistaken! And going up to the place where he was, they threw him down from the top of the Temple. He did not die of his fall, but kneeling on the ground, he prayed for his enemies; who hereupon by Ananus’s order began to stone him; at last a Fuller dispatched him, by Joseph. Antiq. l. 20. c. 8.giving him a blow upon the head with the stick, which he made use of in the business of his trade⁹.

He was buried near the Temple¹⁰, in the place where he had suffered martyrdom; and in the same place a Monument was erected for him, which was much celebrated till Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. The wisest of the Jews very much disapproved the murder of St. James, and the passionate behaviour of Ananus, whereof they made great complaints to Agrippa, and Albinus Governour of the Province; the latter Joseph. Antiq. l. 20. c. 8.of whom by his letters threatned to punish his temerity, and Agrippa divested him of the High-Priesthood, which he had exercised only three months. Josephus is cited¹¹ as affirming, that the war which the Romans made against the Jews, and all the calamities which afterwards happened to them, were imputed to the death of this Just Man. The ancient Hereticks have forged some writings, which they ascribed to St. James, the brother of our Lord¹². But the Church acknowledges his Epistle only as authentick; and this is the first of the seven, called Canonical. It is written to all the convert Jews in all parts of the world. It is our opinion, that he wrote it a little before his death, which happened in the year 62. In this he contends principally against the abuse, which many made of St. Paul’s principle, whereby he asserts, that Faith and not the Works of the Law, justifies before God. St. James strongly maintains the necessity of good Works. Although his Epistle is directed to the Jews, who were dispersed, it is thought he wrote it in Greek, because he cites the Scripture in it according to the Version of the Septuagint. Besides, Greek was at that time the common language of almost the whole East.

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