James, Son of Alpheus, of the Twelve Disciples: Bio, Legacy, and Death

Three notable people in the New Testament had the name James. One was the brother of John and the son of Zebedee. He was a “son of thunder.” Another was James, the brother of Jesus. The third was James, the son of Alphaeus – the synoptic gospels and Acts call him this (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13). John never mentions James, the son of Alphaeus, because John also does not provide a list of all Twelve Disciples. So, how do we separate the Jameses?

James, son of Alphaeus, and James, son of Zebedee cannot be the same person. They appear separately in the lists of disciples and to distinguish between them, Matthew and Mark mention their fathers.

Mark 2:14 calls the disciple Matthew, Levi the son of Alphaeus. Some Church Fathers have suggested that Matthew and James may have been brothers. This is unlikely, the reason being that even in contexts where Peter and Andrew or James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are called brothers, it never mentions James and Matthew being brothers. Alphaeus was a common name in ancient Jewish culture, as was James.

A close connection between James and Matthew would have been indicated either by the gospels explicitly stating it, or by James and Matthew being grouped together as often occurs with James and his brother John, and Peter and his brother Andrew.

By process of elimination, some scholars believe James, son of Alphaeus, and James, son of Mary, were the same person. However, the brothers of Jesus did not initially believe Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). That would eliminate any biological (half) brother of Jesus as a disciple.

Salome was James, son of Zebedee’s mother (compare Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41, and John 19:25). Matthew 27:55-56 mentions that “Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee [Salome]” were in attendance when Jesus died. Mary was the mother of James who was not the son of Zebedee. It is unlikely that this James would be someone not close to Jesus and not mentioned in the gospels. Matthew, someone trained to pay attention to detail as a tax collector who had to keep meticulous records, would not likely add such a detail referencing someone never mentioned in his gospel before. The only likely candidate is James, son of Alphaeus.

Such an identification implies Alphaeus and Mary, the mother of James, were husband and wife. Considering John’s version of events, that would mean that Clopas was another name for Alphaeus since John 19:25 says: “But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” Papias of Hierapolis referred to “Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphaeus, who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, and of Simon and Thaddeus, and of one Joseph.” If his identification is correct, James was not only an apostle but also a bishop, likely the first bishop of Jerusalem.

The Bible refers to this James in connection with his mother four times, once calling him James the Younger (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40, 16:1; Luke 24:10). James had a brother called Joses, which is an alternative rendition of Joseph (Mark 15:40; Matthew 27:56). Some scholars have suggested that Joses, the brother of James, could also be Barnabas, also known as Joses (Acts 4:36). This is highly unlikely since the narrative tells us Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus. This detail aims to provide the context of who Barnabas was, and Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and Acts, would most likely have mentioned the connection to James if not Alphaeus, if there was one.

Papias of Hierapolis was convinced that Mary, wife of Alphaeus, was the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. That would make James the Less a cousin of Jesus. Some Church Fathers, like Jerome, believed James the Less was the one referred to as “the brother of Jesus,” though he was just his cousin. This would be consistent with Jewish tradition. The idea that the Apostle James was called the brother of Jesus is supported by Galatians 1:19: “But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother.” If true, such an interpretation of “brother” could make James, son of Alphaeus, the leader of the church in Jerusalem and author of the epistle named after him.

The Bible provides no information about the first encounter between Jesus and James the Younger. The family connection to Jesus would be how Jesus and James met and grew close. It could be that there was no specific moment of calling, but that James was convinced of his cousin’s identity and followed him.

Character and Personality

James is the eventual English rendition of Jacob when translated into Latin first. Like Jacob, James means usurper. Unlike the Old Testament character, James did not display such a character trait from what can be gleaned from the Bible and from tradition.

Mark 15:40 refers to James as “the younger.” However, the word translated as younger is mikros. It could refer to a physical attribute, meaning that James was small in stature. It could also refer to James being younger, which is the way most Bibles interpret the word. The third option is that James, possibly because he was younger, was smaller in stature as well, fulfilling both interpretations of mikros.

If so, it would explain why we do not hear much of James in the gospels or Acts. He was young and would not have much influence among the disciples unless he had a temperament like John, the son of thunder, who was also young compared to the other disciples. It would be safe to assume he was either more reserved because of his age and stature, or that his temperament was such that he would not speak or act in ways that would get him noticed and recorded.

Whether reservedness or character, James did not shy away from ministry after the death of Christ. References from Church Fathers have him ministering in various (sometimes conflicting) places and dying for his faith. Traditions that do not align James, son of Alphaeus with the “brother of Jesus” have him ministering in Persia or Egypt, while those who do, see him die as the bishop of Jerusalem.

The Bible details no significant encounters between Jesus and James. James, son of Alphaeus, is one of the most obscure disciples of Jesus during his ministry. Though there must have been many significant exchanges between Jesus and James, the gospels did not record them.

Legacy and Tradition

The legacy and tradition of James depend on whether he was the “brother of Jesus” and author of James, or not. Some of the Church Fathers recorded that James ministered in Persia, more or less the area we know as Iran today. Even in those days, this was not an easy place to go to, which says something about the boldness of James in proclaiming the gospel.

If James was the cousin called “brother of Jesus,” he was the James who preached all over Judea and became one of the most significant leaders to establish Christianity in Judea. In Acts 12:17, Peter tells his audience to convey what he had said to “James and to the brothers,” indicating the leadership position James assumed. This could not be James, son of Zebedee, for he died earlier (Acts 12:2).

Later, James addressed the council in Jerusalem and played a significant role in establishing theological principles for Christian churches everywhere. He was one of the leaders who established that Gentiles did not have to conform to Jewish religious practices. In Acts 21, Peter again reports to James and the elders on his ministry. This underscores the prominence of James as a leader in the early church.

The Epistle by James is a significant work that lays out the core principles around faith and works clearly and concisely.

One tradition claims authorities crucified James in the city of Ostrakine in Egypt, where he ministered.

Hippolytus, a late 2nd and early 3rd-century church father, has James, son of Alphaeus, shoved off the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem. The source relating this version of events, discovered in the 1800s, may well have been a piece of pseudepigrapha.

Legend holds that Jewish religious authorities insisted that James renounce Christ. Instead, he preached the gospel from the temple roof. This act angered the Scribes and Pharisees to no end. One of them shoved him from the roof, but James survived the fall. A fuller then struck the death blow with a fuller’s club. Works of art that depict the death of James often feature a fuller’s club.