Did James the just have children?

Discussion about the New Testament, apocrypha, gnostics, church fathers, Christian origins, historical Jesus or otherwise, etc.
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Gd1234
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2019 6:03 pm

Did James the just have children?

Post by Gd1234 »

Someone was telling me that he could trace his genealogy to james.

Sounded questionable, but I'm curious what he was using as his source that James had kids
gryan
Posts: 1120
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:11 am

Re: Did James the just have children?

Post by gryan »

The mystery of the identity of "Jude of James", one of the twelve apostles (Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13), could be solved by calling him the child of "James the Just", as suggested on this page which I turned up via Google (if I understand it correctly??):

https://fabpedigree.com/s040/f071654.htm

I don't hold that view. I'm not aware of any scholars or traditional sources that would support such a speculation.
gryan
Posts: 1120
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:11 am

Re: Did James the just have children?

Post by gryan »

Notably, "the brothers of the Lord" (presumably including "James the Lord's brother"), had "sister wives".

1 Cor 9:5
Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife (lit. "sister wife"),
as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιά"γειν,
ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Κηφᾶς;

I'm not clear what "sister wife" (δελφὴν γυναῖκα) meant, but it seems possible that "James the Lord's brother" and his "sister wife" could have had a child together.

Googling, I found this explanation:
"Paul uses the term "we" here, which presumably refers to himself and his ministry partner, Barnabas. They have the right to bring along a believing wife on their ministry journeys. He points out that other apostles are doing just that, mentioning the "brothers of the Lord" and Cephas, who is Peter. Presumably, these other apostles may have been receiving financial support for themselves and their wives as they travel from place to place."
https://www.bibleref.com/1-Corinthians/ ... s-9-5.html
John2
Posts: 4309
Joined: Fri May 16, 2014 4:42 pm

Re: Did James the just have children?

Post by John2 »

gryan wrote: Fri Nov 18, 2022 5:16 am The mystery of the identity of "Jude of James", one of the twelve apostles (Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13), could be solved by calling him the child of "James the Just", as suggested on this page which I turned up via Google (if I understand it correctly??):

https://fabpedigree.com/s040/f071654.htm

I don't hold that view. I'm not aware of any scholars or traditional sources that would support such a speculation.

Or he could be Judas the brother of James, as per Jude 1:1 ("Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James") and Mark 6:3 ("Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?").

Hegesippus says that this Judas' grandsons were alive during his lifetime (EH 3.20.1-8), but Epiphanius says that James died a virgin (Pan. 78.14.1-6), though his source for this is unclear to me, since I'm not convinced that Epiphanius knew Hegesippus beyond Eusebius' citations of him.
Gd1234
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2019 6:03 pm

Re: Did James the just have children?

Post by Gd1234 »

Thanks.

I saw the geneology page that gyran shared

I'm curious what could be the way they could legitimize it as i don't know how ancient a source it could come from.
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