Re: "James the Just": What is the origin of the phrase?
Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:37 am
Re: My current hypothesis on origin of the phrase "James the Just"
The phrase "James the Just" refers the NT "James" whose name appears most prominantly, but also confusingly in Acts 15, since it is without epithet. The epithet, "the righteous one" echoes the designation for Jesus as such in Acts 3:14, 7:52, and 22:14.
The oldest usage of the phrase "James the Just" (preserved through Eusebius, who misapplied it to "the Lord's brother") was in the Gospel of Hebrews.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of ... #Reception
In Gospel of Hebrews, the phrase "James the Just" refers to one of the 12 at the Last Supper who was, in the resurrection, called "my brother" by Jesus (in the ordinary Pauline sense of the phrase "my brother"--2 Corinthians 2:13, Philippians 2:25). It does not imply a blood kinship.
A literary echo in support of this understanding of Jesus calling James the Just "my brother" in the ordinary Pauline sense of a spiritual, not a physical brother, is to be found in First Apocalypse of James:
"It is the Lord who spoke with me: "See now the completion of my redemption. I have given you a sign of these things, James, my brother. For not without reason have I called you my brother, although you are not my brother materially. And I am not ignorant concerning you; so that when I give you a sign - know and hear...
The Lord said, "James, do not be concerned for me or for this people. I am he who was within me. Never have I suffered in any way, nor have I been distressed. And this people has done me no harm. But this (people) existed as a type of the archons, and it deserved to be destroyed through them. But [...] the archons, [...] who has [...] but since it [...] angry with [...] The just [...] is his servant. Therefore your name is "James the Just".
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/t ... es1st.html
IMHO, neither the writer of Luke-Acts (who, in Acts 1:14, speaks of brothers of Jesus in the literal sense of being other sons of Mary, but never names any of them), nor any NT writer exegeted Paul's "pillar" James (Gal 2:9 Cf. 1 Cor 15:7 and Acts 15) as being one and the same as "Lord's brother" named James (Gal 1:19, Cf 1 Cor 9:5, Mark 6:3 and 15:40, and Acts 1:14). Likewise, within Gospel of Hebrews, First Apocalypse of James and Gospel of Thomas, I find no internal evidence that "James the Just" was a blood relative of Jesus. All internal evidence is to the contrary. Thus, IMHO, the designation "James the Just" originally referred to the "James" who is named (confusingly) without epithet in Acts 15 (Cf. the pillar James of Gal 2:9, and the seer James of 1 Cor. 15:7, as well as, obscurely, "the James" of Mark 16:1/Lk 24:10).
Conversely, the epithet, "the Just", functioned originally to distinguish the James of Acts 15 from Jesus' brother "according to the flesh" who was known not only by the epithet "the Lord's brother" (according to Gal 1:19--where Paul warily discerns him to be the only ἕτερον, "different" apostle, he had seen on that visit. Cf Gal 2:12--"some from James"); the "brother of the Lord" named "James" was also distinguished by the epithet "the less" according to Mk 15:40, Cf Mark 6:3, and Mark 3:35).
The phrase "James the Just" refers the NT "James" whose name appears most prominantly, but also confusingly in Acts 15, since it is without epithet. The epithet, "the righteous one" echoes the designation for Jesus as such in Acts 3:14, 7:52, and 22:14.
The oldest usage of the phrase "James the Just" (preserved through Eusebius, who misapplied it to "the Lord's brother") was in the Gospel of Hebrews.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of ... #Reception
In Gospel of Hebrews, the phrase "James the Just" refers to one of the 12 at the Last Supper who was, in the resurrection, called "my brother" by Jesus (in the ordinary Pauline sense of the phrase "my brother"--2 Corinthians 2:13, Philippians 2:25). It does not imply a blood kinship.
A literary echo in support of this understanding of Jesus calling James the Just "my brother" in the ordinary Pauline sense of a spiritual, not a physical brother, is to be found in First Apocalypse of James:
"It is the Lord who spoke with me: "See now the completion of my redemption. I have given you a sign of these things, James, my brother. For not without reason have I called you my brother, although you are not my brother materially. And I am not ignorant concerning you; so that when I give you a sign - know and hear...
The Lord said, "James, do not be concerned for me or for this people. I am he who was within me. Never have I suffered in any way, nor have I been distressed. And this people has done me no harm. But this (people) existed as a type of the archons, and it deserved to be destroyed through them. But [...] the archons, [...] who has [...] but since it [...] angry with [...] The just [...] is his servant. Therefore your name is "James the Just".
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/t ... es1st.html
IMHO, neither the writer of Luke-Acts (who, in Acts 1:14, speaks of brothers of Jesus in the literal sense of being other sons of Mary, but never names any of them), nor any NT writer exegeted Paul's "pillar" James (Gal 2:9 Cf. 1 Cor 15:7 and Acts 15) as being one and the same as "Lord's brother" named James (Gal 1:19, Cf 1 Cor 9:5, Mark 6:3 and 15:40, and Acts 1:14). Likewise, within Gospel of Hebrews, First Apocalypse of James and Gospel of Thomas, I find no internal evidence that "James the Just" was a blood relative of Jesus. All internal evidence is to the contrary. Thus, IMHO, the designation "James the Just" originally referred to the "James" who is named (confusingly) without epithet in Acts 15 (Cf. the pillar James of Gal 2:9, and the seer James of 1 Cor. 15:7, as well as, obscurely, "the James" of Mark 16:1/Lk 24:10).
Conversely, the epithet, "the Just", functioned originally to distinguish the James of Acts 15 from Jesus' brother "according to the flesh" who was known not only by the epithet "the Lord's brother" (according to Gal 1:19--where Paul warily discerns him to be the only ἕτερον, "different" apostle, he had seen on that visit. Cf Gal 2:12--"some from James"); the "brother of the Lord" named "James" was also distinguished by the epithet "the less" according to Mk 15:40, Cf Mark 6:3, and Mark 3:35).