Was the "James" of 1 Cor. 15:7 the son of Alphaeus?
Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2021 12:48 am
Re: The "James" of 1 Corinthians 15:5-7
"...and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth."
As my confidence grows that the "James" whose name appears simply in Gal 2:9 and Mark 16:1 and Acts 15 was the son of Alphaeus, and as I ponder Gospel of the Hebrews as referring to James the son of Alphaeus (not "the Lord's brother") under the title, "James the Just" (Cf gThomas, but contra Hegesippus), I am warming up to the the thesis of Karl Wieseler [1813-1883] which states that the "James" of 1 Cor. 15 must also refer the son of Alphaeus (A chronological synopsis of the four Gospels. p 404f):
https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_ ... ho%20is%22
In this interpretation (whether 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 is an interpolation or not), the "James" of Gal 1:19 (Cf 2:12) needed to be called "the Lord's brother" to distinguish him from the "James" whose simple name could be used in one accord with Cephas's in Gal 2:9 and 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 without any need for such an epithet.
In Wieseler's interpretation, the name of Cephas introduces appearances in Galilee, and the name of James introduces appearances in Judea. It can all be harmonized with the Gospel accounts, as he demonstrates in detail.
"...and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. And last of all He appeared to me also, as to one of untimely birth."
As my confidence grows that the "James" whose name appears simply in Gal 2:9 and Mark 16:1 and Acts 15 was the son of Alphaeus, and as I ponder Gospel of the Hebrews as referring to James the son of Alphaeus (not "the Lord's brother") under the title, "James the Just" (Cf gThomas, but contra Hegesippus), I am warming up to the the thesis of Karl Wieseler [1813-1883] which states that the "James" of 1 Cor. 15 must also refer the son of Alphaeus (A chronological synopsis of the four Gospels. p 404f):
https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_ ... ho%20is%22
In this interpretation (whether 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 is an interpolation or not), the "James" of Gal 1:19 (Cf 2:12) needed to be called "the Lord's brother" to distinguish him from the "James" whose simple name could be used in one accord with Cephas's in Gal 2:9 and 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 without any need for such an epithet.
In Wieseler's interpretation, the name of Cephas introduces appearances in Galilee, and the name of James introduces appearances in Judea. It can all be harmonized with the Gospel accounts, as he demonstrates in detail.