The Epistle of James is often overlooked, but it was written by one of the most important people in the New Testament. This is the story ...

The name James

James is a very common Christian name for boys in the English-speaking world and one of the most popular names in the UK, Australia and the US. The name comes into English from old French via the Latin form 'Iacomus'. Forms of the name vary in different languages. In French it is Jacques, in German Jakob, in Welsh and Spanish it is Iago, and in Irish it becomes Seamus.

Kings of Scotland

The name James has been used in England since the 13th century, though it became more common in Scotland. Scotland had many kings called James starting with James I in 1394, through to James VI of Scotland in 1566. It was James VI who became James I of England in 1603, and the first king to rule both the Kingdoms of England and Scotland.

King James Bible

It was King James VI and I who commissioned the Bible published in 1611, and known in Britain as the Authorised Version (AV). He did not translate it himself, and in fact it was not really a translation, but a revision of the Bishop's Bible, but it is commonly called the King James Version (KJV) or the King James Bible (KJB).

Jacob or James?

In Greek the name Ἰάκωβος (Iakobos) is the form of the Hebrew name Jacob. In English, Jacob and James are effectively two forms of the same name. Some Christians claim that 'Jacob' was replaced by the name 'James' in the Authorised Version of the Bible to please the King. However this is a myth, because the spelling 'Iames' is used in Tyndale's New Testament from 1526, and before that by Wycliffe. It was then spelt 'Iames' instead of 'James', because it was before the letter J came into common use.

The grandson of King James VI was known as James VII in Scotland and James II in England. He was deposed in 1688, and his followers, and the followers of his descendants are known as the Jacobites, because the Latin form of James was Jacobus.

The two men called James

In the New Testament we find some names borne by many people such as Joseph, Mary, and James. To distinguish the two men called James who are both in the New Testament, the apostle James, son of Zebedee has been traditionally called James the Great, and James, brother of Jesus, has been traditionally called James the Just. Actually neither is really called James at all. It is the enduring tradition in English Bibles, even in modern translations, to use the traditional forms of names, and in Hebrew they are both the same name which in the Old Testament is rendered Jacob.

James the Just

James the Just, is traditionally believed to be the author of the Book of James. James was a son of Mary and Joseph, and thus a half-brother to Jesus. When Jesus's blood-brothers are mentioned in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3, it is the name of James which always appears first, before Joseph (Joses), Judas and Simon, which suggests he was probably the eldest.

In the four Gospel accounts, James is only mentioned a couple of times. He originally does not seem to have been a believer (John 7:2-5). However, James became one of the earliest witnesses of his brother's resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7).

James in the Early Church

James then stays in Jerusalem, and joins a group who meet in the upper room (Acts 1:14). James was resident in Jerusalem when the newly converted Saul (later more commonly known by his Roman name of Paul) came to meet with him and Peter (Galatians 1:19). When Peter escapes from prison, it is to James that he reports about the escape (Acts 12:17). When the Council of Jerusalem meets it seems to be chaired by James (Acts 15:13-19). His desire was peace within the diverse Church. He was no legalist and emphasised grace over law, and gracious care for Gentile believers. St Paul mentions meeting James in Galatians 1:18-2:10, and calls him a 'pillar' of the Church (Galatians 2:9), along with Peter and John.

Martyrdom

It is believed that James was martyred, although there is no biblical record of his death. However the death of James was recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus in his "Antiquities of the Jews". Josephus calls James 'the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ' and records that he was stoned on the order of Ananus ben Ananus, the High Priest. This event is usually dated to 62 AD, which also helps us date his letter.

The Epistle of James

James is usually recognised as the author of the Epistle of James. Assuming he was killed in AD 62, the letter was probably written somewhere between AD 50 and his AD 60. James identifies himself by name, and simply describes himself as 'a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ' (James 1:1). James seems to have been humble, and never used his position as Jesus' brother as a basis for authority. His letter is a very practical down to earth implementation of faith.

Martin Luther famously called the letter an 'epistle of straw' because he alleged it had 'nothing of the nature of the Gospel about it'. However James was no theologian like Paul. He was the leader of the Church concerned about behaviour and ethics. It was James who cut through the legalism and controversies to see the heart of Jesus, and wrote, 'Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world' (James 1:27 NIV).

Jesus never left anything written down, but if you knew that the eldest of his brothers who grew up with him had written a letter, would you not want to read it?