Saint James
Son of Alphaeus
"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?"
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Saint James The Brother of The Lord and The First Bishop of Jerusalem
Saint James was the son of Alphaeus (Clopas) (Matt. 10:3) and the brother of the Lord: "But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother” (Gal. 1:19). He was known by the qualifier Little to distinguish him from St. James the Great, son of Zebedee.
He was one of the twelve disciples (Matt. 10:3). He followed the Lord Christ during His ministry and heard His teachings. The Holy Spirit also came down upon him on the day of Pentecost along with the disciples and the apostles. He was chosen by the holy apostles as bishop for the mother church in Jerusalem.
He had a strong personality, which gave him a prominent position among the Jews on one side and his children the newly converted Jews to Christianity on the other side. He was a witness to the Resurrection of Jesus as St. Paul says:
"After that He (Jesus) was seen by James, then by all the apostles"
The First Church Council
St. James presided over the first church council in the year 50 A.D., which was called the Council of Jerusalem. This council debated the subject of Judaizing the Gentiles who desired to enter the Christian faith. He had the final decision of the council. St. Paul the apostle mentioned him as one of the three pillars in his Epistle to the Galatians,
“and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised”
His Personality and Teachings
Saint James was held in high esteem in the apostolic church. From childhood, he was accustomed to observing the laws of Jewish piety and even took the vow of a Nazirite. He was made bishop of the headquarters of the Jewish nation. The Jews gave him the title "the Just" because of his upright character, recognizing that such a man would adopt the Christian life in substance while retaining Jewish and Old Testament like in form.
For him, Christianity meant the unfolding and revelation of Judaism in its true and final glory. To be a Christian essentially meant to be a completed Jew. God was still the great Lawgiver. The Law was still glorious. God's people were still the "twelve tribes" of Israel. The temple was still the center of God's worship. As prophesied in the Old Testament, Jesus was the Messiah, who would establish the Kingdom of God as promised in the Psalms (Ps. 110). He is the one to whom all the nations would come and submit.
The Epistle of St. James: A Vital Call to a Holy Life
The Epistle he wrote in the New Testament is considered a link between Judaism and Christianity, as the ministry of John the Baptist was between the Old Covenant and the New. Although the Epistle touches on little that is specifically Christian in its teachings, the mind and spirit of Christ breathe freely in it, giving renewed life to old and worn Jewish thoughts. The Epistle we have before us has found for itself a special place in many hearts, equally because of its simplicity, homespun practicality, and terse and plain morality.
It has been estimated that the Epistle alludes to the book of Proverbs at least ten times, to Job six times, and to the deuterocanonical books of the Wisdom of Solomon and Ecclesiasticus a total of twenty times. These numbers make it clear that St. James loved to clothe his teaching in the fabric of proverbs, and his congregation in Jerusalem were likely most edified by this plain and unembellished style. We can also see from the epistle those characters and passages of the Old Testament that had the most charm for him: he alludes to Abraham, Rahab, Job, and Elijah; he refers to the Pentateuch, to the Psalms, to Isaiah, and to Amos. These examples were all meant to spur the reader to action.
St. James does not spend any time dwelling on deep theological problems, and he never suggests the reader to lose himself in dreamy, meditative states. His call is ever to swift, tangible action. In this sense we can come to a better understanding of his remarks on the interaction between "faith" and "works."
"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works".