Detail from Jan Toorop, The miraculous catch of fish (1912). Image from here (accessed 9/8/2021).
Identifying the James Gang: From Hebrew Jacob to New Testament James
Pursuing James is a popular activity. Laban did it, as did Esau and a few others. There was good reason: Jacob, or Yaʻaqov, as he was called in the Hebrew language, was a rascal.* His name means “heel-grabber” (remember the kid that would clip your heel in the school hallway and giggle when you stumbled?). Ya’aqov also sired a famous family and was the father of the 12 Israelite tribes (really 13 or 14, but hey, bible math does funny things with numbers).
I assume it is because of this latter claim to fame (and not the former) that many pious mothers hung the name on their boys. By the New Testament era, Ya'aqov had become Iacobus. After a few more linguistic gyrations, Iacobus became the "James" of the English-speaking world, or Iago and Diego in Spanish. (Fun fact: Saint James = San Diego. Who knew that equation?)
Which brings us back to the starting line.
Remember the classic heel trip in the hallway? Image from here (accessed 7/10/2018).
Sorting the Three Jameses of the New Testament
Pursuing James (or Jacob) through the short side of the biblical canon is no easy task. For one, he appears more than 60 times. Furthermore, not all of these appearances refer to the same person. Sorting them out is about as hair-pulling as identifying the various "Herods" of the first century, and only the truly bold would attempt to categorize the "Marys" (Miriam/Maryam).
Some NT scholars have gone bald in the effort to identify no less than eight different persons in the “James Gang.” Since I am losing hairs for other reasons, I’m not going there. Our focus is simply to identify the three "biggies."
Image from here (accessed 9/9/2021).
1. James the Great (Son of Zebedee)
The son of Zebedee is often paired with his brother John (Mt 10:2). Together, they shared the nickname "Thunder-Bro"—and you don't get a name like that without a reason (Mk 3:17). He was an early follower of Jesus (Mt 4:18-22) and a member of the innermost circle (Mt 17:1, Mk 5:37; 14:33). Tradition calls him "the Great" primarily to distinguish him from the next character on our list.
James the Less. Image from here. Accessed 7/14/2018.
2. James the Less (Son of Alphaeus)
Also one of the Twelve, this James is described as the “son of Alphaeus” (Mt 10:3). Just to keep up the spice, his mother was likely also named Mary (Mk 16:1). We know he was with the group in the “upper room” at the start of Acts (1:13), but apart from that, we know very little about James “the Less.”
James the brother of Jesus is also remembered as "James the Just." He was a leading member of the Jerusalem Church. Image from here. Accessed 7/14/2018.
3. James the Just (The Brother of Jesus)
This James was a member of Jesus’s own family. He appears in Matthew 13:54-55 as a resident of Nazareth along with his mother, Mary. The presence of James and his brothers may be why Jesus is specifically identified as Mary’s firstborn (Mt 1:25); James the Just may well have been her second.
Evidence suggests he may not have become a believer until after the resurrection (Mk 6:1-6). Afterward, he became a pillar of the Jerusalem church. Note that in Acts 12, James “the Great” is martyred early on (12:2), but by the end of the chapter, news of Peter’s miraculous release is sent to a different James—a leader in the movement (12:17). This is the James who met Paul (Gal 1:18-19) and is the consensus candidate for the authorship of the Epistle of James.
The Connection to the Camino de Santiago
Pursuing the James Gang is hard work, but these are the primary players: the Great, the Less, and the Just. To make sure we’re on the same page for our journey: the story of the Camino is tied to the traditions of James the Great, or—wait for it—Saint Iago... Santiago!
¡Buen Camino!
*A brief but interesting article on the James/Jacob name switcheroo—and why that is helpful to remember—may be found here (accessed 9/8/2021).
Join Mark and Vicki for a Mediterranean experience May 25-June 5, 2022. We'll be cruising aboard the luxurious Celebrity Infinity. See the link here for details. Onboard lectures will provide focus for the group as we visit the ports of Olympia, Santorini, Ephesus, and Athens among others. Optional add-on visits to Venice or Rome are possible on either end of the trip. Questions? Contact me at markziese@gmail.com.