We’re shuffling along in a long, slow queue, hoping
to see some ancient bone box (ossuary) that has miraculously survived nearly two
thousand years of violent upheaval and destruction in Jerusalem.
Finally
it’s our turn to read the various translations of the inscription:
Ya'akov bar Yosef achui di Yeshua… or...Jacques,
fils de Joseph, frère de JésusThis is what Catholic popes would have us believe:
“Mary remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to him, a virgin in carrying him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a virgin…”
…always a virgin?? That’s not what the Scriptures tell us…
“Joseph…knew her not til she had brought forth her firstborn son…” In fact, twice we are told Mary produced quite a family:
“Joseph…knew her not til she had brought forth her firstborn son…” In fact, twice we are told Mary produced quite a family:
“Is
not this (Jesus) the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and
Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?”
So which brother is Ya’akov?
Jacob in English comes from Ya’aqob in
Hebrew = Ya’akov in Aramaic = Iakobus in Greek = Iacomus in Latin = Jaime in Spanish = James in English. Yes, Ya’akov is who we call James - son
number two!
What do we know about James?
Like his brothers, James didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God, in
fact they mocked this ‘disgrace’ to the family (John 7:5) who was finally crucified as the worst of criminals
(Isaiah 53) but we know that after Jesus returned to heaven,
James and his siblings joined in prayer with the disciples (Acts 1:14).
So what made James drastically change his mind?
Jesus as the risen Christ “was seen of James…” (1 Corinthians 15:7)
He saw that his brother Jesus who had been flogged, crucified and speared as the worst of criminals, had risen from the dead!
James was forced to believe, thanks to…..RESURRECTION!He saw that his brother Jesus who had been flogged, crucified and speared as the worst of criminals, had risen from the dead!
…and then what?
James was married (1 Corinthians 9:5), became respected as a
leader of the early Church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 21:18 ;
Galatians 1&2) and mediated between Jewish and Gentile
Christians (Acts 15).
So what happened to James?
Flavius Josephus the Jewish historian recorded
that he was stoned by order of Ananus the High Priest in AD 62 - possibly after
being thrown from a height near the temple.
Did James the brother of Jesus write the Book of James? Probably - but more to the point….. What did James have to say?
Martin Luther dismissed this book as ‘strawy’ because he thought it contradicted Paul quoting Habakkuk: “The just shall live by faith”. James was really saying: okay, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” but let’s get fair dinkum about this faith business – “I will shew thee my faith by my works”.
“Tell those Gentiles to stay away from idolatry, fornication and blood.”
“You claim to be a Christian?...well, how about
acting like one.”
“The Lord’s return is very soon….the judge is
standing at the door!”
NEXT: James' ossuary - the Toronto blessing! Click on:
Acknowledgements:
Ben Witherington III, Asbury Theological Seminary
Shanks H. & Witherington B, ‘The Brother of Jesus’, Harper Collins, New York, 2003
Josephus F, (Ed. Whiston W.) Works of Josephus, Master Books, Book XX, Chapter IX, Para 1, 2008
Catholic Catechism clause 510
Photo credits:
ossuary / mtio.com
fist / realcourage.org
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