Keeping them straight: James the Greater and James the Less

New Theological Movement:

July 25th, Feast of St. James the Greater

“St. James the Apostle, brother of blessed John the Evangelist, who was beheaded by Herod Agrippa about the time of the Paschal Feast, being the first of the Apostles to receive the crown of martyrdom. His sacred bones were translated on this day from Jerusalem to Spain, and buried in the furthest parts of that country, in Galicia, and are piously venerated with great honour by the people of that country, and by the mighty concourse of Christians who go thither to perform their religious duties and vows.” (from the Roman Martyrology)

Devout Catholics often feel a certain anxiety when a feast of one of the St. James-es occurs. We often wonder: Which James is this again? And what did that James do? And how many Jameses are there anyways?

There are, in fact, as many as five different Jameses presented in the Scripture – and to these, there are also many extra-canonical traditions regarding the Jameses. In this little article, we will not so much attempt to give all the scriptural and patristic proofs of the general tradition, but will instead strive to put forward (clearly and concisely) the scriptural and traditional accounts about the different Jameses.

The five important James-figures in Scripture
The name "James" in the New Testament is borne by several:
1. James, the son of Zebedee — Apostle, brother of John, Apostle; also called "James the Greater".
2. James, the son of Alpheus, Apostle — Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13.
3. James, the brother of the Lord — Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19. Without a shadow of doubt, he must be identified with the James of Galatians 2:2 and 2:9; Acts 12:17, 15:13 sqq. and 21:18; and 1 Corinthians 15:7.
4. James, the son of Mary, brother of Joseph (or Joses) — Mark 15:40 (where he is called "the little", not the "less", as in the D.V., nor the "lesser"); Matthew 27:56. Probably the son of Cleophas or Clopas (John 19:25) where "Maria Cleophæ" is generally translated "Mary the wife of Cleophas", as married women are commonly distinguished by the addition of their husband's name.
5. James, the brother of Jude — Jude 1:1. Most Catholic commentators identify Jude with the "Judas Jacobi", the "brother of James" (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13), called thus because his brother James was better known than himself in the primitive Church.
[taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia on “James the Less”]

Additionally, we know of James who wrote the Letter of St. James, James the bishop of Jerusalem, James who is regularly mentioned together with Peter and John, James whose bones are in Compostela (Spain), and James who is buried in Rome (at Dodici Apostoli).

The Church has recognized, in all these James-figures, only two men – who were related as uncle and nephew.

James the Less (uncle of James the Greater)

The general consensus of the Fathers, Doctors and theologians is that James the Less is the “James” of 2-5 (from the above list), as well as the Bishop of Jerusalem, the author of the Letter of St. James, and who is buried in Rome.

This James is the brother (rather, cousin) of the Lord (through both Joseph and Mary), the son of Cleophas (aka Alphaeus, who met Christ on the way to Emmaus and was brother to Joseph the spouse of Mary) and Mary of Alphaeus (the sister of the Virgin Mary), the brother also of Mary Salome, and also the brother of Jude the Apostle, called the Less or the little. This James is also called “James the Just”.

His feast is on May 3rd (May 11th in the 1962 calendar, though traditionally on May 1st), together with St. Philip.

James the Greater (nephew of James the Less)

This is the first James (1) from the above list – James the Greater, the brother of John the Evangelist. James the Greater is called “Greater” as a means of distinguishing him from James the Less (who is called “the Less” from Mark 15:40). This is James who is regularly mentioned together with Peter and John as being taken apart from the rest of the Apostles to experience a special revelation from Jesus (as at the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden).

James the Greater was the son of Zebedee and of Mary Salome. This means that he was the nephew of James the Less, who was the brother of Salome.

This is the James who is said to have preached the Gospel in Spain and whose bones are venerated at Compostela. Today is his feast.
In the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I)

From the Communicantes of the new English translation of the Roman Missal: “In communion with those whose memory we venerate, […] your blessed Apostles and Martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, James, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon, and Jude.”

We may question: Which James is which?

The answer: The first “James” is James the Greater – elder brother of John, hence he is placed directly before him. The second “James” is James the Less – who is venerated together with Philip and placed beside him in the Canon.

The biblical and patristic evidence for these claims is laid out in an earlier article here.

St. James, Pray for us!