James

Role: leader of the Jerusalem church
Era: 1 AD–62 AD
Passages: 15
Named in: New Testament (8 books)

Martyred about AD 62 according to Josephus.

Brother of Jesus; presided at the Jerusalem council.

The name

Ἰακώβου Iakōbou — of James lexicon

Family

Mother: Mary Mat 13:55 disputed
Whether the "brothers of the Lord" are sons of Mary is exactly what the traditions dispute; recorded here as disputed rather than settled either way.

What the traditions disagree about

Who are the "brothers of the Lord"?

Genuine disagreement

Common ground. All traditions agree that the men named in Matthew 13:55 are real people closely connected to Jesus, that James among them led the Jerusalem church, and that the Greek word used can carry a wider sense than full sibling.

Three readings have names, all ancient. Helvidius: later children of Mary and Joseph. Epiphanius: sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage. Jerome: cousins. Which one a tradition takes is largely decided by its answer on Mary's perpetual virginity.

Roman Catholic: The Hieronymian reading: they are kinsmen, not sons of Mary. Held together with her perpetual virginity. Jerome, Against Helvidius
Eastern Orthodox: The Epiphanian reading: they are sons of Joseph by a marriage before Mary, which is why James can be called the Lord's brother while Mary remains ever-virgin. Epiphanius, Panarion 78
Anglican: No required position; all three readings are found.
Baptist: The Helvidian reading: they are later children of Mary and Joseph, which is the plain sense of the text.
Pentecostal: The Helvidian reading, on the same ground.

Traditions not listed have no position recorded here. That is a gap in what we have written down, not a statement that they are silent.

Named in

Passages are linked from the tagged text; the summary and any positions above are written by hand and cited.