Saint James of Jerusalem, Martyr

October 23, St. James of Jerusalem, Martyr –

James of Jerusalem is referred to in the New Testament as the brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He was for many years the leader of the Christian congregation in Jerusalem, and is generally supposed to be the author of the Epistle of James, although the Epistle itself does not state this explicitly. James is mentioned briefly in connection with Jesus’ visit to Nazareth (M 13:55; P 6:3). We are told that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him (J 7:2-5), and from this, and from references in early Christian writers, it is inferred that James was not a disciple of the Lord until after the Resurrection.