James (son of Alphaeus)

• Acts 12:17 has Peter, out of the prison, say, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers,” and does not say whose son or brother this James is. Acts 15:13–21 also has James answer, “Brothers, listen to me,” and does not say who he is. Acts 21:18 also says that Paul went in to James, and all the elders were present, and does not say who he is.
  Source evidence (3)

  AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.

  • ACT 12:12–17, engwebp

    ¹²Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

    ¹³When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.

    ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

    ¹⁵They said to her, “You are crazy!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”

    ¹⁶But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him and were amazed.

    ¹⁷But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

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  • ACT 15:12–21, engwebp

    ¹²All the multitude kept silence, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting what signs and wonders God had done among the nations through them.

    ¹³After they were silent, James answered, “Brothers, listen to me.

    ¹⁴Simeon has reported how God first visited the nations to take out of them a people for his name.

    ¹⁵This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,

    ¹⁶‘After these things I will return. I will again build the tabernacle of David, which has fallen. I will again build its ruins. I will set it up

    ¹⁷that the rest of men may seek after the Lord: all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things.’

    ¹⁸“All of God’s works are known to him from eternity.

    ¹⁹Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,

    ²⁰but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

    ²¹For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

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  • ACT 21:17–26, engwebp

    ¹⁷When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.

    ¹⁸The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.

    ¹⁹When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.

    ²⁰They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.

    ²¹They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and not to walk after the customs.

    ²²What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.

    ²³Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow.

    ²⁴Take them and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law.

    ²⁵But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality.”

    ²⁶Then Paul took the men, and the next day purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.

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• Acts 12:1–2, which comes before 12:17, says that King Herod killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
  Source evidence (1)

  AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.

  • ACT 12:1–5, engwebp

    ¹Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

    ²He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

    ³When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.

    ⁴When he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

    ⁵Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.

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• Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18 and Luke 6:15 name James the son of Alphaeus among the twelve, and Acts 1:13 names him among those in the upper room.
  Source evidence (4)

  AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.

  • ACT 1:12–14, engwebp

    ¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

    ¹³When they had come in, they went up into the upper room where they were staying, that is Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.

    ¹⁴All these with one accord continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

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  • LUK 6:12–16, engwebp

    ¹²In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God.

    ¹³When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:

    ¹⁴Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew;

    ¹⁵Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Simon who was called the Zealot;

    ¹⁶Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor.

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  • MAT 10:1–4, engwebp

    ¹He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.

    ²Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother;

    ³Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, who was also called Thaddaeus;

    ⁴Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

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  • MRK 3:13–19, engwebp

    ¹³He went up into the mountain and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him.

    ¹⁴He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach

    ¹⁵and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:

    ¹⁶Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);

    ¹⁷James the son of Zebedee; and John, the brother of James, (whom he called Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder);

    ¹⁸Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot;

    ¹⁹and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Then he came into a house.

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• Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 name James among those whom the people of Jesus’ own country call his brothers.
  Source evidence (2)

  AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.

  • MAT 13:53–58, engwebp

    ⁵³When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.

    ⁵⁴Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

    ⁵⁵Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

    ⁵⁶Aren’t all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?”

    ⁵⁷They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.”

    ⁵⁸He didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

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  • MRK 6:1–6, engwebp

    ¹He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him.

    ²When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands?

    ³Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him.

    ⁴Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

    ⁵He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.

    ⁶He marveled because of their unbelief. He went around the villages teaching.

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• Galatians 1:18–19 give the words of the writer (“I”): “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days. But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother.” 2:9 names “James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars”, and 2:12 “some people” who “came from James”.
  Source evidence (3)

  AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.

  • GAL 1:18–24, engwebp

    ¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and stayed with him fifteen days.

    ¹⁹But of the other apostles I saw no one except James, the Lord’s brother.

    ²⁰Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I’m not lying.

    ²¹Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

    ²²I was still unknown by face to the assemblies of Judea which were in Christ,

    ²³but they only heard, “He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy.”

    ²⁴So they glorified God in me.

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  • GAL 2:1–10, engwebp

    ¹Then after a period of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me.

    ²I went up by revelation, and I laid before them the Good News which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately before those who were respected, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

    ³But not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.

    ⁴This was because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who stole in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage,

    ⁵to whom we gave no place in the way of subjection, not for an hour, that the truth of the Good News might continue with you.

    ⁶But from those who were reputed to be important—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God doesn’t show partiality to man—they, I say, who were respected imparted nothing to me,

    ⁷but to the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the Good News for the uncircumcised, even as Peter with the Good News for the circumcised—

    ⁸for he who worked through Peter in the apostleship with the circumcised also worked through me with the Gentiles—

    ⁹and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision.

    ¹⁰They only asked us to remember the poor—which very thing I was also zealous to do.

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  • GAL 2:11–14, engwebp

    ¹¹But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.

    ¹²For before some people came from James, he ate with the Gentiles. But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

    ¹³And the rest of the Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

    ¹⁴But when I saw that they didn’t walk uprightly according to the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live as the Gentiles do, and not as the Jews do, why do you compel the Gentiles to live as the Jews do?

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Acts 12:17 does not say who this James is. Because Acts 12:1–2, which comes before 12:17, says that James, the brother of John, was killed with the sword, this collection does not join the James of 12:17 to him and records him as an entry of his own, and does not decide whether he is the same person as James the son of Alphaeus or the James who is called a brother of Jesus. This collection records the James of Galatians 1:19, 2:9 and 2:12 under James (brother of Jesus) and does not decide whether he is the James of Acts 12:17, 15:13 and 21:18.