Two Jameses, Two Churches, Two Quarters, One Jerusalem

 "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor." Luke 6:12-16.

The Twelve Apostles figure largely in the story of Jesus and the founding of the Christian faith. While there is scant information on most of the Apostles in the New Testament, there is an abundance of early church history and traditions regarding all twelve following Pentecost (excepting Judas Iscariot, who following his betrayal of Christ and suicide, was replaced by Matthias of Judea).

A certain degree of confusion has occurred in the story of the apostles over the fact that two apostles are both named James. A more serious complication is a divergence of traditions between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox and Eastern-rite churches on the identity of James, the son of Alphaeus. Fortunately, the story of James the Great (paired with John in the scripture) is relatively straightforward. It is generally accepted that James the Great was martyred in Jerusalem, and while the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain is said to have much of the relics of Saint James the Great, the head of Saint James remains at the Armenian Cathedral of Saint James that bears his name. Yet the cathedral, built in the 12th century, is co-dedicated to James, son of Alphaeus, and there the true confusion begins.

James, son of Alphaeus, is known in the Catholic Church as James the Less, and is held to be the cousin of Jesus Christ through Mary of Clopas, the sister of the Virgin Mary, and may have been the brother of Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist. (Note: the title "the Less" is an indication of age rather than stature or importance, so a more technical translation would be  "James the Elder" and  "James the Younger”).

In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern-rite traditions, including that of the Armenian Apostolic Church, however, James, son of Alphaeus, is James, the Brother of the Lord. Surprising as this may be to many, eastern tradition holds that St. Joseph, the earthly husband of the Virgin Mary, earthly father of Christ, and patriarch of the Holy Family, was a widow with children when he wed the Virgin Mary. James, the Brother of the Lord, was his son, and therefore the half-brother (after a fashion) of Christ. Indeed, James, the Brother of the Lord is often depicted in eastern iconography as helping lead the Holy Family into exile in Egypt following the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem. James, the Brother of the Lord is known to have become the first bishop of Jerusalem. To this end, another church is dedicated to James the Brother of the Lord, adjacent to the Holy Sepulchre on the left side of the entrance. This church is under the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and has traditionally been the parish of the Arab-speaking Orthodox Christian community of the Old City. James, the Brother of the Lord, who is also sometimes called St. James the Just, is also known for being the author of the oldest surviving liturgy in the Orthodox Church, known as the Liturgy of St. James.  

Both churches of Saint James can be visited in Jerusalem during the week with coordination from the church caretakers, and are open on Sundays and during major feast days. Both are deeply historic places immersed in two different but connected expressions of Christianity, with beautiful liturgical practices, iconography, and parishioners carrying the tradition of living Christianity in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem, where both Apostle Jameses, be they Great, Less, Martyr, Just, a brother or cousin, played a tremendous part in the sharing the flame of Pentecost throughout the world.    

Journey to the Holy Land!

Good Shepherd Travel includes Jerusalem as part of our Holy Land pilgrimages along with Jerusalem, Nazareth and the Galilee, Bethlehem, Jericho, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. Other popular pilgrimage tours to locations such as Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and Ireland are also available. For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage in late 2022 and 2023, contact Good Shepherd Travel owner and manager, Tony AbuAita at Tony@goodshepherdtravel.com.