Few English readers of the New Testament are aware that the familiar name “James,” as it is translated in English, is actually the name “Jacob,” or Yaaqov in Hebrew. In other words James=Jacob. It is the same name. In Greek it remains Yakobos, which makes this point quite clear. The name itself occurs about 60 times in the New Testament and according to John Painter, in his worthwhile book, Just James, these occurrences break down into as many as eight different Jameses (or Jacobs): (1) Jacob the patriarch (Abraham’s grandson) in the Hebrew Bible; (2) Jacob the father of Joseph (husband of Mary, Matthew 1:16); (3) James the son of Zebedee, brother of John the fisherman; (4) James the son of Alphaeus (one of the Twelve); (5) James the less, son of Mary and Clophas; (6) James the brother of Joses/Joseph; (7) James, the brother (or father) of Judas (one of the Twelve Luke 6:16); and finally (8) James the brother of Jesus. This can all become rather confusing but I think we can bring some clarity to the data with a bit of examination.

The first three are without question different persons, and #3 is the well known Gospel character, James son of Zebedee, the fisherman. The possible overlap occurs with numbers 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. Each seemingly separate reference to a different person could well be the same person, and I am convinced this is quite likely. Number four and five agree with the Clophas/Alphaeus scenario which I cover in chapter 4 of my book (possibly a wink to the reader, sons of Clophas/Alphaeus – “oh yeah him”). Number six fits in because the brothers of Jesus were James and Joses. Number seven is also the “other” James of the Twelve, and brother of Judas (and Jesus!), and number eight is clearly a representation of the brother of Jesus. Therefore, each of the Jameses listed here as #s 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 are presented as being one individual represented in five contexts. It is confusing to readers today, but once the identification of this “second” or “other” James is made, these texts fit together rather well. If we leave out the Patriarch Jacob, and Jacob/James the father of Joseph, husband of Mary, that leave only TWO Jameses–James the fisherman and James the brother of Jesus. And that is indeed what we find in the letters of Paul as well as in the book of Acts–two Jameses not six. I not only find the economy of this interpretation convincing, it just makes the best sense to me of the various passages where these “Jameses” are mentioned.

James the fisherman apparently dies quite early on, beheaded by Herod (Acts 12). But what about the “other” James, the brother of Jesus, about which there is so much confusion. Two theories come to dominate in Christian theology, one being the eastern view and the other being the western. The eastern view holds Mary to be a virgin not only at the time of the birth of Jesus, but throughout her entire life. It goes on to portray Joseph as father of four sons and two daughters with another woman prior to his marriage to Mary. He becomes a widower, remarries, and thus brings these six children to the marriage. The western view is stricter in that it holds not only Mary, but Joseph also were strict virgins throughout their entire lives and neither of them ever had any children. These “brothers” and “sisters” are merely cousins, children of Joseph’s brother Clophas, but through another woman named Mary, not Mary the mother of Jesus. In The Jesus Dynasty I present an alternative view.

Jesus was the son of Mary, father unknown, but possibly one named Pantera. Joseph marries Mary but dies early leaving no sons behind. Joseph’s brother (possibly called James for his father), but nicknamed Clophas/Alphaeus, stepped in, as required by Jewish law, married Mary, Jesus’ mother, and they had six children–the four boys, James, Joses, Simon, and Jude, as well as two sisters, Mary and Salome (Mark 6:3). I am convinced, though some argue otherwise, that Clophas/Alphaeus comes from the Hebrew word Chalaf = replacer, to replace, to step in, one who replaces. I am further convinced that at least three of these brothers, and possibly all four, were part of the Twelve. In my thinking this particular theory makes the best sense of all the evidence we have, concerning the James, Alphaeus, Clophas, and the “two” Marys, whom I take to be one–the mother of Jesus.

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