18) The Seven Catholic (General) Epistles After the fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul, next in sequence are seven other letters, which are referred to as “Catholic” or “General”. They, too, were written by God-inspired men: the first by St. James, the Brother of God; the next two by the Apostle Peter; three by St. John the Evangelist; and the seventh one by St. Jude, the brother of St. James. There have been various opinions about why they were given this name “Catholic.” The most widely accepted opinion, of course, is that they were called this because they are directed to the whole Church, and not to specific Churches or individuals. St. Ecumenius (✠6th century) observes rightly that these letters have the character of encyclicals because they are directed to all the faithful, whether they be Jewish Christians of the Diaspora, or other Christians—Jews or Gentiles. It is true that two of St. John the Evangelist’s letters, are directed to “the elect lady and her children” (II John 1), that is to say, to the Church and her faithful, and the third is written to “the well-beloved Gaius” (III John 1). But because the other five Epistles are directed to all, all the letters, as a group, are referred to as “General” or “Catholic.” This title has been used since ancient times, and the Epistles have, likewise, been recognized since ancient times as being God-inspired. Further, this title in no way lessens the universal quality of the Apostle Paul’s Epistles. Though his missives were written to specific Churches, they immediately were shared by all the Churches among themselves, and thus they also became “Catholic.” 19) St. James, the Brother of God In the introduction of this, the first of the seven Catholic Epistles, it says: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.” Who is this James? In the New Testament there are three men with this name: 1) James, the son of Zebedee and Salome, John the Evangelist’s brother, one of Christ’s twelve Apostles (Matt. 4:21); 2) James, Alphaeus’ son, another of Christ’s twelve Apostles (Matt. 10:3); and 3) James, who was called “the Brother of God” (Gal. 1:19 and Jude 1), that is to say, he was a son of St. Joseph the Betrothed by a former marriage. According to the unanimous testimony of the ancient Church, this last one is the God-inspired author of this letter. Like his other brothers, St. James, at first, was not a disciple of Christ. However, he was of a good disposition, and when the moment came and the grace of God enlightened him, he too believed and dedicated himself wholeheartedly to his “brother,” the Lord Jesus Christ. This happened immediately after the Resurrection, when he was counted worthy of the great honor and joy of seeing the risen Lord. This is why, even before the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, we see him in the Upper Room, “continuing with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14) together with the other disciples. After this, he received a prominent position in the Church when he became the very first Bishop (his diocese was the holy city of Jerusalem). He, together with Ss. Peter and John, was recognized by all as one of the three pillars of the Church. After St. Peter’s miraculous liberation from prison, it was this James who was the first to learn this news. It was this James and the Apostle Peter who were the first to meet with the Apostle Paul in Jerusalem, about three years after the latter had been called to the apostolic ministry. It was this James whom St. Paul visited during his last trip to Jerusalem, when the elders gathered to hear St. Paul narrate what had been accomplished during the missionary journeys. It should be noted also that, despite the Papacy’s later claims and pretensions, it was this James, not Peter, who presided over the Apostolic Council (Acts 15), and who had the last word at this Council. Because of his great virtue and ascetical life, he was held in high esteem by both Christians and Jews, and all called him “the Just.” This, too, is what provoked the deadly hatred of Annas, the High Priest, the son of the High Priest Annas who is mentioned in the New Testament (Luk. 3:2; Jn. 18:13 and 24). Taking advantage of the death of Festus, the governor of Palestine, this Annas was the one who condemned the Apostle James to death by stoning, to the great indignation of most of the people. This is what Josephus (A.D. 100) has to tell us about this in his Jewish Antiquities (20.9.1): Caesar sent Albinus to Judea as procurator when he was informed of the death of Festus. But the younger Annas, who as I said had received the High Priesthood, was headstrong in character and audacious in the extreme. He belonged to the sect of the Sadducees, who in judging offenders are cruel beyond any of the Jews, as I have already made clear. Being a man of this kind, Annas thought that he had a convenient opportunity, since Festus was dead and Albinus still on the way. So he assembled a council of judges and brought before it James, the brother of Jesus, known as Christ, and several others. Annas charged them with breaking the law and handed them over to be stoned. But those who were considered the most fair-minded people in the city, and strict in their observance of the Law, were most indignant at this, and sent secretly to the king, imploring him to write to Annas to stop behaving in this way. His conduct had been wrong from the first. Some of them too waylaid Albinus on the road from Alexandria and explained that it was illegal for Annas to assemble a council without his authority. Convinced by their arguments, Albinus wrote an angry letter to Annas, threatening to punish him. In consequence, King Agrippa deprived him of the High Priesthood, which he had held for three months only, and appointed Jeshua, son of Dammaeus. [1] Just before St. James gave up his soul, he knelt and prayed for his executioners, saying, “I pray Thee, O Lord God, our Father, that Thou forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And thus, becoming “a true witness [martyr] to both Jews and Greeks,” he departed to the Lord about A.D. 62. His feast day is October 23. Dismissal Hymn of St. James, the Brother of God. Fourth Tone. As a disciple of the Lord, O righteous one, thou hast received the Gospel. As a Martyr thou art never turned away. As the Brother of God thou hast boldness. As a hierarch thou canst intercede. Do thou intercede with Christ God that He save our souls. [2] Endnotes: [1] Translation, copyright Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, ed. by Gerald Bray, Vol. 11, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill., 2000. For more on the Saint’s martyrdom, see the October 3 account in The Great Horologion, published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, Mass. [2] Copyright © Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, Mass. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 15:36:40 +0000
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