Apostolic Succession-James (Hebrew: יעקב Yaakov; Greek Ἰάκωβος Iákōbos), first Bishop of Bishops,[2] who died in 62 or 69, was an important figure of the Apostolic Age. He is distinguished from the Apostle James, son of Zebedee by various epithets; he is called James the brother of the Lord by Paul (Galatians 1:19), James the brother of the Lord, surnamed the Just by Hegesippus and others, James the Righteous, James of Jerusalem In a letter addressed to James from Clement of Rome, James was called as the bishop of bishops, who rules Jerusalem, the Holy Assembly of Hebrews, and all assemblies everywhere.[3] But like the rest of the early Christians, information about his life is scarce and ambiguous. In the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas, Jesus names James his successor: The disciples said to Jesus, We know that you will depart from us. Who will be our leader? Jesus said to them, ;Where you are, you are to go to James the Just, for whose sake heaven and earth came into existence.[4] Apart from a handful of references in the synoptic Gospels, the main sources for his life are the Acts of the Apostles, the Pauline epistles, the historian Josephus, Eusebius and St. Jerome who also quote the early Christian chronicler Hegesippus and Epiphanus.[5] The Epistle of James in the New Testament is traditionally attributed to him, and he is a principal author of the Apostolic Decree of Acts 15. In the extant lists of Hippolytus of Rome,[6] Dorotheus of Tyre, the Chronicon Paschale, and Dimitry of Rostov, he is the first of the Seventy Apostles, though some sources, such as the Catholic Encyclopedia,[7] seeking to preserve the primacy for Saint Peter as the first Pope, draw the conclusion that these lists are unfortunately worthless.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 14:00:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015