James was a bricklayer and a business partner with Joseph, and they shared several houses in the village; he was next-door neighbor in Nazareth. [1] Young Jesus sought advice from James on what to do when a rabbi from Jerusalem came to Nazareth with an offer for the family. [2] James must have died around A.D. 20 or earlier, and his house was taken over by his son James and Jesus' sister Miriam. [3]