James is one of Jesus' brothers. He was born on April 2, 3 B.C.E.; he was the second son of Joseph and Mary. [1] James was one of the brothers with whom Jesus got along best. [2] He was the one who accompanied Mary to Sepphoris when the accident occurred that cost Joseph his life. [3] James greatly helped to dispel a problem that had arisen with the nationalistic Zealots of Nazareth with an emotional speech. [4] Jesus took James to his first Passover in Jerusalem in A.D. 12. [5] Jesus made him the head of the family when James was eighteen. [6]
He and Jesus signed a contract on family obligations whereby Jesus gave him the repair shop in exchange for James taking charge of the household finances. [7] He married Esau, a young woman from Nazareth, in November A.D. 20, in a double wedding that also included Miriam. [8] Jesus gave James a house in Capernaum that John Zebedee had purchased there in Jesus' name. [9] He worked in Zebedee's boat shop in Capernaum, taking the position that Jesus had left. [10] James, along with his brother Jude and John the Baptist, were the only four who heard the voice at Jesus' baptism. [11] He accompanied his mother Mary to the wedding at Cana. [12] He joined the apostles during the four months of preparation for preaching. [13] He remained in Jerusalem after Jesus' crucifixion. [14] James was present at the gathering of 120 disciples held at Pentecost following Jesus' death. [15] He was the only witness of Jesus' third morontia appearance; he was also present at the fourth appearance. [16] He was the titular head of the Christian church in Jerusalem. [17] James was supported by Peter in the early conflicts between Christians. [18] The Epistle of James is one of the few exceptions in the New Testament that describes the religious life of Jesus. [19]
As a child he tried to placate warlike playmates by persuasion and nonresistance, as did Jesus. [20] He was a very religious boy. [21] In his youth he became a well-balanced and even-tempered young man; He was a good student, though not as spiritual with Jesus. [22] James had always believed in Jesus, but after losing contact with him he began to harbor doubts. [23] He allowed pride to hinder his better judgment and spiritual intentions toward Jesus. [24] He never completely abandoned faith in Jesus despite his doubts. [25] He had serious disagreements with Abner over issues related to the Jerusalem church. [26] He was afraid for his own safety if Jesus were arrested. [27] Jesus' failure to make James an apostle caused a rift between the Master and his family. [28]
After the Master's death and resurrection, when he joined the early Christian movement, he suffered greatly for not having enjoyed this initial association with Jesus and his disciples. [29] He learned to practice prudent conciliation when he appeared before the civil magistrates. [30]
See also: UB 126:3.12; UB 126:4.9; UB 126:5.8; UB 127:2.11; UB 137:6.1,4; UB 154:5.1.