BOOKS

JAMES THE BROTHER

Born: c. 4 BCE in Nazareth
Died: c. 65 CE in Nazareth

James was Jesus’ brother and first disciple who continued preaching after the crucifixion.

• Where did he preach?
• How did he manage with languages?
• Did he ever meet Jesus again?
• Was he beheaded as the Bible suggests? If so, why when he was not a political creature.

James the Brother Excerpt…

I started thinking about what Jesus would have wanted us to do, because we had never ever talked about this. We never anticipated the crucifixion enough to have any discussion at all about what should happen if he was unable to continue for any reason. I felt it was incumbent on me as his brother and as the leader, if you like, of the disciples that if anything was going to happen, then I had to instigate it. Because I had no knowledge of the others, I had to assume that nobody was still doing it. That was the only basis I could work from.

I mulled over this for probably another half the cycle of the seasons, finally working out, if I really was serious about trying to get it together again or continue in some fashion – and I didn’t know what fashion – the first place I should start was Jerusalem to see if any of them were still there. That was just common sense.

I started trying to be intellectual about it which was never my strength. I could be intelligent, common sense, but I was never deeply intellectual. But I tried thinking what did we do and what did I think Jesus would want us to do? That was the best way. It was all about, what would Jesus have wanted us to do had he had time to tell us.