Catalogue of Ecclefiaftical Writers, though Jerom himself did not fubfcribe to it.

The Epiftle itfelf however contains nothing, which warrants the inference, that the author of it was a brother of Chrift, for the author calls himself only the fervant of Chrift:' and St. Jude, though he exprefsly calls himfelf brother of James, names himfelf in like manner fervant,' and not 'brother of Chrift.' Hence it may be objected, that if the James and the Jude, who wrote thefe Epiftles, had been brothers as well as fervants of Chrift, they would not have affumed nerely the latter title; for the appellation of brother and fervant of Chrift, would not only have been more honourable, but more characteristic, and would more cafily have diftinguished them from other difciples of the fame name, than the bare appellation of fervant. Now if the expreffion brother of Chrift,' as applied to James, Jofes, Simon and Judas, Matth. xiii. 55. be explained, according to the fecond opinion delivered in the firft fection of this chapter, as denoting, that they were the fons of Jofeph and Mary, I think that the objection is hardly capable of an anfwer for in that cafe, fince the mother of Christ, was likewise their mother, the appellation of brother of Chrift' was due to them in the ftrictelt fenfe. But the objection will lofe its force, if we adopt the first opinion, namely, that thefe four perfons were fons of Jofeph, not by Mary, but by a former wife. For in this cafe, though their father Jofeph was the reputed father of Chrift, and he is named as fuch in Chrift's genealogy, yet if James and Jude believed in Mary's fupernatural conception of Chrift, they must have been confcious to themselves, that they were really not his brothers, and therefore that they could not without impropriety affume the title.

James, called the brother of Chrift, had likewise the appellation of James the Juft, and stood in very high reputation among the Jews. This is confirmed by a

• Tom. IV. P. ii. p. 101. ed Benedict.

paffage

paffage of Jofephus", which I fhall prefently quote. Further, he is faid to have been bishop of Jerufalem : and (if we diftinguith James the brother of Jefus from the Apostle James) he is that important perfon, by whofe opinion the Apoftolic council at Jerufalem, defcribed Acts xv. 13-29. abided, who again appears as a principal perfon in the church of Jerufalem, Acts xxi. 18-26. He is likewife mentioned by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 7. Gal. i. 19. ii. 9. 12, among which paffages, Gal..ii. 9. deferves particularly to be noticed, because he is not only there called one of the pillars of the church, but is ranked even before St. Peter, on account of his great authority in Jerufalem. He every where appears as the friend of St. Paul, with whofe fentiments his own coincide. At the fame time he was extremely cautious not to give offence to the Jews, on whofe account he propofed, that the heathen converts fhould be admonished to abftain from blood and from meats offered to idols; which doctrine St. Paul not only adopted and delivered to the church of Antioch, by virtue of the apoftolic decree, but likewife recommended and explained in his Epiftles, efpecially Rom. xiv. 1 Cor. viii. x. Now the contents of the Epiftle of St. James are fuch as might be expected from a writer of this defcription; and if he was the author, we have an additional argument, in favour of the opinion, that it contains nothing contradictory to St. Paul's doctrines .

Though it would be foreign to the prefent purpose to collect all the circumftances, which have been recorded of St. James, called the brother of Chrift, yet I think it neceffary to quote two paffages concerning him, the one from the work of Jofephus, the other from the works of Hegefippus, who lived in the time

of

P Namely, if the James, of whom Jofephus fpeaks, be the fame perfon as James, the brother of Chrift, and not the younger Apofle James, according to the fifth opinion.

See the fixth fection of this chapter.

of Hadrian' because these two paffages exhibit fuch a character of him, as the Epiftle itself fuggefts of its author, and have likewife material influence on the queftion, whether the Epiftle was intended for the ule of Chriftians only, or of Jews as well as of Chriftians.

The account, which Jofephus has given, relates to the death of St. James, which must have happened during St. Paul's prifonment, and is delivered in the following words'. The emperor, being informed of the death of Feftus, fent Albinus to be prefect of Judæa. But the younger Ananus, who, as we faid before, was made high priest, was haughty in his behaviour, and very enterprising. He was alfo of the fect of the Sadducees, who, as we have alfo obferved before, are above all other Jews fevere in their judicial fentences. This then being the temper of Ananus, he thinking he had a convenient opportunity, becaufe Feftus was dead, and Albinus was not yet arrived, called a council, and brought before it James, brother' of Jefus, who was called Chrift", with feveral others, where they were accused of being tranfgreflors of the law, and ftoned to death. But the most moderate men of the city, who

Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. IV. c. 8.

Antiquit. Lib. XX. cap. 9.

In the writings of Jofephus the word adapos can hardly admit of any other meaning, than that in which it was used by the Greeks. Here therefore it cannot well fignify coufin,' and confequently it implies, that James was the fon of Jofeph.

As Jefus was not an uncommon name among the Jews, Jofephus adds the title of Chrift merely as a mark of diftinction; and this expreffion affords no ground for the fuppofition, that Jofephus himfelf believed, that the perfon, of whom he fpake, was the expected Meffiah. What his real opinion was, is a queftion foreign to the prefent inquiry: but from his manner of fpeaking of the death of St. James in this place, and from the excellent character, which he gives of John the Baptift in another, he feems to have been at least no enemy to Chriftianity, whether the celebrated paffage, Antiquit. XVIII. 3. 3. relative to Chrift and his miracles, be genuine (as I myself believe), or not,

who were alfo the most learned in the laws, were offended at this proceeding. They fent therefore privately to the king, and intreated him to give orders to Ananus to abftain from fuch conduct in future. And fome went to meet Albinus, who was coming from Alexandria, and reprefented to him, that Ananus had no right to call a council without his permiffion. Albinus, approving of what they faid, wrote a very fevere letter to Ananus, threatening to punish him for what he had done. And king Agrippa took away from him the priesthood, after he had poffeffed it three months, and appointed in his flead Jefus, the fon of Damnæus. From this account of Jofephus we learn, that St. James, notwithstanding he was a Chriftian, was fo far from being an object of hatred to the Jews, that he was rather beloved and refpected. At leaft his death excited very different fenfations from that of the elder James'; and the Sadducean high prieft, at whofe inftigation he fuffered, was punifhed for his offence by the lofs of his office.

The account given by Hegefippus contains an intermixture of truth and fable, and in fome material

points

Here Jofephus meant probably the Pharifees, who were much lefs inimical to the Chriftians, than the Sadducees were, as appears from Acts v. 34-39. xxiii. 6-9. The high pricfts Annas and Caiaphas, who had been the chief inftruments in bringing Chrift to the cross, were likewife Sadducees; and, as appears from Acts v. 28. they confidered thofe, who afferted the refurrection of Chrift, and confirmed by it his divine miffion, as perfons, who endeavoured to bring Chrift's blood on their heads. Now the younger Ananus was fon of Annas, and brother in law of Caiaphas; and James was not only a teacher of Christianity, and highly respected by the Jews, but was likewife a fpecial witness to the truth of Chrift's refurrection, as St. Paul relates, 1 Cor. xv. 7.

That Agrippa did not entertain unfavourable fentiments of Christianity, and that in his opinion a teacher of the Gofpe! by no means deferved to fuffer death, is evident from Acts xxv. 23-xxvi. 32. especially from the two laft verfes of the twenty-fixth chapter.

y Aas xii. 1-3.

z Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. II. cap. 23.

points contradicts the relation of Jofephus, to which no objection can be made. It confirms however the affertion, that St. James was in great repute among the Jews, even among thofe, who did not believe in Chrift; and that they paid him much greater deference, than we might fuppofe they would have fhewn to a Chriftian bifhop, and a brother of Chrift, whom they had crucified. The words of Hegefippus, as quoted by Eusebius, are the following. James, the brother of our Lord, undertook, together with the Apostles, the government of the church. He has been called the Juft by all, from the time of our Saviour to the present time. Many have borne the name of James: but this man was holy from his mother's womb. He drank neither wine, nor ftrong drink, nor did he eat any animal food. There came no razor on his head. neither anointed himfelf with oil, nor did he ufe a bath. To him alone was it lawful to enter the fanctuary. He wore no woollen, but only linen garments. He entered into the temple alone, where he prayed upon his knees: fo that his knees were become like the knees of a camel, in confequence of his being continually upon them, worthipping God, and praying for the forgiveness of the people. On account of his virtue he was called the Juft, and Oblias, that is, the defence of the people, and righteoufnefs, as the prophets fpeak of him. Some therefore of the feven fects, which were among the Jews, of whom I fpake in the former part of these commentaries, afked him, Which

He

was

Here James, the brother of Jefus, is diftinguished in exprefs terms from the Apoftles. Hegefippus therefore does not fpeak of an Apofile James. Nor did Eufebius confider James, the brother of Jefus, as one of the Apoftles, from whom he plainly distinguishes him, faying in the beginning of the third chapter, in which he quotes this paffage of Hegefippus, James, the brother of our Lord, whom the Apostles appointed bishop of Jerufalem.'

Hegefippus reprefents St. James as being more holy than Chrift himfelf, who ate meat, drank wine, and was more than once anointed.