This Sunday, October 23rd, we will be remembering St. James of Jerusalem. Our Treasury of Daily Prayer notes that while some modern theologians believe St. James to have been the child of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, throughout most of the Church (historically and even today) the title “brother” is understood as “cousin” or “kinsman.” Epiphanius of Salamis, in Cyprus, held that James was Joseph’s son by a previous marriage.
St. James is the author of the epistle bearing his name in the New Testament, where he humbly refers to himself a “slave of Jesus Christ.” Josephus recounts the story of his martyrdom in 62 AD.
Pastor Gregory Wismar has written a stanza for “By All the Saints,” honoring St. James of Jerusalem:
We sing of James, Christ’s brother,
Who at Jerusalem
Told how God loved the Gentiles
And, in Christ, welcomed them.
Rejoicing in salvation
May we too, by God’s grace,
Extend Christ’s invitation
To all the human race.
LSB 518, stanza 27
The stanza brings to mind the role that St. James played at the great Jerusalem Council, which he presided over, together with Sts. Peter and Paul.
