Martyrdom of apostle James the Lesser,
Jerusalem, AD 63 The apostle Paul also
refers to James as the brother of Jesus
in Galatians 1:19: "But I saw none of the
other apostles except James, the Lord's
brother."
Evidence of the life of James can also be
found outside of the Bible, from the
historian Josephus. In Antiquities, book
20 chapter 9, he mentions James the
brother of Jesus and Annas the High priest:
"Upon the death of Festus ( 62 A.D.),
Emperor Nero sent Albinus to be procurator
of Judea. But before he arrived, King Agrippa
appointed Annas to be High priest. He was
the son of the elder Annas. (Note: The elder
Annas referred to here is the same Annas
of the New Testament Gospels.) The elder
Annas had been high priest himself for a time.
He had five sons all whom secured the
priesthood. Annas the younger, however,
was a brute who observed the ways of the
Sadducees who are known as being cold-hearted
when they sit in judgement. With Festus
dead and Albinus still traveling, Annas thought
he could have his own way. Calling forth the
members of the Sanhedrin, he brought before
them a man named James, the brother of Jesus
who was called the Christ, and others with him.
He accused them of violating the law, and ordered
that they should be put to death by stoning."
Although the Bible doesn't mention it, Josephus
states that James was martyred by the Sanhedrin.
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