James the Son of Alphaeus

Biblical Record

James the son of Alphaeus was one of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus. His name appears only in the lists of the disciples: Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15, and Acts 1:13. In all four lists he occupies the ninth position, which places him at the head of the third group when the lists are divided into groups of four. According to Acts 1:13, he was among the disciples who gathered in the upper room in Jerusalem to pray after the Ascension of Jesus.

Scripture records none of his words or deeds. Nor does it record his place of origin, his occupation, the circumstances of his calling, or his death.

Significance Within Scripture

Several men named James appear in the New Testament, so his father's name, Alphaeus, is attached to his own. This distinguishes him from James the son of Zebedee, who was also one of the Twelve. Others bearing the name include James the brother of the Lord, a leader of the church in Jerusalem, and the James presented as the father or brother of Judas (Thaddaeus) in Luke 6:16.

Mark 15:40 identifies one of the women near the cross as "Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses." A long-standing tradition identifies this "James the Less" with James the son of Alphaeus, but the biblical text does not directly connect the two. The meaning of the Greek word rendered "less" is not settled: it may refer to small stature or to younger age. Another interpretation holds that the term was added to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee.

Interpretations and Debated Questions

• Are they the same person? Traditions differ on the extent to which James the son of Alphaeus, James the Less, and James the brother of the Lord should be identified with one another. In the Western church, the view that all three are a single person became widespread from the time of Jerome onward. This view is bound up with the interpretation that understands the "brothers" of Jesus as cousins. Under the influence of this tradition, the Catholic Church calls him "James the Less." The Orthodox Church is understood to distinguish James the son of Alphaeus from James the brother of the Lord and to commemorate them separately. Many Protestants regard James the brother of the Lord as distinct from the Twelve, although scholarly opinion is divided.
• Was he Matthew's brother? Mark 2:14 calls the tax collector Levi (that is, Matthew) "the son of Alphaeus." This has led to speculation that the two were brothers. Scripture, however, does not present them as brothers, and some hold that the two men named Alphaeus were different people who shared the same name.
• Alphaeus and Clopas: One interpretation identifies "Mary the wife of Cleophas" in John 19:25 with the mother of James the Less, and in turn identifies Cleophas (Clopas) with Alphaeus. This, too, is a matter of inference.
• Later traditions: Various accounts circulate concerning where he preached and how he was martyred. These accounts conflict with one another in both location and content. All of them are extrabiblical traditions, not statements of the biblical text.