Mary the Mother of James

Biblical Record

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) usually identify this woman by the names of her sons. Mark 15:40 calls her "Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses," and Matthew 27:56 calls her "Mary the mother of James and Joses." Mark 16:1 and Luke 24:10 call her "Mary the mother of James," while Matthew 27:61 and 28:1 call her "the other Mary."

According to Mark 15:41, she was one of the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and ministered to him, and she came up with him to Jerusalem. At Jesus' crucifixion, she watched from a distance with Mary Magdalene and others (Mark 15:40), and she saw the tomb where Jesus' body was laid (Mark 15:47; Matthew 27:61). After the Sabbath had passed, she bought spices to anoint the body and went to the tomb early in the morning (Mark 16:1-2). There she heard that Jesus had risen (Mark 16:6), and Matthew reports that the women met the risen Jesus as they were leaving (Matthew 28:9). Luke records that these women told the apostles what they had heard, but the apostles did not believe them (Luke 24:10-11).

Significance in Scripture

She is one of the women who witnessed, in succession, Jesus' death, his burial, and the empty tomb. For this reason she is named among the first witnesses to the resurrection in the Gospel accounts. Although the women named with her vary somewhat from Gospel to Gospel, this Mary appears, along with Mary Magdalene, in all three Synoptic Gospels.

Interpretations and Issues

• The identity of her son James: One tradition identifies "James the less" with James the son of Alphaeus, but the text does not say so. Opinions also differ on whether "the less" refers to age or to stature.
• Relationship to Mary the wife of Cleophas: John 19:25 mentions "Mary the wife of Cleophas" standing by the cross. Identifying her with this Mary is an interpretation of long standing, but it is not certain. Some also identify this Cleophas with Cleopas, who was traveling to Emmaus (Luke 24:18), but many scholars regard them as different people because the Greek forms of the names differ.
• The question of Jesus' brothers: Mark 6:3 names James and Joses (Joseph) among Jesus' brothers. Since Jerome, Catholic tradition has regarded them as sons of this Mary and thus as cousins of Jesus. This interpretation is bound up with the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary the mother of Jesus. Protestants generally regard them as children of Joseph and Mary and understand them to be different people from this Mary's sons. Even so, views on the identity of James the brother of the Lord vary even within individual traditions.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, she is mentioned chiefly in Easter sermons about the women who went to the tomb, alongside Mary Magdalene and Salome. In this context she is presented as an example of a disciple who followed Jesus to the end. She is rarely treated in depth as an individual figure.