CHARACTER STUDY - JAMES THE SON OF ALPHAEUS

Of all the 12 Apostles, we know the least about this second James in the list of the 12. His name is recorded in the only in the lists of the 12. MATTHEW 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; MARK 3:18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, LUKE 6:15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, ACTS 1:13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. Even the traditions of the church are largely silent about this James. Legend says that he preached in Persia, and that he died a martyr's death by crucifixion. What is interesting about this James is learned by some investigation and a little speculation. The only distinctiveness of this James is that he was the son of Alphaeus... but that raises a very interesting issue. MATTHEW 9:9 As went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. MARK 2:14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. LUKE 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. "Follow me," Jesus said to him, The only other reference in the Scriptures to a "son of Alphaeus" is the one identified as Levi... and when the verses are placed in parallel, one is left with no doubt that Levi and Matthew are one in the same person! Thus we discover not two sets of brothers among the band of Apostles, but three. YET, this is a very strange set of brothers indeed! In Matthew, Mark, and Luke the last four listed are: James the son of Alphaeus Thaddaeus (Judas the brother of James) Simon the Zealot The fact that they are always thus linked together suggests the possibility of some connection between the men. The most significant name among the group is Simon "the Zealot." The "" were fanatical Jewish nationalist who carried on an active guerrilla campaign of terrorist acts against the Romans. Tradition links Judas Iscariot with this group, and two ancient manuscripts identify Thaddaeus as "Lebbaeus, who was surnamed Judas the Zealot." If these three were identified as Zealots, it is entirely possible that James, the son of Alphaeus by association either was actively involved or at least sym- pathetic to their cause. Now comes the most interesting speculation. IF, in fact, James and Matthew were both sons of the same Alphaeus, and IF, in fact, James had been a part of the Zealot cause... the presence of both of these brothers in the band of Apostles was nothing short of the transforming miracle of God's grace! Matthew was in the service of , collecting taxes for the Romans. There was no more detestable nor despicable occupation for a Jew than to be a Roman tax collector. As such he would have brought shame to his family, alienation from his countrymen to himself... and the bitterest hatred of the Zealots who would have considered him worse than a traitor to his country. The image that this suggests is very much like the stories from our own Civil War when brothers were divided and faced each other on opposite side of the battlefield. Matthew and James would have been sworn enemies with a intensity of hatred that must be set in the turmoil of the Middle East today to be understood. There is so much to this story that begs to be told. When and how did Jesus accomplish the bringing of these two together into the band of the 12? The dynamics of the lives of these two brothers... torn apart by the politics of this world... reunited by the kingdom of God... my what a testimony they must have. There is not a lot that we can say about James, the son of Alphaeus. We don't know if he did any great things. We don't know if he was a great preacher or leader in the early church... or the missionary spread of the . But we may speculate that he may have been a prime example of the power of God to change lives... and such examples will always have an enormous impact upon this world!