James, brother of Jesus

Jewish bishop of Jerusalem figure in Early Christianity

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Israel rank#185
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Lived 100–62, aged 0Israel

Israel Religious Figures

Wikipedia
52 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Israel
#185
Religious Figures
Era
100–62
Aged 0

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

The man who led the first Christians in Jerusalem after the crucifixion wasn't Peter — it was Jesus's brother, a figure so revered for strict piety that even non-Christian sources recorded his violent death at the hands of a high priest.

Biography

About

James grew up in the same household as Jesus in Nazareth, one of at least four brothers named in the Gospels along with unnamed sisters. After the crucifixion he became the first leader of the Church of Jerusalem, known personally to Paul and holding authority in the earliest Christian community. His reputation for rigorous observance earned him the epithet "the Just." In 62 AD, according to the Jewish historian Josephus, the High Priest Ananus ben Ananus ordered him stoned to death during a power vacuum in Roman governance; another account places his death in 69 AD, thrown from the Temple pin…

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