James, brother of Jesus

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 pinnacle and then clubbed. Whether he was Jesus's biological brother, a cousin, or a stepbrother from Joseph's earlier marriage remains disputed across Christian traditions, but his leadership in those first fragile decades is undisputed.