JAMES, PETER & JUDE · THE WRITER · THE WRITER · THE WRITER · THE FAMILY

The writers

Who wrote them: James and Jude, brothers of Jesus, and the apostle Peter; then the family they came from.

THE WRITER

James, the Lord's brother

James's life in the story, step by step. His own page has the rest.

  • 1 Named among Jesus' brothers at Nazareth
  • 2 The brothers do not yet believe in him
  • 3 The risen Jesus is seen by James
  • 4 The brothers gather with the disciples
  • 5 Paul meets "James the Lord's brother" in Jerusalem
  • 6 Freed from prison, Peter says "Go shew these things unto James"
  • 7 James gives the deciding speech at the Jerusalem meeting
  • 8 Paul reports to James on his last visit to Jerusalem
  • 9 The letter of James

The steps follow the order of the New Testament story; they are a sequence, not dates. Paul also names James as one of the three "pillars" of the Jerusalem church (Galatians 2:9). Where the letter falls in it depends on which James wrote it and when — both disputed. Jerome says James led the Jerusalem church for thirty years, until the seventh year of Nero. Galatians 2:9 [13][1]

James's own page

THE WRITER

Peter, the apostle

Peter's life in the story, step by step. His own page has the rest.

  • 1 A Bethsaida fisherman, brought to Jesus by Andrew and named Cephas
  • 2 Called from his nets to become a fisher of men
  • 3 Confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God
  • 4 With James and John at the Transfiguration
  • 5 Denies knowing Jesus three times
  • 6 The risen Lord appears to him, then bids him: "Feed my sheep"
  • 7 Preaches to the crowds at Pentecost
  • 8 Brings the gospel to the centurion Cornelius and his household
  • 9 Paul names him a pillar, then opposes him at Antioch
  • 10 Writes to believers scattered across Asia Minor
  • 11 By tradition, crucified at Rome under Nero

The steps follow the order of the New Testament story, not dates, from the Galilean fisherman to the letter to Asia Minor; Jesus foretells the manner of Peter's death (John 21:18–19), but that it came at Rome under Nero is later tradition, as Eusebius reports it, and is labelled so. John 21:18–19 [10][11]

Peter's own page

THE WRITER

Jude, the Lord's brother

Jude's life in the story, step by step. His own page has the rest.

  • 1 Named among Jesus' brothers at Nazareth
  • 2 The brothers do not yet believe in him
  • 3 The brothers gather in prayer with the apostles
  • 4 The Lord's brothers travel with their wives; Mayor counts Jude among them
  • 5 Writes as "brother of James" (Mayor, Bigg and the ISBE take him for the Lord's brother; others doubt it)
  • 6 By tradition, his grandsons are questioned by the emperor Domitian

The steps follow the order of the New Testament story, not dates, and most speak of the Lord's brothers as a group; the last comes from Hegesippus as Eusebius reports it, and is labelled as tradition.[11]

Jude's own page

THE FAMILY

The family of Jesus

The family of Jesus, as the Gospels and the letters name them.

  • Jesus mother "brother" "brother" "brother" FAMILY Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55 Galatians 1:19
  • Mary mother FAMILY Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55
  • James "The Lord's brother" (Gal 1:19), leader of the Jerusalem church; linked with the letter of James. "brother" "brother of James" (if he is the Jude of the letter) BROTHERS Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55 Galatians 1:19 +1 more
  • Joses "brother" BROTHERS Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55
  • Juda (Judas) "Juda" in Mark, "Judas" in Matthew. Whether he is the Jude of the letter is a separate question. "brother" "brother of James" (if he is the Jude of the letter) grandfather BROTHERS Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55 Jude 1:1
  • Simon "brother" BROTHERS Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55
  • Jude's grandsons Brought before the emperor Domitian and released, as Eusebius tells it from Hegesippus. grandfather LATER

Mark and Matthew name four "brethren" of Jesus: James, Joses, Juda (Judas) and Simon. The relationship has been read three ways — as younger children of Joseph and Mary (the Helvidian view), as sons of Joseph by an earlier wife (the Epiphanian view), or as cousins (the Hieronymian view, after Jerome). The lines here say only "brother", as the text does. Mark 6:3 Matthew 13:55 [1][11]

WHERE THIS PAGE COMES FROM

  • Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. James: The Greek Text with Introduction, Notes and Comments (1892), Introduction.
  • Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter (1907), Introduction.
  • Charles Bigg, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude (International Critical Commentary) (1901 (2nd ed. 1902)), Introductions to 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude.
  • F. J. A. Hort, The First Epistle of St Peter I.1–II.17 (1898), Additional Note III, "The Provinces of Asia Minor included in St Peter's address", pp. 157–185.
  • Alfred Plummer, The General Epistles of St. James and St. Jude (The Expositor's Bible) (1891), ch. II.
  • B. F. Westcott, A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (7th ed.) (1896), pp. 219–221, 248–249, 344, 488–491.
  • Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 1: Apostolic Christianity (1889), section on the Epistle of James, note "James and Paul"; § 100, list of commentaries on Hebrews.
  • John Calvin, tr. John Owen, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (1551) (1855), Arguments to each letter; on Jas 2:21 and 1 Pet 5:13 (paraphrased here, not quoted).
  • Council of Trent, tr. J. Waterworth, The Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Oecumenical Council of Trent (1848), Session 6 (1547), Decree on Justification, ch. X, pp. 37–38.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 2 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 1) (1890), 2.1, 2.15, 2.23, 2.25.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 3 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 1) (1890), 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.19–20, 3.25.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 6 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 1) (1890), 6.14, 6.25.
  • Jerome, tr. E. C. Richardson, Lives of Illustrious Men (NPNF Second Series, vol. 3) (1892), chs. 1, 2, 4.
  • Athanasius, tr. R. Payne-Smith, Festal Letter 39 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 4) (1892).
  • R. H. Charles, The Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch (1912), 1 Enoch 1:9 with note (pp. 8–9); Introduction pp. xcv–xcvi.
  • R. H. Charles, The Assumption of Moses, Translated from the Latin Sixth Century MS. (1897), Introduction; fragments of the original Assumption, pp. 105–110.
  • Doremus Almy Hayes, "James, Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • William G. Moorehead, "Peter, the First Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • William G. Moorehead, "Peter, the Second Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • William G. Moorehead, "Jude, the Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.) (1897), entries on each letter and on Pontus, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Asia.

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