Passio Iacobi minoris, fratris Domini
Standard abbreviation: Mart. Jas. (Grk)
Other titles: none
Clavis numbers: ECCA 648; CANT 274
Category: Apocryphal Acts
Related literature: Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia ecclesiastica 2.23.3–20
Compiled by Tony Burke, York University
Citing this resource (using Chicago Manual of Style): Burke, Tony. “Martyrdom of James, Brother of the Lord (Greek).” e-Clavis: Christian Apocrypha. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR. https://www.nasscal.com/e-clavis-christian-apocrypha/martyrdom-of-james-brother-of-the-lord-greek/.
Created January 2023. Current as of January 2024.
1. SUMMARY
Maurice Geerard’s Clavis Apocryphorum Novi Testamenti lists under the works related to James, the Brother of the Lord, an unedited Passio. It has since been identified as an excerpt from Eusebius of Caesarea’s Historia ecclesiastica 2.23.3–20, which is an account of the martyrdom of James by Hegesippus. Geerard’s designation of the text as “apocryphal” is somewhat complicated: yes, it is a story of a New Testament figure that is not found in the New Testament, but it is a secondary witness to the tradition. Readers interested in the text can consult Eusebius. Another excerpt of the same account from Eusebius (Hist. eccl. 23.3.4–18 with portions of 19, 20, 24–25) is cataloged as BHG 763z (but not included in CANT) and is included here for information purposes.
2. RESOURCES
2.1 Art and Iconography
Illustration of the martyrdom of James from the Menologion of Basil II, Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 1613, p. 131 (10th cent.)
3. BIBLIOGRAPHY
3.1 Manuscripts and Editions
3.1.1 Greek (BHG 763y)
Mount Sinai, Monē tēs Hagias Aikaterinēs, gr. 493, fols. 191r–197v (8th/9th cent.)
3.1.2 Greek (BHG 763z)
Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Conv. Soppr. 189, fols. 26v–27v (11th/12th cent.) ~ Pinakes
Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, B 012 inf. (Martini-Bassi 839), fols. 66v–68r (12th cent.) ~ Pinakes; Milan
Mutilene, Monē Hagiou Iôannou tou Theologou Hypsēlou (Antissa), 57 (1604) ~ Pinakes
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Coisl. 121, fols. 12v–13r (1342)
Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, gr. 881, fols. 300v–302v (10th cent.)
Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 866, fols. 47r–47v (11th/12th cent.)
3.1.3 Menologion of Basil II (for October 23)
Preliminary translation: Saint James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem, ordained by Christ himself, and instructed by him, wrote the Divine Liturgy, which was later shortened by Basil the Great and then by Chrysostom, who considered the weaknesses of men. James, while teaching many Jews and Greeks, converted them to the Lord, but he also stirred up anger in the Jews to such an extent that they seized him and threw him from the roof of the temple, killing him. The reason why he is called “Brother of God” is based on tradition. When Joseph, the spouse, divided his lands among his sons from his previous marriage, and wanted to hand over the part that belonged to the Holy Virgin to his son and God, some disagreed. However, James accepted it as a co-heir to his own share and was not only called “Brother of God” but also “Righteous.”
Vatican, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 1613, p. 131 (10th cent.) ~ Pinakes; BAV
Migne, Jacques-Paul. Patrologiae cursus completus: Series graeca. Vol. 117. Paris: Cerf, 1903 (Greek text with facing Latin translation, cols. 212–22).
3.2 Modern Translations (consult translations of Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History)
3.3 General Works
Brossard-Dandré, Michèle. “La passion de Jacques le Mineur selon le pseudo-Abdias et ses sources. Actes apoocryphes d’un apôtre apocyphe.” Pages 229–42 in Apocryphé: Histoire d’un concept transversal aux religions du livre, en hommage à Pierre Geoltrain. Edited by Simon Mimouni. Turnhout: Brepols, 2002 (see p. 232 n. 12).
Jones, Stanley. “The Martyrdom of James in Hegesippus, Clement of Alexandria, and Christian Apocrypha, Including Nag Hammadi: A Study of Textual Relations.” Pages 322–35 in Society of Biblical Literature: 1990 Seminar Papers. Edited by David J. Lull. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990.
Lipsius, Richard A. Die apokryphen Apostelgeschichten und Apostellegenden. 2 vols. in 3. Braunschweig: Schwetschke und Sohn, 1883–1887 (see vol. 2.2:229–57).