With the feast day of James the Just coming up on October 23, I wanted to post some lesser known stories of James. This post presents two stories from the Ethiopian tradition. Usually I do summaries of texts but in this case I am presenting the two stories in complete form. These come from the 1901 book “The Contendings of the Apostles: Vol 2 – The English Translation” by E.A. Wallis Budge (same person who has done English translations of other Ethiopic & Egyptian texts, be sure to check out his work!). The first story is titled “The Preaching of Saint James the Just” and the second story is titled “The Martyrdom of Saint James the Just”. When I transcribed the text, I pretty much kept it as is. There were a few instances I “modernized” a word/phrase to help it read a bit better. That being said, I kept most of it in the style of the early 20th century biblical English style.
The Preaching of Saint James the Just
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.
Here begins the Preaching of James the Just, the Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was surnamed the brother of our Lord in the flesh. Now the lot which went out to him was that he should preach in Jerusalem, and after he had preached unto the people thereof, he became Bishop in Jerusalem, and he died therein in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the peace of God, Amen. May his prayer and his blessing be with his handmaiden Walatta Madhan!
And it came to pass that, when the Apostles were gathered together that the countries of the world might be divided among them, our Lord Jesus Christ sat in their midst and said unto them, “My peace be upon you, O My holy Apostles! As my Father sent me to the to the world, even so do I send you that ye may preach throughout the whole word the knowledge of my Heavenly Father.” And for this reason they cast lots, and the lot came to James to preach the Holy Gospel in Jerusalem and in all the districts thereof. Therefore did he bow down before God and say, “O God, Thou knowest that the Jews will seek to kill us when we preach thy resurrection and the Holy Gospel. And are not the command the lot which have gone forth to me great? Yet I am only one, and I know that the Jews will not listen unto the words which I shall speak unto them. I beseech thee then, O Lord, send me to the Gentiles, together with my brethren, and I will do everything which thou shall command me to do, and I will bear patiently all the sufferings which shall come upon me for thy name’s sake.” And our Lord answered and said unto James, “Hearken, and I will tell thee; but thou must needs preach the Gospel in the place which hath gone forth to thee by lot. Behold, I have left Peter, my chosen one, to toil for your sake. Thou shalt, however, be Bishop in Jerusalem, and the Jews shall hearken unto thy words, and thou shalt end they contending nobly, and thy grave shall be therein. Rise up and finish that for which I have prepared thee.”
And James said unto him, “O Lord, let but my father Peter help me; and I will bear everything which shall befall me for thy honourable Name’s sake;” and our Lord gave them the salutation of peace, and went up into heaven with great glory. Now the Apostles were filled with the power of the Spirit, and they prayed at the Mount of Olives. And Peter answered and said unto the Apostles, “Let us go with our brother James, so that we may establish him in his bishopric.” Then Peter rose up and all those who were with him, and they stretched out their hands and prayed, saying, “O God, Who dost sustain all creation, hearken unto us. We know that thou wilt not be far from us in whatsoever we require of thee. Grant thou unto our brother James the power to give consolation unto thy people whom thou hast brought back to him, and may he console them, even as thou hast consoled him.” And it came to pass that when they had prayed their prayer, and each of them had given him the salutation of peace, they brought James into Jerusalem, and he preached in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and many men believed in his story.
Now, when the Jews saw James preaching in the name of Christ, certain of them wished to slay him, and they were not able to find an opportunity to do this, because of those who had believed in God through him; and when he knew that they were conspiring together against him, he went forth to the regions round about the city, and he preached unto them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And it came to pass that when he had come into those regions he found a certain aged man there, and he said unto him, “I desire that thou wilt let me abide with thee;” and the aged man said unto him, “Take thy rest until tomorrow.” And the Apostle departed to come unto him in his house, and on the way thither he found a man who had a devil in him. Now when Satan saw James the Apostle, he cried out and said, “What hast thou to do with me, O Apostle of Christ? Hast thou come hither to destroy me?” And the Apostle said unto him, “O unclean spirit, make an end of thy speech, and go forth from this man;” therefore Satan went forth from the man in the form of fire. And it came to pass that when the aged man saw this miracle he fell at the feet of the Apostle and said, “I am not worthy that thou shouldst come into my house: but tell me what I shall do that I and all the people of my house may be saved.” Therefore the Apostle glorified the name of Jesus Christ, and said, “Master, I give thanks unto thee that thou hast made fair my way;” and he returned to the man and spake unto him the word which would save him, and he taught him that our Lord Jesus Christ is God. So the aged man brought him into his house; and all the people thereof were gathered together unto him, and he taught them and made them to know the faith, and he baptized them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and he made them to be heirs in the Holy Mysteries, that is to say, the Body of our Lord and His precious Blood.
And it came to pass that, when the people of the country heard of James, they brought unto him all their folk who were sick with sicknesses of every kind, and he healed them; and he appointed priests and deacons for them, and he made the old man bishop, and he gave him the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then James went forth into all the districts which were round about Jerusalem, and preached therein; and then he returned to Jerusalem. And the faithful heard of the coming of James (now he was surnamed ‘the Just’) into Jerusalem, and they all came to him, praising God our Lord Jesus Christ, with his Father, and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen and Amen.
The Martyrdom of Saint James the Just
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, One God.
Here begins the Martyrdom of Saint James the Just, the blessed Apostle, which took place on the eighteenth day of the month of Hamlệ (July). In the peace of our Lord, Amen. May his prayer and his blessing be with his handmaiden Walatta Maghan!
And it came to pass that when James returned to Jerusalem he preached unto the people in that city in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and many believed on him by reason of the signs and wonders which God made to go forth by the hand of his holy Apostle, and God our Lord made him worthy of the episcopal throne in Jerusalem. And when he had become Bishop, God made manifest the healing of many folk who were sick of every kind of disease. Now the governor of the city was a lover of money, and hated Saint James because Satan stirred him up against him; and he had no children because God Almighty, whose name is great, was rebuking him for the multitude of his sins. And meanwhile his wife was entreating God to give her children, and she was wont to do deeds of kindness unto all those who were in affliction, and to send gifts and offerings to the sanctuary of the church daily without her husband having knowledge thereof, because of his great greed, and every day of her life she sorrowed exceedingly, and made entreaty to God for children. And it came to pass that although her entreaty waxed great the glorious and holy God did not grant her desire, because he knew that good was about to come upon her. And when the glorious fame of Saint James and of his faith had come to the city, now God was with him in all his work, she rose up with joy and gladness, and came to Saint James in true belief that at the request of the saint God would give her that which she desired. And it came to pass that when the saint knew that Tệryộbastậ {or Piobsata), the wife of ‘Ammậnyộs (Aumanius or Ananus) the governor, wished to come to him to be blessed by him his wonder increased, and he said, “This is a great matter;” now he well knew her husband’s wickedness, and that he had commanded her not to come to him. And when she had come into his presence she bowed her head, and prostrated herself at his feet, and said unto him, “O holy father, I beseech thee to grant the request of thy handmaiden, and to hearken unto her words: I have dwelt with my husband for twenty years and I have not gotten a child, and by reason of this matter I am exceedingly sorrowful.”
And Saint James said unto her, “Dost thou believe in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that he is able to give thee children?” And she answered with her whole heart, and said unto him, “I do believe.” And he said unto her, “If thou believest it shall be unto thee according to thy belief;” and she gave unto him the “blessing” (i.e. alms), which was with her, that he might give it unto those who were in sorrow and affliction; and she came unto her house glorifying God. Now what the holy man had said came to pass, for after this thing God hearkened unto her petition and gave unto her that which she desired, and she conceived and gave birth unto a son whom she called James, according to the name of Saint James; then she took her son and much possessions, and came to the saint, and he blessed her. And she said unto him, “O servant of the Good God, behold, God hath hearkened unto thy petition, and he hath given unto me that I asked for; and this child, this fruit which thou seest in my arms (hath come) through thy prayer; and I beseech thee, O my father, to bless him with all thy heart.” And the saint took him from her hands, and he blessed him with all his heart, and he gave him back to his mother and sent them away to their house in peace.
And it came to pass that when Aumanius (or Ananus) heard of it, he was angry with an exceedingly great anger because his wife had done this thing. And he gathered together unto him all the nobles of the city, and said unto them, “Are ye going to do nothing in this matter? Behold, the Bishop is destroying the city and leading astray all the people, and he wisheth that all those who are in our territories shall be of his opinion, and under his teaching.” And they all rose up and came together, and said, “What then can we do unto him?” And certain men of them said, “Behold, he will come to the feast, and if ye desire to lay hold upon him we will lie in wait for him in the synagogue.” Now many men were called James, but James the Just was not of them. And besides this God Almighty had chosen him and had sanctified him from his mother’s womb, like Jeremiah the prophet, and he neither drank wine all the days of his life nor ate meat where from the blood had gone not forth; and a razor had never gone up upon his head, and he never took a bath, and he put on no clothing except one loose garment all the days of his life. And he continued in the sanctuary always, and he stood up, and watched, and prayed humbly unto God that he would forgive the sins of the people, until at length his foot swelled by reason of his prolonged standing and prostrations; and it was for this reason he was called “James the Just.” Now the Jews knew that he was both just and sincere towards them, and that he was of the type of the Prophets. And this James was the youngest of the sons of Joseph the carpenter, who had four male children and two daughters; and all Joseph’s children married except James, and he became an orphan. And it came to pass that, when our Lady Mary became the bride of Joseph, she found James as a little boy in his house, and she tended him and taught him the fear of God, and for this reason they used to call our Lady Mary the “mother of James.”
And it came to pass that, when James had been appointed Bishop in Jerusalem, multitudes believed on our Lord through him, because they became convinced of his sincerity. Then a great uproar took place among the Jews, and among the Scribes, and among the Pharisees, because all the people said that Jesus was the Christ; and they came to James that they might take counsel with him concerning Him. And they said unto him, “We beseech thee to set thyself at the head of all the multitude, for they will not believe that Jesus is the Christ who shall come. Now behold, all the people will come unto Jerusalem at the Passover, do thou then speak unto them and make their hearts to rejoice, for we know that thou dost not speak any false thing whatsoever; and besides, thou art unto them as a prophet. And we will make them to hear concerning thy graciousness, and that there is no unchastity in thee; accept now our petition, and let them all hear thy voice; and thou shalt go up unto the upper portion of the synagogue, and we will stand there until all the people shall hear thy voice.”
And, behold, of the children of Israel multitudes of the people, of the tribes and of the Scribes and Pharisees, went up to the synagogue wishing that James would tell them that Jesus was the son of Joseph, and that he was his brother; and they commanded the deputy of the congregation to order the multitudes to keep silence and to hearken unto the voice of James the Just. And they all cried out, and said, “We have upon us the desire to hear, and we will not be denied, for the people are made to err by the evilness of the teaching of the Jews, and they have a love for the belief in Jesus who was crucified; tell us now, O just one, who is Jesus the King?”
And it came to pass that when the priests and the Pharisees heard these words, although they pretended to be afraid in the presence of the people, yet were they filled with wraith in their hearts against James the Just; and they went back and cried out to him, and said unto him, “Tell us now, of whom is Jesus the Son?” Then he said unto them, “He is in truth the Son of God the Father, who begot him before the world, and the Virgin Mary gave birth to him after the appointed number of days. I believe in him, and in his Father, who is of old, and in the Holy Spirit, the glorious Trinity which shall have its being unto the end of the world, and for ever.”
And it came to pass that when the chief priests, and the Scribes, and the Pharisees heard these words from him, they gnashed their teeth at him, and they stopped their ears, so that they might not hear the voice of God from the mouth of Saint James. Then they took counsel together each with the other, and said, “We have done evil, for we have made him to be a witness unto the people that Jesus is the Son of God Almighty; but let us go up against him, and slay him, so that the multitude may not believe in Christ.” Then was fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet who said, “The righteous man shall be rewarded, for he that is a harsh man shall not be the anointed one over us; and then shall eat the fruit of their evil work.” And the Jews went up against James in wrath, and they thrust him off from the pinnacle of the temple and threw him down there from, and he fell upon his face, and he knelt down upon his knees like Stephen Protomartyr, and he made supplication unto God, saying, “O God, thou merciful One, be merciful unto them, and show compassion unto them, for they know not what they do;” and they cast him down as he was making this petition.
Now there was a certain priest of the children of Ahaz who bore witness on his behalf. And Jeremiah the prophet cried out unto them, saying, “Wait ye a little, what then is this which ye will do unto the man of God the Good? Behold, he prayeth unto God that he will forgive you your sins.” And there was among the Jews a certain beater of clothes who withdrew not at the voice of James, and he seized the piece of wood wherewith he was wont to beat clothes, and smote James the Just upon his head with it; and James yielded up his spirit on the eighteenth day of the month of Hamlệ (July), and he ended his contending, and they buried him in the synagogue.
And it came to pass after the death of James the Just, the Apostle, and Martyr, and Bishop, who died in the name of Jesus Christ, there came great wrath upon all the Jews and upon those who dwelt in Jerusalem, but it was the greater upon those who had sought to slay James the Just, the Apostle. And ‘Esbậsyậnộs (Vespasian) the Emperor besieged them and spoiled their city and country, and carried them away captives, and every day their disgrace was increased, and they were brought lower by reason of the evil which they had wrought against our Lord Jesus Christ and against his saints. And may it be that we and all Christians who call themselves by his new name may find mercy and forgiveness at the awful place, when our Lord Jesus Christ cometh to judge the living and the dead; to him be glor and honour forever and ever! Amen, Amen, and Amen.
Here ended the Martyrdom of Saint James the Just. May his prayer protect us all the children of this place forever! Amen.
Featured artwork is of traditional Christian iconography
-bP
Culmination of Wisdom 