The Martyrdom of James, Brother of Jesus

In 62 CE, James the Just—brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church for nearly three decades—was executed during a power vacuum between Roman governors. His death marked the end of the Jerusalem church’s golden age and foreshadowed the catastrophe that would befall the city eight years later.

James’s reputation:

James, called “the Just” (Tzaddik) for his righteousness, had led the Jerusalem church since the early 40s CE. Even non-Christian Jews respected him. According to early church historian Hegesippus (preserved by Eusebius), James was so devoted to prayer that his knees became calloused like a camel’s from constant kneeling in the temple.

He lived as a Nazarite—no wine, no haircuts, no meat—and spent hours interceding for the people in the temple. His Jewish piety was legendary: “He alone was permitted to enter into the holy place [the temple sanctuary]; for he wore not woolen but linen garments.”

Jews and Christians alike called him James the Just. The Pharisees and priests respected his Torah observance even while disagreeing with his belief that Jesus was the Messiah.

The political context:

In 62 CE, the Roman procurator Festus died suddenly. His successor, Albinus, had not yet arrived. This created a brief window when Jerusalem lacked direct Roman oversight.

The high priest Ananus II (son of the Annas who helped condemn Jesus) saw an opportunity. A Sadducee who rejected belief in resurrection and angels, Ananus was hostile to the Christian movement. More importantly, James’s influence threatened the Sadducean establishment’s control.

The execution:

Josephus, the Jewish historian, records what happened:

“Ananus… convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.” (Antiquities 20.9.1)

The charge was likely blasphemy—James proclaimed a crucified carpenter as the Messiah and Lord, which threatened both Jewish and Roman authority.

According to Hegesippus, James was brought to the temple pinnacle and asked to renounce Jesus before the crowds gathered for Passover. Instead, he proclaimed: “Why do you ask me concerning Jesus the Son of Man? He is sitting in heaven at the right hand of the Great Power, and he will come on the clouds of heaven!”

Enraged, they threw him from the pinnacle. The fall didn’t kill him immediately. As he lay broken on the stones below, he prayed: “I beseech thee, Lord God and Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”—echoing both Stephen’s martyrdom and Jesus’s words from the cross.

As James prayed, someone struck him on the head with a fuller’s club, killing him.

The aftermath:

Josephus reports that “those of the inhabitants of the city who were considered the most fair-minded and who were strict in observance of the law were offended at this” (Antiquities 20.9.1). Moderate Jews were outraged—not necessarily because they believed in Jesus, but because Ananus had overstepped his authority and killed a righteous man.

They complained to King Agrippa II and to Albinus (the incoming procurator). Ananus was removed from the high priesthood after only three months—an embarrassing termination that vindicated James’s innocence.

Some Jews, according to Hegesippus, believed that the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE was divine judgment for killing James the Just. Josephus himself, though not a Christian, implied that the calamities befalling the Jewish nation stemmed from this injustice.

The Jerusalem church’s response:

James’s execution devastated the Christian community. He had been their anchor—respected by Jews, trusted by apostles, wise in navigating the tension between Jewish tradition and Gentile inclusion.

According to Eusebius, after James’s death, the apostles and disciples still alive met to choose a successor. They selected Simeon (also called Simon), another relative of Jesus—possibly a cousin—who continued leading the church.

But the church’s stability was shaken. Within a few years, as tensions between Jews and Romans escalated toward war, many Jerusalem Christians fled to Pella in the Transjordan, heeding a prophecy attributed to Jesus about fleeing when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies.

James’s legacy:

Apostolic authority: As Jesus’s brother who didn’t believe during Jesus’s ministry (John 7:5) but was converted by a resurrection appearance (1 Corinthians 15:7), James’s testimony was powerful—family skepticism turned to unshakable faith.

Bridge-builder: At the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), James mediated between Jewish tradition and Gentile freedom, finding a solution that preserved both gospel truth and community fellowship.

Jewish Christianity: James represented a form of Christianity deeply rooted in Jewish practice—Torah observant, temple-oriented, yet centered on Jesus as Messiah. His death symbolized the coming break between Judaism and Christianity.

Epistle of James: The New Testament letter bearing his name (authorship debated by scholars) emphasizes practical faith: “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26)—not contradicting Paul’s grace emphasis but showing that genuine faith produces righteous living.

Later traditions:

• Catholic and Orthodox traditions venerate James as the first Bishop of Jerusalem
• His liturgy (attributed to him) influenced Eastern Orthodox worship
• His tomb site in Jerusalem’s Kidron Valley was venerated for centuries

Comparison to other martyrdoms:

Like Stephen (30 CE), James was stoned—the Jewish punishment for blasphemy. But Stephen’s death came during spontaneous mob violence; James’s was judicial murder.

Like Peter (64-68 CE in Rome, tradition says), James led the church for decades before martyrdom. But Peter died under Roman persecution; James under Jewish opposition.

Like Paul (67-68 CE in Rome, tradition says), James died proclaiming Jesus. But Paul carried the gospel to Gentiles; James anchored it in Judaism.

All three pillars of the early church—James, Peter, Paul—died as martyrs within a decade, between 62-68 CE, just before Jerusalem’s destruction ended the apostolic age.

Historical significance:

James’s martyrdom marked a turning point:

• The Jerusalem church lost its most respected leader
• Jewish Christianity began its decline as Gentile Christianity ascended
• The breach between church and synagogue widened irreparably
• Eight years later, the temple’s destruction would complete the separation

James the Just—righteous Jew, faithful Christian, wise leader—died as he lived: praying for his enemies, proclaiming his brother as Lord, standing at the intersection of two worlds that were drifting apart. His death symbolized the end of an era when Christianity and Judaism might have remained more closely connected.

The man with camel’s knees, who spent his life in prayer, uttered his final prayer while being murdered—a prayer of forgiveness that echoed through history and testified that Jesus’s teaching had taken root in his brother’s heart: “Father, forgive them.”