The letter of James

There is one other question about the person of James which we must try to solve. In Galatians 11.19 Paul speaks of him as the Lord's brother. In Matthew 13.55 and in Mark 6.3 he is named among the brothers of Jesus; and in Acts.14, although no names are given, the brothers of Jesus are said to be amongst his followers in the earliest Church. The question of the meaning of brother is one which must be faced, for the Roman Catholic Church attaches a great deal of importance to the answer, as does the Anglo-Catholic section of the Anglican Church. Ever since the time of Jerome there has been continuous argument in the Church on this question. There are three theories of the relationship of these "brothers" to Jesus; and we shall consider them one by one.