If this were the case, it would prove that Jesus was looking for the restoration of Israel, but this was not the case. Jesus chose the twelve apostles from among his many disciples, without obeying any human criteria. From a human point of view, it seems that he chose them at random. But according to the proverb, "he who sees faces does not see hearts", whereas we only see faces, God sees the heart of each one, and according to that heart, Jesus would have chosen his twelve.
See, I am making all things new! (Revelation 21:5) – By choosing at “random" the twelve apostles, Jesus wanted to institute something new because, as he himself would say, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." Matthew 21:43
Within the circle of disciples, we have the circle of apostles and inside this circle, we have yet another formed, by coincidence or providence, by three apostles. Peter, James and John are the apostles closest to Jesus, his inner circle who accompanies him to places where the others do not go, the only ones who witness the healing of Jairus' daughter, the only ones who climb the Mount Tabor of the Transfiguration with him, and the only ones who see him sweat blood and water in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Peter, James and John are, therefore, the triad of apostles during the evangelical times of Jesus' life, but they are not the only triad. Even without the physical presence of Jesus, with the Church now guided by the Holy Spirit, there were also three apostles who acted as pillars. They are Peter, James and Paul.
The same Peter of the gospels, in order to establish the continuity between Jesus and his Church as his mystical body, is also part of this second triad. The second is James, but not the same James of the gospels who is also known as the Greater, brother of John, both sons of Zebedee. This James is the younger, also known as the Lord's brother. Finally, the third in the triad of the early days of the Church is Paul, the great Paul of Tarsus, who had previously persecuted the Church.
On what do we base the existence of this second triad? From the book of the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the figure of Peter appears as the authority, if not effectively in the first Christian community in Jerusalem, at least morally, which inspires the community and calls it to unity. James, the Lord's brother, is the effective authority of the Christian community in Jerusalem, the first to be formed; this authority is felt at the Council of Jerusalem. Paul is the protagonist of almost the entire book of the Acts of the Apostles, with his three apostolic evangelization journeys.
APOSTOLIC TIMES: PETER – JAMES – JOHN
Peter of the evangelical times
Simon John would have been his name, since in Israel and still today in Semitic countries like Ethiopia, the son's surname is the father's first name. On some occasions, Jesus called Peter by his real name – when he first met him and gave him the nickname Peter (John 1:42) and later when he asked him if he loved him (John 21:15-17).
Peter, the other apostles, and in general, all the people who came in contact with Jesus experienced salvation, that is, health of body and soul, forgiveness of their guilt, and a change of identity that comprised at times even a change of name, a change in the way they saw Jesus, in the way they saw themselves and the way they saw the world around them. On the other hand, it is also through these relationships that Jesus establishes with the people he meets along the way that his true identity is revealed to us.
Peter and Andrew, his brother
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ Mark 1:16-17
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. (…) One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be call Cephas’ (which is translated Peter). John 1:35-37, 40-42
Jesus calls busy people, people who already have a profession, not people who are doing nothing. It is said that if you want to ask someone for a favor, ask it from a busy person and not from one who is not, because the latter will invent a thousand and one excuses not to do it for you. The Gospel of Mark is famous for the word "immediately" that he repeats countless times.
There are opportunities in life that do not come twice. When the founder of the Consolata Missionaries, Father Joseph Allamano, decided to become a priest, his brothers tried to dissuade him by saying "Think harder and decide later"; he replied, "Jesus calls me today, I don't know if he will call me tomorrow.”
The shepherds were the first to visit the infant Jesus, but for his disciples, Jesus chose fishermen. A shepherd is only needed when there is a flock to keep and care for. Jesus did not have a flock yet, so he needed the skill of a hunter or fisherman first to attract people to himself and then to send them to draw others to his cause: the transformation of the world into the kingdom of God. In John's account, we see how Andrew does this with his brother Simon.
John's version of the call of the first disciples seems more credible and more historical than Mark's, although Mark was the first gospel to be written. Mark wrote his gospel for the Romans in Rome, so he purposely places more emphasis on Peter. In John's version, Andrew knew Jesus first because he was already a disciple of John the Baptist.
Peter - fisherman and sinner
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. (…) But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!' (...) and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ Luke 5:4-6, 8, 10
Jesus fishes Peter in his imperfection even as a fisherman. Jesus does not seek out saints, because there are no saints before God. Jesus looks for sinners who are aware of their condition, and this is what being a saint means; a saint is not perfect, but is a person who recognizes his own imperfections. This quality, we find it already in King David, also a sinner aware of his condition.
Humility is the mother of all virtues; pride is the father of all vices. Whoever is humble lets himself be molded by God, like the child who lets the father guide his hand in writing his first letters. When I am weak, then I am strong, says St. Paul (2 Corinthians 12:10), when I am conscious of my fault, I obtain God's forgiveness; when I am conscious of my limitations, I let God’s power work in me and through me.
Peter is realistic about himself; he does not pretend to be who he is not, he accepts that he is a sinner in front of Jesus and weeps for his sinfulness when he denies him, seeking no justifications, explanations or excuses not before others, not before God and not before himself. He takes responsibility for his sin and weeps tears of guilt.
Later, Jesus gives him the opportunity to redeem himself by asking him three times if he loved him. And up to this point Jesus seems to be content with Peter’s best, giving up perfection, since by asking the question using the word "agape", the oblative love with which he loves us, he accepts that Peter loves him only with love of friendship, for he uses the word "philia". In other words, Jesus asked Peter, "Peter, do you love me?" and Peter answered, "I like you".
We are not attracted to people who hide their vulnerabilities, their complexes and feelings of inferiority behind their pride and boasting, showing themselves superior to others. Those who seek to show themselves superior often hide a sense of inferiority. Peter makes himself loved by Jesus and his companions because, despite being chosen from the twelve to lead, he does not hide his vulnerabilities, his condition.
Peter's psychological profile - Sanguine
Warm, deep, dynamic, emotional, impulsive and vibrant; uninhibited and loquacious, but not just by words, decides and acts many times without thinking, but with courage; although deep down he is a fearful person, as a leader, he drags others with him.
He is open and free in his feelings and actions. Good communication and social skills, relates well with others. On the negative side, we stress the lack of willpower; emotionally unstable, explosive, impatient and selfish. Also, he is insecure, fickle, inconsistent and fearful. Because he is active, little is given to introspection.
Fickle and incoherent
Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. John 13:37-38
Impulsive
Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Matthew 14:28
Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ Matthew 17:4
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. John 18:10
Braggart
Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ Peter said to him, ‘Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.’ Matthew 26:31-33
Egocentric, insecure, fearful
Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Matthew 19:27
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ Matthew 16:22
But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord save me!' Matthew 14:30
Uninhibited and frank, obedient and eager to please
‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. Luke 5:5-6
Primacy of Peter
Peter's role among the twelve was prominent; the earliest writings of the New Testament refer to him as the leader of the twelve and one of the first to see the risen Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:5). He was regarded by Paul and everyone in his time to be one of the pillars of the early Church movement (Galatians 2:9).
In all the gospels, Jesus differentiated Peter from the other apostles from the time he first met him. Having given him the nickname "rock" on which he was going to build his Church; this can be interpreted, as some Protestants do, as referring to Peter's faith on which, in fact, the Church was built. (John 1:42; cf. Mark 3:16; Cf. Matthew 16:18).
This interpretation would be correct if this was the only text alluding to Peter's primacy over the other apostles; but since this is not so, as there are many other texts that confirm this primacy, the name Peter indicates the function within the Church that was reserved for him and only him.
In all the mentions of the apostles, in the list of twelve, Peter always comes first; the Gospel of Matthew (10:12) expressly calls him the first. Peter, together with James and John, were the only witnesses to the resurrection of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37), the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), and the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37).
Jesus preaches to the crowds from Peter’s boat (Luke 5:3), when he is in Capernaum, Peter's house is his own house (Mark 2:1-12), and among all the apostles' relatives Jesus cured only one: Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-44). Jesus tells Peter to pay tribute to the Temple for both of them (Matthew 17:27), exhorts him to sustain the faith of the other apostles after his own conversion (Luke 22:32); after the resurrection, he first appears to Peter, before appearing to the other apostles (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5). Peter almost always acts as the spokesman of the apostles who rarely speak directly to Jesus.
Peter was the only apostle who saw in Jesus something more than a prophet or the reincarnation of John the Baptist; the only one who affirmed that Jesus was the Messiah, the one expected by the nations (Matthew 16:17-19). Although this same power was also later given to the other apostles, it is significant that he first gave it to Peter directly and individually. To bind and unbind, in terms of the rabbinical terminology of the time, meant declaring to be in communion with the Church or to be excommunicated from it. Therefore, Peter not only had the function of teaching and supporting, but also the juridical function.
Peter's primacy is revealed in the gospels, even in episodes that portrayed this position in a negative light: the fear of sinking in the lake, (Matthew 14:30), the denial of the master, (Luke 22:54-62), the miraculous catch of the fish, (Luke 5:4-6, 8, 10), and even when Jesus called him Satan (Matthew 16:23).
Only those who do not want to see, cannot see; the denial of Peter's primacy, its importance within the college of the apostles, can only be done for ideological reasons to justify the Orthodox and Protestant churches.
When Jesus’ Mission was completed and he went to the Father, the Church which he himself had founded became his mystical body to continue his work of salvation from generation to generation till the end of time. As a body, for the sake of unity, can only have one head, it is only logical that the head of the Church be Peter as he was the head of Jesus’ disciples as we have seen.
For all that we know, Peter lived his last years, and breathed his last in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire. According to St. Irenaeus (130-202) bishop of Lyon, and the historian Eusebius bishop of Caesarea Maritima in the year 314, Linus, a Roman mentioned in 2 Timothy (4:21) was appointed to be the second bishop of Rome by the apostles Peter and Paul.
The importance of Peter's primacy is the unity of the Church. "Each head, its own sentence," two authorities do not lead to unity, but to division. Monotheism, before being distinctive of the people of Israel, had been the policy followed by a pharaoh of Egypt in order to create greater cohesion among the peoples of the Nile. The existence of various gods, like the existence of various churches, is not conducive to harmony and peace, but to division and war. Religious wars can be worse than all other wars.
When we love only one God who is the Father of all, it is easier to see our brother in the other, no matter who he is. This same principle is in primacy of Peter. Jesus did not want several Churches, he founded only one, he himself prayed for the union of all Christians (John 17:20-23).
James and John sons of Zebedee
As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Mark 1:19-20
According to the first three gospels, Jesus called on the same day and at the same time four disciples who were two pairs of brothers. The former, Peter and Andrew, would be older than the latter, for they fished on their own; the second, James and John, would be younger because they were fixing fishing nets with their father.
The first pair of brothers were fishing, the second were fixing the nets. Both activities are important; one cannot fish without repairing from time to time the nets that break with usage. At first glance, it passes unnoticed that some were fishing and others were repairing nets, but I do not believe that this fact is in the gospel by chance, without any special meaning.
Fishing is an activity, fixing nets can be many things; it can be to pray, to meditate. Jesus abandoned the activity, went to quiet places, in the calm of the night or at dawn, to be alone with himself and with God his Father. Before beginning his public life, he spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting and praying. During his public life, before the most important moments, he prayed, he ended his life on Earth by praying. He taught his apostles to pray and exhorted them several times to do so in order not to succumb to temptation.
Fixing nets can mean the act of thinking, of programming the activity or even the study of fishing methods, of different nets and hooks for different types of fish. Every evangelical preacher knows that he has to adapt to the culture, age and idiosyncrasies of the people he preaches to, so that they understand the word.
One at the right and one at the left
James and John, the sons of Zebedee came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ Mark 10:35-37
In general, throughout the Gospel of Mark, the apostles do not come out looking good and these two, despite belonging to the inner circle of the twelve, are the ones that come out looking the worst. Even thinking that the kingdom Jesus was talking about was the restoration of the Davidic kingdom, Israel's independence from the Romans, their request does not make sense, since the two already belonged to the circle closest to Jesus; therefore, when this kingdom is to come true, they would sit one on the right and the other on the left.
The only viable explanation is that they wanted to dethrone Peter from his position of prominence over the twelve. The incidence is so shameful of the two brothers that Luke does not mention it in his gospel and Matthew puts the request coming out of the mouth of the mother of Zebedee's sons. It is most certain that they said it themselves and this is evident even in Matthew because Jesus does not respond to their mother, but to them personally.
Whoever does not live to serve is not fit to live. The authority in Jesus is one of service, he said of himself that he came into the world to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28). And he also said that his position among the apostles was to serve (Luke 22:27). And to be clear, at the last supper he did one of the lowest services of that time, in washing the feet to his disciples; the act itself was so dramatic that the disciples never forgot it (John 13:1-17).
Jesus was a layman, he was neither a scribe nor a Pharisee nor a priest, and yet his contemporaries recognized in him having more authority than the priests, scribes and Pharisees (Mark 1:22). Whether democratically elected or appointed, for Jesus, real authority is that which arises from within the person, it is a charismatic and moral authority, it is not inherent to the position one occupies in society.
More important than the place we occupy in society is the way we occupy it. Respect for authority is no longer automatically granted, or inherent to the office, as it used to be, but must be earned; an elected or appointed authority without a moral authority does not earn the respect of the people, but its contempt.
On the other hand, we should not call anyone Lord, since we are all equal, there is only one Lord who is God. In a heteronomous morality, people uncritically follow rules, commandments, laws, configuring their lives according to norms outside of themselves.
The moral that Jesus preached is not heteronomous in following rules, but autonomous in following one’s own experience in life and his own moral conscience as the legislative and executive power. He even did so by breaking the law of the Sabbath in situations where his own conscience found that healing a sick person was of a higher order than observing the Sabbath.
James and John sons of thunder
John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.’ Luke 9:49-50
On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village Luke 9:53-56
In addition to Peter's nickname, Jesus also baptized the other two apostles who were part of the inner circle of his disciples as the "sons of thunder". It is not difficult to guess why Jesus chose this name for these two brothers. Fanaticism and intolerance have always been the temptation of those who believe they are the sole holders of the truth or the whole truth.
The Church understands that there are "Semina verbum", seeds of the Word of God in all religions. We are far from the "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus", that there is no salvation outside the Church. There is no salvation outside of Christ, because Christ is the son of God who came to save all mankind. Whoever, even without knowing Christ, follows him as the way, the truth and the life, is an anonymous Christian, as Karl Rahner said. Christ did not come to establish a new religion, but he came to teach men to be men.
Christian and human are synonyms, so whoever is authentically human is authentically Christian. At the end of our life, we will be judged not by our confession, not by our identity, but by our works. In chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel, in the questions about the final judgment, there are no questions about the identity of the person, regarding what he or she is or was, but they are all related to what he or she did.
Contrary to the fanaticism of the sons of Zebedee, Jesus counsels to move forward, not to force people into conversion. It's enough that the other is not openly against me to be with me in some way. If he is not openly against me, if he tolerates me, in some way he is with me. The fanatical and intolerant version of this phrase says otherwise, "Whoever is not with me is against me".
God who created us without our consent does not save us without it. Human freedom is the powerlessness of the almighty God. Salvation is a free choice, it cannot be forced upon anyone; this is what we see from the beginning in Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and from the New Testament in Mary who freely said yes, but could have said no.
In the Gospels, the sons of Zebedee appear only few times separately. James never appears apart from his brother John, who appears without his brother James only twice, once in the episode we have already mentioned and then when he ran to the tomb with Peter and despite having arrived there first, he lets Peter be the first to enter.
John, the son of Zebedee, is not the author of the fourth Gospel: none of the evangelists was an apostle of Jesus because the Gospels were written after the preaching of the apostles; the apostles preached and the disciples of these apostles wrote the Gospels.
Luke was a disciple of Paul, Mark was a disciple of Peter, and Matthew is also not the one who was a tax collector before becoming one of the twelve; he is most likely a scribe who converted to Christianity. John, the son of Zebedee, has always been presented to us as the beloved disciple, but today almost everyone seems to agree that the beloved disciple is not John and that he was not one of the twelve.
Of the three great apostles in the circle closest to Jesus, from the evangelical times, only Peter passes to the times of the New Testament and the first steps of the Church, being part of another triad, together with James the younger, the Lord’s brother and Paul. James, the son of Zebedee, was martyred by Herod Antipas in the year 44 (Acts 12:2), and ended up drinking the chalice he had desired to drink. John is probably the only one of the twelve who crossed the threshold of the first century, and died of old age.
In the end the sons of Zebedee failed to dethrone Peter, who turned out to be the continuity between the evangelical times and the times of the Acts of the Apostles. Zebedee's sons are still mentioned in this book, but no longer important; another triad formed, but the other two did not belong to the group of twelve. James the younger, the brother of the Lord, and Paul, a converted Pharisee.
FIRST CHURCH: PETER - JAMES - PAUL
History tells us that after a great charismatic, visionary founder of any movement, there is always a person who institutionalizes it, that is, who integrates it into the social and cultural reality of a place, at a certain moment of its history. If it were not so that charisma would be nothing more than a summer’s night dream that fades away as quickly as it appeared.
This task could not be carried out by simple fishermen who after Christ's death did not have a definite identity: while Jesus had criticized certain laws of the Jews, the apostles continued to follow them. Jesus had criticized the Temple, yet the apostles continued to frequent it daily, as the book of Acts tells us; they were incoherent and inconsistent, they reconciled the irreconcilable, the visits to the Temple with the celebration of the Eucharist in homes.
Without Saint Paul, who institutionalized the ideals of Jesus and gave them a theological consistency, perhaps Christianity would never had gained wings to fly otherwise. It would never have passed from a sect of Judaism, which, sooner or later, would end up being absorbed, supplanted or eliminated. And it was precisely the worst enemy of this new movement that turned out to be its best friend and savior: Saul of Tarsus.
This triad of the early Church, as the book of the Acts of the Apostles reveals to us, is not a more or less cohesive group like the first triad who lived together with the master. On the contrary, these three only know each other, since they live in different places and have different philosophies. Each of them plays a very important role in the first Christian communities.
Each of them is a leader in their own right, and the way each leads even caused some friction among themselves. Paul respects and accepts Peter as the leader of the Christians, but he does not spare him some criticism, and he is in clear confrontation with James, the Lord's brother.
James most likely does not accept Peter's leadership because, as he is from Jesus' family, he thinks by succession he should be the leader and, in fact, he is the leader of the first Christian community, that of Jerusalem. Peter is on the tightrope between these two and plays the balancing act; he recognizes Paul's overwhelming charisma and has a lot of sympathy for him; he proceeds with caution, respects or is afraid of James and tacitly does not seem disturbed by his leadership and figurative power.
Peter in the Acts of the Apostles
But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19-20
In the Acts of the Apostles, we see what the Spirit can do for a person. We see Peter transformed into his best, less impulsive and calmer as the situation requires of him, since he was the mediator between two hurricanes; but on the other hand, we also see him more proactive and less fearful, disobeying the high priests and even accusing them of having killed Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 5:28, 50-42).
After the great speech on the morning of Pentecost, Peter seems to take Jesus' place, following in the footsteps of the teacher, preaching and healing as Jesus did. Peter's first act as leader was to appoint a replacement for Judas.
The early Church begins to extend its mission outside the surrounding of Jerusalem and when the apostles heard about Philip's successful preaching in Samaria, Peter and John went there to lay hands on the new Christians. Later, Peter travels to Lydda and heals a paralytic named Aeneas; then to Joppa, modern day Jaffa, and resurrects Tabitha, a woman who had just passed away and who used to help the poor a lot.
In Caesarea, he has a mystical experience that will help him guide the rest of the Christians in the decision made regarding the Gentiles at the Council of Jerusalem. This experience culminates in the baptism of a Roman centurion named Cornelius and his entire family.
By this time Herod began to persecute Christians, he imprisoned James the Great, and beheaded him as he had done to John the Baptist. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he also imprisoned Peter for being the leader of the movement. However, by virtue of the Holy Spirit who guided the Church from the beginning, Peter was miraculously freed.
To escape Herod's jurisdiction, Peter returned to Jerusalem, under the direct jurisdiction of the Romans, as we know. In Jerusalem, Peter took refuge in the house of Mary, mother of the evangelist John Mark (Acts 12:12). Moreover, this seems to be the residence of the first Christian community, that of Jerusalem.
From what we know from Papias who wrote around the year 90, Mark, after having been a disciple of Paul for a short time, followed in Peter’s footsteps as his disciple and secretary, from Jerusalem, Antioch to Rome; therefore, his gospel written in Rome and for the Romans is a reflection of Peter's preaching.
James, the brother of the Lord
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. Mark 15:40
Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. Matthew 27:56
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. John 19:25
If we compare these three accounts, we see three women named Mary at the foot of the cross: Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary Magdalene; and Mary, the wife of Cleopas, who was also the mother of James and Joseph.
Mark and Matthew tell us that at the foot of the Lord's cross was Mary, mother of James the younger, John places Mary the mother of the Lord and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the cross and reveals the name of the other Mary, saying that she is the wife of Cleopas and also saying that she is the sister of Jesus' mother.
We can then conclude with all certainty that James is the Lord's cousin, not a blood brother: Jesus and James the younger are the children of two sisters. We know from Matthew (10:3) that James' father was Alphaeus, a Hebrew name, which in Greek translates to Cleopas, so Cleopas and Alphaeus are the same person.
What we know about James is that he is not only the leader of the Jerusalem community, but he is also the leader of one of the factions of Christianity: the Hebrew Christians opposed to the Hellenistic Christians, whose leader was Paul. James is also the writer of an emblematic letter that apparently opposes Paul's theology. He seems to accept that salvation comes from our faith in Jesus, but he peremptorily declares that faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:14-26).
Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles
We can say that in the New Testament, after the Gospels, Paul is the most repeated name and undeniably the most important figure of the early Church. Chronologically, the first writer and the most long-winded is Paul with his letters. The Acts of the Apostles could well be called the adventures and misadventures of Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles, since like the Gospel of Luke, they were written by one of his disciples.
Paul's life can be recollected in the Acts of the Apostles and his letters, in which Paul mentions that he was a Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, his Jewish name was Saul (which was the name of the first king of Israel also from the tribe of Benjamin) born in Tarsus in Asia Minor. He was educated in the strictest observance of Judaism during his youth in Jerusalem by Gamaliel (Phil. 3:5-6; cf. 2 Cor. 11:22; Rom. 11:1, Gal. 1:14; 2:15).
At the same time, his roots are in Greek culture, especially with regard to philosophy and rhetoric. He is also a Roman citizen, a title that was obtained by his father and extended to the whole family. Paul is a man who lives between two or three worlds, familiar with Hebrew and Greek culture, as well as with Roman politics.
With a markedly choleric profile, Paul was instinctive and his intelligence was intuitive and cunning, very controversial, impulsive and conflictive. Although he was practically a contemporary of Jesus, he did not know him personally, neither before his death nor after, since he did not have, like the other apostles, a real experience of the risen Christ.
He was a persecutor of Jesus' movement until he had a mystical experience, an encounter with the same Jesus whom he was persecuting. Before his conversion, Paul used his strength and talent in favor of Judaism by terrorizing Christians. The same talents are used later to spread Christianity to the pagans.
Since he had been a persecutor of Jesus' movement, few believed in him and even thought he was a spy; however, Barnabas believed in him and so Paul began to put his skills of persuasion, previously at the service of Judaism, now at the service of Christ. The Acts speaks of Barnabas and Paul, but soon after it speaks of Paul and Barnabas and later only of Paul.
Paul possessed excellent theological gifts, but knew little about Jesus. That is why he surrounded himself with John Mark, who later became a disciple of Peter and the writer of the first gospel. Following Paul was very difficult and John Mark, longing for his family in Jerusalem, abandoned Paul. When he returned, he had a very violent argument with Paul. The latter did not want to forgive Mark who with Barnabas, probably his uncle, had to leave Paul (Acts 15:39). Paul repented and wished to have Mark back with him again; but by then, Mark was already a disciple of Peter (2 Timothy 4:11).
One hundred percent committed to the cause of Christ, he claims for himself the title of Apostle for the lot that he did for the Gospel, in founding Christian communities among the Gentiles in the course of three great journeys that he made. Based on Jesus' philosophy, Paul understands that being an apostle is not a title with pedigree, exclusive to the twelve which is never lost, even if it is not exercised, something like having blue blood. Faithful to Jesus’ philosophy of "by their fruits you will know them", for Paul an apostle is someone who acts as such.
And no one acted more like an apostle than him for the lot that he did to spread the gospel over the course of the three journeys, for the Christian communities he founded in his travels north and south of the Mediterranean, and for the many letters that he wrote: half of the New Testament. Paul not only retained the title for himself, but also gave it to his collaborators.
Competent, self-disciplined and firm (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), he can even be affective and sentimental (Philippians 1: 7-8), it is impossible to remain indifferent to Paul: one either loves him or hates him. While a prisoner, he became the ship's captain. Judged by Tertullus, Felix and Agrippa, he took the reins of his own fate, and in prison, the guards were his prisoners.
Council of Jerusalem
Most people understand that the Council of Jerusalem, like all councils, was about a doctrinal issue between two factions of Christianity, the Judaizers and the Hellenists. But it was not quite like that.
Rivalry between Jesus’ relatives and disciples
After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. (…) The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My brothers, listen to me. Simeon has relates how God first looked favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for him this agrees with the words of the prophets… Acts 15:7, 12-15
At stake in this Council was also a less known issue, but one that is anticipated both in the Gospels and in the same text of the Acts about the Council: the rivalry between the blood relatives of Jesus and his disciples.
James, the Lord's brother and the leader of the Jerusalem community, was not only the leader of the Judaizers, but also considered himself Jesus’ successor because he was his most direct family member. We must not forget that Jesus is of David's lineage and that all kings after David were his descendants. Therefore, James understands that he and not Peter should be the leader of Jesus' movement.
In the text of the Council mentioned above, we see that Peter gives the inspiration to the Councilors, bearing in mind above all his experience of the baptism of the Roman centurion Cornelius; Paul and Barnabas present the question, but the one who decides and hits the hammer on the table is in fact James.
Mark, the first gospel to be written from the preaching of Peter the leader of the disciples, in fact conveys a bad image of Jesus' relatives, even saying that they considered Jesus mad; and when Jesus' relatives wanted to speak to him, Mark has Jesus saying that his relatives are not those of blood, but those who do God's will (Mark 3:31-35).
It apparently took time to resolve the question of rivalry between Jesus' relatives and his disciples, since the Gospel of John, the last to be written, returns to this issue, placing in Jesus’ own lips a form of reconciliation between Jesus' relatives and his disciples: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. John 19:26-27
Rivalry between the Judaizers and the Hellenists
James: Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. Acts 15:19-20
"Against facts there are no arguments", says the people, but with regard to the facts about "Jesus of Nazareth", dissenting arguments surged from almost the very beginning. One thing is what happens, another is the different versions of what happens and the different interpretations of what happens.
It's not enough to see the facts, one needs to know how to interpret them. The disciples on the road to Emmaus saw the facts, but could not interpret them, they needed Jesus’ help. Now the nascent Church, in Jesus’ absence, had the aid of the Holy Spirit who helped her interpret the revelation that took place in Jesus of Nazareth.
When we speak of the first Church of Jerusalem, we tend to understand that it was a Church united in the same doctrine, but it was not so. Right from the beginning, there were two factions of Christianity in conflict with each other:
The Judaizers – they were at the same time Christians and Jews who contradictorily reconciled the temple with the Eucharist, the law of Christ with the Law of Moses and who were a mixture of Christianity. Even today in Ethiopia there are Coptic Christians who place at the same level the Mosaic Law and Christ’s law and who do not eat pork, for example, prohibited by the Law of Moses.
The leader of this movement was neither Peter nor John who accompanied him many times, but James, the Lord's brother. Peter would have favored this movement at first, since in the book of Acts we see how he and John frequented the Temple. However, after his experience in Caesarea, he was more on the side of the Hellenists, especially since Paul became the leader of this movement. The Holy Spirit would have told Peter that there was little future with the Jews.
The Hellenists – they were the Jews from the Diaspora who had returned to Jerusalem; their first leaders were Stephen and Philip (Acts 6:5). The Hellenists, as their name indicates, did not speak Aramaic, but Greek; their culture was Greek. As we see in Stephen's speech before his death, they understood that Jesus had opposed the law of the Jews and the Temple, so it was a contradiction for them to be a Jew and be a Christian at the same time.
Familiar with the Greek culture, some of these Hellenists began to successfully preach to the Gentiles. The conversion of the Gentiles to Christianity was much greater than that of the Jews, so they understood that these new Christians who did not have Judaism as the basis of their culture should not submit to any of the prescriptions of the Law of Moses, especially that of circumcision.
The Hellenists absolutize the figure of Jesus as being the new Moses, as being superior to the Sabbath, as being the new Temple, as the Gospel of Matthew, written for the Jews, well proves. And for them, Christ came to put an end to cultural, political, or racial divisions; they understand that Christianity has a universal vocation to unite peoples, so they fully subscribe to what St. Paul said:
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
Between James, representing Judaism where Jesus’ movement was born, and Paul, representing the Hellenic world, Christianity would consolidate and grow. Peter is the Pontifex Maximus, not only uniting the two worlds at that time, but also allowing the new faith to move from Jerusalem to the rest of the world.
Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC
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