James The Just - Epithet

Epithet

In the New Testament, James is simply "James", other than Paul's one reference to "James, the brother of the Lord" (Galatians 1:19).

Eusebius records that Clement of Alexandria related, "This James, whom the people of old called the Just because of his outstanding virtue, was the first, as the record tells us, to be elected to the episcopal throne of the Jerusalem church." The name also helps distinguish him from other important figures in early Christianity of the same name, such as James, son of Zebedee.

He is sometimes referred to in Eastern Christianity as "James Adelphotheos" (Greek: Iάκωβος ο Αδελφόθεος), i.e., "James the Brother of God". The oldest surviving Christian liturgy, the Liturgy of St James, called him "the brother of God" (Adelphotheos).

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