regard to
the _Shepherd_ of Hermas, which was written at Rome about A.D. 140.
Justin Martyr quotes the words "the devils shudder" (James ii. 19,
_Trypho_, 49). Polycarp seems to quote James i. 27, and 1 Peter seems
to show traces of its influence. The first writer who both quotes it
and mentions the author is Origen.

It opens with the name of "James, a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ." There can be no reasonable doubt that this is James
"the Lord's brother." James the son of Zebedee was killed as early as
A.D. 44, before which date it is unlikely that the Epistle was written.
We have no reason to attribute the Epistle to the Apostle James "the
Little." He does not seem to have been of sufficient prominence to
write an authoritative letter "to the twelve tribes which are of the
Dispersion." But such an action would have been exceedingly natural on
the part of a saint who was bishop of "the mother of Churches,"
Jerusalem itself. It will be convenient to postpone the consideration
of such evidence as we possess for the foregoing conclusion until we
have discussed the exact relation of St. James to our Lord.

{224}

Three important theories must be mentioned as offering a solution of
the difficult problem as to this relationship--

(a) That James, Joses, Simon, and Jude, mentioned in the Gospels as the
"brethren" of our Lord, were His first cousins on His mother's side.

(b) That they were the children of Joseph and Mary.

(c) That they were the children of Joseph by a former wife.

The theory of St. Jerome (a) may be perhaps discarded without any
further comment than that St. Jerome apparently invented it, that he
claimed no traditional sanction for it, he did not hold it consistently
himself in his later writings, and it is very difficult to reconcile it
with Scripture. The theory of Helvidius (b), which called forth St.
Jerome's attempted refutation, answers some verbal requirements of the
Gospel narrative, and has found some skilful modern advocates. But
with the possible exception of Tertullian, no Christian seems to have
held it before Helvidius, and the theory that Mary had other children
besides Jesus gave a profound shock to Christian sentiment. No
argument can be brought against (c), the theory defended, though not
originated, by St. Epiphanius, that the brethren of our Lord were
children of St. Joseph by a former wife. It is in keeping with the
strong tradition which maintained th