Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
Chronology
Introduction: Of Revolutions and Paradigm Shifts

Part 1--The Nature of Jesus' Family
1--Persona Non Grata: James the Brother of Jesus
From Jacob to James
Bishop of the Church
Brother of Jesus
Early Hero
Forgotten Hero
2--A Family Divided: Jesus' Family in the Gospels
The Family According to Mark
Analyzing the Synoptic Accounts
The Family According to John
Analyzing Mark's Agenda
The Faith of the Family

Part 2--The Nature of the Jerusalem Church
3--James of Jerusalem: The Witness of Luke and Paul
James in Jerusalem
James as Apostle
James and Peter
James and the Resurrection
4--Pope James: The First Apostolic Council and the Incident at Antioch
The Circumcision Question
The Jerusalem Conference
The Apostolic Decree
Reconciling Accounts
The Incident at Antioch
5--Apostolic Intrigue: Paul's Final Visit to Jerusalem and the Death of James
The Collection for the Poor
The Death of a Christian Pharisee
The Rise of Pauline Christianity

Part 3--The Nature of Jewish Christianity
6--Keeping the Candle Burning: James in History and Tradition
Eusebius' History of the Church
Clement's Outlines
Eusebius and the Death of James
Dynastic Succession
7--The Brother of God: James, Gnosticism, and Jewish Christianity
The Gospel of Thomas
The Apocryphon of James
The First Apocalypse of James
The Second Apocalypse of James
The Jewish Christian Communities
The Gospel of the Hebrews
The Pseudo-Clementines
Jewish Christian Orthodoxy

Part 4 --The Nature of Orthodoxy
8--Orthodoxy and Heresy: James and the Quest for the Historical Jesus
A Parallel from John
Jesus and Judaism
The Legacy of F. C. Baur
The First Orthodoxy
9--The Forgotten Hero: James and the Origins of Christianity
Splitting Up the Family
The Fallout of War
Particularism and Universalism
The Righteous Martyr

Part 5--The Nature of the Descendants of Abraham
10--Thy Kingdom Come: A New Paradigm to Repair the Breach
The People of the Book
The Wall of Estrangement
Repairer of the Breach

Epilogue: Healing the Wasteland
List of Abbreviations of Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Jeffrey J. Butz is an ordained Lutheran minister and adjunct professor of world religions at Penn State University's Berks-Lehigh Valley campus. He lives in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.

Reviews

"[Butz'] scholarly survey of the Gospels, apocryphal texts, and histories of the Church reveals the connection of Jesus to his siblings and their support of his teachings in Jewish Christian orthodoxy....Butz explores the meaning of 'James the Just' and how early Christianity was invented by the Apostle Paul and turned an earthly Jewish Messiah into the divine Son of God." * Leo V. Kriz, Library Journal, Feb. 15, 2005 *
"This volume is eminently readable and accessible to nonscholars while being thorough in its research. . . . challenges readers to rethink the nature of both orthodoxy and heresy." * Publishers Weekly, Feb. 14, 2005 *
"The Brother of Jesus is an interesting work which certainly shines a strong light on an undervalued aspect of early Christianity . . . . offers an excellent overview of the Jewish/James approach to Chritian origins that is well-researched and documented." * Robert Burns, New Dawn, Sept-Oct 2005 *
"In telling the story of James, Jeffrey Butz provides us with a renewed consideration of the profound spiritual interconnectedness between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam . . . " * The Beacon, Mar-Apr 2006 *