Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian who died in 100 AD, wrote several books on Jewish History. On two occasions, Josephus referred to Jesus Christ. We discussed the most extensive mention in a previous article.

But his second mention is equally intriguing. In his book, Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus referred to Jesus in the context of the stoning of James, the Lord’s brother:

Ananus, who, as we have told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now a proper opportunity [to exercise his authority]. Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned..

We know that James was one of Jesus’ four brothers from Matthew 13:55. The Lord would have been a half-brother, since Joseph was not Christ’s actual father.

But this passage in Antiquities also confirms several things that we know about James.

James Was a Key Leader in Early Church

The Jewish High Priest Ananus ben Ananus was the one who ordered the stoning of James. Since James was named, it revealed that he was considered a key leader in the early church in Jerusalem. The stoning took place in 62 AD.

This confirmed how James was portrayed in the Bible. We know at the council of Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15, that James, not Peter, played the key role in determining how the church should deal with the gentiles who were flooding the church.

While some were demanding the gentiles be circumcised (essentially become Jews to become Christians), James stated that this was not necessary.

He then set out four things that would be required of gentile Christians. They should “abstain from things contaminated by idols, from acts of sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:20 NASV). 

We are told that all the apostles agreed with James’ proposal and they sent a letter to the churches outlining these four requirements.

The Apostle Paul also recognized James as a pillar in the early church, along with Peter and John (Galatians 2:9).

Jesus Called the Messiah

Secondly, Josephus affirms the claim of the early Christians that Christ was the Messiah. Now it’s apparent that Josephus had reservations in the way he worded it, by stating Jesus “who was called Christ”.

But still this confirms the widely held belief Jesus was the Promised Messiah from a nonBiblical source.

James’ Remarkable Conversion

Thirdly, we see the remarkable transformation that took place in James’ life. It is clear from John 7:5, that initially the Lord’s brothers, including James, did not believe Jesus was the Messiah.

They were embarrassed by Christ and even wanted Jesus to leave Nazareth after the Lord had returned for a visit (John 7:3). Many of those living in Nazareth had rejected Christ’s ministry and the family was feeling the pressure (Matthew 13:58).

Mark reports at one point that Mary and the Lord’s brothers tried to take charge of Jesus, because they thought He had lost his mind (Mark 3:20-21). It was probably in response to the scribes’ accusation that Jesus was casting out demons with the help of a more powerful demon, Beelzebub (Mark 3:22-30).

But it’s clear from the Scripture and Josephus’ writings that James had changed His mind about his half Brother and willingly died for this belief.

Paul explains how this occurred and he said that James had seen the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:7). This miraculous appearance convinced James of the Lord’s resurrection.

There is even a suggestion in Acts 1:14, that Christ’s other brothers also believed. This included Jude, who describes himself as the brother of James (Jude 1:1).

Mary Was Not a Perpetual Virgin

Finally, Josephus’ reference to James as the Lord’s brother confirms the Biblical narrative that Mary did not remain a perpetual virgin, as claimed by the Roman Catholic Church. The church holds the position that Mary was a virgin through Christ’s birth and remained celibate for the rest of her marriage to Joseph.

But, the Gospels tell us that Jesus not only had four brothers but even sisters:

Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas [Jude]? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man acquire all these things?” (Matthew 13:55-56 NASV).

To get around this problematic verse, Roman Catholic theologians claim that the Greek word ‘adelphos,’ translated as “brothers” in this passage, can also be translated as “cousins.” This is true, but it is a rare usage of the word.

Overwhelmingly the word is used to describe siblings.

When Jesus returned to Nazareth, the people of the community were shocked by the Lord’s wisdom and miracles. But notice how they addressed it.

First, they talked about the Lord’s father, Joseph, then Jesus’ mother Mary, and in that context it’s obvious James, Joseph, Simon and Judas [Jude] were Jesus’ brothers, not cousins.

The Orthodox Churches, who hold a similar position on Mary’s perpetual virginity, acknowledge that the Greek word ‘adelphos’ in this passage means brothers. However, they theorize that these were Joseph’s sons and daughters from a previous marriage.

But Mary’s perpetual virginity would have been a major miracle. Since they went into such detail on Jesus’ miraculous conception, there is no doubt the Gospel writers would have mentioned it if that had taken place.

For that matter, the Bible doesn’t even record Mary’s death, which would have taken place within the time frame of the Book of Acts.