Yahoshua Ben Yosef
"[T]o James alone, it was allowed to enter once a year into the Holy of Holies, because he was a Nazirite and connected to the Priesthood. Hence Mary was related in two ways to Elizabeth [John the Baptist's mother] and James was a distinguished member of the Priesthood, because the two tribes alone were linked to one another, the royal tribe to the priestly," (Panarion 30).
Pope Clement of Rome (30-97 CE), or someone purporting to be
him, addresses his letter
in the non-canonical 'Homilies of Clement' to "James...the Bishop of
Bishops, who rules Jerusalem, the Holy Assembly of the Hebrews and the Assemblies
everywhere," as does Peter similarly in his Homilies letter.
Even Josephus (37-96 CE), who was not a Christian as we understand it -
but
was a contemporary of James - knows about him, and even insists that
James'
death was the reason people believed Jerusalem fell: "These things
[the
uprising and consequent destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans] happened
to
the Judeans in requital for James(Ya’akob) the Righteous, who was a
brother of Jesus(Yahoshua) known as Christ(anointed), for though he was the
most Righteous of men, the Judeans put him to death." This passage, remarked on also by
Origen (185-254 CE), and
Jerome, only exists in Eusebius' E.H., Jerome's Commentary on Galatians,
and
Origen's letter (Contra Celsus 1.47), and, interestingly, IS NO LONGER
EXTANT IN ANY MANUSCRIPT WE HAVE OF JOSEPHUS. Commenting on it, Eusebius
says
"So remarkable a person must James have been, so universally esteemed for Righteousness, that even the most intelligent of Jews felt this was why his martyrdom was immediately followed by the siege of Jerusalem," (E.H. 2.23). This contradicts Christian belief that the Temple fell because of the death of Jesus, as Origen is well aware in Contra Celsus (same as above). He also tells us that "the wonderful thing is that, though he [Josephus] did not accept Jesus as Christ, he yet gave testimony that the Righteousness of James was so great...that the people thought they had suffered these things on account of [him]," (Origen's Commentary on Matthew 10.17).
For his part,
Jerome, in his Lives, writes "This same Josephus records the tradition
that this James was of so great Holiness and reputation among the people that
the destruction of Jerusalem was believed to have occurred on account of his
death," and in his Commentary that "[s]o Holy was James that the
people zealously tried to touch the fringes of his garment," (Commentary
on Galatians 1:19, 396); these are the fringes commanded to be worn by
observant Jews in Numbers 15:38, "so that, when you see [them], you will
remember all the commandments of the Lord and DO THEM."
"For
whose sake Heaven and Earth came into existence," "Holy from his
birth," "the Righteous One," "Bulwark of the People,"
Jerusalem falling "on account of his death"... These are strong
words, and not to be lightly dismissed, and are consistent with what ALL
SOURCES SAY ABOUT HIM. It is important to point out that our sources are not
presenting James as just the Head of "Ebiontism erroneously called Hebrew
Christianity", but the POPULAR Hebrew LEADER
OF HIS DAY, the Zaddik, par excellence, whose death brought the
downfall of Jerusalem, and is in keeping with the notion in Proverbs (10:25)
and the Kabbalah (Zohar 1.59b) that "the Zaddik is the Foundation"
and "the Pillar that upholds the world." Paul understands this when
he speaks in Galatians of going up to Jerusalem and meeting "James,
Cephas, and John, those reputed to be Pillars," (Gal. 2:9), and his
attitude towards them is very, very helpful in determining who is the parallel
character in the Dead Sea Scrolls known as "the Windbag," "the
Comedian," "the Spouter of Lies," "the Man of
Scoffing."
"[H]e(Ananus the Saduccee High priest) assembled
the Sanhedrin [the 'Supreme Court'] of judges, and brought before them the
brother of Jesus who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some of his
companions. And when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of
the Law(for pronouncing the Divine name YHWH), he delivered them to be stoned.
But those citizens who seemed the most equitable and THE MOST CAREFUL IN THE
OBSERVATION OF THE LAW were offended by this," (Antiquities of the Jews 20.1).
"Our Master(Yahoshua) and Prophet, who has sent us, declared to us that the Evil One that is, 'the Devil'], having disputed with him for forty days, but failing to prevail against him, promised that he would send Apostles from among his subjects to deceive them. Therefore, above all, remember to shun ANY APOSTLE, TEACHER OR PROPHET WHO DOES NOT ACCURATELY COMPARE HIS TEACHING WITH JAMES...and this, even if he comes to you with recommendations," (non-canonical 'Homilies of Clement' 11.35, Peter preaching at Tripoli).
In the above
'Recognitions' we also learn of someone named Saul
-"one of our
enemies"- who, upon entering the
Temple with a few others while James was
reading and interpreting prophecy of scripture,
"began to cry out," and
"while James the Bishop was refuting
him" he "began to drive all into confusion with shouting, and undo
what was arranged with much labor." A riot ensues, "in the midst of
which, this enemy attacked James and threw him headlong from the top of the
[Temple] steps, and, supposing him to be dead, cared not to inflict further
violence upon him."