JAMES THE LESSER (died 62 A.D.) – James is known by many different names and titles, including James the Lesser (to distinguish him from James the Greater, brother of John), James the Little (because of his small stature), James the Minor and James the Just (because he was righteous and holy). He was an apostle of Jesus Christ and the son of Alphaeus. Some scholars believe that James was the half brother of Jesus, who became the first bishop of Jerusalem. James was called the brother of our Lord, according to tradition, because James was from the same lineage as Jesus. Tradition also tells us that James looked strikingly similar to Jesus, as recorded by a letter from Ignatius to the Apostle John:

If I had your permission, I want to come up to Jerusalem to see the venerable James, surnamed the Just, who they say resembled Jesus Christ so closely in his features, his life, and his way with others that he might have been born his twin brother; so that, as they say, if I see James I see Christ Jesus so far as all bodily features are concerned.2