But other of the apostles saw I none, except James the Lord's brother.
All Commentaries on Galatians 1:19 Go To Galatians 1
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
But other of the apostles saw I none save James the Lord"s brother. I.e, a cousin or relation of Christ"s, for the Hebrews call cousins brothers. S. Jerome adds that S. James was called the Lord"s brother before all the Apostles, even those related to Christ, on account of his lofty character, his incomparable faith and Wisdom of Solomon , which made him seem like a brother to Christ. For the same reason he was surnamed the Just. Secondly, S. Jerome says that Christ, when going to His Father, commended to James , as to a brother, the eldest children of His mother, i.e, those in Judæa who believed on Him; for this James , the son of Alphæus, the son of Mary, wife of Cleophas, one of the twelve Apostles, was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. This is why, in the First Council of Jerusalem, he was the first after Peter to pronounce judgment ( Acts 15:13). A Canonical Epistle of his is extant.
S. Jerome hints both here and in his book on Ecclesiastical Writers, when writing of James , that this James was not of the twelve Apostles, but was called an Apostle, only because he had seen Christ and preached Him. In this case we have three of the name of James—the brother of John , slain by Herod; the son of Alphæus, both of whom were Apostles; and this brother of the Lord. But since this brother of the Lord is called an Apostle, and there is no cogent reason for distinguishing him from James the Apostle and son of Alphæus, when, indeed, there are many reasons why we should identify them, the first opinion seems the better one.
