Barrow - BX1805 .B3 1852

CASE OF ST JAMES, BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. 121 Of the same opinion was Epiphanius, who says that St James was the son of Joseph by another wife. Epiph., Hoer, lxxviii. The whole Greek church supposes the same, keeping three distinct solemnities for him and the two apostles of the same name. Gregory Nyssen, [bishop of Nyssa,] St Jerome, and divers other ancient writers, concur herein; whomwe may see alleged by Grotius, Dr Hammond, who themselves embraced the same opinion, Valesius, Blondel, &c.1 Salmasius, after his confident manner, says, " It is certain that he was not one of the twelve."' I may at least say, it is not certain that he was; and, consequently, the objection is grounded on an un- certainty. (2.) Granting that St James was one of the apostles, as some of the ancients seem to think,' calling him an apostle, and as divers modern divines conceive, grounding chiefly upon these words of St Paul, "But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother," Gal. i. 19, and taking " apostles" there in the strictest sense, I answer, That the case was peculiar, and there appears a special reason why one of the apostles should be designed to make a constant resi- dence at Jerusalem, and consequently to preside there like a bishop. For Jerusalemwas the metropolis, the fountain, the centre of the Christian religion, where it had birth;, where was greatest matter and occasion of propagating the gospel, most people disposed to embrace it resorting thither; where the church was very numerous, consist- ing, as St Luke, or St James in hirn; intimates, of " divers myriads of believing Jews," Acts xxi. 20: whence it might seem expedient that a person of greatest authority should be fixed there, for the con- firming and improving that church, together with the propagation of religion among the people who resorted thither; the which might induce the apostles to settle St James there, both for discharging the office of an apostle and the supplying the room of a bishop there. Accordingly, to him, says Eusebius, " the episcopal throne was committed by the apostles;"4 or, " Our Lord," says Epiphanius, "intrusted him with his own throne."' But there was no need of fixing an apostle at other places, nor does it appear that any one was so fixed; especially, St Peter was Grot. in Jac. i. 1; Hamm. Dissert. Ignat. iv. 3; Vales. in Euseb. i. 12; Blondel in Epist. Clem. ad Jacob. 2 Certum est non fuisse unum ex duodecim.Sal., Mess. p. 20. 3 Hierosolymitanam, quam primus apostolus Jacobus episcopatu suo resit. Aug: cont. Cress. ii. 37. " The church of Jerusalem, which James the apostle first governed by his episcopal power." 4 'o orpós rmv ázovróauv ó oIe ivrwz, rI; éyzexeiprcro .póvos. Euseb. ii. 23. "a oreor%rf'76 ze lairds róv 8póver avrcv.-1píph., Hoer. lsxviii.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=