The reasons which moved Luther to reject this epistle shall be answered in their proper places. By his own testimony, cited before, it containeth nothing repugnant to other scriptures, and it savoureth of the genius of the gospel, as well as other writings of the apostles ; and though he seemeth to make little mention of Christ and the gospel, yet, if you consider it more thoroughly, you will find many passages looking that way. The Ejiistle of Paul to Philemon hath been hitherto reputed canonical, yet it treateth not of the merits and death of Christ. I confess the style which the apostle useth is more rousing, much of the epistle concerning the carnal Hebrews, as well as those that had taken upon themselves the profession of Christ ; in short, it hath a force upon the conscience, and is not only delivered by the church, but sealed up to our use and comfort by the Holy Ghost, as other scriptures are. It was written by an apostle, as other epistles taken into the canon, as the inscription showeth, and there is no reason why we should doubt of this title, more than of Paul's name before his epistles. It is true there were some spurious writings that carried the names of the apostles, as the ' Acts of Andrew,' the ' Liturgy of St James,' the ' Canons of the Apostles,' ' Luke's History of the Acts of Paul and Tecla,' ' Mark's Life of Barnabas,' the ' Gospel of Paul ;' but all these, by the just hand of God, had some mark of infamy im-
inis, imprimis qncv ad Bomanos, Galatas, Epliesios scriptce sunt ; nee enim, genium, indol- emque habet eramjclicam. So in his Comment, on Genesis, in c. 22, he saith, Facessant de medio, adversarii, cum suo Jacobo, quem toties nobis objiciunt.
12 A PREFACE TO TUE WHOLE EPISTLE.
pressed upon them, by the enforcement of matters false or ridiculous, or contrary to the truth of doctrine or history. But this epistle hath nothing contrary to the truth of religion, nor unbeseeming the gravity of it, and the majesty of other scriptures; therefore, upon the whole, we may pronounce that, it being represented to us with these advan- tages, it hath a just title to our respect and belief, and should be received in the church with the same esteem and reverence which we bear to other scriptures.
11. Secondly, Concerning the subordinate author, James, there is some controversy about stating the right person, who he was. In the general, it is certain he was an apostle, no epistles but theirs being received into the rule of faith ; and it is no prejudice tliat he styleth himself ' the servant of the Lord,' for so doth Paul often, as we shall prove anon in the explication of the first verse. But now, among the apostles there were two called by the name of James — James the son of Zebedee, and James the son of Alpheus. Many of the ancients indeed thought there were three of this name — Jacobus major, or of Zebedee ; Jacobus minor, or of Alpheus ; and James the brother of the Lord, called also Chobliham,^ or Oblias, or James the Just, whom they thought not to be an apostle, but Bishop of Jerusalem, Jerome calleth him decimum tertium apostolum, the thirteenth apostle (in Isai. lib. V. cap. 7). Dorotheas maketh him one of the seventy, the first in his catalogue, but without reason. For indeed tliere were but t\vo Jameses,2 this latter James being the same with him of Alpheus ; for plainly the brother of the Lord is reckoned among the apo.stles. Gal. i. 19 ; and called a pillar, G?l. ii. 9 ; and he is called the brother of the Lord, because he was in that family to which Christ was numbered. Some suppose his mother's sister's son, the son of Mary of Cleophas, who was sister to the Virgin. Now, Cleophas and Alpheu.s is all one, as a learned author supposeth,3 though Junius contradicteth it (in Epist. Jud^, sub initio) ; and Rabanus saith, after the death of Al])heus, she married Cleophas. But however it be, this James is the same, which is enough for our purpose. Well, then, there being two, to which of these is the epistle to be ascribed ? The whole stream of antiquity carrieth it for the brother of the Lord, who, as I said, is the same with Jacobus minor, or the son of Alpheus ; and with good reason, the son of Zebedee being long before beheaded by Herod, from the very beginning of the preaching of the gosjiel, Acts xii. 2. But this epistle must needs be of a later date, as alluding to some passages already written, and noting the degeneration of the church, which was not so very presently. There are some few indeed of another judgment, as Flavins Dexter, Julius Toletanus, Didacus Dazor, and others cited by Eusebins Neirembergius,* a Spanish Jesuit, who also bringeth the authority of an ancient Gottish missal to this
^ ^Vhich is rendered by Clemens, irepioK-q toO \aov iv oiKaioaufrj ; by Epipbanius, reixoi Tov XdoD.
' And no more are reckoned by Clemens and Ensebius, yea, by tbe scripture, among the apostles. See Mat. x. 2, 3, and Mark iii. 17, 18.
' Herbert Tbomdike, ' Of the Primitive Government of tbe Church,' pp. 11-13, who discusseth this matter at large, and with satisfaction.