Free James the Brother of Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls I by Robert Eisenman Page B

Document in Acts
    The two most authentic testimonies to James’ approach and role in the Jerusalem Church of his day are to be found in Paul’s letters and in the second half of the Book of Acts, primarily in the document scholars refer to as ‘the We Document’. Intruding variously after line 16:10, it seems to be a diary or travel document of some kind. For some, it is the only authentic material in Acts, though it is neither without problems nor continuous.
    Had we to rely simply on Acts’ presentation without Paul’s definitive identifications, we would be in grave doubt as to just who this very powerful and popular James, described so reticently by Luke – the putative author of Acts – really was. James just appears out of nowhere in Acts 12, the same chapter that the more widely known other James, ‘ James the brother of John’ , ‘ the son of Zebedee ’, is conveniently disposed of. Later we shall see how this execution relates to a parallel and more convincing one Josephus mentions at this time, the beheading of someone he calls ‘ Theudas ’. 1
    James’ identity and ideology are as solid as Paul’s, because it is Paul who confirms them. What is more, Paul never mentions any other James. But Paul knows next to nothing about the person, ideology, and life of Jesus except as an individual in Heaven he considers himself to be in direct communication with via a mechanism he and Acts both – not to mention the Dead Sea Scrolls’ Community Rule – refer to as the ‘Holy Spirit’. This being, whom Paul calls ‘Christ Jesus’, often appears to be a carbon copy of Paul himself. So dubious did his claims regarding him appear to his opponents – and this within the Church , not outside it – that Paul was even mocked in his own lifetime as either a man of dreams or a ‘Liar’. Aside from James, the only identifiable Apostle who emerges in any substantial manner from Paul’s letters is ‘ Cephas ’. The portrait that emerges in these letters, not surprisingly, does not mesh with the one in Acts, to say nothing of the one in the Gospels.
    Though there is continuing discussion among scholars about aspects of the Pauline corpus, there is general agreement on the authenticity of the main, particularly those letters of principal concern to us in this book like Galatians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Romans, and Philippians. These give us insight of the most intimate kind into the mind of Paul and historical insight into this period, which no defender of the integrity of the early Church and its doctrines would have had the slightest interest in forging or, for that matter, even preserving.
    Here, it is perhaps edifying to cite a general rule: one should treat very cautiously any material reflecting the known or dominant theological position of the final redactors of a given document. Where authenticity is concerned, one is often on safer ground settling on traditions that seem surprising or incongruous in some manner, or on traditions that would have a damaging effect on the theological consistency of that document. This is precisely the kind of material one would have expected to have been edited out or refurbished if it could have been, that is, had not the tradition behind its authenticity been widely disseminated, persistent, or very strong.
    This is the case with the Letter of James. It is also the case with some of the severe character deficiencies that emerge where Paul is concerned, not only in his own letters, but also in the Book of Acts, accurate or not. These include his insubordination, jealousy, incessant bragging and vindictiveness. As an example of a tradition surprising in its content, one could cite Paul’s attestation that Jesus not only had brothers, but that they traveled with women (1 Cor. 9:5).
    In the Gospels, to cite an obvious example, there is the presentation of Jesus’ Apostles as being armed at the time of his arrest (Mt 26:54). Jarring anecdotes such as these are just the kind of